The center of the MFA Program in Fiction is the graduate Seminar in Writing. The seminar offers a continuing semester-by-semester opportunity for students and faculty to discuss student writing in an atmosphere of critical collaboration. In addition to workshop, students take other English graduate-level courses in literature, theory, and directed reading.
The goal of the program is to further the development of talented creative writers who will continue writing throughout their lives. Our students come to us already having demonstrated significant levels of accomplishment in their writing, and a serious long-term commitment to the craft. To maximize direct faculty-to-student instruction, the program keeps enrollment low, limiting admission to the fall semester.
The Master of Fine Arts degree is a two-year, sixty-unit degree normally requiring full-time residency. Course requirements (refer to the CSULB Catalog for course descriptions) are arranged according to the following structure:
39 units, to be chosen on the basis of consultation with a faculty advisor, to include:
| Course | Units | Name |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 505A,B |
(4,4) |
Seminar in Fiction Writing |
| ENGL 584 |
(3) |
Contemporary Literary Theory |
| ENGL 590A,B | (3,3) | Directed Reading |
| ENGL 598 |
(1-3) |
Directed Studies |
| ENGL 605A,B | (4,4) | Seminar in Fiction Writing |
| ENGL 696 |
(4) |
Seminar in Literary Criticism & Research |
| ENGL 698 |
(1-6) |
Thesis |
21 units, to be chosen on the basis of consultation with a faculty advisor, to include:
| Course | Units | Name |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 523 |
(3) |
Semantics |
| ENGL 526 |
(3) |
History of the English Language |
| ENGL 535 |
(3) |
Teaching Composition |
| ENGL 537 |
(3) |
Current Issues in English Language |
| ENGL 550 |
(4) |
Old English Language & Literature |
| ENGL 551 |
(4) |
Middle English Language & Literature |
| ENGL 552 |
(4) |
Literature of the Renaissance |
| ENGL 553 |
(4) |
Literature of the Late Renaissance |
| ENGL 554 |
(4) |
Medieval Literature of the British Isles |
| ENGL 555 |
(3) |
English Literature of the Enlightenment |
| ENGL 556 |
(3) |
English Literature of the Romantic Period |
| ENGL 558 |
(3) |
English Poetry & Prose of the Victorian Age |
| ENGL 562 |
(3) |
Chaucer |
| ENGL 567A,B |
(3,3) |
English Novel |
| ENGL 568 |
(3) |
English Drama |
| ENGL 574 |
(3) |
20th Century American Literature |
| ENGL 575 |
(3) |
American Short Story |
| ENGL 576 |
(3) |
American Poetry |
| ENGL 577A,B |
(3,3) |
American Novel |
| ENGL 578 |
(3) |
American Drama |
| ENGL 583 |
(3) |
Special Topics in Literature |
| ENGL 652 |
(4) |
Seminar in English Renaissance |
| ENGL 653 |
(4) |
Seminar in the Age of Milton |
| ENGL 655 |
(4) |
Seminar in Restoration & 18th Century Literature |
| ENGL 656 |
(4) |
Seminar in Romantic Literature |
| ENGL 657 |
(4) |
Seminar in Victorian Literature |
| ENGL 659 |
(4) |
Seminar in 20th Century English Literature |
| ENGL 672 |
(4) |
Seminar in 19th Century American Renaissance |
| ENGL 673 |
(4) |
Seminar in American Realism |
| ENGL 674 |
(4) |
Seminar in 20th Century American Literature |
| ENGL 681 |
(4) |
Seminar in Major Authors |
| ENGL 683 |
(4) |
Seminar in Special Topics in Literature |
| Course | Units | Name |
|---|---|---|
| FEA 404* |
(3) |
Playwriting |
| THEA 380* |
(3) |
Advanced Playwriting |
| THEA 480* |
(3) |
Advanced Scriptwriting |
* May be counted for graduate credit
