Students interested in
creative writing can design individualized curricula in fiction,
poetry, drama, film or television script writing, or nonfiction
prose. In addition, students in drama who also have a strong background
in directing or acting may choose to pursue play writing.
See what our
creative writing graduates say about their experiences and
read some of their writing in the Alumni Profiles section of
the Creative
Writing Website.
The Antioch program differs from other
programs in two fundamental ways:
(1) It is a limited-residency
program in which you study in your community where you recruit
your degree committee;
(2) the curriculum is individualized,
you design your course of study with the help of your committee.
The ILPS master
of arts program appeals to two categories of writers: those
who have had some success and want
to earn a master’s degree in order to improve their professional
standing and those who want to use the program to improve their
writing in order to publish. The emphasis in this program is
on the student as
a writer. For unpublished writers, the goal is to become published.
The ILPS master
of arts program has an administrative and academic structure
that allows each student to design
and write a curriculum that meets the student’s individual needs
while meeting professional standards for a master or arts degree
in creative writing. In preparing to design an individualized
curriculum, students
begin surveying writing programs to see what they have in common.
Any academic
discipline has certain features that all programs will share.
It is crucial to include in an
individualized curriculum a student those areas of study that
all programs have in common. But ILPS students have the freedom
to include special
areas of study that traditional programs do not require or make
available as electives. For example, a student may choose to
study religion and
fiction in depth, focusing on Flannery O’Connor and John Updike.
Another student may be interested in 20th century fiction set
in California. If you have a special interest, you usually can
study it in the ILPS master
of arts program if it is academically sound.
The study of literature is inseparable
from learning the craft of writing. Technique is a means to an end and
not an end in itself, so students should study select writers who serve
as models of good writing.
This student-centered and student-initiated
program includes many responsibilities on the student, such as the obligation
to find his or her degree committee members and faculty. At first this
may seem an obstacle difficult to overcome but, in fact, students find
one of the real benefits of the program is picking the degree committee
members and faculty with whom to study. Antioch does not have a list of
faculty from which to pick. Students need to identify faculty in their
communities. This is not as difficult as it sounds, and the Antioch faculty
adviser to ILPS creative writing students can play an active role in helping
each student find the right committee members. Students can usually find
committee members by contacting English departments at local universities,
state-based arts councils, and directories such as one provided by Poets
and Writers that has a state-by-state breakdown. One contact then
leads to other contacts.
The degree
committee plays a significant role in helping the student design
an individualized curriculum that meets
the student’s particular focus as a writer. Besides assisting with
the individualized curriculum, the committee evaluates the student’s
progress at midpoint review and candidacy status review meetings.
A major role of the committee is providing guidance to the student
in writing
the thesis, which can be a novel, collection of short stories
or poems, play, or film or television script.
The master of arts program is a 50-credit
program, consisting of the following:
Foundations Courses:
Applied Curriculum Design (4 credits)
The Professional Writer (4 credits)
Theory and
Electives: (12
credits)
Genre theory, critical theory (literary), and courses in individual artists,
periods, special topics, or genre writing outside major.
Specialization: (20 credits)
Students complete individualized study in craft and technique
in their genre—poetry,
fiction (novel or short study), nonfiction, screenwriting, or playwriting.
These courses are designed to address specific genre goals and progress toward
writing the thesis.
Capstone Learning:
Creative writing thesis (10 credits)
Students recruit individual faculty
members who serve as mentors for the individualized courses. The degree
committee can serve in this capacity in addition to their committee responsibilities.
Antioch’s
ILPS master of arts program with a major in creative writing
provides an academic structure
that students use to design individualized curriculum to realize
their goals as writers. The advantages are many. The program
fits the way writers
work and learn best. Writers work by themselves and need constructive
criticism of their writing--both the form and content. Writers
want individual instruction that responds to their artistic
vision. The ILPS master of
arts program provides this.
In applying to the ILPS master of arts program,
students need to fill out the application and send it along
with the nonrefundable application fee and goals statement
to the admissions office. A writing sample (two short stories,
a few novel chapters. a selection of poems, a play or script),
two letters of recommendation, and official transcripts
(registrar to registrar) are also required. Once your materials
are received, your application will be processed. It is
most important that students answer the questions posed
in the goals statement as completely as possible. The more
detail provided the better it is for the admission committee
to make a decision.
