M.F.A. in Writing 
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Associate Professor David Rivard graces the cover of the November/December 2008 edition of The American Poetry Review. Pick up a copy at a local retailer and read the special supplement which features 14 poems by Prof. Rivard. |
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In this collection of poetry, Jason Tandon, recent UNH MFA graduate, takes up the dictum of metaphysical words surrounded by silence, juxtaposing the absurd of the everyday with a compassionate, redemptive ideal. |
The UNH English Department offers the MFA, the terminal degree in the field of creative writing. Candidates concentrate in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. The program emphasizes craft, learned in small workshops, and seeks students who plan to become professional writers after taking their degrees.
Fiction
Fiction workshops are limited to twelve students, thus ensuring close and detailed criticism of manuscripts by faculty and graduate student colleagues. An ambitious visiting writers series and faculty and student readings provide a climate in which contemporary writing can flourish.
Poetry
The poetry graduate program offers intensive study with serious, publishing authors. Workshops are small--no more than 12 students per class--and include individual conferences with instructors. For inspiration, the writers series has brought noted poets, including Nobel Prize winners, to campus. Several bookstores in the area hold poetry readings attended and/or run by graduates of the UNH Poetry Program. Students also take advantage of poetry readings in Boston, which is 90 minutes away.
Nonfiction
The non-fiction graduate program emphasizes a range of writing styles, from traditional magazine to literary non-fiction to essay. Students are encouraged to experiment with their writing, to break away from the tried and true. They will work to add depth through detail acquired from thorough reporting, and to develop a strong sense of voice and point of view. Small writing workshops, complemented by individual conferences with faculty, provide the backbone of course work.
Course Requirements
The MFA requires 12 courses (48 course credits): four workshops in the major genre, one form and theory course in the major genre, five elective courses that may include additional writing courses or courses from the English Department’s offerings in other fields (such as literature, linguistics, or composition studies), and 8 credit hours of the MFA Thesis. Teaching assistants are required to take English 910, Practicum in Teaching College Composition, as one of their electives.
Checklist for MFA Course Requirements
MFA Thesis
MFA candidates write a book-length, publishable manuscript to complete the program. The minimum length of the thesis is 150 pages for fiction and nonfiction writers and 45 pages for poets. Students will work closely with a thesis advisor as they write and pass an oral defense of the thesis, a defense conducted by a three-member thesis committee of writing faculty.
Faculty
Visit our Faculty & Staff page. The Faculty by Field section of the page may also be useful.
Opportunities
Students in the MFA program are invited to become involved in the production of the UNH on-line literary journal, Barnstorm. This annual publication is produced in conjunction with the class, ENGL 802: Editing and Publishing.
MFA students are invited to read from their works at regularly-scheduled student readings.
The English Department hosts the Writers Series, campus visits and readings by prominent writers in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Master classes or Q&A sessions are part of each visit.
Visit the Series and Conferences webpage for more information.
If you would like more information about tuition, fees, housing, and graduate life at UNH, visit the UNH Graduate School.