For more information on the NEOMFA program at Cleveland State University click here and for graduate courses click here.

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is offered as part of the NorthEast Ohio Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, a four-university consortium incorporating the faculty and resources of Cleveland State University, Kent State University, Youngstown State University, and the University of Akron. The degree program offers five different concentrations: fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, poetry, and literary translation. Curriculum focuses on the techniques of professional writing and the analysis of literary works from the point of view of the practitioner while electives enable the study of whatever subject area will further the student’s writing interests. A required internship offers practical workplace experience from a wide range of fields, including teaching, editing, grant writing, arts marketing, and arts administration.

The program is designed to meet the needs of both part-time and full-time students. Workshops and craft and theory courses are routinely offered in the evenings. Students can register freely across institutional boundaries for graduate courses offered at any of the participating universities and taught either by regular faculty or by visiting resident writers.

A NEOMFA Executive Committee, made up of representatives from each Consortium university, governs the Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing, oversees the subcommittee on the admission of students, appoints NEOMFA graduate assistants, and makes policy decisions for the Master of Fine Arts program. It also hears student petitions that specifically address NEOMFA arrangements or policy.

Degree Requirements (48 credits minimum)
Writing Workshops (15 credits)

ENG 602* Students will take 12 hours in their areas of emphasis (fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, poetry, or literary translation) and at least 3 hours in a second area.
Craft and Theory Courses (6 credits)

ENG 512* Students will take at least 3 hours of craft and theory in their areas of concentration; a second craft and theory course must be taken in another area.
Literature Courses (9 credits)

These courses, which focus on the reading of texts, will normally be taken in the Departments of English. Literature courses in languages other than English or in translation may be taken through the language departments.
Electives (9 credits)

Students will take nine hours in an advisor-approved area such as literature, foreign languages and translation, theater, arts administration, fine arts professional writing, or education. These credits may range widely in support of the student’s writing interests and projects.
Internship (3 credits)

Students will take an internship in a workplace related to their interests and areas of specialization.
Thesis (6 credits)

ENG 699* Normally, students will enroll in three hours of thesis in each of the last two semesters of study. The thesis is to be a manuscript of high artistic quality in the area of specialization. Thesis committees will consist of one thesis advisor and two other program faculty members from at least two consortial universities.

*Indicates Cleveland State University numbering system only. Equivalent courses at other Consortium universities will appear with different numbers.

NEOMFA Courses

The menu of Consortium courses is comprised of the collective graduate offerings of participating departments at all four NEOMFA universities. For an overview, consult the course-offering page on the NEOMFA Web site at www.ysu.edu/neomfa, where specific MFA courses are designated and available literature courses, as well as many electives, are listed for upcoming semesters.