Three people reading out loud into a microphone from works placed on a music stand in front of them.
Writing

Curriculum & Courses

Graduate Curriculum Overview

WRIT 5001 Writing Workshop 

12  

WRIT 5500 Topics in Writing Seminar

12  

MFA 6009 Graduate Projects 

(minimum of 12 credits with writing advisors)

24  

Electives

Courses at the 3000 level or above. Art History courses must be at the 4000 level or above.

12  

Participation in four graduate critiques 

 

Inclusion in graduate publication or participation in the Graduate Exhibition or equivalent 

 

Completion of the thesis 

 

Total Credit Hours

60  

Students may elect internships to satisfy up to 6 hours of elective credit.

Degree Requirements and Specifications

  1. Completion schedule: Students have a maximum of four years to complete the degree (this includes time off for leaves-of-absence).
  2. Transfer credits: A minimum of 45 credit hours must be completed at SAIC. Up to 15 transfer credits may be requested at the time of application for admission and are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credit will be permitted after a student is admitted.
  3. Thesis requirement: During their final semester, students are required to submit a thesis of appropriate length in any genre.
  4. Exhibition requirements: MFAW students planning to participate in the Graduate Thesis Exhibition or Time Arts events are required to complete at least 6 studio credits by the end of the third semester AND to advise with a studio faculty member in their final semester.
  5. Studio space: Individual studio space is not provided automatically to students in the MFA in Writing; however, Writing students with a visual arts practice in addition to their writing may apply for a space through the Administrative Director, Graduate Division, at gradstudio@saic.edu.
  6. Graduate Projects: MFA 6009 Graduate Projects enrollments must be in increments of 3 credit hours. No more than two advisors and a total of 6 credit hours may be scheduled for a given semester. The number of credits earned by the student has no correlation with length or frequency of the advising sessions or to faculty assessment of student work.

Students may elect internships to satisfy up to 6 hours of elective credit.

Courses

Title Catalog Instructor Schedule

Description

The beloved writer Italo Calvino penned a book called Six Memos for the Millennium. In it, he describes a variety of qualities that writing can have. These qualities are: lightness, quickness, exactitude, visibility, and multiplicity.
In our class, we will meet day by day to examine stories and novellas in light of the points that Calvino makes. Students will also be asked to make creative work in class following exercises that will be provided.
Participants will obtain a way of looking at fiction that will make their own practice of art and writing agile and sharp.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: WRIT 1102 or WRIT 2040 or permission of the instructor.

Class Number

1297

Credits

3

Department

Writing

Location

Lakeview - 808

Description

This is a three week class designed to take the writer from a play's beginning to its completion. We will make something brand new, but also look at your one act plays that you have begun but not completed.
We will write in each session and read from the published work of significant playwrights, including Suzanne Lori-Parks, Caryl Churchill, Jenny Magnus and Edward Albee. The class will conclude with a stage reading of your work. This course is particularly recommended for poets, film makers, performance artists, playwrights and artists looking for a new direction.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: WRIT 1102 or WRIT 2040 or permission of the instructor.

Class Number

1298

Credits

3

Department

Writing

Location

Lakeview - 808

Take the Next Step

Visit the graduate admissions website or contact the graduate admissions office at 312.629.6100, 800.232.7242 or gradmiss@saic.edu.