Curriculum
Specific Program Admission Information and Requirements
The MFA at Holy Family University is a 48-credit hr., terminal degree and can be completed in as few as two academic calendar years. However, once admitted to the program, students have five academic calendar years to complete the program requirements. This provides flexible scheduling opportunities for those who are interested in completing their MFA while working or fulfilling other commitments.
Program Requirements
| Course Name | Credit Hrs. |
| Craft 1 | 3 |
| Interdisciplinary Practice 1 | 3 |
| Writing Mentorship 1 | 3 |
| Residency 1 | 3 |
| Craft 2 | 3 |
| Interdisciplinary Practice 2 | 3 |
| Writing Mentorship 2 | 3 |
| Residency 2 | 3 |
| Craft 3 | 3 |
| Interdisciplinary Practice 3 | 3 |
| Writing Mentorship 3 | 3 |
| Residency 3 | 3 |
| Writing Mentorship 4 | 3 |
| Creative Thesis | 3 |
| Residency 4 | 3 |
| Capstone Prep/Presentation | 3 |
| Total Credits | 48 |
Course descriptions, titles, and goals
Residency 1,2,3, & 4
Course description: During these eight-day intensive residency experiences students participate in workshops, seminars, lectures, panel discussions, individual meetings with mentors, and public readings. The content of each residency will be created by visiting faculty, as well as by the Program Director. Visiting faculty are required to teach or participate in at least one programming event during each residency, and proposed courses and new content for residency experiences will be submitted to the Program Director by visiting faculty for approval. During a student’s fourth residency they will present their capstone presentation, attend presentations from their peers, and give a public reading from their creative thesis.
Course Goals: Improve creativity, originality, and skill in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, graphic novel, young adult, and literary genre writing which includes travel, or food writing; produce and revise work; demonstrate the skills of written and oral critique of one’s own work as well as peers’ work, engage with critical scholarly works, and build opportunities for professionalization.
Catalogue Description: Residency experiences may include workshops, seminars, lectures, panel discussions, individual meetings with mentors, public readings, or other applicable content.
Writing Mentorship 1,2,3, & 4
Course description: In Writing Mentorship, students will work one on one with faculty members in their genre to create a course of study for their time in the program, generate unique work within their specific genre or subgenre, and workshop that work as their craft develops.
Course goals: Improve creativity, originality, and skill in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, graphic novel, young adult, literary genre, travel, or food writing; produce and revise work; demonstrate the skills of editorial practice.
Catalogue Description: Genre specific and individualized course of study that will improve creativity, critical thinking, originality, and skill for crafting creative work.
Interdisciplinary Practice 1,2, & 3
Course description: Working with the Program Director and HFU faculty students develop a unique course of directed, independent study during the first three semesters in the program. This course of study might consist of studies in literature, internship and professionalization opportunities, research opportunities, pursuit of grants, editorial work, other graduate courses at HFU, teaching opportunities, etc.
Course Goals: Support students’ writing while providing them with opportunities for professionalization by developing new skills through writing related experiences.
Catalogue Description: Genre specific and individualized course of interdisciplinary study that will improve creativity, critical thinking, originality, and skill for crafting creative work while providing opportunities for community engagement and professionalization.
Craft 1,2, & 3
Course description: Craft classes provide a focused look at the elements of writing. The heart of the course is close reading of published work, but students can also expect to respond to works through a series of essays. “Craft,” for example, may refer to study of the braided essay, graphic novel forms, magical realist fiction, neo-formalist, or free verse poetics, as brief examples.
Course goals: Identify, critically read, and implement core terminology associated with each genre; analyze published work to gain models for students’ own writing; generate ideas for original work.
Catalogue Description: Genre-specific investigation of craft with an emphasis on literary analysis and criticism. The course may also be interdisciplinary.
Creative Thesis
Course description: All students will take Creative Thesis in the second semester of their second year. Students will work one-on-one with a mentor to complete a cohesive work of writing in their genre of focus. The thesis will be evaluated by the student’s thesis advisor and at least one other faculty reader.
Course goals: Demonstrate ability to write and revise own work on a schedule; produce a complete final thesis for evaluation.
Catalogue Description: Genre specific and individualized course of study that will improve creativity, critical thinking, originality, and skill for crafting a “book-length” work.
Capstone Prep/ Presentation
Course description: All students will take Capstone Prep/Presentation in the second semester of their second year of study. During the Capstone Prep course students will work with their thesis director to develop a directed course of individual reading/study that not only will help the composition of the student’s thesis but will also prepare the student to write an essay on craft that will be presented during the student’s final residency in a 30–45-minute lecture format.
Course goals: Demonstrate ability to read, interpret, and synthesize criticism within one’s field of study; produce work within one’s field that is rigorous and reflective of current academic standards; Demonstrate ability to present work and engage in critical dialogue within the field of creative writing.
Catalogue Description: Genre-specific and individualized course of study that will result in the composition of an academic, publishable craft essay.