Thesis Overview
The Creative Writing MFA requires a total of 36 credit hours, which includes a creative thesis. Your completed thesis should be of substantial length and accomplished quality, usually a collection of short stories, poetry, or creative nonfiction essays (100-250 pages of prose or 45-80 pages of poetry). You must also include, in your thesis, your Reading List (in MLA format). The work you produce in your workshops will most likely form the basis of your thesis; however, you will need to produce more writing than you write for workshops.
Preparations for the thesis usually begin the spring semester of your first year or one calendar year before the completion of the thesis. Overview of the process:
- Create a proposal
- Submit proposal to the Graduate Programs Director with ranked list of thesis director choices
- Secure thesis advisory committee (with thesis director’s/adviser’s help)
- Complete a Thesis Advisory Committee form
- Register for thesis hours
- Review UCF College of Graduate Studies resources and requirements
- Write your thesis
- File Intent to Graduate and review format requirements
- Submit for format review(s)
- Defend your thesis
- Make any necessary formatting and content changes
- Submit final file
You must meet the thesis requirements of both the MFA Program and the UCF College of Graduate Studies.
Create a Proposal
Your thesis should be in the genre in which you originally applied to the program. If you wish to switch genres for your thesis, you must have
- completed at least one workshop in that genre;
- have the written support from the faculty member who taught that workshop; and
- discuss, in a face-to-face meeting, your intentions with the MFA Program Director.
Your proposal should include the following:
- A cover page with your working title, genre, and a ranked list of thesis director choices
- A two-to-three page description of your project
- A sample of work in your chosen genre: a minimum of 15 pages of polished prose pieces or a minimum of 10 pages of polished poetry
- A draft of your reading list (your final reading list will include a minimum of 50 books, but for the proposal, you should list 15-30 books you believe to have influenced your writing)
- A timetable for completion
- If applicable, a tentative table of contents. (This table of contents is for guidance and shape only. We understand that creative writing is a fluid process. You are not bound by the initial outline. However, should you substantively change your project from a collection of short stories to a novel, from fiction to poetry, etc., you must resubmit a proposal.)
Submit Proposal for Thesis Director Assignments
Your thesis director will be a member of the Creative Writing MFA faculty approved by the College of Graduate Studies. Ideally, your thesis director will be someone with whom you have studied, worked, and want to continue working. However, because you may not have had the opportunity to take a course with all faculty members in your genre, it’s quite possible your director will be a faculty member you’ve not worked with, but whose work you admire. There is no guarantee that a member of the MFA faculty will agree to direct your thesis.
If you’re starting thesis in the fall, submit your proposal to the Graduate Studies Director between March 1 and March 5.
If you’re starting thesis in a spring semester, you should send your proposal between September 1 and September 5.
Secure Thesis Advisory Committee
After you have a thesis director, you and your director will mutually agree upon two other readers who will make up your thesis committee. Your thesis director and thesis committee members may request revisions to your proposal. The thesis proposal must be approved by your thesis director and your two additional readers (thesis committee). You must initiate a Thesis Advisory Committee form.
If you plan to have two professors co-direct your thesis, both must be MFA faculty members. The third expert is not required to be a member of the English faculty. All members of your committee must be faculty approved to teach graduate courses and to serve on graduate thesis committees. It is not necessary to have more than three committee members (including your director). You will work closely with your director. The other committee members are asked to read your thesis two weeks prior to your thesis defense.
The Thesis Committee Approval (TAC) form must be received and approved before you can register for thesis hours. Your thesis committee must be reviewed and approved by the College of Arts and Humanities Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies. Please allow a minimum of two weeks for processing. You initiate the form. You’ll receive an email once it is approved.
Committee members will come to your defense with questions. Committee members are not expected to provide feedback on your thesis beyond questions, comments, and feedback at the defense.
Thesis Advisory Committee Form
- If the link above does not work, go to the UCF Graduate Forms and References page and search for “Thesis Advisory Committee Form” (without the quotation marks. Click on the “Doctoral and Thesis Advisory Committee Form.”
