Degree Requirements
Overview of Requirements
The NEOMFA degree requires 48 credit hours to complete, including 39 hours of required courses and 9 hours of elective courses. Full-time students typically finish the program in three years, with a regular course load of three 3-credit hour classes per semester. Part-time students are on varying timetables and take one to two classes per semester. NEOMFA courses are offered in the fall and spring semesters, with summer semester options being limited. All NEOMFA students must finish the program within six years of matriculation.
Students in the NEOMFA program choose the genre of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or playwriting as their area of concentration. They also take workshops and craft and theory courses in other genres. In addition to the options of a 150-page thesis (fiction and creative nonfiction), a 50-page thesis (poetry), and a full-length script (playwriting), the program offers students the option of writing a 100-page thesis for flash/micro fiction or approved hybrid genre projects.
Although students enter the NEOMFA program through a gateway university or home base, they should expect to take courses at all three universities to complete the degree. NEOMFA core courses are spread out among the campuses, and the program is designed to expose students to the faculty and resources of all three institutions.
Toward the end of their degree progress, students in the NEOMFA program complete a two-part internship. This requirement consists of one semester of professional experience (about 120 hours of total hands-on or on-site work), plus a formal course which reflects on the work and prepares students for the writing profession. Potential internship sites include literary presses, theater companies, local libraries, newspapers and media outlets, and arts organizations.
The NEOMFA degree culminates with a long-form thesis project in a chosen genre. Students assemble a thesis committee from faculty across the campuses, develop their manuscript over 6 credit hours of coursework, submit their manuscript through a formal process, and complete an oral defense.
The final step for NEOMFA students is sharing excerpts from their thesis projects in the program’s Graduation Reading, held each year in early May.
Distribution of Credit Hours
The 48 credit hours required for the NEOMFA degree are distributed as follows (all courses are 3 credit hours):
- Writing Workshops (15 credit hours): 12 hours in your primary genre (fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or playwriting) and 3 hours in another genre.
- Craft & Theory Courses (9 credit hours): 3-6 hours in your primary genre and at least 3 hours in another genre.
- Literature Courses (6 credit hours): 6 hours of NEOMFA-approved graduate-level literature courses.
- Elective Courses (9 credit hours): 9 hours of courses in literature and additional topics that are graduate level, but may be cross-listed for undergraduate credit, and that have been approved by your advisor.
- Internship (3 credit hours)
- Thesis (6 credit hours)
Primary Resources
For more information on the above requirements, please refer to the NEOMFA Handbook. The handbook provides in-depth discussion of all program policies and is our recommended resource for current and prospective students. For questions about transfer credit, leaves of absence, and other specific student concerns, the handbook is the best place to start as well.
For information about current and past classes, please see our Upcoming Courses page. This is our best resource for a sampling of core NEOMFA class descriptions and elective topics.
As a student in the NEOMFA program, your campus coordinator will serve as your advisor. You will confer with your campus coordinator before registering for your first set of classes, and we recommend meeting with them at least once each semester to track your progress. You should regularly review your Student Advising Form to stay on top of your requirements.
Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts
Department of English
Cleveland State University
Music & Communications Building 234
2121 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 687-3957
info@neomfa.org
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