Program Recognized for Innovation

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas programs in creative writing and translation rank among the top five most innovative Masters of Fine Arts programs in the nation, according to The Atlantic Monthly. The program, which lead the magazine’s list of “Five Innovative/Unique Programs,” are noted for their 60-hour format and the option of a highly regarded translation track in addition to fiction and poetry.

Other programs on the list are at Brown University, Chatham University, University of Nevada at Las Vegas and University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

“This ranking affirms what our faculty, students and alumni have long known: that the university’s M.F.A. program provides training and expertise that can’t be found anywhere else in the nation,” said Davis McCombs, director of the programs in creative writing and translation.

In addition to workshops, the cornerstone of a writer’s training, the University of Arkansas programs feature in-depth coursework on form and theory and require an intensive study of literature. Students typically spend four years in the UA program — twice the duration of many M.F.A. curricula.

In an era of proliferating one- and two-year programs, more and more students complete M.F.A. degrees only to find that they must enter doctoral programs in writing or literature to compete in the academic job market, according to McCombs.

“Not here,” he added. “Our graduates are fully prepared as writers, scholars and teachers. We’re one of the oldest programs in the nation, and we strongly believe in the traditional model of the M.F.A. as a terminal degree for its field.”

The Atlantic Monthly presented the ranking in its 2007 Fiction Issue, on newsstands now. The article, “Where Great Writers Are Made” by Edward J. Delaney, assesses creative writing programs according to nine categories, including “Highly Selective Programs,” “Programs with Notable Alumni,” “Well-Funded Programs” and “Top Programs Overall.”

For more information about the University of Arkansas programs in creative writing and translation, including faculty biographies, information on courses and a list of notable alumni, please visit: http://www.uark.edu/depts/english/PCWT.html.