M.A. in English/M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Editing, and Publishing (Dual Degree)

The MA in English/MFA in Creative Writing, Editing, and Publishing (Dual Degree) program gives students the opportunity to earn both the MA in English and the MFA in Creative Writing, Editing, and Publising in a single 60 hour program. This program is intended for those students interested in advanced graduate work in both creative writing and academic literary studies.

Students seeking admission to the MA in English/MFA in Creative Writing, Editing, and Publishing (Dual Degree) program must supply the following materials directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

1. Graduate Application
2. Application fee
3. A statement of purpose, of 500 to 1000 words, articulating the applicant's intentions for pursuing the dual MA/MFA program.
4. Official transcripts of all college-level work, including one that shows conferral of the undergraduate degree (Note: The student must have completed at least twelve hours of upper-division English courses with a 3.0 GPA or better; students with credentials from foreign universities must have their transcripts reviewed by a transcript evaluation service.)
5. Official scores for the GRE General Test (Note: The subject test in English is not required.)
6. Four letters of recommendation that discuss the applicant’s potential for success in a dual creative and academic English graduate program.
7. A creative writing sample of either 20 pages of prose or a collection of 8 - 10 poems.
8.  A critical writing sample of at least ten full typed pages. While we will accept papers from outside disciplines that give evidence of your critical thinking abilities, we prefer samples that demonstrate (1) research and critical writing skills particular to the study of literature and language and (2) your ability to formulate and defend a cogent critical argument in a scholarly idiom appropriate to upper-division English classes. While the writing sample should be a single, sustained piece of work, typical of graduate-level writing, we will accept combinations of shorter pieces in exceptional cases. 
9. International applicants ONLY: Official TOEFL scores

The MA in English/MFA in Creative Writing, Editing, and Publishing (Dual Degree) program welcomes qualified international applicants; however, an individual who does not hold American citizenship must be accepted in regular admission status, without qualifications.

A holistic review of each applicant's file will be completed, and admission will be granted on a competitive basis.

• To earn the MA in English/MFA in Creative Writing, Editing, and Publishing (Dual Degree), students must complete a minimum of 60 hours of graduate credit in accordance with core components of each degree plan.
• All students must complete the following core MFA requirements:
  • 15 hours of creative writing workshops
  • 6 hours of Publishing and Editing
  • 3 hours of narrative or poetic theory
  • ENGL 5340 The Writers Life
  • MFA Thesis, ENGL 6096 and 6097¹
• All students are required to complete the following core MA requirements
  • ENGL 5330, must be taken at the first opportunity.
  • At least one course from the five English Course Blocks
  • 9 hours of Literature Electives
• Students MAY choose to do an MA Thesis (in addition to the required MFA thesis) in lieu of 6 hours of Literature Electives. Thesis students would then complete a two-semester thesis sequence (ENGL 6098 and ENGL 6099).
• All students must pass the English graduate program’s written comprehensive examination (offered in October, February, and June of each year) and an oral defense of a designated portion of their graduate work; the oral defense covers either the areas chosen for the written examination or, in the case of thesis students, the thesis. Students must be enrolled in the University for the terms in which they sit for the written comprehensive and oral examinations.
• A student may take ENGL 5339 twice, with approval of the Department Chair. A student may take one 4000-level English course for graduate credit, with approval of the Department Chair and the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. See the Graduate English Handbook for guidelines and restrictions.

¹ Pending approval of The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. 

English Course Blocks

The English graduate curriculum is organized into five blocks, each comprising courses with shared topics or historical kinship.

• Block 1: English Language, Early and Middle English Literature
• Block 2: Theory, Pedagogy, and Writing Disciplines
• Block 3: Early Literature
• Block 4: 19th-Century British and American Literature
• Block 5: 20th- and 21st-Century Literature in English

Students need not take the block classes in sequence.

With the approval of the Department Chair, a student may substitute up to six hours of the following special and variable topics courses for block requirements: 

The block requirement for which such a course may be substituted will be announced explicitly in the online course listings before registration and in the instructor's syllabus.