MFA Degree Requirements

OFFERED IN ASHEVILLE

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, offered by the Thomas Wolfe Center for Narrative at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Asheville, is designed to help students with a passion for writing hone their skills and develop their vision. Students can specialize in fiction, poetry or creative nonfiction. Students may also select classes from the Narrative Healthcare Certificate Program, also offered by the center.

Program Overview

The MFA in creative writing combines literary study and writing workshops to help students develop their skills as critical readers, hone their craft as writers and expand their abilities to improve their own and others' work. At the heart of the program are small, supportive, intensive writing workshop experiences facilitated by experienced writers and teachers. Classes are offered through online, synchronous sessions, allowing students to join the program in Asheville or from elsewhere.

Faculty

All faculty in the program are appropriately credentialed. In addition to established writers, a variety of community professionals employed in various relevant settings will provide instruction and guidance.

Program Structure

This program is flexible enough to fit the schedule of anyone, whether entering directly from an undergraduate program, in mid-career or considering a career change. Courses are held in the evenings for the convenience of working students. The length of time to complete this program varies based on class load and the scheduling of classes. The program can be completed on average in three years or can be taken at a pace conducive to the student's schedule.

Program Admission Requirements

Visit Graduate Admission for the most current Program Admission Requirements .

Literary Study: (18 hours)
- ENG 505 - Literary Studies Seminar(repeated six times with different subtitles.)
Writing Workshops (21 hours)
Choose one of the following writing content focus areas - to be repeated 3 times for a total of 9 hours:
- WRI 520 - Workshop in Writing Fiction
- WRI 521 - Workshop in Writing Creative Nonfiction
- WRI 522 - Workshop in Writing Poetry
- Writing Workshop - Outside area (one of the above, not the focus area) 3 credits.
- Writing Workshop - WRI 583 - Special Topic in an area related focus 3 credits.
- Writing Workshops - two additional workshops, in any of the areas above 6 credits.
Theses Workshops (6 hours)
- WRI 560 - Creative Theses(to be taken twice for a total of six hours.)
Total Credit Hours: 45

*Each student will take three workshops (WRI 520, WRI 521, or WRI 522 ) in their area of concentration, one special topics workshop in a related area, one workshop in an area outside his or her concentration, and two additional workshops from the above offerings. MFA students with an interest in Narrative Healthcare may take WRI 545, WRI 546, and WRI 547 in place of the "outside" and "additional" workshops.