3.4 Minoring and Co-Majoring in MFA the Program

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3.4.1 Minoring in the Creative Writing and Environment program

A minor in the MFA in Creative Writing and Environment program requires 12 credits in English Department’s creative writing courses at the graduate level not counting thesis credits; 3 of these credits must be Engl 550: Craft and Professional Practice

Once approved for the MFA CWE minor, you will be assigned an advisor who must become a POS committee member representing the minor. That professor’s name and approval as well as that of the DOGE in the English Department are required when you submit the Graduate College Program of Study and Committee Form (POSC) in your AccessPlus account. If your POSC Form has already been approved by the Graduate College, you must submit a modification to your POSC Form in your AccessPlus account adding the minor, the faculty member representing the minor, and the approved coursework for the minor.

Application requirements for the MFA CWE minor

If you wish to be considered for a minor in the MFA Creative Writing and Environment (CWE) program, you need to submit by January 5 for entry the following fall semester the following items via email to the Graduate Program Administrative Assistant at englgrad@iastate.edu:

  • English Department’s Request for Graduate Minor form
  • Portfolio which includes required items in the specified order as one single PDF file. This portfolio is to include a statement of purpose, curriculum vitae/resume, creative writing sample, and an expository writing sample (refer to the How to Apply website program-specific application requirements for the MFA for more details about each of these)

3.4.2 Co-majoring in Creative Writing and Environment MFA program

The minimum requirements for a co-major in the Creative Writing and Environment MFA program are the same as those for a major in the program. Students in other MFA majors wishing to co-major in Creative Writing and Environment must meet all requirements in each of their two majors, including the completion of a thesis appropriate to the major in Creative Writing and Environment, to complete this single MFA degree. POS committees must include co-major professors and an additional committee member from the co-major program, each representing the co-major. This is a departmental requirement that is more stringent than the Graduate College minimum requirement. Those professor’s names and approvals as well as that of the DOGE in the English Department are required when you submit the Graduate College Program of Study and Committee Form (POSC) in your AccessPlus account. If your POSC Form has already been approved by the Graduate College, you must submit a modification to your POSC Form in your AccessPlus account adding the co-major, the co-major professor and faculty member representing the co-major, and the approved coursework for the co-major.

  • Apply for the co-major by submitting the English Department’s Co-Major in English Department Graduate Programs Request form to the Graduate Program Administrative  Assistant (via email to englgrad@iastate.edu) for approval by the DOGE in time to meet POS, thesis, and final oral examination requirements.
  • You must satisfy all requirements for both majors by outlining your entire proposed POS (54 credits minimum) on the English Department’s Degree Planning Sheet for the CWE major. Submit the DPS with the Request to Co-Major form.
  • Write a thesis that applies to both majors and satisfies POS committee members from both majors.