The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Creative Writing Program College of Fine Arts
MFA Creative Writing
APPLY NOW REQUEST INFO GRADUATE COLLEGEMission Statement
The MFA Program acquaints aspiring writers with literature from a craft perspective, helps them to assimilate the conventions and techniques of at least one literary genre, and trains them to apply literary standards to their own creative work-in-progress and that of fellow students.
Program Overview
The MFA in Creative Writing is a 42-hour program of advanced study and practice of literary craft. This studio/research program provides aspiring writers with the ongoing support and challenge of a workshop environment led by quality faculty in the genres.
The objective of this degree program is to prepare students for careers as writers, teachers at the college or university level, editors, literary translators, and other related professional careers.
The program provides further training in the art of reading and writing contemporary literary writing, insight into the publishing world, access to the creative community of El Valle, and a deepened understanding and appreciation of literary traditions. The program's small workshop sizes concentrate student energies, promoting success and encouraging a sense of community.
Course requirements include twelve hours of studio workshops, six hours in form and theory, a professional development course, and nine hours of literature/reading electives. The remaining six hours of electives can be chosen among additional creative writing courses, in building a graduate certificate like the Grad Certificate in Mexican American Studies, or in other graduate courses at UTRGV. In their final year in the program, students will prepare a creative thesis (ENG 7310 and ENG 7311) consisting of a book-length manuscript in their chosen genre and a critical introduction about their writing and the thesis project.
The MFA admissions committee will consider of three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, transcripts/GPA and a portfolio of creative writing. Portfolio of Creative Writing usually contains—8-10 pages of poetry or around 20 pages of fiction, creative nonfiction, or scriptwriting. Combinations of genres and common-sense equivalent creative work of graphic stories or mixed genre work will be given due consideration, as well as work in Spanish or Tex-Mex.
Descripción General del Programa
La Maestría en Escritura Creativa (MFA) es un programa de 42 horas de es-tudio avanzado y práctica de la artesanía literaria. Este programa de estudio / investigación proporciona a los aspirantes a escritores un apoyo continuo, retándolos a desarrollarse en un ambiente de taller, junto con la orientación individualizada por parte de profesores que son a su vez autores publicados.
El objetivo de este programa de estudios es preparar a los estudiantes para distintas carreras, ya sea como escritores, profesores universitarios, edito-res, traductores literarios, y otras áreas profesionales relacionadas.
El programa proporciona una mayor capacitación en el arte de la escritura y publicación literaria contemporáneas, la inspiración artística de otros escrito-res como compañeros y mentores, y una comprensión y apreciación más profundas de las tradiciones literarias, entre ellas las del Valle del Río Grande y otros lugares. El tamaño pequeño de los talleres del programa con-centra las energías de los estudiantes, promoviendo el éxito, y fomentando el sentido de comunidad.
El programa ofrece concentraciones en Ficción, Poesía, No-Ficción, Traduc-ción Literaria (Español / Inglés), Dramaturgia, Guión de Cine y Literatura Gráfica.
Programa, Profesorado, y Premios Estudiantiles
Los graduados y estudiantes actuales de nuestro programa han publicado su trabajo en muchas revistas literarias, incluyendo Fourteen Hills, Denver Quarterly, Nimrod International Journal, The Literary Review, Boulevard, Salt Hill, Front Porch, Aethlon, Marlboro Review, BorderSenses, y Texas Poe-try Review.
El programa de Maestría en Escritura Creativa publica una revista literaria nacional, riverSedge, fundada en 1977.