Creative Writing - Master of Fine Arts
Graduate Program Information
The MFA Creative Writing Program is housed in the Creative Media Institute.
The Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing is a 3-year program. Students choose a major genre: poetry or fiction, though classes in nonfiction, writing, screenwriting and others are offered. Students must complete 54 hours of graduate-level course work, submit a creative writing thesis, give a public reading from the thesis, and pass an oral examination.
Our mission is to emphasize the creation and critical analysis of literature, so that our students can be part of the national conversation about writing, graduating with a publishable manuscript. By providing our students with a set of skills, we prepare them to contribute to their communities as writers, publishing professionals and teachers.
Creative Writing - Master of Fine Arts
Students pursuing the MFA in Creative Writing devote themselves to concentrated study and development of a chosen genre: poetry or fiction. Students
- complete 54 hours of graduate-level coursework,
- participate and pass (as of Fall 27) in a third-semester review,
- present a book-length thesis of original work with an introduction or afterward,
- perform a public reading from the thesis, and
- pass an oral examination in the final semester.
All MFA courses are restricted to students accepted into the MFA program.
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Coursework | ||
| FDMA 570 | MFA Workshop (4 FDMA 570 workshops in the genre of poetry or fiction for which the student was admitted to study AND 1 FDMA 570 workshop in a second genre.) 1 | 15 |
| FDMA 550 | MFA Form & Technique | 9 |
| FDMA 592 | MFA Theory, Practice and Professionalism 2 | 3 |
| FDMA 594 | MFA Thesis Workshop 3 | 6 |
| Thesis Credits | ||
| FDMA 599 | MFA Thesis 4 | 6 |
| Required Electives | 15 | |
| Graduate-level courses in any of the following: | ||
| FDMA Courses Offered by the Creative Media Institute: 5 | ||
| Environmental Filmmaking | 3 | |
| Screenwriting II | 3 | |
| Advanced Screenwriting | 3 | |
| Graduate Problems in Creative Media | 1-3 | |
| Special Topics | 3 | |
| MFA Form & Technique (Additional credits may be counted toward electives only after the completion of 9 credits of FDMA 550.) | 3 | |
| MFA Workshop (Additional credits may be counted toward electives only after the completion of 15 credits of FDMA 570.) | 3 | |
| MFA Theory, Practice and Professionalism (Additional credits may be counted toward electives only after the completion of 3 credits of FDMA 592.) | 1-2 | |
| Master of Fine Arts Graduate Internship | 1-12 | |
| Courses offered by Journalism and Media Studies: | ||
| Public Relations for Social Impact | 3 | |
| Environmental, Social, & Governance Public Relations | 3 | |
| Special Topics | 3 | |
| Media Theory | 3 | |
| Additional Approved Elective Courses 6 | ||
| Courses from the Art Department: | ||
| Special Topics in Studio | 3 | |
| Studio Core IV: Thesis Production & Display | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Studio Management | 1 | |
| Problems in Studio Art | 1-6 | |
| Museum Conservation Techniques I | 3 | |
| Drawing and Painting Workshop | 3-6 | |
| Graphic Design | 3 | |
| Sculpture Media | 3-9 | |
| Photography Seminar | 3-9 | |
| Ceramic Arts | 3-9 | |
| Special Topics in Art History | 3 | |
| Art of China I: Neolithic to Song Dynasty | 3 | |
| Race and Art | 3 | |
| Global Modernisms | 3 | |
| Contemporary Global Art Practices | 3 | |
| Gender, Sexuality, and Art in the Americas | 3 | |
| Latin American Film | 3 | |
| Museum and Curatorial Studies | 3 | |
| Seminar in Art History | 3 | |
| Methodologies and Historiography of Art History and Art Theory | 3 | |
| Courses from the Borderlands and Ethnic Studies Program: | ||
| Foundations in Borderlands & Ethnic Studies | 3 | |
| Decolonial Research I: Overview | 3 | |
| Theories in Borderlands and Ethnic Studies | 3 | |
| Decolonial Research II: Methodologies | 3 | |
| Decolonial Research III: Data Analysis and Publication | 3 | |
| Courses from the department of Communication Studies: | ||
| Theories of Communication | 3 | |
| Communication Technologies | 3 | |
| Strategic Communication | 3 | |
| Courses from the Department of English: | ||
| Online Publishing | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in Chaucer | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in Shakespeare I | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in Shakespeare II | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in Critical Theory | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in a Literary Period or Movement | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in a Literary Form or Genre | 3 | |
| Graduate Study of a Major Author | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in a Major Text | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in Comparative Literature | 3 | |
