Writing Studies M.A.

The graduate writing studies program combines a traditional literature-based master's degree with a creative writing program by offering a wide variety of courses and providing students with a highly flexible, unique academic experience. At Saint Joseph’s University, writing studies students engage in diverse styles of writing, including short story, poetry, press releases, reflections on teaching writing, plays, adolescent literature, autobiography, biography, personal essays, and grant proposals.

The MA in Writing Studies requires 30 credits of graduate work. Six credits will come from a thesis project (either an analytical study or a collection of original creative material, 700 level). The remaining credits involve courses at the 500 and 600 level. The program includes provisions for internships and directed individual projects of various kinds.

All students in the program will take one core course: ENG 550 - The Practice of Writing. This course provides a breadth of perspective on all of the general issues and circumstances faced by writers in the process of engaging an audience and making a living through the craft of language. 

NOTE: Astrisked courses will be added/offered starting in 2026.

CORE COURSES
ENG 550 The Practice of Writing

ELECTIVES - CREATIVE & PROFESSIONAL WRITING COURSES

ENG 560  Rhetoric Then and Now
ENG 600  Poetry Today
ENG 610*  Science Writing
ENG 612   Biography
ENG 614   The Short Story
ENG 619   Reading & Writing the Young Adult Novel
ENG 620  Special Topics in Literature and Culture
ENG 621   Horror in Literature and Film
ENG 624*  Science Fiction in Literature and Film
ENG 626* Climate Change Stories
ENG 628* Nature and Environmental Writing
ENG 629*  Writing and Environmental Justice
ENG 635  The Writing Teacher Writing
ENG 636  Writing and Empowerment
ENG 640  Experiments in Narrative
ENG 642  Style
ENG 643  Special Topics in the Essay
ENG 646  Multimedia Storytelling
ENG 665  Memoir
ENG 668  Creative Nonfiction Workshop
ENG 669  Poetry-Writing Workshop
ENG 670  Fiction-Writing Workshop I
ENG 671   Fiction-Writing Workshop II
ENG 673   Screenwriting Workshop
ENG 674*  Scientific and Medical Writing
ENG 675   Special Topic Writing Workshop
ENG 676  Writing for Publication
ENG 677  Case Study: Public Relations
ENG 678  Case Study: Magazine Publishing
ENG 679  Special Topics in Journalism
ENG 680  Writing for Nonprofits
ENG 681   Writers at Work
ENG 682   New Media
ENG 683   Editing Practicum
ENG 684   Health Writing
ENG 686*  Literature and Medicine


THESIS
ENG  793   Thesis Project I
ENG  794   Thesis Project II

INTERNSHIPS/INDEPENDENT 
ENG  770   Directed Readings
ENG  771   Directed Research
ENG  772   Directed Writing
ENG  773   Directed Fieldwork
ENG  791   Graduate Internship

After the establishing of degree candidacy, a maximum of five years will be allowed for the completion of the degree requirements. Under extenuating circumstances, a student may request an extension of this time frame.

Summer I - 5/18/26 - 7/02/26 
Tuesdays/Thursdays 6:00-7:45 pm, Online/Synchronous 
ENG 614: The Short Story 
Instructor: Professor Robert Wilder  
CRN: 20559 

This course examines all flavors of the short story from a perfect joke to various forms like micro fiction, flash fiction, sudden fiction and more traditional examples. Students will read and discuss exemplary work by classic and contemporary authors, focusing on the vital storytelling elements–plot, setting, character, point of view, and theme–that help a story reach a sense of confluence. Through generative exercises, detailed reactions, lively discussions, brief lectures and author visits, we will seek to meet stories on their own terms and strive to define what makes a story, well, a story.

  
Summer II - 7/16/26 - 8/21/26 
Tuesdays/Thursdays 6:30-8:15 pm, Online/Synchronous 
ENG 640: Experiments in Narrative 
Instructor: Dr. Kay Cosgrove  
CRN: 20560 

Narrative arc is an essential, if not the essential, component in the development of any manuscript, 
regardless of genre. In this course, we will take a close lens to the question of how writers across 
genres develop and sustain a narrative arc through the manipulation of other formal considerations, 
such as character-development, setting, language, imagery, etc. Through careful consideration, we 
will seek the way that content informs form and visa-versa in order to develop a wide understanding 
for how and why writers select from among craft choices and aesthetics with the ultimate goal of 
sustaining readers’ attention in mind. Through detailed critical reading, analysis, and diagramming, 
we will explore the scaffolding that underpins creative writing, with special attention to form and 
genre. By analyzing the craft techniques used by other creative writers, students will learn to apply 
such approaches to form and technique effectively in their own creative work. 
  
Together we will learn to: 
Become well-versed in the concept of narrative arc as it applies across genres, including developing a working literary vocabulary: reading, discussion, vocabulary assignment. 
Rhetorically analyze the features of published work, learning to draw casual relationships between form
and content: reading, discussion, daily writing, presentations, peer commentary, final creative project. 
Learn to draft thoughtful, engaged, and informed memos on narrative process.  
Emphasize writing as a process, one that requires outside critique (peer review). 
  
Here are some technique questions to consider for the piece that you prepare for workshop: 
Identify one spot where language and style enhance the text. How does language work in this passage? In this piece? 
What is the most effective element of this submission?  How is it achieved? 
What is the overall tone of the piece? How is it relayed, and how does it suit what the story is about? 
How are the characters revealed?  Through omission or backstory?  Through dialogue? Why were these choices made? 
What is the conflict and how is it built? 
What is this piece about?  How do you know? 
What is the structure of this piece? How does the structure enhance the story’s content? 
  
Required Texts:

The Beauty of the Husband by Anne Carson, Vintage Books (New York), 2001. ISBN 978-0-375-70757-5

We the Animals by Justin Torres, Houghton Mifflin (New York), 2011, ISBN 978-0-547-57672-5

All classes will take place online. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Cristina Hanganu-Bresch at changanubresch@sju.edu. Thanks.
 

Spring 2026 Courses

Fall 2025 Courses

Summer 2025 Courses

Spring 2025 Courses

Fall 2024 Courses

Summer 2024 Courses

Spring 2024 Courses

Starting your Thesis

Thesis Guide: Use this document as a guide to help you through the thesis registration and completion process.

Thesis Advisor List: Use this list to assist you in making your choice. The list is not absolute - reach out to any of your professors to discuss your thesis project.

Thesis Checklist: Common questions regarding format, font and printing can be found here.

Thesis Completion Form: To be completed when you are ready to register for credits involved in your thesis project. Please review this form with your thesis mentor.

Thesis Completion

Refer to the thesis checklist for help with this process.  You will also need to complete a title page and get the required signatures for your thesis.

Thesis Title Page Template: Assists you in creating your title page for the finished project. This page will require the director's signature as well as your mentor’s signature.

An electronic copy of your thesis will be required for submission to ProQuest for inclusion in the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global database. There is no charge for submitting to ProQuest, which is done electronically, and the SJU community has access to their work via the ProQuest database. This fulfills the requirement to submit a copy of your thesis to the library. Instructions for submitting your thesis to ProQuest can be found here.

One paper copy should be submitted to the English department for inclusion in their collection. The copy should be three-hole punched and single-sided. Make sure to include the title page with signatures. The department will provide a binder for the display cabinet.

Questions? Contact Heather Foster at hfoster@sju.edu.