Writing (MFA)
Department website: http://michener.utexas.edu/
Students seeking the MFA are expected to develop professional skills in at least two of the following fields of creative work: fiction, poetry, screenwriting, and playwriting. The curriculum requires students to work across disciplines; for example, the student might study fiction as a primary field and screenwriting as a secondary field. Candidates must each write a thesis in their primary field.
Graduate Handbook
Graduate handbook information is updated and maintained by each program. Graduate handbooks are available within each program's office and online. Please contact the program with concerns or questions.
For information about applying to The Michener Center for Writers, please review the application requirements here.
Total Hours Required: 54
Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First-year seminar | 3 | |
| Primary Field Workshops | 9 | |
| Primary Field Studies Courses | 6 | |
| Secondary Field Workshops | 6 | |
| Secondary Field Studies Courses | 3 | |
| Electives | 21 | |
| Hours chosen from: | 6 | |
Thesis | ||
OR (in cases where the student elects to complete a coursework-only degree plan with departmental report option) | ||
Report and 3 elective hours | ||
| Graduate Intercollegial Progam Requirements | ||
| Graduate University Requirements | ||
| Total Hours | 54 | |
Additional Requirements and Policy
The coursework-only degree-plan with departmental report option is only available with approval of the graduate advisor. Reviews are conducted each semester determine the student's eligibility to continue in the program. Further information about degree requirements is available from the graduate advisor.
Michener Fellows enroll in three courses (nine hours total) each Fall and Spring semester. There are no summer classes. For the 54-hour degree plan, Fellows complete 3 workshops in their primary genre and 2 in their secondary genre(s) from the following fields of concentration: Fiction, Poetry, Playwriting, and Screenwriting. They also complete 2 studies courses in their primary genre and 1 in their secondary genre. In their first semester, Fellows take a three-hour First-Year Seminar course. In the third year, Fellows enroll in a year-long thesis course focused on developing a manuscript in the primary genre. Remaining hours allow for a range of electives across UT.