The program is offered online through UTEP Connect. 

Overview

The Bilingual Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing is designed as an artist’s degree that stresses the performance aspect of the discipline. The objectives of the program are to prepare students to be practicing writers and to be teachers of creative writing and contemporary literature. Upon completion, students will have a thorough understanding of form and theory and an advanced background in literature. 

Admission Requirements

1. A bachelor’s degree or its equivalent.
2. Transcripts according to the requirements of the Graduate School.
3. Three letters of recommendation.
4. A writing sample in the genre of emphasis: eight to 10 poems; 20 pages of prose, play-writing, essay, or screenplay.
5. A statement of purpose.

The bilingual aspect of this program refers to the coexistence of Spanish and English in the classroom and does not require students to speak both languages. Applicants from countries where English is not the first language are required to demonstrate English proficiency. Please consult the graduate school website for required scores. 

The admission factors will be reviewed holistically to assess the potential of the applicant.  The successful applicant would typically have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher that demonstrates focus on academics in a field that requires critical thinking and creativity, a writing sample in the genre of emphasis that illustrates the applicant's ability and potential, a personal statement that demonstrates maturity and commitment to a career related to creative writing as well as willingness to interact with diverse cultural backgrounds, and three letters of recommendation from supporting faculty or advisors who can serve as judges of the applicant's competence and commitment.

Degree Plan Options 

In addition, students with an assistantship in the English Department must take ENGL 5345 Writing to Learn, and students with a teaching assistantship in Languages and Linguistics must take LING 5370 Study in Language.

The thesis will consist of a book-length manuscript of original fiction or poetry, play, essay collection, translation, or screenplay, accompanied by a critical preface. Each candidate is required to submit a thesis proposal and a sample of the thesis-in-progress prior to enrolling in Thesis I. The thesis will be prepared under the direction of a thesis director, and it will be judged by a three-member committee and defended orally. 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
MFA in Creative Writing (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Required Courses:
CRW 5321	Narrative Theory and Poetics	3
CRW 5364	Forms & Techniques of Fiction	3
CRW 5365	Forms & Techniques of Poetry	3
Workshop and/or Variable Topic
Select five courses form the following:		15
CRW 5366	Advanced Fiction Writing
CRW 5367	Advanced Poetry Writing
CRW 5369	Advanced Playwriting
CRW 5371	Writing the Novel
CRW 5372	Advanced Screenwriting
CRW 5373	Advanced Creative Non-Fiction
CRW 5374	Ten Prob. for Fiction Writer
CRW 5381	Literary Translation
Literature Courses:
Select four courses from the following:		12
CRW 5368	Var Topics in Creative Writing
CRW 5370	Literary Translation
CRW 5376	Writing About Popular Music
CRW 5377	Rewriting America since 1960s
CRW 5378	The Politics of Narration
CRW 5379	Kafka and the Art of Fiction
CRW 5380	Physics of Creative Writing
CRW 5382	Studies in Form
CRW 5386	Minding Fiction
CRW 5388	Storytelling-Film & Literature
CRW 5389	High Modernism in Latin Americ
Other Electives:
Select six additional hours from graduate courses		6
Thesis:
CRW 5398 & CRW 5399	Thesis and Thesis	6
Total Hours		48