Creative Writing and Publication (MFA)

Juilene Osborne-McKnight, MFA
Program Director
610.282.1100, ext. 1661
juilene.mcknight@desales.edu

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in an artistic field (theater, fine arts, graphic design, dance, and writing) is considered the terminal degree in that field. The MFA presupposes that the owner of the degree will be a practitioner of the art. S/he may also be a teacher of creative writing, either part-time or fulltime, but the practice of the art form is the primary criterion.

DeSales University offers a low-residency MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing, which means that students are in residence only twice each year (ten days each January and ten days each summer). In between residencies, students read extensively in assigned areas of literature. They do close reading and deep written analysis of selected writers and guest speakers they encounter in their residency. Students also continually compose and revise their own work are in regular contact with a mentor and with the members of their own cohort via Blackboard.

There are four extraordinary differentiators for the MFA in Creative Writing and Publication program at DeSales University:

• A unique five-year undergraduate-to-graduate MFA program plan of study allows writers to progress straight through undergraduate studies to the MFA residencies and practicums.
• The summer residency takes place in the Celtic World and will include European writers as guest speakers.
• Students choose either a track in Poetry or Fiction, but all students are required to complete a track in Publishing.
• The program includes some study of spiritual writing with students participating in a day devoted to ‘Writing in the Spirit’ as part of the January residency. This day includes guest speakers who write from a faith-based viewpoint as well as a candlelit evening retreat of music, prayer, storytelling, art and poetry.

Mission Statement

The low-residency MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing at DeSales University welcomes aspiring and committed writers into an intellectual and artistic community established in the spirit of the guiding mission statement of DeSales University. Indeed, as St. Francis DeSales, himself a powerfully evocative writer, is also the patron saint of writers, we believe there exists no graduate degree better suited for DeSales University than the MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing.

Through its two intensive annual residencies and year-round exchanges among highly accomplished mentors and their students, the MFA provides a demanding yet mutually supportive learning environment focused on mastery of craft, embrace of the writing life, and an introduction to opportunities in professional writing and publishing fields. Through its unique positioning at the intersection of creative writing and the spiritual life, the program also offers traditional and nontraditional age students a crucial vision of wholistic centeredness that will complement and enrich their artistic pursuits. As the program’s capstone, the book-length thesis that completes the MFA experience will reflect that mastery and that vision.

In addition, following the model of the Catholic intellectual tradition established through long centuries, the DeSales MFA in Creative Writing will graduate not merely highly-trained writers duly capable of embracing market opportunities available to them, but also informed and committed citizens who will seek out ways to enhance the lives of their communities through the skills they will have mastered in pursuit of this, the terminal degree in their field. Moreover, in all their endeavors toward the accomplishing of the degree, but especially through their residencies throughout the Celtic world, they will be conscious of their citizenship within the greater global artistic community.

Learning Outcomes

The University specifies that its graduate programs will enable its students to demonstrate:

• specialized competence in a field of study, so that graduates will provide leadership and make significant contributions to their fields,
• the skills necessary for advanced research/application in their specialized fields,
• an enhanced formation of a Christian conscience as it applies to the ethical problems in their fields of interest.

Graduates of the MFA program in Writing and Publishing at DeSales University will demonstrate:

• an awareness of the spiritual dimension of creative writing and contemplative silence
• knowledge of writers, literary-historical periods, movements and writing styles in the English language
• knowledge of the craft of writing and the ability to assess that craft in other writers
• competence in the production of creative works of fiction and poetry by utilizing their knowledge of craft
• knowledge of the publishing industry in all its variations

Admissions Requirements

Option One: The five-year BA/BS to MFA

Two types of undergraduate students can apply to this program:

1. High school seniors accepted to DeSales University with an SAT score of 1150 or higher (ACT of 23 or higher). Applicants must demonstrate serious interest in writing in their high school years, such as work on the school newspaper, the yearbook, the literary magazine, attendance at and submission to our Poetry Festival, etc. They must submit a ten page writing sample in applying to the MFA program.
2. Fall semester juniors at DeSales University who have maintained a 3.0 cumulative GPA and who had evinced serious interest in writing throughout the undergraduate years. All candidates must also submit a ten page writing sample. All undergraduate students entering this program must complete a minor in Creative Writing, so students who show interest in the MFA will be advised to begin that minor in their sophomore year.

