Guidelines for Creative Thesis

Guidelines for Creative Thesis (M.A. level)

The option of writing a Creative Thesis exists at the Master’s level. In order to carry out such a thesis, the student must do the following:

1. Select a mentor who has a degree in creative writing and active and current publishing in creative writing. Part of the mentoring process is professional development and advice about where and how to publish, obtain grants, and join associations for writers, etc. The mentor will become the director of the eventual creative thesis.

2. Enroll in ENGL 6905: Independent Study. (The section number corresponds to the individual professor serving as mentor.) This allows the mentor to assess beforehand the creative writing skills of the student in order to ascertain whether the student has the potential to produce a good creative thesis.

3. Prepare a week-by-week independent study proposal in consultation with the mentor. Once it is complete, it must be submitted to the Graduate Steering Committee for approval prior to the semester in which the work is to be done. (The exact date for submission should be consulted with the Graduate Program Coordinator.)

It is important to note that the Independent Study in creative writing is part of the regular coursework. It is an opportunity for the student to work closely with the mentor to discuss writing techniques utilized in a series of literary works within the same genre as the intended creative thesis. The Independent Study course takes the place of a creative writing workshop at the graduate level. It is taken prior to the comprehensive exams. It is not the thesis course.

Once the Independent Study course and all other required courses are successfully completed, then the student proceeds to the thesis course (ENGL 6896). Once enrolled in the thesis course, the student should follow the procedure outlined under Thesis.

For an interesting opportunity in the creative writing field, see Xavier Navarro’s 2014 reflection on his experience as a waiter/intern at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference here [link to page?]