- You only need the TAC when you first form your committee and if you revise the committee at any point.
- Fill out your information.
- College: College of Arts & Humanities
- Type of Committee: Thesis
- Type of Submission: Initial Formation of Thesis (unless you are revising your committee)
- Complete the IRB course and upload a copy of the certificate of completion with your name and the date on it
- Select Your Graduate Program: Creative Writing MFA
- List the first semester you will register for thesis hours (“Fall” or “Spring” and the year).
- List your committee members and their email addresses, and then sign, date, and submit the form. This will route to your director.
- Note: You MUST complete the IRB certificate of completion and attach the certificate to the form. Your TAC form will not be approved without the IRB certificate.
Changes to your thesis committee: If the composition of your thesis committee changes, you must submit a new Thesis Committee Approval Form to MFA Graduate Program. Please notify all committee members of any changes made to the composition of your committee.
Register for Thesis Hours
To register for thesis hours, you must initiate a Restricted Registration form and submit the form to the MFA Graduate Program Assistant. Review the thesis requirements and full-time enrollment requirements in the UCF College of Graduate Studies Catalog.
Before you begin the form, ask your director what their expectations are for
- “Assignments” and “Deadlines” with grade percentages (weight) for these assignments must equal 100% (not 99.9, etc.)
- There must be at least one assignment. Example: “Draft and revise 100 pages”
- “Consultation Policy”
- Briefly describe how often you and your director agree to meet during the semester. Example: “Meet via zoom or in person every other week to discuss progress.”
- “Learning Outcomes”
- Briefly list one or two (or more) learning outcomes. Example: “Complete thesis draft” or “Defend thesis”.
Now complete the form:
- Complete the top portion with your Student Information. Use your UCF ID (not your NID).
- Program: Creative Writing MFA
- Term: The term you’re registering for with the year in the next box
- This is a “Restricted Registration” (not override)
- Course Prefix: CRW
- Course Number: 6971
- Hours: 3
- If you have already completed 6 credit hours of thesis, you may elect to register for 1 credit hour to avoid excessive costs.
- Grade: S/U (do not put A/F)
- Instructor (Director) Name and correct email
- Include information for assignments, deadlines, grade weights (must equal 100%), consultation policy, and learning outcomes.
- Check the box asking for your agreement
- Sign name and date the form
- The form will then route to your thesis director and then to the College of Arts & Humanities for manual registration.
Review UCF College of Graduate Studies Resources/Requirements
UCF College of Graduate Studies provides a Thesis and Dissertation site with several resources students in thesis hours. Please register for the Webcourse and register on the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Site.
- Thesis and Dissertation Webcourse
- Thesis and Dissertation Service Site
- Thesis and Dissertation FAQs Site
Write Your Thesis
If you wish your thesis to be independent of the work you produce in workshops (e.g. a novel or memoir rather than a collection), please be advised that you will need the approval of your thesis director and probably need more than 2 years in the program. Completing a novel or a full-length memoir will require a great deal of independent writing, concentrated time, and more revisions. Additionally, if you propose to produce a thesis longer than the maximum page requirements, you must have the approval of your thesis director and your committee members. We are aware that thesis content and length may change during the writing and revision process, but if, during the process, you make significant changes in your thesis (length or content), you must have the approval of your thesis director, and you must notify your committee members.
You cannot propose, write, revise, and defend your thesis in a single semester.
Thesis Length and Content: Your completed thesis should be of substantial length and accomplished quality, usually a collection of short stories, poetry, or creative nonfiction essays (100-250 pages of prose or 45-80 pages of poetry). You must also include, in your thesis, your Reading List (in MLA format). The work you produce in your workshops will, most likely, form the basis of your thesis; however, you will need to produce more writing than you write for workshops. Therefore, you must plan carefully and work in concert with your thesis director.
Reading List: In consultation with your thesis director, you must generate a list of at least 50 books. These should be books you’ve read that have influenced your writing in some way. You should begin preparing your Reading List at the end of your first semester in the MFA in Creative Writing program. Thereafter, you should consult with your thesis director on a regular basis to discuss your progress and the development of your Reading List. This list will reflect the scope and depth of your study of literature. Your Reading List may include but should not be limited to work assigned in your classes, and should be in MLA format.
