INFORMATION FOR
William Paterson University in Wayne has launched a master of fine arts degree in creative and professional writing that will prepare students to explore the craft of writing and provide applied experience in editing and publishing.
The new program will emphasize professional writing practices, blend traditional classroom and online offerings, and balance course offerings in literature and writing.
“The new MFA program in creative and professional writing will offer its graduates an advanced degree in a high-need skill area,” says Dr. Kara Rabbitt, interim dean of the University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “MFA recipients will be eligible for teaching positions in colleges and universities. They will also have honed the writing practices necessary for professional success in many fields, from publishing to marketing.”
The 41-credit program will provide students with the practical skills necessary to improve their own writing, evaluate and edit the writing of others, gain experience with methodologies of learning and teaching writing, and extend their own knowledge of literature.
The program offers concentrations in four genres: poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction and professional nonfiction. The curriculum consists of four major components: writing workshops (eighteen credits), the study of literature (twelve credits), a teaching component, with an optional internship opportunity (three credits), and a master’s thesis, a substantial manuscript of publishable quality (eight credits).
William Paterson University, one of the nine state colleges and universities in New Jersey, offers 44 undergraduate and 21 graduate programs through five colleges: Arts and Communication, Cotsakos College of Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science and Health. Located on 370 hilltop acres in Wayne, the University enrolls approximately 11,000 students and provides housing for nearly 2,300 students. The institution’s 373 full-time faculty are highly distinguished and diverse scholars and teachers, many of whom are recipients of prestigious awards and grants from the Fulbright Program, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation.
For additional information about the program, contact Phoebe Jackson, graduate director in English at 973-720-3704 or via email to MFAdirector_English@wpunj.edu.