Option Two: The five semester MFA

The DeSales five-semester MFA program option is designed for working professionals who have earned a bachelor’s degree and:

1. want to work for magazines, either full-time or freelance.
2. seek employment at publishing companies as editors, editorial staff members, copy-editors and proof-readers.
3. desire focused time to write and information to assist in publishing their own creative writing.
4. want to teach full- or part-time in college or high school writing creative writing programs.
5. aspire to work in a university setting as adjuncts, visiting writers, or as administrators.
6. desire to pursue advanced studies simply as an enrichment experience.

External students may enter the program at either the fall or winter residency. Admission to the program is rolling. A complete application to the program will include:

• A completed Application for Admission
• Official transcripts of all college work, undergraduate and graduate
• Personal statement
• Two letters of recommendation
• A 25 page writing sample. The writing sample may be a short story or stories or a chapter from a novel if the applicant desire the fiction track or a collection of poems if the applicant desires the poetry track.
• International applicants must submit evaluated transcripts by a member of NACES, meet the minimum graduate language requirements, and provide proof of finances for tuition and living expenses.

Academic Schedule

External MFA students will spend five semesters in the program, with two domestic residencies and two abroad. Their fifth semester will be the preparation of their thesis, their reading and defense, which will take place on the DeSales University campus.

The Academic Year of the MFA program consists of the following sessions:

Spring	Early January to Mid-April- Ten day January residency on DeSales campus followed by session long practicum
Summer	Late July / early August- Ten day International Residency
Fall	Mid-August to Mid-December- Session long Practicum

Student Status

The MFA in Creative Writing and Publication program follows a prescribed curriculum, meaning that students are encouraged to follow the defined plan of study for the BA/BS to MFA and Five-Semester MFA options.

A student will be deemed inactive after twelve months of non-enrollment. The student must reapply to be reinstated to continue in the program.

Application Procedure

Acceptance into the program is determined by the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Publication Committee for Admissions, Academic Standards, and Policies. Applications are considered at regular committee meetings throughout the year. Application and information about admission can be obtained online or by contacting the director of the MFA program at juilene.mcknight@desales.edu.

International Admissions Requirements

Graduate Language Requirements

International applicants (regardless of citizenship) for whom English is a second language must submit English proficiency test scores as part of their application.

Please note that graduate admissions requires the following minimum scores on the TOEFL, IELTS, or the Cambridge English Language Assessment: Advanced (CAE):

Graduate Admissions	TOEFL iBT	IELTS	CAE
Healthcare	104 total score, with a minimum of 26 in all subscales	7.5 total score, with a minimum of 8 in speaking, 7 in reading and listening, 6.5 in writing	C1 or higher
Non-Healthcare	90 total score; with a minimum of 25 speaking, 23 writing, and 21 reading and listening	6.5 total score; with a minimum of 7.5 in speaking, 6 in writing, 6.5 in reading, and listening	B2 or higher

Language Requirement Exceptions

Language skills assessment and other exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis by the admissions committee. Examples of some language requirement exceptions could include:

• If an applicant completed a degree from a postsecondary institution in an English speaking country
•  an applicant attended a U.S. community college, college, or university full-time for at least two years without English of Speakers with Other Languages (ESOL) coursework
• If an applicant has worked full-time in the U.S. for at least two years (non-healthcare programs only)

An official copy of test results must be sent by the testing agency directly to the appropriate program at DeSales University, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley, PA 18034.

Visit the following websites for up-to-date information:

• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Web site at www.ets.org/toefl
• The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) https://www.ielts.org/
• The Cambridge English Proficiency (CPE): http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams/proficiency/

*All exams must have been taken within two years of application to a DeSales program

Official Transcripts

All undergraduate and graduate transcripts must be evaluated by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) and sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley, PA 18034.

Proof of Finances

A statement of finances that covers the cost of the attendance and living expenses for at least one full year must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Admissions/Designated School Official (DSO) upon acceptance to a graduate program.

Obtaining an F-1 Student Visa

The Director of Graduate Admissions/DSO will advise international applicants and students on the steps to obtain an F-1 Student Visa.

Current F-1 Students Transferring to DeSales

Upon admission to a graduate program, the Director of Graduate Admissions/DSO will provide forms for the student to complete for their current institution, requesting the Form I-20 to be transferred to DeSales.

Maintaining F-1 Student Status

Each F-1 student will meet with the Director of Graduate Admissions/DSO upon acceptance into the program regarding maintaining F-1 student status.

