Master of Fine Arts (Archived 2016-17 Graduate Catalog)

The Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree is offered in two fields of concentration. The Master of Fine Arts in art is available through the School of Art. The Master of Fine Arts in creative writing is offered by the Department of English. Specific admission procedures and degree requirements are outlined under the headings of Art and English in the Graduate Programs Offered section of this catalog.

Master of Fine Arts in Art
The Master of Fine Arts in art program is designed to produce professionally competent artists who are aware of the great traditions in art and related cultural fields. The intent of the program is to produce graduates who are more than mere technicians in art. Students receive training in the fundamentals and achieve a level of competence which will enable them to contribute to the field of art. The M.F.A. program prepares students to become either professional artists or teachers of art after receiving the degree. Approved studio areas of specialization are: ceramics, digital arts, drawing, glass working, jewelry/metals, painting, printmaking, and sculpture.

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
The Master of Fine Arts in creative writing program is designed to provide developing fiction writers or poets with training in the techniques of their genre, continuous practice in writing, and detailed criticisms of their work. Candidates in the M.F.A. in

Creative Writing program are expected to develop their own writing style as fully as possible under the direction of competent and experienced instructors. Before completing degree work, students must produce a book-length thesis comparable in quality to the published work of serious contemporary professional poets and fiction writers.