Post-Master's Certificate in Writing Enrichment | Spalding University Catalog

Post-Master's Certificate in Writing Enrichment

The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing offers a 15-credit Post-Master’s Certificate in

Writing Enrichment that provides in-depth study for students who already hold an MFA or an MA in an

appropriate discipline and want to pursue further post-graduate study in creative writing in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, writing for children and young adults, or writing for TV, screen, and stage.

The Post-Master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment 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 creative writing genre or on a new creative writing project. To earn the certificate, students complete a residency course and an independent study. Students may earn an additional certificate if they would like to study in another area of concentration.

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

Certificate Admissions Requirements

Post-Master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment 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 the Post-Master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment should contact the School of Writing office at (502) 873-4400 or 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 deadline for application for those wishing to enter in the fall residency in November is August 1; the deadline for application for those wishing to enter in the spring residency in May or the summer virtual residency in June is February 1.

Prospective students who miss the deadline may inquire with the School of Writing Office about the possibility of applying after the deadline.

Acceptance Information

The School of Writing usually makes decisions on applications four to six 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 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 or spring, 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

The residency course includes workshops, lectures, readings, and other assigned curriculum sessions. The student also plans, in consultation with his or her instructor, an Independent Study Plan.

Assessment

The Post-Master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment requirements include the completion of one residency course and one independent study.

Grades

Post-Master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment 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 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 in the program.

Tuition and Fee Payment Policy

Full payment of tuition and fees for 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 certificate students, see the School of Writing Student Handbook or contact the School of Writing Office at (502) 873-4400.

Application for Certificate

Students completing the requirements for the Post-Master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment fill out an

Application for Graduation form, found on the School of Writing portal page (my.spalding.edu). The forms must be submitted through Self-Service 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 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 for the Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann GraduateSchool of Writing

Master of Fine Arts in Writing
Master of Arts in Writing
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing
Post-Master's Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing
Post-Master's Certificate in Writing Enrichment