| FAQ : The MFA
How much will the program cost? Tuition costs for fall 2005 can be found here.The Bursar's page is updated regularly, and next year's
will change. Financial aid is available, and graduate students in the Creative Writing program are eligable for
Teaching Assistantships, which completely cover tuition for up to 12 hours
per semester. More about Teaching Assistantships in #3, below.
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When does the new MFA program begin? New applicants should apply to the MFA program. It's entirely
official, and has a full class working away. Our last MA graduates are
defending this year, and the MA will wither away. Unfortunately, we have
stopped taking Spring applications, so Fall 2006 will be the next entering
class, deadline February 1. Detailed information about the application
process can be found here.
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What financial aid resources are available?
We offer teaching assistantships which are explained here, graduate assistantships, and we will soon offer at least one fellowship. For more specifics on financial aid, please contact Ezra Meier in the English Department (505) 277-4437 or at english@unm.edu
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How many students are in the M.F.A. program?
The total number of students in the M.F.A. program ranges from 30 to 40 each. Admission is offered to approximately ten students, across all three genres, each year.
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How large are the workshops?
Workshops are limited to 12 students.
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How is this program distinctive from other MFA programs?
The UNM MFA addresses professional preparation in a way that many programs don’t. Our optional electives include several pedagogy courses for those interested in teaching careeres, including:
- Creative Writing Pedagogy
- Teaching Composition
- Writing Theory for Teachers
- Teaching Literature and Literary Studies
all of these courses strengthen the credentials of graduates who seek employment as secondary and post-secondary teachers. We also offer several courses designed for students who hope to work in publishing, arts administration, or technical writing. Such courses include:
- Editing
- Proposal and Grant Writing
- Publishing
- Documentation
- Scientific, Environmental, and Medical Writing
Our MFA program also offers practical internships that provide experiential learning in such areas as editing, arts administration and teaching. The reality of the writing life is that it’s not generally all that lucrative. Most working writers need to find employment in related areas. Our MFA incorporates valuable internship opportunities through our Poets & Writers Series, UNM Press, the Taos Summer Writers’ Conference, and Blue Mesa Review. We look forward to making additional connections beneficial to our students with organizations like the Hispanic National Cultural Center
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What kind of writer is best suited for the UNM program?
We’re unlike many other MFA programs, in that we are flexible enough to accommodate the needs of part-time students and older, returning students. Whereas some programs cater almost exclusively to the under-thirty crowd, we are welcoming to people of all ages and from a variety of backgrounds. New Mexico is known for the tolerance and acceptance of its citizenry. Also, our students very much feel that they are part of a writing community. It’s incredibly important to us that they feel known and mentored.
Although writing is a solitary pursuit, writers need other like-minded individuals to sustain them. Our writing program encourages involvement in a variety of activities, and we are working to be more responsive to the needs of larger community. We are working on various outreach programs and hope to involve students with writers in the schools projects among other things.
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What else should writers know in particular about the UNM program?
Our program offers study in three different genres—fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. We encourage students to blur genres and to experiment with form. Our creative non-fiction program is especially interesting in that regard. We are also working to make our faculty representative of the diverse cultural population of the state of New Mexico. In that vein, Joy Harjo will be rejoining us this fall as the inaugural Joseph M. Russo Professor of Creative Writing.
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What is the admissions procedure? On what do you base acceptance?
Faculty members give primary importance to the writing sample. But are the statement of purpose and letters of recommendation are also very important. For further advice read: Making the Cut - tips on applying for MFA programs
originally published in The Writer, January, 2005
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Is there any advantage to sending in an application long before the deadline?
No. The faculty members begin reading the writing samples after the deadline.
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Can I apply in more than one genre?
No. In your statement of purpose, you may express interest in working in more than one genre. But admission to the program will be based on work in one genre.
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Is there a foreign language requirement?
No.
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Is there a GRE requirement?
No.
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Do my letters of recommendation have to be from college professors?
The most useful letters of recommendation come from teachers familiar with your creative writing and with you as a student. Letters from other college professors, who may be familiar with your habits as a student and with your academic writing, for example, can also be helpful. Letters from employers, unless the work was directly related to writing, are less helpful to us.
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When will letters of acceptance be sent?
We send out letters of acceptance in mid-March.
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Who should I contact for more information?
Sharon Oard Warner
Director of Creative Writing
The University of New Mexico
Department of English Language and Literature
MSC 03 2170
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
(505) 277-6347
(505) 277-0021 (fax)
swarner@unm.edu
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