| Special Topics in Critical Theory | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in Film and Digital Media | 3 | |
| Victorian Literature | 3 | |
| Modern and Contemporary American Poetry | 3 | |
| Multimedia Theory and Production | 3 | |
| Modern British Fiction | 3 | |
| Postmodern Fiction | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in History of the English Language | 3 | |
| World Literatures | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in Rhetoric of Scientific Literature | 3 | |
| Latino/a Literature and Culture | 3 | |
| Proposal and Grant Writing | 3 | |
| Graduate Study in English Literature | 3 | |
| Documentary Film Theory and Criticism | 3 | |
| Graduate in American Literature | 3 | |
| Composition Pedagogy and Practicum | 3 | |
| Women's Literature | 3 | |
| Gender and Popular Culture | 3 | |
| Critical Writing Studies | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Literature and Theory | 3 | |
| Courses from the Gender and Sexuality Studies Program - check GNDR site for 2-year course rotations if planning to complete a graduate minor in GNDR. | ||
| Advanced Women & Immigration | 0,3 | |
| Advanced Transnational Feminisms | 0,3 | |
| Advanced Alternative Genders and Sexualities | 3 | |
| Advanced Women and Human Rights | 3 | |
| Advanced Gender and Graphic Narrative | 3 | |
| Advanced Feminist Food Studies | 3 | |
| Advanced Gender and Migration | 3 | |
| Advanced Gender and Film Studies | 3 | |
| Advanced Issues in Sex, Gender, and Culture | 3 | |
| Race and Gender in Film | 3 | |
| Advanced Issues in Women Crossing Borders | 3 | |
| Advanced Sex, Gender & the Body | 0,3 | |
| Advanced Seminar in Feminist and Queer Theories | 3 | |
| Gender and Popular Culture | 3 | |
| Women's Literature | 3 | |
| Courses from the Department of History: | ||
| Making the American West | 3 | |
| The Constitution and U.S. History | 3 | |
| Labor History | 3 | |
| War and Revolution | 3 | |
| Special Topics in European History | 3 | |
| Special Topics in Asian History | 3 | |
| Special Topics in United States History | 3 | |
| Urban History | 3 | |
| The Cold War in Latin America | 3 | |
| China through the Ming Dynasty | 3 | |
| China in the Modern World | 3 | |
| History of Japan | 3 | |
| History of the Global Political Economy | 3 | |
| Oral History | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 54 | |
- 1
Subtitles will vary for both FDMA 550 MFA Form & Technique and FDMA 570 MFA Workshop. Select the section that matches your genre requirements or elective choice.
- 2
After completion of 36 hours, requires concurrent enrollment in FDMA 594 MFA Thesis Workshop. MFA candidates may be advised to repeat FDMA 592 MFA Theory, Practice and Professionalism (for additional elective credits) to better prepare for completion of the thesis.
- 3
After completion of 36 hours, requires concurrent enrollment in FDMA 592 MFA Theory, Practice and Professionalism. After completion of 45 credits, concurrent enrollment in FDMA 592 MFA Theory, Practice and Professionalism is no longer required.
- 4
In the semester of thesis defense, it is university policy that degree candidates must enroll in thesis hours. Should an MFA candidate still need to reschedule a thesis defense after the completion of 6 credits, it is university policy that the candidate must enroll in an additional 1 credit hour of thesis during the calendar session of the defense. Thesis hours earned beyond the 6 required for the MFA degree cannot be used for elective credits.
- 5
Graduate students may enroll in FDMA or JOUR courses numbered below 450 for graduate credit by enrolling in a cross listed FDMA 500 Graduate Problems in Creative Media or FDMA 501 Special Topics. Requests to offer an FDMA 500 Graduate Problems in Creative Media or FDMA 501 Special Topics must be approved by the CMI Director of Graduate Studies and filed with the department no later than 14 business days before registration opens for graduate students. The course instructor must approve setting up a graduate section that will require additional work appropriate for graduate-level study.
- 6
These courses should be carefully selected in consultation with your advisor to ensure career, disciplinary, or artistic relevance to your study in Creative Writing. Most of these courses will require permission of instructor. For students with financial aid, be aware that courses taken for a graduate minor must also count toward the MFA in Creative Writing and that requested degree exceptions must be processed by the census date of that semester (for more information visit https://fa.nmsu.edu/cpos/index.html). To enroll in coursework below FDMA 450 Advanced 2D Animation, graduate students may enroll (with permission from instructor and advisor) for graduate credit in a “special topic” shell within that department or enroll in a cross listed FDMA 500 Graduate Problems in Creative Media or FDMA 501 Special Topics. See note “v” for deadlines and approval process.