Literature, Creative Writing, and Social Justice Specialization, MA/MFA

Admission Application Requirements

Regular Admission

In addition to the requirements for graduate admission into Our Lady of the Lake University, applicants will provide:

1. Two letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant’s potential for success in the MA/MFA programs in Literature, Creative Writing and Social Justice.
2. Evidence of completion of at least 18 hours of advanced course work in English and/or Communication Arts. Students who earn a minor in English at OLLU and earn a 3.0 GPA or above in at least 12 advanced English hours are also eligible. Applicants without the required advanced hours in English may do leveling coursework or may have this requirement waived on a case by case basis.
3. Samples of both creative and scholarly writing (25 page total).
4. Personal Statement
5. A cover letter detailing the applicant’s reasons for pursing a combined MA/MFA in Literature, Creative Writing, and Social Justice.

MFA Candidacy

Admission to MFA candidacy is a prerequisite to receiving the MFA degree. To qualify for admission to MFA candidacy, a student must:

• Be accepted and enrolled in combined MA/MFA program
• Have been continuously enrolled in the program without withdrawal, or have been readmitted to the program without condition
• Have completed 30 hours of graduate courses with a GPA of 3.0 or better by the end of the semester in which the student applies for candidacy
• Pass the first three sections of the comprehensive examination
• Submit a portfolio containing 25 pages of creative writing and one scholarly paper from each of the following: ENGL 7394 Scholarship/Bibliography and Research Methods, ENGL 7331 Theories of Literature and Social Justice, ENGL 7333 Teaching Literature, Composition and Creative Writing, and from one graduate literature class. The portfolio should also contain the applicant’s thesis proposal.

The portfolio and comprehensive examination are designed to determine the academic strengths of the student for pursing the MFA in Literature, Creative Writing and Social Justice.

The portfolio will be evaluated by a committee of at least three members of the English graduate faculty. If a student’s creative writing portfolio is rejected, that student is automatically moved from the MA-MFA program to the MA line.

48 semester hours