Overview

The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing offers 15-credit-hour post-master’s certificates that provide in-depth study for students who already hold an MFA or an MA in an appropriate discipline and want to pursue post-graduate study in fiction; poetry; creative nonfiction; writing for children and young adults; writing for TV, screen, and stage or in the teaching of creative writing.

The post-master’s certificate study can be highly individualized to allow the student to enter writing practice under the guidance of School of Writing faculty in order to work in a new area or on a current or new writing project. Students complete a residency course and an independent study. For the certificate for the teaching of creative writing, students complete the teaching seminar residency course and an independent study, during which students complete their pedagogical study with a research project.

Students may earn a second certificate if they would like to study in another area of concentration or obtain the certificate in the teaching of creative writing.

Certificate students join MAW and MFA students in existing courses taught by School of Writing faculty.  

Certificate Admissions Requirements

Post-master’s certificate applicants who are not MFA or MAW alumni of Spalding are required to meet the same admission standards as degree-seeking applicants. The application consists of a completed application form, payment of the university application fee, a writing sample, two essays, and appropriate transcripts. School of Writing MFA or MAW alumni who wish to earn a post-master’s certificate should contact the School of Writing office at schoolofwriting@spalding.edu.

Admission to the certificate program is based primarily on the quality of the applicant’s original writing judged by a committee of School of Writing faculty, who read the sample without knowing the identity of the applicant, and the Chair or Associate Programs Director. 

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so they may be submitted at any time. The early-decision application deadline for those wishing to start with the on-campus fall residency in November is August 1; the early-decision application deadline for those wishing to start with the on-campus spring residency in May is March 1, and the early-decision deadline for those wishing to start with the virtual summer residency in June is April 1.

Prospective students who miss the deadline may inquire with the School of Writing Office (schoolofwriting@spalding.edu) about the possibility of applying after the deadline.

Acceptance Information

The School of Writing usually makes decisions on applications three to four weeks after the complete application has been received.

The School of Writing Faculty Committee recommends students for admission to the Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment program or the Post-master’s Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing on a rolling basis.

1. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
2. Successful applicants may enter the program in fall, spring or summer, based upon the admission cycle the applicant applied.
3. After completing all components of the admission process, graduate students’ application materials are submitted to Spalding University’s Graduate Committee by the School of Writing Chair for university admission as a graduate student; once approved by the University Graduate Committee, acceptance into the certificate program will occur.
4. If an applicant is selected and admitted into the program, yet is unable to begin in the next residency course, the initial acceptance into the certificate program remains good for one year.

Requirements

Residency courses include workshops, lectures, readings, and other assigned curriculum sessions. The student also plans, in consultation with his or her instructor, an Independent Study Plan for the upcoming course in original writing and reading (with critical commentary). Five times during the independent study, the student sends to the instructor a packet consisting of original creative writing, a detailed cover letter with questions about the craft of writing, and short essays commenting on the reading list. The instructor responds within a week to each aspect of the packet.

Assessment

The post-master’s certificate requirements include the completion of one residency course and one independent study.

Grades

Post-master’s certificate students receive discursive evaluation reports. The faculty mentors and Chair or Associate Programs Director determine that credit will be Awarded, Not Awarded, Incomplete, or Deferred. For more information, see the Graduate Academic Policies section of this catalog.

Academic Status

For post-master’s certificate students to remain in the program, evaluations of Credit Awarded must be received at the end of each course. If evaluations of Credit Not Awarded are received, a course may be repeated one time. All tuition and appropriate fees are required. If at the end of the repeated course the student does not receive a Credit Awarded evaluation, the student will not be allowed to continue.

Tuition and Fee Payment Policy

Full payment of tuition and fees for post-master’s certificate students is due before or on the first day of the semester. Tuition and fees may be paid by check, money order, cash, or credit card. The University also offers a 5-month payment plan.

The refund schedule for certificate students is found in the School of Writing Student Handbook.

Withdrawal and Refund Policy

For information regarding the withdrawal and refund policy for post-master’s certificate students, see the School of Writing Student Handbook or contact the School of Writing Office by email at schoolofwriting@spalding.edu.

Application for Certificate

Students completing the requirements for the post-master’s certificate fill out an application for graduation form, found on the portal (my.spalding.edu). The forms must be submitted no later than two months before the end of the final semester. Students who do not submit these forms cannot expect to receive the certificate in a timely manner.

Oversight of the Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing

The Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment or Post-master’s Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing oversight will rest under the supervision of the School of Writing Chair and Associate Programs Director who review evaluations, reports, and the projects of its students.

Program Sheets
Post Masters Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Writing for Children/YA
Post Masters Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Writing Creative Nonfiction
Post Masters Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Writing Fiction
Post Masters Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Playwriting
Post Masters Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Writing Poetry
Post Masters Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Screenwriting
Post Masters Certificate in Writing Enrichment: Special Topics
Post Masters Certificate in Writing Enrichment in TV Writing
Post Masters Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing

Other Low-residency Programs in the School of Writing

The School of Writing offers two other low-residency programs:

• Master of Fine Arts in Writing (MFA)—65 hours, four semesters plus a graduation residency
• Master of Arts in Writing (MAW)—35 hours, two semesters plus a capstone residency