You, as a writer, are to be well acquainted with the work of your contemporaries since these writers form the literary currents of the time. Your list should be drawn from a variety of genres and periods in order to indicate the diversity of your reading. However, the works on the list may favor your chosen genre. This list will be distributed to your committee with your thesis and will be part of your defense. This list must, by the time you distribute your thesis to your committee, be in MLA format and included at the end of your thesis. Every thesis defense in the Creative Writing MFA Program includes a discussion of your approved Reading List, and you should be prepared to answer questions about the relation of the readings to your thesis.
File Intent to Graduate and Prepare for Format Review
The semester prior to your thesis defense, you should file and Intent to Graduate by the deadline. If you fail to file your Intent to Graduate by the deadline listed on the UCF Academic Calendar, you will not be able to participate in the Commencement Ceremony.
At the beginning of your defense semester, you must register with UCF College of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Services. You must follow the timeline and adhere to the deadlines listed. The TD Service page is also where you will complete the Thesis Approval Form prior to your defense.
When ready, you should submit your thesis for Format Review so that you can make any required changes.
Defend Your Thesis
Scheduling Your Defense: Your defense must be scheduled no less than six weeks prior to its occurrence. To schedule your defense, establish a mutually convenient date and time for you and your committee. After conferring with the committee members, you will need to contact the Graduate Program Assistant in order to reserve a room. Notify your committee and the MFA Program Director of the place, date and time.
Summer: While it is permitted to defend a thesis in the summer, many faculty members are not available for extensive thesis work from April 1 to September 1. Faculty who do not teach in the summer, and therefore are not under contract during the summer, are not permitted to direct a thesis during the summer.
Thesis Defense Announcement: You must prepare a thesis defense announcement, have the announcement approved by your director, and send via email to the MFA Graduate Admissions Specialist at least three weeks prior to your defense.
Thesis Distribution: No later than three weeks before your defense, submit four copies of the final draft of your thesis: one for your director, one for each committee member, and one for the MFA Program Director. These copies will be shared with other faculty members who may wish to attend the defense. Your committee members are not expected to provide feedback beyond questions, comments, and feedback at the defense.
Thesis Approval Form: Your Thesis Approval Form must be completed online through the ETD system. Be sure to complete the form online at least 3 days prior to your defense in order for it to process. You will be asked to determine a Release Option. Our general recommendation is to choose the 5-year option. Once Approval Form is processed, you should print it out. You must bring the Form to your defense. If you successfully defend your thesis, this form will be signed by all members of your thesis committee at the end of the defense.
You are responsible for securing the additional signatures in person. The MFA Program Director must sign, the Department Chair, the Dean in the College of Arts and Humanities, and finally, you deliver the Thesis Approval Form to the UCF College of Graduate Studies.
Thesis Defense: The thesis defense generally lasts one hour. Your committee members will attend as well as any other interested members of the general public. Your director will discuss with you the defense procedure. Usually, the defense begins with you reading a selection from your thesis. Then your director and committee members ask questions about your thesis, reading list, writing process, and your development in the program. After the question/discussion period, you will be asked to leave them room, so that the committee can deliberate and vote on passing for failing your thesis. Once the committee has voted, you will be invited back into the room. The committee will discuss any changes required to your thesis prior to your final submission to the UCF College of Graduate Studies ETD Site.
Heed the advice of your thesis director. If your director recommends that you hold your defense until a later date, it is highly recommended that you do so. An unsuccessful defense in which you do not secure the signatures from your committee members means that you will not graduate from the MFA in Creative Writing Program.
Make Necessary Format and Content Changes
If your committee members require changes to your thesis or the College of Graduate Studies requires formatting changes, complete those well ahead of the final deadline to submit.
Submit Your Final File
Submit the final version of your thesis through the ETD system on the UCF College of Graduate Studies site.
For additional questions, contact [email protected]