Advanced Certificate in Creative Writing
Admissions | Resources & Support | Faculty | Curriculum & Requirements | Courses
The Advanced Certificate in Creative Writing welcomes aspiring part-time writers who
seek guidance that is friendly, rigorous, professionally useful, and intellectually
challenging. Complementing the strength of the existing Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Program in Creative Writing and Literature at Stony Brook Southampton, the Certificate
emphasizes creative work in fiction, nonfiction and poetry, and responds to the needs
of a society increasingly dependent upon the intelligent use of language. The Advanced
Certificate is a sixteen credit hour concentration available upon successful application
to degree-seeking students who have been admitted to any Stony Brook University graduate
program, as well as to non-degree seeking students who meet the requirements outlined
by the Graduate School. It is designed for working adults who have completed a BA
and who are interested in master’s level instruction.
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Our Goals
Like the Stony Brook Southampton MFA Program, the Advanced Certificate extends beyond
narrowly-focused categories of expression to treat all forms of written work as equally
relevant to understanding and mastering a world constructed out of words. There are
many reasons to study writing—from self-satisfaction to dissemination of information.Courses
are taught by a full-time and part-time faculty of award-winning writers, all of whom
have been widely published and who have received numerous accolades in their writing
careers.
There are many reasons to study writing—from self-satisfaction to dissemination of information. Our goal is to identify what each student needs in terms of writing instruction and to help that student achieve realistic goals.
Admissions
For Admission to the Advanced Certificate in Creative Writing please contact the Program
Director. Students who are eligible to apply include those enrolled in a graduate
degree-granting program at Stony Brook University and students who have a bachelor’s
degree from an accredited college or university who meet the admissions criteria.
For applicants already admitted to the University, admission involves completing a “Permission to Enroll in a Secondary Certificate” form. Students also need to submit a statement of purpose and a writing sample (details below). Students are required to have an earned bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) with a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 on a 4-point scale. The following must be submitted to the Creative Writing and Literature Program:
- A statement discussing the student’s reasons for graduate study (1-2 pp, may be submitted with the online application)
- A writing sample consisting of up to 10 pages of poetry (single-spaced, stapled) or 30 pages of prose (double-spaced, stapled), with the student’s name on the writing sample.
Non-Matriculated Status
Non-matriculated students may be permitted to register for up to 12 credits (with
no more than six credits in any given semester). Upon approval of the program, up
to twelve credits may be transferred to the Advanced Certificate. Transfer credits
from other institutions will not be accepted toward the Certificate.
Timeline
All Advanced Certificate requirements must be completed within three (3) years from
the semester date of admission as a matriculated student. If the certificate program
is taken in collaboration with a graduate degree program, then the student has five
years for completion of the certificate.
Advising
Students in the Advanced Certificate program are advised by the Associate Director
and/or faculty and staff in the Writing and Literature program at Stony Brook Southampton.
Resources and Support Programs
The Advanced Certificate in Creative Writing will be housed in the Writing and Literature
program at Stony Brook Southampton. Certificate students will be able to access the
same support services as matriculated MFA students. Resources may include a limited
number of partially subsidized scholarships and/or tuition waivers to the summer writing
conferences.
Faculty
Courses are taught by a full-time core faculty of three, joined by a part-time faculty
of distinguished visiting writers whose teaching and lecturing assignments will rotate
among the fall, spring, and summer sessions. These distinguished visitors will provide
creative breadth to the writing program, offering coverage in areas of writing that
are essential in contemporary society, in particular fiction, nonfiction, scriptwriting,
scientific writing, and writing for the media. Full-time faculty, lecturers, and
visiting authors include essayist, novelist, and television commentator Roger Rosenblatt, novelist and program director Robert Reeves, memoirist Lou Ann Walker, novelist Kaylie Jones, poet Billy Collins, cartoonist and screenwriter Jules Feiffer, poet Julie Sheehan, screenwriter and producer Annette Handley Chandler, biographer and essayist Neal Gabler, novelist Meg Wolitzer, children's author Emma Walton Hamilton, scriptwriter Jon Robin Baitz, essayist David Rakoff, and novelist Ursula Hegi, among others.
Curriculum
The Advanced Certificate is a sixteen credit hour concentration available upon successful
application to degree-seeking students who have been admitted to any Stony Brook University
graduate program as well as non-degree seeking students who meet all the requirements
outlined by the Graduate School. As with other programs throughout the country and
in the New York metropolitan area, the Stony Brook Advanced Certificate will emphasize
creative work in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and scriptwriting. However, like the
Stony Brook MFA program, the advanced certificate will extend its emphasis beyond
narrowly-focused categories of expression to treat all forms of written expression
as equally relevant to understanding and mastering a world constructed out of words.
Following are the specific requirements and course descriptions.
Three or more of the following writing workshops or topics courses (12 Credits):
|
Required Introduction to the MFA Program (4 Credits) |
|
CWL 500 Introduction to Graduate Writing, 4 credits |
|
CWL 510 Forms of Fiction, 4 credits |
|
CWL 520 Forms of Poetry, 4 credits |
|
CWL 530 Forms of Scriptwriting, 4 credits |
|
CWL 540 Forms of Creative Nonfiction, 4 credits |
|
CWL 550 Forms of Professional and Scientific Writing, 4 credits |
|
CWL 565 Special Topics in Writing, 4 credits |
|
CWL 575 Writers Conferences, 1-6 credits |
|
CWL 570 Advanced Writing Workshop, 4 credits |
|
Students select three or more writing workshops or topics courses totaling 12 credits of course work. Individual topics under each category will be labeled according to the content of the course. Although courses may be repeated for credit, students are strongly encouraged to experiment among the genres. |
|
TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED: 16 |
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