Year 3: Requirements, Expectations & Deadlines

You must complete a final project consisting of a manuscript of fiction (120 pages) or poetry (65 pages) or cross-genre work (65-85 pages) that your MFA committee deems to be of high quality. The manuscript will be the culmination of 2-3 years of coursework and will have undergone extensive editing and revision before submission for the final project.

During Fall Quarter, make sure you have reviewed the following key steps and references, in preparation for completing the degree by the end of the year:

• Guidelines for the preparation and submission of the thesis: "Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses." Your thesis cannot be accepted unless you follow the guidelines. It is advisable to read the thesis preparation manual early. You may discover that your vision for your final project is at odds with the submission guidelines. If so, consult your Committee Chair and then your graduate academic affairs advisor at the Graduate Division as soon as possible.
• To get a good overview of the preparation and submission process, start by reading the first three pages of Section VII of the manual ("Final Degree and Filing Requirements") and "Appendix - Checklist for Candidates."  Also, sign up for the Graduate Division's formatting webinar.
  • Note the correct degree title to use on your manuscript and final degree paperwork: Master of Fine Arts in Writing.

• Read about degree completion (MFA Plan III).
• Note the deadline to submit final paperwork for degree completion (plan to complete everything and file one week before the deadline in case there are last-minute issues).
• Change your name in university records if needed (the name on your diploma will be the same as what is in TritonLink).

During Winter Quarter, students should make plans for and formally schedule the required Spring meetings:

• Preliminary Appointment with GEPA: The student must make an appointment with the GEPA for a preliminary check of their thesis. At that appointment, the format is checked, instructions on the final preparation and submission of the thesis are given, and the Final Document Review is scheduled. 
• Thesis Discussion with Committee: The thesis discussion should be held between weeks 3 and 9 of your final quarter in the program. Allow two hours for the discussion (the average length is 1.5 hours).
  • To schedule the discussion, start by obtaining your committee members' teaching schedules (from the Schedule of Classes) and their office hours (from the member or their department's website) to narrow the options. Pick three days/times that are likely to work for everyone, and then ask your members to agree on the best one.
  • When you have picked a meeting time that works for your committee, fill out and submit the “Thesis Discussion Schedule Confirmation” form online (see the “Forms” page of our website). The advising staff will reserve a conference room (if needed) and send you a confirmation email.
• Final Document Review with GEPA: The student will confirm their final document review date, so the staff at GEPA can add them to their calendar. The student submits all required paperwork, as outlined at the Preliminary Appointment by the final document review date. The department will aim to send the "Final Report of the Modified Thesis - Plan III" to GEPA by this date as well, but this will automatically happen once all committee members and the MFA Program Director or Department Chair signs the form via DocuSign. Final approval and acceptance of the thesis by the Dean of the GEPA (on behalf of the University Archivist and Graduate Council) represents the final step in the completion of all requirements for the MFA degree.

When a change in the Thesis Committee is necessary, the student completes the Committee Re-Constitution Request form online (see the “Forms” page of the website). This information includes the fully updated committee members and an explanation for the change(s) in the committee. Each individual change to the committee must be explained. The advising staff then submits an online request to GEPA to formally reconstitute the membership of the Thesis Committee. The Committee Chair or Co-Chairs will need to electronically approve the request for reconstitution. The online form will subsequently be routed to the MFA Director, before submission to GEPA for approval. The student, along with their entire new committee, will receive a notification email from GEPA when the committee has formally been reconstituted.

Reconstitutions are completely routine, and students may reconstitute their committee as many times as needed.

MFA students give a public presentation (a reading, or a performance) of their work during the quarter of graduation. The public presentation is a degree requirement. The reading is a presentation of the student's final project—a reading from the completed manuscript, a screening, or a performance of their work. The public readings are organized by the MFA Program, usually as part of the New Writing Series. Students should contact their primary advisor for guidance in preparation of the reading, and the advising staff will reach out to all first-year students with scheduling details.

Preparing for the Discussion

Generally, each member will expect you to provide them with a hard copy of your thesis at least one month before your scheduled discussion. However, your committee members may have different requirements, depending on how long and how closely they have been working with you. 

Your Committee Chair will advise you about how to prepare for and hold the discussion.

Thesis Discussion Committee Participation/Format

For the discussion, all members of the student’s committee must participate in accordance with campus policy.

