Applicants with substantial accomplishment in more than one area of concentration may request that their application be considered for a dual concentration, but they must still declare a primary and a secondary field of study. Students who arrange a dual concentration must fulfill all requirements in the primary area of study and pursue an additional year of residence in the secondary field, and they must submit a thesis project for each of their concentrations.

MFA Degree Requirements

The MFA program is a full-time course of study balancing writing workshops with seminars in the reading of literature. The program is designed to be completed in four semesters. During each of their first three terms, students enroll in one writing workshop (4 credits) in their area of concentration and one literature seminar (4 credits) and must participate in the Writer's Life Colloquium (1 credit).

During their final term of residence, students continue to participate in the Writer's Life Colloquium but no longer enroll in writing workshops or literature seminars. Instead, they work closely with one or more New School writer-teacher advisors in independent study leading to the creation of a Writing Thesis (4 credits) and a Literature Project (4 credits), both within their area of concentration.