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George Mason University
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2016-2017 University Catalog 
  
2016-2017 University Catalog

Creative Writing, BFA


Banner Code: LA-BFA-CW
Web: english.gmu.edu

College: College of Humanities and Social Sciences  
Department: English  
 

For policies governing all undergraduate degrees, see the Academic Policies  section of the catalog.

BFA Admissions


Acceptance into the BFA Creative Writing program is competitive. Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to the BFA program.

After acceptance to Mason, students who wish to pursue a major in creative writing should inform the academic coordinator in the English department or the director of the creative writing program of their interest in the program and should seek evaluation of any prior coursework as well as guidance on courses to take and the sequence in which to take them. In the program, students enroll in a series of courses intended to introduce them to all forms of creative writing, and then they select a core set of courses built around a specialization in fiction, nonfiction or poetry, along with upper-level writing, literature and advanced studies courses.

Students planning to enter the BFA program are initially designated as “pre-BFA” until they have successfully completed the requirements for full admission. Full admission requires a minimum of three creative writing courses successfully completed with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher in those courses. Alternatively, students who have taken creative writing courses at another institution or in their early undergraduate coursework at Mason may gain full admission status to the BFA program on the strength of recommendations from the instructors in those courses, subject to departmental approval, which is obtained from the Mason creative writing faculty and the director of the creative writing program.

A student admitted to the university and intending to enter the BFA program may designate a major in English and complete English major courses before attempting to move into admitted BFA status. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to full BFA status.

Degree Requirements


Students must fulfill all requirements for bachelor’s degrees, including Mason Core  requirements. Students pursuing a BFA in Creative Writing must complete additional college requirements for the BA degree  in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Students pursuing this degree must complete 45 credits (15 courses) in English/Linguistics beyond ENGH 300 (not including ENGH 302 ) with a minimum GPA of 2.00.

Students will complete 21 credits of BFA core requirements, 12 credits from one of 3 concentrations, and 12 credits in English department requirements.

300-level courses in English and linguistics teach the foundational principles for a field of study, include courses of broad scope, and provide an introduction to a genre, literary period, or methodology.

400-level courses in English and linguistics provide an in-depth approach to a field of study, a single genre, literary period, or methodology. They include special topics classes and English honors classes. Some 400-level courses require ENGH 305 as a prerequisite.

Students should consult with an English department advisor to learn ways in which the Mason Core  requirements can also satisfy college-level requirements or the BFA.

At the discretion of the Department, transfer students may substitute transferred lower level creative writing classes for some BFA requirements. With permission of the department, BFA students may select a substitute for concentration required coursework from the list of courses approved for the writing or literature elective requirement. Substitutions must be justified as specifically relevant to the student’s study. Substitutions will not satisfy more than one requirement within the major.

BFA Core Requirements (21 credits)


Two required workshop courses (6 credits) chosen from:


The workshops are in the two areas outside of the chosen concentration. The remaining workshop is included as part of the concentration requirements.

Concentrations (12 credits)


Students must complete one of the following 12 credit concentrations.

English Department Requirements (12 credits)


 Students take one course from each group below.

One course (3 credits) in writing or literature electives


 Students choose one course from any of the following groups.

Or courses in writing for other arts

Total: 45 credits


Mason Core (40 credits)


Note: some Mason Core  requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above.  Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core  requirements.

Expand each item below for a link to specific course lists for each category.

College Level Requirements for the BA degree


In addition to the Mason Core program, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the course work below. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill a college level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements (Mason Core requirements or requirements for the major).

Philosophy or religious studies (3 credits)


Fulfilled by any course in philosophy or religious studies (PHIL, RELI) except for PHIL 323 , 324 , 327 , 393 , 460 PHIL 253  and RELI 235  cannot be used to fulfill both the philosophy/religious studies requirement and the Mason Core  literature requirement.

Social and behavioral science (3 credits)


3 credits in addition to the university-wide requirement in social and behavioral science for a total of 6 credits. The two courses used to fulfill the combined college and university requirements must be from different disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences.  This requirement may be fulfilled by completing any course in ANTH, CRIM, ECON, GOVT, HIST (except 100 or 125), LING, PSYC, or SOCI and these courses in GGS: 101 , 103 , 110 , 301 , 303 , 304 , 305 , 306 , 315 , 316 , 320 , 325 , 330 , 357 , 380 .

Foreign language


Intermediate-level proficiency in one foreign language. This requirement may be fulfilled by completing a course in a foreign language numbered 202, 209, or 210 (or higher level courses taught in the language) or achieving a satisfactory score on an approved proficiency test. A three course sequence in American Sign Language (EDSE 115 - American Sign Language (ASL) I EDSE 116 - American Sign Language (ASL) II , and EDSE 219 - American Sign Language (ASL) III  will also meet the foreign language requirement. Students who are already proficient in a second language may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

Non-Western culture (3 credits)


3 credits of an approved course in the study of a non-Western culture  in addition to the course used to fulfill the Mason Core  requirement in global understanding. A course used to fulfill the Mason Core global understanding requirement may not be simultaneously used to satisfy this college-level requirement. A course used to fulfill this requirement may be used simultaneously to fulfill any other requirements (Mason Core requirements, college-level requirements, or requirements for the major). Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Electives


Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120.

Degree Total: Minimum 120 credits