Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Literature

The Creative Writing and Literature program at Stony Brook Southampton emphasizes creative work in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. However, the program also extends its emphasis beyond the familiar categories of creative expression to treat all forms of writing as equally relevant to understanding and mastering a world constructed out of words. Students are free to take workshops in all genres, in the belief that writing outside the lines informs their primary areas of interest. The 46 academic credits for the MFA program is divided among required courses that introduce students to the profession and discipline of writing and the skills necessary to teach writing to others, advanced writing workshops in a variety of writing genres, seminars designed to focus closely on an issue or type of contemporary writing, graduate-level literature courses, and an MFA thesis intended to be a publishable, book-length work. The program is offered in two academic semesters, two six-week summer sessions, and a credit-bearing writers conference.

Applicants for the MFA program in Writing and Literature must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. The program accepts applications from candidates whose undergraduate degrees were taken in areas other than the humanities.

Admission to the program is based on the evaluation of a portfolio of the applicant's writing, made in conjunction with a review of the candidate's entire academic career, and letters of recommendation. The portfolio may include works in any written form including fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, scripting, or other genre. Results from the Graduate Record Examination are encouraged, but not required.

In addition to the Graduate School Admission requirements, the MFA in Writing and Literature requires the following:

Letters of recommendation from three instructors or writing professionals familiar with your written work.

A statement discussing your reasons for graduate study (1-2 pp, submitted with the online application)

A writing sample consisting of up to 10 pages of poetry, single-spaced, or 30 pages of prose, double-spaced (submitted with the online application). Your name should appear on the writing sample.

A single sheet listing your address, phone number, email address, and title(s) of submission(s).

A copy of your re'sume or c.v. (submitted with the online application)

Any deficiencies in these or the Graduate School admission requirements shall not automatically bar admission, but it is understood that inadequacies in undergraduate preparation normally will require the student to take additional work, the amount to be determined by the appropriate graduate advisory committee. Additional work may not be used to fulfill MFA degree requirements.
IELTS: Overall score of 6.5, with no subsection recommended to be below 6

TOEFL: 80 for Master's level
An applicant must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 point scale.