Creative Thesis Projects (MENG 6950)

As specified in the course catalog, MENG 6950 provides for the creation and execution of a project growing out of graduate study. This independent thesis course is designed to allow students to explore in depth and/or breadth subject matter which goes beyond the established courses in the MA program. As such, a Master’s Project proposal should be detailed, specific, and demonstrate a time commitment equal to that expected of students taking regularly
scheduled courses.

Students must have successfully completed three Master’s-level classes in creative writing (Forms & Crafts, and at least two workshops in Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, or Screenwriting). All students choosing this option will write a 10-12 page (2500-3000 words) critical introduction that references project-relevant texts and courses taken in the MA English Program. Thesis projects are expected to approach publication quality!

Theses and Directed Readings

Critical Introductions

Poetry Thesis Projects

Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction Projects

Thesis Project Attachments

Creative Writing Thesis Project Proposal Form (DOCX)

In consultation with your committee chair, please attach the following:

A detailed description of the project, the themes, genres, styles, issues, and ideas it engages, and the primary focus or form(s) you will explore.
A preliminary bibliography: list the primary and secondary texts that may influence the project. The amount of reading must be the same as the amount required in a face-to-face creative writing class of equivalent credit hours. Creative thesis projects are expected to focus predominantly (or entirely) on primary texts that have influenced you.
A detailed description of the written work that will be completed. Include particulars (e.g., number of manuscript pages, etc.).

Guidelines for written work are as follows:
Prose Theses

3 Credits: 35-40 pages of finished work + critical introduction
6 Credits: 70-80 pages of finished work + critical introduction

Poetry Theses

3 Credits: 20-25 poems or pages of poetry + critical introduction
6 Credits: 40-50 poems or pages of poetry + critical introduction

Critical Introductions

What is a critical introduction?

The critical introduction is part of a creative project equal to the work required for a 3-credit 6000-level class. The critical introduction should be written in academic prose, and include citation of any works referenced in an agreed-upon style. Broadly speaking, the intent of the critical introduction is to help you as a writer focus on the literary, historical, and/or theoretical context(s) of your creative work. You should place your work in conversation with the work(s) of other writers, styles, genres, and/or literary trends – both those that you acknowledge as influences, as well as those which your work pushes back against.

The critical introduction will help both you as a writer and your readers understand your
work from an intellectual perspective. Included in the critical introduction may be some
reflection on the process you followed to imagine, create, and polish your writing. At the
same time, the critical introduction should be essentially an outward-looking work; that is
less a reflection on your own creative process and more an engagement with the literary,
historical, stylistic, generic, and/or theoretical context(s) in which your writing is
situated.
What should I mention in my critical introduction?

A critical introduction helps you focus on your creative submission's literary, historical, and/or theoretical contexts. You will place the work in conversation with other writers, acknowledging influences, trends, and those the text pushes back against.

With the help of your Project Committee Chair, you will select relevant texts, read them, and reference them vis-à-vis your own writing in the critical introduction. In this regard, the critical introduction will help the writer and readers understand where on the spectrum of the chosen genre the writing lies. Included in this may be a measure of reflecting on the process followed to imagine, create, and polish your writing. At the same time, the critical introduction should be essentially an outward-looking work; that is less a reflection on your own creative process and more an engagement with the literary, historical, and/or theoretical context(s) in which your writing is situated.

Poetry Thesis Projects

In addition to the critical introduction, a 3-credit hour poetry thesis should include 20-25 poems or pages of poetry (depending upon formatting, etc.). Additional credit hours will require an additional number of poems/pages of poetry, with a 6-credit hour thesis requiring 40-50 poems/pages of poetry.

Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction Projects

In addition to the critical introduction, a 3-credit hour prose thesis should include 35-40 pages of finished work. Additional credit hours will require additional pages, with a 6-credit hour thesis requiring 70-80 pages of finished work.