Requirements for the Master of Arts in Writing

Required Courses

Students completing the 30 credit-hour Master of Arts Writing program will have four required courses (totaling 12 credit-hours) which must be taken in this order:

• The Core I and Core II sequence helps students to develop their writerly and professional identities by exploring the writing and research strategies that inform all writing. Students will experiment with writing in a variety of genres and work to discover their own writerly identity, voice, and style.
• In Seminar I and Seminar II, students develop a major creative, scholarly, or professional project within a genre of their choosing. These projects are presented to the other students, faculty, and the public in the yearly event known as Symposium. Along with the support provided by the course instructor(s), all students receive individualized attention by a faculty mentor who serves as second reader on the project. Seminar I and Seminar II must be taken consecutively in the same academic year.

Electives

To complete the remaining 18 credit hours, students may create a program of study that allows them to focus on specific genres or to create a mix of courses that benefits them individually. These electives may simultaneously apply to our Certificates of Graduate Study. Elective course options include:

• Creative writing courses using the workshop method, including our Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry Workshops.
• Courses emphasizing the pedagogy of writing, including Issues in Composition Studies, Perspectives on Writing Assessment, and Teaching Practicum (for students in the Teaching Experience Program).
• Genre-based courses in Writing for Children and Young Adults, Writing the Memoir, Writing the Novel, Writing Genre Fiction, The Essay: Art and Craft, Picture Book to Graphic Novel, and others.
• Courses with professional applications including Editing the Literary Journal, Professions in Publishing, Cultural Criticism, Writing the Freelance Feature, and others.

Course descriptions may be found in the Course Catalog > Ric Edelman College of Communications and Creative Arts > Writing Arts > Master of Arts in Writing. Please note, electives are offered on a rotating basis. Not all courses listed in the catalog can be expected to run in a given semester.

Program Schedule

Although the program is set up for completion in as little as two years, students may extend the program to fit their schedules (including, in the case of K-12 teachers, their tuition-credit schedule). Many students choose to take courses over two and a half or three years.

Up to 6 elective hours may be taken outside the MA in Writing and may include graduate level courses taken previously at Rowan. Up to 6 hours of transfer credit may also be applied. Any request for transferring credits should be discussed with the Program Coordinator.

Students receiving federal student loans must adhere to minimum enrollment requirements (typically 2 courses per semester) and must register for Courses in Program of Study. Once a student completes 6 electives, additional elective courses may not qualify toward these financial aid requirements. Students using financial aid should set up regular advising meetings with the Program Coordinator to plan course progress. 

Capstone Requirements: MA Project

The Seminar I and Seminar II course sequence will serve as students’ capstone experience. Seminar I and Seminar II must be taken consecutively in the same academic year, with the sequence beginning in the fall. Along with the support provided by the course instructor(s), all students receive individualized attention by a faculty mentor who serves as second reader on the project. 

In these courses, students will develop a major creative, scholarly, or professional project within a genre of their choosing of approximately 30,000 words. Alternate lengths may be agreed upon based on the genre of the project (for example: poetry or a screenplay). Genre and length requirements must be approved by the Program Coordinator during Seminar I. 

Students will present their Master’s Project to the other students, faculty, and the public in the yearly event known as Symposium held during finals week of each spring semester. 

Program Handbook

For more details related to the Master of Arts in Writing requirements, courses, policies, and procedures, view the MA in Writing Program Handbook.

Application Process

Applications to the Master of Arts in Writing are administered by Global Learning and Partnerships. No GRE is required to apply.