Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing

Introduction

Have an MFA but no teaching experience?  In a single semester, our low-residency Post-MFA Certificate program takes aspiring teachers from theory to practice, focusing on methods of teaching writing and allowing the student to gain practical classroom experience through either a face-to-face or an online supervised teaching placement.  Experienced writing instructors may pursue the certificate for professional development purposes, as well as to improve their personal classroom pedagogy.

This certificate is offered by AU Los Angeles.

Certificate Overview

Antioch University Los Angeles’s Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing requires a semester beyond completion of the MFA in Creative Writing. During this term, the student engages in systematic study of the theory and practice of teaching creative writing, a salutary preparation for working in classroom and workshop settings at any educational level. Anyone who holds an MFA in Creative Writing from an accredited institution may apply for the Certificate program. Although the Certificate is not a formal teaching “credential,” we believe that it is very useful to the following groups:

• MFA holders who desire to teach, but have little teaching experience
• MFA holders who are either college/university writing instructors or public school teachers who want to learn more about the intersection of creative and expository writing pedagogies, and to incorporate this knowledge into their teaching
• MFA holders who desire to improve their marketability as teachers
• MFA holders who have teaching careers well underway and seek to improve their current positions through post-graduate professional development encouraged or required by their employers

Certificate Requirements

The Post-Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing is a one-semester program completed in three stages:

Stage I: Pre-Project Period Residency*:

The entering Certificate Student must attend a 10-day residency on the Antioch University Los Angeles campus during which he or she completes the following requirements:

• “Orientation to the Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing”
• “Readings in the Pedagogy of Creative Writing” seminar
• “Teaching Academic Writing” seminar
• Workshop in the Pedagogy of Creative Writing
• Attend all lectures and panels involving Certificate students or pedagogy faculty
• Attend five additional Residency learning activities, such as seminars, lectures, panels, roundtables, etc. (Attendance at faculty and student readings does not fulfill this requirement.)

*Some requirements of the Pre-Project Period Residency are waived for students who have already completed requirements at previous AULA Residencies. AULA MFA’s who have not completed all of the above requirements should consult the MFA Program Chair.

Stage II: Semester Project Period:

During the semester-long Project Period, Certificate students perform the following off-campus activities:

• Participate in supervised teaching of creative writing, coordinated with the assistance of an AULA creative writing pedagogy mentor
• Read widely in the pedagogy of creative writing and provide written annotations of books read
• Participate in an online conference on creative writing pedagogy, supervised by an Antioch creative writing pedagogy mentor
• Write a paper on some aspect of creative writing pedagogy, supervised by an AULA creative writing pedagogy mentor

The details of 1-4 are negotiated with each student’s mentor and listed in the Project Period Contract.

Stage III: Post-Project Period Short Residency:

Certificate students are required to attend only the first three days of the Post-Project Period Residency. Requirements:

• Either present a lecture related to the teaching of creative writing or participate in a pedagogy panel with fellow Certificate students
• Submit an archive copy of the Creative Writing Pedagogy Paper, plus an annotated bibliography of readings in the pedagogy of creative writing
• Participate in an individualized teaching career development session with the MFA chair and pedagogy mentor

 Admissions

GO TO ADMISSIONS

How to Apply

There are three easy steps to apply:

1. Complete the Online Application.
   • Complete and submit online application
   • Submit the $50 non-refundable Application Fee
     • The application fee is waived for all AULA alumni.
   • Complete and submit a Letter of Application including answers to the questions below. Please answer each question fully. The answers should take the form of a typed letter that addresses the following questions. Please number your responses to correspond with the numbered questions below, and attach your letter to the application form.
     • Why and what do you want to teach? Are you interested in teaching literature, composition, and/or rhetoric? Creative writing?
     • Briefly describe your previous teaching experience: type of institution—college, high school, elementary, etc.—courses, workshops, online conferences, etc.
     • If you are currently employed as a teacher, does your institution expect you to take additional graduate courses or workshops for professional development?
     • Regardless of your previous teaching experience, what are your (potential) strengths and weaknesses as a teacher of creative and other forms of writing?
     • How do you expect earning this Certificate may help you?
     • Do you have ideas or a proposal for a Supervised Teaching Placement during the Certificate Program in terms of where or type of course? If so, please describe.
     • How do you expect teaching will affect your own creative writing?
     • List any other pedagogy-related seminars or lectures you attended during Antioch’s residencies or at your own MFA program.
     • For Antioch MFA Graduates only. As an MFA student at Antioch, please describe your performance as a student and why you think a rigorous post-mfa program is appropriate for you at this juncture in your life and career. Some questions to consider:
       • Did you complete all your packets in a timely manner?
       • Did you check-in each week with your mentor and fellow students?
       • Did you turn in your critical papers and final manuscript on time?
       • Did you include two annotations per packet in your first, second, and final terms?
       • Did you have positive experiences interacting with others in workshops and seminars?
       • Did you have positive experiences doing your final graduating reading and teaching your seminar?
       • Did you enjoy providing feedback to other students in your workshops?
       • Did you engage positively while receiving feedback on your creative work or otherwise?
2. Send in all official transcripts for bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Applicants who received their MFA’s from an institution other than Antioch University must send in an official transcript for bachelor’s and master’s degrees, with the master’s transcript indicating that the applicant has earned an MFA in Creative Writing from an accredited institution. Request one copy of official transcripts to be sent directly to the Admissions Office at Antioch University Los Angeles from the accredited institutions from which you received your bachelor’s and master’s degree. Applicants who will finish their MFA’s close to the application deadline for the Certificate should ask their registrars to provide evidence of when the degree will be posted (commonly referred to as an On Track statement.)
3. Submit all supplemental materials
   • Provide a Curriculum Vitae that includes degrees earned, publications, awards, teaching experience, editorial experience, etc.
   • Provide a sample of their creative work (ten-page maximum).
     • Work samples should be typed and double-spaced with your name at the top of each page.

Students who are accepted into the Certificate Program must make arrangements, prior to their Pre-Project Period Residency, for a Supervised Teaching Placement that will be conducted during the Project Period.

Reminder: The Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing is not a teaching credential. Applicants should contact the Office of Education in their home state or country to find details of how teachers are certified in their region.

Please submit all materials to: Admissions Office, 400 Corporate Pointe, Culver City, CA 90230.

All application materials submitted become part of an applicant’s file and cannot be returned.

Application Deadlines

Cost

GO TO COSTS

Coursework

For detailed curriculum and degree requirements, please visit the AULA catalog.