Degree Requirements

The MFA degree is awarded upon the satisfactory completion of at least six quarters of registration, 72 units of required coursework, a preliminary reading or presentation at the end of the first year, a completed manuscript or project, and a final reading or presentation. There is no written final examination for the degree, but great weight is given to the candidate’s presentation and capstone discussion of the final project.

Coursework

History and Theory (8 units)
LTTH 250. Writing and Theory (4)
LTTH 255. Modern Art Movements and Aesthetics (4)
Writing Workshops (20 units)
Five graduate-level writing workshops within a specific genre or a combination of genres:
LTWR 200. Fiction Workshop (4)
LTWR 202. Poetry Workshop (4)
LTWR 215. Cross-Genre Workshop (4)
Graduate Seminars in Literature (4-12 units)
Graduate seminars in Literature outside of the Writing section (or, with permission, upper division course(s) or guided independent study in Literature).
Graduate Seminars in an Art Practice or Theory (4-12 units)
Graduate level courses either in an art practice or theory offered outside of the writing program (this could be in Visual Arts, Music, or Theatre) or in graduate seminars offered by the Literature Department in a language other than English.
MFA Thesis (8-12 units)
LTWR 295. MFA Thesis (1-12)
Apprentice Teaching (12 units)
Guided teaching at UC San Diego. Teaching assistantships carry 2-4 units of credit per quarter.

First-Year Presentation

At the end of their first year in the MFA program all students will make a public presentation (a reading, or a performance) of their year’s work.

MFA Thesis

Students will complete a final project consisting of a manuscript of fiction (120 pages) or poetry (65 pages) and a public presentation. The manuscript will be the culmination of two years of course work within the student’s chosen genre and will have undergone extensive editing and revision before submission for the final project. There is no written final examination for the degree, but great weight is given to the candidate’s final presentation and capstone discussion of the final project.

Final Presentation and Discussion

At the end of the second year, as the capstone event, the MFA student will make a public presentation of the final project (thesis)—a reading of the completed manuscript, a screening, or a performance of the student’s work. As part of the degree requirements, the student will meet with his/her thesis committee after the public presentation for a capstone discussion of the final project.