Antioch University's Individualized
Liberal and Professional Studies (ILPS) program of study in creative writing
has distinct advantages over traditional master's programs. These advantages
include the program's structure and curriculum. Antioch's philosophy of
education emphasizes each student as a self-learner capable of organizing
a graduate curriculum and implementing it successfully. The individualized
program allows students to select a degree committee that can be directly
involved with helping the student make the right decisions on how to improve
his or her craft. Literary study is individualized too, as students pick
writers who are models of good writing. Students can pursue genre questions
in depth as well. This unique program focuses on how students can best
realize their individual writing goals.
Program Features
At Antioch, students:
- design an individualized
curriculum;
- create a curriculum
emphasizing technique and craft augmented by literary study;
- implement a
program with specific creative writing goals;
- study in independent
or tutorial formats;
- earn up to 15
quarter credits for previous writing completed inside or outside
classrooms;
- attend workshops,
if desirable;
- choose a local
degree committee and evaluators;
- work closely
with an Antioch faculty adviser;
- study in local
communities;
- attend two short
residencies;
- write a thesis
in a specific genre.
Genre Majors
Students can earn degrees
in one of five genres:
- fiction (short
story and novel)
- poetry
- playwriting nonfiction prose
- screenwriting
The Antioch program is for a select
group of students who want to pursue an advanced writing degree but cannot
relocate. They can use local resources as a foundation for their writing.
Often students cannot find a writing program with the flexibility of Antioch's.
This flexibility is one of the key features that separates Antioch's ILPS
program from others. These features can be summarized as follows:
Degree Committee and Evaluators
Students pick two writers from their
local communities to serve as a degree committee. These writers work with
the student to develop a degree plan (curriculum) and supervise the student's
development as a writer. In addition, each student has a faculty adviser
located in Yellow Springs who has overall responsibility for the student's
progress. The advantages of a local committee are numerous for the student,
the primary one being that each student has chosen the degree committee
members. Often, students know who they would like to serve on the committee
prior to enrollment. Many prominent writers have served on degree committees
with satisfying results for the students who have worked intimately with
them.
Curriculum
Students write an individualized curriculumwhich outlines the student's course
of study. Instead of taking courses or seminars, students design the curriculum
in blocks of three to five credits of independent learning or tutorials. This
allows students to work closely with their evaluators through one-on-one sessions.
The degree committee serves as the guiding body for the formation of the individualized
curriculum. The emphasis of the program is on students developing their craft
and technique as writers. The relationship between craft study and literary
analysis is usually two to one. Sixty credits need to be earned for graduation.
They are distributed accordingly:
- IMA 550 Applied Curriculum
Design, 5 credits
- IMA 590 The Professional
Writer, 5 credits
- Individualized study in
craft and technique
in a selected genre (25 credits)
- Genre theory and critical
theory (15 credits)
- Thesis, 10 credits
- Prior Learning (up to 15
quarter credits),
which reduces required individualized courses
Prior Learning
Students can transfer
up to 15 quarter credits previously earned at other universities,
or, through non-transcripted prior learning, document their writing
proficiency and accomplishments. A combination of transcripted
and non-transcripted prior learning is also available. Please note:
the maximum number of prior learning credits may students may transfer
in is 15 quarter credits.
Residency Requirements
Students visit the Yellow
Springs campus to complete two residencies. One is during the first
month of enrollment which focuses on how to design a curriculum,
and how to recruit a degree committee and evaluators. The second
visit is for the thesis seminar in which the student brings draft
copies of his/her thesis, which are then evaluated by other students
and the faculty adviser, preparing the student for thesis completion.
Student Profiles
Writing is an activity
in which students make significant advances when they receive undivided
attention focused on their craft and subject matter. Such attention
is the heart of the Antioch program. Often, after completing the
Antioch program, students say it allowed them to make significant
gains in their writing that they could not make on their own. The
Antioch approach is much different from the traditional residential
workshop model. The Antioch program believes students learn best
when they define their writing goals and work one-on-one with writing
educators to realize them. This close attention has direct benefits
for student writers who enjoy the rewards of such close instruction.
On this web site you can read statements graduates have written about their
experiences. You can see what they included in their curriculum, and the writers
who worked with them. You can also read selections of their writing.
The students are:
Application Information
We invite you to download
or view our program information, or call Student & Alumni
Services for more information at (937) 769-1818. You may write
to us at:
Antioch University McGregor
Student & Alumni Services
900 Dayton Street
Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
Antioch University is accredited by
the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North
Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