Transfer Policy and Prior Learning Assessment

Transfer credits are not accepted into the MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing program.

Registration

Registration for classes normally begins eight weeks before the first class. The University reserves the right to limit enrollment, or cancel a course if registration is insufficient. Registration is completed through Web Advisor at www.desales.edu/webadvisor. New students will need to contact the program director for registration information.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees are available at www.desales.edu.

Refund Amount

• Withdrawal after 1st class: 80% of tuition refunded
• Withdrawal after 2nd class: 60% of tuition refunded
• Withdrawal after 3rd class: 50% of tuition refunded
• Withdrawal after 4th class: 20% of tuition refunded
• Withdrawal after 5th class: No refund

Residency Courses:

• No refund is made after the course has begun.

Graduation Requirements

Students must complete the following degree requirements:

• Four intensive ten day residencies alternating at DeSales and in Europe.
• Four practicum semesters with a writing mentor.
• An additional semester to produce, complete and refine an original creative manuscript of poetry or fiction.
• A defense of the creative manuscript, including a meeting with the thesis review committee as well as a public reading and q&a defense.

Program of Study

The MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing consists of the following:

Immersion ‘Residency’ Coursework	16 credits
Practicum	16 credits
Thesis	4 credits
Total	36 credits

The MFA paradigm does not utilize the ‘typical’ course descriptions or syllabi or standard classroom courses. Its structure is immersion followed by practicum. Its purpose is to provide students with two years of complete immersion in the practice of and works produced by practitioners of their art.

• Prior to each residency, students will receive a list of required readings. These will be the fiction and poetry of their visiting writers.
• Prior to each immersion, the student will receive a full schedule of events. This schedule will be in the form of a booklet and students would be required to attend every event. The booklet will list specific times, specific rooms, specific speakers and mentors and the biographical details of all visiting writers, editors and publishers. The booklet will also include policy and deadline information for the program.
• Practicum begins immediately after immersion, with the first assignment drawing directly from immersion, as all students are required to write a 10-12 page “assessment” of their residency. That assessment is not focused on what they enjoyed or did not enjoy, but rather assesses what they learned about craft and from whom and in what context, what they learned about publishing and which aspects of that learning might be relevant to their practice or to their job search, if they intend to work in publishing. That assessment instrument is due to the student’s mentor within ten days of departure from the residency.
• Immediately following residency, the literary and creative portion of the practicum begins. In practicum, each student individualizes what s/he intends to do within the framework of practicum’s requirements. This will include intensive literary reading and writing as well as work on the student’s own creative writing.

The five-year BA/BS to MFA

Internal students will enter the program with the summer international residency at the end of their junior year. Their second residency will take place over Christmas break during their senior year. They will have completed two semesters of the five semester program by the time they complete their undergraduate work. Two more residency semesters will follow, one domestic, one international. Their final semester, which does not include a residency will be completion and finalization of the thesis, reading and defense. They will graduate with a terminal degree.

Manuscript and Defense

In the final semester of the program, students must present a book-length collection of poetry, short fiction or long fiction. All manuscripts must be bound. Poetry manuscripts must be 64 pages. Fiction manuscripts should be between 150-400 pages, depending on format (short stories, novella, novel).

Tables of contents are necessary for poetry and short fiction. Title page is necessary. An ‘Acknowledgements’ page for any included work previously published is necessary. All manuscripts must contain a cover page with name, date, student’s previous academic degrees and the statement, “This manuscript is submitted as the thesis in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at DeSales University” followed by the date.

Students will confer with their mentor on the thesis manuscript; these conferences may begin as early as the first semester and will continue throughout the program. By the fifth semester, students should already have produced significant material that will inform the thesis. When the thesis is complete, the following protocol will occur:

• The mentor will inform the Director in writing that the thesis is ready for review and defense.
• The student will submit four bound copies of the manuscript to the Director at least four weeks before the defense.
• The Director will assemble a committee to review the manuscript over a ten-day period. If it is not accepted by all committee members, it is returned to the student for revision.
• Once the manuscript has been accepted, the defense is scheduled. All members of the committee and the student’s mentor will attend the defense, during which the student will present the work, discussing its intent, its appropriateness within the student’s chosen literary tradition, and the process that went into the creation of the work.
• The student then presents a public reading to an invited audience, followed by a question and answer session. This public reading should be scheduled soon after the defense.