Cornell College launches graduate degree in creative writing

Cornell College launches graduate degree in creative writing

Cornell College
Cornell College in Mount Vernon will kick off its first graduate degree program in nearly 100 years during the summer of 2020. The college will offer a low-residency master's in fine arts (M.F.A.) in creative writing program.

Participants will come to campus five times throughout the two-year journey to work with nationally recognized professional writers and Cornell faculty. The first four visits, or residencies, will last nine days and will include workshops, panel discussions, lectures, and one-on-one time with faculty. The fifth residency will include a final presentation of their work to the Cornell community.

Residency dates are:
July 1-9, 2020;
Dec. 30, 2020-Jan. 7, 2021
July 1-9, 2021
Dec. 30, 2021-Jan. 7, 2022
July 1-9, 2022

"A low-residency program is an educational model that builds on our reputation for individualized education and attention," said Cornell College Professor of English and Creative Writing, Glenn Freeman, who is the new program's director, in a new release. "The most successful students will be writers who are committed to their art, are self-motivated, and are willing to push themselves out of their comfort zones."

After each residency, the writers return home where they'll continue their studies with faculty support from afar. Throughout the program, they'll create and submit packets of creative and critical work on a monthly basis and will complete an applied studies project that could include an internship. In the end, students will focus on revising all of their work into a book-length manuscript of publishable quality.

Students can request more information online at cornellcollege.edu/mfa.