The preferred means to conduct graduate examinations (final thesis defenses) is when the student and all members of the committee are physically present in the same room. The Department of Literature has determined, however, that exams may be conducted in one of three formats: 1) in-person, with all members physically present; 2) hybrid, with no more than two members participating by live video teleconference, the others being in-person; or 3) remote, with all members participating via live video teleconference. It is expected that all committee members participating via video teleconference will do so synchronously. 

• Regardless of format, in the event that a committee member is unable to attend the scheduled exam (excepting the chair or co-chairs), it is permissible for the member a), to prepare material in advance, submitting it to the committee chair or co-chairs for inclusion during the exam, or b), to examine the student on a separate date.
• If an emergency arises resulting in more than one committee member being unable to attend the exam, the committee chair or co-chairs may use their discretion regarding how to proceed. There must be sufficient expertise among present members to examine the student.

The format of exams will be determined by the student and committee chair(s) in conference with committee members. 

It is the student’s responsibility to work with their committee to schedule the discussion and meet the above requirements. The student will indicate each committee member's participation method on the “Thesis Discussion Schedule Confirmation” form online (see the “Forms” page of our website), and all committee members will need to sign the “Final Report of the Modified Thesis - Plan III” during or immediately following the discussion.  The student and committee members should plan the discussion schedule accordingly.

Holding the Discussion

You must prepare the following paperwork to your thesis discussion: 

• Thesis embargo form (see thesis formatting manual)

The advising staff will prepare the “Final Report of the Modified Thesis - Plan III” form and provide it directly to your Thesis Committee on the day of the thesis discussion. If your Thesis Committee members approve of your final thesis and degree completion, they will sign the paperwork at the conclusion of your discussion. Nothing can be added to the thesis once the committee has given final approval as indicated by their signatures on the final paperwork. 

Once all members of the committee have signed the "Final Report of the Modified Thesis - Plan III" form, staff will route it for the additional required signatures. The student is responsible for submitting all other required documents directly to GEPA as part of their final document review process.

There are a number of documents that students will need to submit to GEPA, during their final document review, in order to complete the thesis filing process and be awarded their MFA. Several of the documents will be entirely the student’s responsibility to create and submit, while others will be created by the advising staff and routed to GEPA separately.

Student’s Responsibility

• Students will file the PDF of their thesis online, and the thesis will meet all standards and requirements outlined in the “Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Masters’ Theses” (as mentioned previously).   Details of the electronic thesis filing are also included in the “Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Masters’ Theses”.
• “Dissertation/Thesis Release Form” (or “Embargo Form”), signed by the Committee Chair or Co-Chairs at the thesis discussion
• Copies of the abstract
• Any other documents that GEPA mentions at the preliminary appointment

Department’s Responsibility

• “Final Report of the Modified Thesis - Plan III”, prepared by the advising staff and signed by all Thesis Committee members at the discussion, attesting that they have approved the thesis and that the student has completed all requirements for the MFA degree.
  • This form will automatically be routed for other required signatures, once all committee members have signed.  Once it is fully signed by the department, the form will automatically be submitted to GEPA.

The required filing fee will be added to the student's campus bill after the paperwork has been processed within GEPA, and it must be paid in order for the final awarding of the degree to take place.  

The Dean of GEPA will send you a letter of congratulations once your degree has been finalized, and your diploma will be mailed to your current address in TritonLink a few months later. Be sure to update your address in TritonLink if needed. 

Congratulations!

Students Returning to Complete the Degree after a Withdrawal

Students returning to complete their MFA and hold their thesis discussion should contact the advising staff for information about the process. 

There is a readmission fee that students will be required to pay once the paperwork is fully processed by GEPA. The need for a readmission fee will be noted by the department on the Final Report of the Modified Thesis - Plan III”, which will be routed to GEPA automatically once it is fully signed by the department. As most students who are returning to defend after a withdrawal won't find it practical to register in courses for the quarter of their filing, most will also take advantage of the option to pay a filing fee in lieu of registration (noted below). These are separate fees, which both will be charged to the student in this scenario.

Paying a Filing Fee in Lieu of Registration

In the quarter of their thesis discussion and filing, students have the option of paying (the much cheaper) Filing Fee, instead of registering for courses and paying the regular tuition/fees. Students interested in this must contact the department in the quarter prior to their thesis discussion.

The need for the filing fee will be noted by the department on the Final Report of the Modified Thesis - Plan III”, which will be routed to GEPA automatically once it is fully signed by the department. The filing fee will be added to the student's campus bill once the paperwork is fully processed by GEPA.