Graduate Degree Programs

MFA in Creative Writing: Playwriting

The MFA in Creative Writing is offered jointly by the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Herberger College School of Theatre and Film.

One of the unique features of this interdisciplinary program is that, because it utilizes faculty research, creative activity, and teaching interests of two academic units, you may tailor a course of study to fit your needs, talents and goals.
The Department of English administers the program and reviews the applications for admission. In the School of Theatre and Film, the studio/academic program emphasizes the collaborative process of playwriting. Working with actors and directors, playwrights' workshops include informal readings, staged readings and workshop production of students' plays.

Admission
You must meet all admission requirements of the Graduate College. In addition, you should have an undergraduate major in English or Theatre, with a GPA of 3.00 or above. If you do not have an undergraduate major in English or Theatre, you may be admitted on the basis of excellent creative and academic work. Deficiencies in undergraduate preparation may be removed while pursuing the MFA degree.

You must also submit the following:

• Three letters of recommendation
• Current résumé
• Statement of career goals, including the designation of an area of specialization (playwriting)
• Manuscript sample of one of the following: 30 pages of drama; 20 pages of poetry; 30 pages of prose fiction or creative nonfiction; or 40 total pages of work in two of these literary forms.

Application Procedure and Deadline
The graduate application must be submitted to the Graduate College. Transcripts must be mailed directly to the Graduate College. All other materials and manuscripts, including the teaching assistant application form, must be submitted to the Department of English by Jan. 15.

The creative writing committee reviews the materials and manuscripts and makes recommendations for admission by March 15. Guidelines for admission recommendations used by the committee include the following:

• Your academic record and capabilities for successful graduate study
• Talent and promise demonstrated in the manuscript sample
• Strength of letters of recommendation
• Quality of your undergraduate background
• Compatibility of your career goals with the purpose of the degree program

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Program of Study
In playwriting, the program of study requires a minimum of 48 semester hours of graduate credit approved by the student's supervisory committee, the director of the creative writing committee, and the dean of the Graduate College.

The program of study must include the following:

The literature component must include:

Credit Before Admission
Subject to the recommendation of the supervisory committee, if you have a completed MA or PhD degree in English or Theatre, you may have up to 15 semester hours of literature credit applied to the MFA program of study. A maximum of nine semester hours taken before admission and not as part of a completed degree at ASU and/or another institution may be used to fulfill degree requirements.

Final Examinations
A final written comprehensive examination is required and is scheduled once each semester and once during the summer. You are required to notify the creative writing committee of intent to take the examination at least 30 days in advance. You are not eligible to apply for the written examination until a program of study has been filed. If you fail the examination, a reexamination may be administered no sooner than three months and no later than one year from the date of the original examination. Permission for reexamination must be obtained from your supervisory committee, the director of the creative writing committee and the dean of the Graduate College. Only one reexamination is permitted.

You are examined in the following areas:

• 20th-century American writers: modern period
• 20th-century writers: contemporary period
• 20th-century critical theory

Playwrights are examined in the following areas:

• European and American drama
• Dramatic theory and criticism

The examination is constructed and graded by members of the creative writing examination committee.

Practicum and Performance Requirements
For all playwrights THP 693 is required. For nine semester hours of credit, you create a book-length volume of poetry, short stories, novel, drama, translation or creative nonfiction (except literary criticism). This project must be approved in advance by your supervisory committee on the basis of sample pages and a summary of the proposal. The supervisory committee must evaluate and approve the final project. As the last requirement for the degree, you must read or perform from the practicum or applied project before students and members of the faculty.

Research and Scholarly Activity
Research and scholarly endeavors inform the creative work of the faculty, which includes publication of poetry, fiction and drama; collaborative production with musicians, fine printers and visual artists. Special research courses are offered on contemporary perspectives emphasizing such topics as Magical Realism, The Long Poem, Pedagogy Forum for Creative Writers, The Literature of Obsession, Internship for Community Outreach, Death and Transfiguration, Poetry as Witness and Latino and Latina Theatre.

Research and creative activity is enhanced by vigorous faculty and student involvement in producing a national literary magazine, Hayden's Ferry Review, an ASU student publication. Creative writing faculty and graduate students participate in public outreach programs, including workshops at ASU for adults and high school students in rural and metropolitan areas of the region. Public lectures and readings by faculty members, original play productions and reader's theatre, and a regular series of public readings, lectures and conferences featuring writers of national renown provide a forum for exchange among artist, audience, scholar and student.

Recent conferences, with support from the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and other agencies, have brought together writers, editors and publishers, focusing attention on issues in publishing creative work. The School of Theatre and Film regularly brings guest artist playwrights to campus to enhance the learning experience of students.

Playwright's News
Enjoy the most recent posting of Playwright News. It features news of graduate playwrights in the MFA Creative Writing/Playwriting program that is administered jointly by the Herberger College School of Theatre and Film and the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Need fall 2007 issue

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