Merging the Critical with the Creative
Arcadia University’s Creative Writing programs foster a network of students who combine creativity with critical thinking. Though that is often perceived as a challenge, finding the intersection of critical thinking and creative practice is key to inspiring future editors, teachers, writers, poets, and publishers.
Program Highlights
Arcadia’s undergraduate Creative Writing concentration exposes students to one-on-one faculty interaction, hands-on workshops, internship experiences, and opportunities to meet individual interests and career goals in today’s creative marketplace.
Additionally, the low-residency M.F.A. program in Creative Writing builds on the undergraduate curriculum with access to a dynamic online writing community, residency abroad, and the completion of book-length manuscripts with plans for publishing. The program is designed such that M.F.A. students are able to schedule and maintain full-time, professional lives.
Arcadia’s experienced and award-winning faculty help to prepare students for careers in writing and teaching the craft at secondary or collegiate level.
About the 4+2 Program
The Creative Writing B.A./M.F.A. 4+2 program at Arcadia University allows undergraduate students who are majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing to apply for admission to the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program during their junior year. Through this program, students can complete a graduate requirement while still in their undergraduate program, thus allowing them to finish the Creative Writing M.F.A. by taking fewer than the usual 39 credits.
Admission Requirements
Undergraduate academic performance - Applicants should have at least a 3.0 GPA in their major, but exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis. Accepted students are required to maintain their grades through graduation.
Writing sample - Applicants must submit 10 pages of work representing their best efforts in either fiction or poetry.
Career consideration - Potential for creative growth in the M.F.A. and B.A. programs, as determined by faculty recommendations and an interview if the relevant directors deem it necessary.
Applying
Undergraduate students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in English program with a concentration in Creative Writing can apply to this 4+2 program during their junior year at Arcadia. Students who do not apply for this program during their junior year but still wish to enter the M.F.A. program could still apply through the normal application process.
Deferral
Students accepted into this program will have the option of deferring admission to the M.F.A. program for one year after completing their undergraduate work. If a student then chooses not to attend the M.F.A. program this will not affect his or her undergraduate studies as the bachelor’s degree would already be complete.
Coursework
The integrated program is designed to be completed in six years, with four years at the undergraduate level and two years of graduate study. The B.A. in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing remains at 128 credit hours, but the completion of the M.F.A in Creative Writing is reduced from 39 to 36 credit hours.
Students accepted to this program take one graduate-level literature course while completing the B.A. in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing. Any graduate-level literature course will fulfill this requirement. Once the course requirement is complete, it is listed on the student’s undergraduate transcript, eliminating the need to take the course as a graduate Creative Writing M.F.A. student. Students should work with their advisers to ensure this course requirement is complete before finishing their undergraduate study.
