2021-22
Degree of Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
RESOLUTION
The Degree of Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is governed by Resolution No. 659 of the University Court, the provisions of which are as follows:
1. The Degree of Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing may be awarded by the Senate of the University of Glasgow in the College of Arts.
2. The Senate shall have power to make such regulations governing the award of the Degree as may be approved by the University Court, and these shall be as stated under ‘Regulations’.
3. The early exit award of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) is also included in the Regulations.
REGULATIONS
1. Admission
1.1 Before being considered for admission to study for the Degree, a candidate must normally have obtained a Masters degree in Creative Writing with Merit or Distinction or have gained experience or have completed works deemed by the College of Arts Higher Degrees Committee to provide equivalent evidence of suitability for study.
1.2 Exceptionally a candidate for the Degree of Master of Letters in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow may, after completion of 120 taught credits of the Master of Letters programme, be considered for admission to study for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Such a candidate may be admitted on recommendation of a Progress Review subject to the agreement of the College Higher Degrees Committee. Where such a candidate is admitted to the programme of study for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts, the period of study completed by the candidate on the Master of Letters programme may be counted towards the minimum duration of study stipulated in §2.1.
2. Duration of Study
2.1 The minimum period of study for the award of the Degree is two years of full-time study or four years of part-time study.
2.2 The requirements of the programme, including submission of the portfolio described in §3.1, must be completed within three years of first registration for a full-time candidate and within five years for a part-time candidate. Where the College has approved suspension of study for a period of time, the maximum period of study permitted shall be extended by the approved period of suspension.
3. Structure of Programme
3.1 The programme will consist of the completion of core seminars as specified in the programme handbook and submission of a portfolio of 40,000-60,000 words. For examination by portfolio, candidates may submit a substantial creative project in a range of genres and forms, including but not limited to, fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, hybrid forms, work presented in digital media forms (content presented through digital tools) and work that includes other inter-medial products of creative and critical research and practice.
3.2 A candidate must be available for supervision in the University throughout the period of study except when given permission to pursue research elsewhere.
3.3 A candidate must satisfactorily complete such formal research training and any other attendance requirements as set down by the College.
3.4 Progress for a candidate to subsequent years of study is dependent on satisfactory performance at annual progress review. Failure to meet College requirements at annual progress review without good cause may result in exclusion from further study.
4. Portfolio
4.1 Each candidate for the Degree shall present for the approval of the Senate the portfolio referred to at §3.1 accompanied by a declaration signed by the candidate that the portfolio has been produced by themself.
4.2 The portfolio shall be a minimum of 40,000 and maximum of 60,000 words, including references, bibliography and appendices in each case. The precise word count depends on the form and genre of the portfolio and will be agreed between the candidate, their supervisors, and the Creative Writing postgraduate convener, through Annual Progress Review as part of the development of the project. A candidate who wishes to submit a portfolio of lesser or greater length than the stipulated minimum or maximum must seek prior permission of the College Higher Degrees Committee.
4.3 The portfolio shall be examined by one or more examiners appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies on behalf of Senate from among the experienced academic staff of the University, and by one or more External Examiners appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies on behalf of the University Court and Senate. No person who has been involved in the direct supervision of the candidate may be appointed as an examiner. The internal examiner shall not undertake any duties which have been allocated to the Convener (see §4.5) andshall act as an examiner in the normal way. In the case of a submission by a member of staff or a former member of staff two of the examiners must be external.[1] A portfolio may be examined by two external examiners without the appointment of an Internal Examiner, with the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies.
4.4 A candidate for the Degree must present themself for oral or other examination by the Committee of Examiners on the subject matter of the portfolio and its context. The requirement for an oral examination shall be observed at the first submission of the portfolio. In undertaking an oral or other examination the candidate must follow any requirements for the assessment as stated by the Graduate School.
4.5 A Convener shall be appointed by the Convener of the Higher Degrees Committee or its equivalent committee to convene the oral examination and to report on the agreed recommendations of the Committee of Examiners to the appropriate College Committee.
The Convener will be responsible for the following:
a) making the arrangements for an oral examination and ensuring that this is normally held no later than three months after the submission of the portfolio;
b) attending the whole examination and ensuring that it is conducted in a fair manner and is of a reasonable duration;
c) assisting the examiners to reach a consensus, noting that, subject to the authority of Senate, the view of the External Examiner shall normally prevail;
d) arranging for the report stating the recommendation of the Committee of Examiners to be signed at the conclusion of the examination;
e) after the oral, co-ordinating the completion of a joint report detailing the requirements for revision or resubmission and providing this to the candidate.
4.6 The supervisor shall not normally be present at the oral examination but shall be available to the Committee of Examiners for consultation. If the candidate makes a request in writing to the Convener for the supervisor to be present at the oral examination, this should normally be permitted. The request should be made no later than one week before the date of the oral.
4.7 Where a candidate has been permitted to resubmit a portfolio for examination, an oral shall also be held other than in exceptional circumstances, where the Convener, on the recommendation of the Committee of Examiners, may seek the agreement of the Dean of Graduate Studies to set aside the requirement for an oral examination after resubmission. In such circumstances the agreement of the candidate must be obtained, otherwise the candidate shall have the right to insist on an oral being held.
4.8 Where a candidate has been permitted to resubmit the portfolio, it shall normally be on one occasion only. The resubmitted portfolio shall be examined by the Committee of Examiners appointed for the first submission or by the Committee of Examiners appointed for the second submission.
4.9 The portfolio must normally be written and defended in English. Exceptionally, however, at the time of application the College Graduate School Board (or equivalent) may approve arrangements whereby the portfolio may be written and defended in a language other than English, such as Gaelic. Approval will normally be given only where the use of a language other than English is deemed appropriate by the relevant School and the Graduate School Board and where the School and the Graduate School Board are satisfied that appropriate arrangements can be made for supervision and examination.
5. Submission of Portfolio
5.1 In submitting a portfolio a candidate must state any sources from which information is derived, the extent to which they have availed themself of the work of others, and the portions of the portfolio which they claim as original.
5.2 Submission of the portfolio should be completed electronically as directed by the Graduate School and must conform to University Library specifications published at: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/research/enlighten/theses/formattingyourthesis/.
The submission must include a summary of 250-1,000 words which is an adequate and informative abstract of the work, suitable for publication by the University.
5.3 In signing a submission form, the supervisor is confirming that the work was undertaken by the candidate. The wording of the form makes it clear that the supervisor's signature does not endorse that the work has been completed nor does it indicate that the portfolio has achieved the required standard for the award of the degree. A candidate may submit a portfolio against the advice of the supervisor but in such cases the supervisor may state the position in a report submitted to the Convener of the Committee of Examiners.
5.4 If approved for the degree, one hard bound copy of the portfolio and one electronic copy shall be deposited with the University Library. Where agreed by the Graduate School and the Library, hard bound submission may be waived in favour of solely electronic submission. Any hard copy should normally be produced to the standard BS4821:1990 available from the Library, and the electronic copy must conform to University Library specifications published at https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/research/enlighten/theses/formattingyourthesis/. It is the University's normal practice to permit computer download of the electronic copy through its repository service, Enlighten. Such access may, however, be restricted under provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 or the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
6. Award of the Degree and Recommendation of the Examiners of the Candidate’s Portfolio
6.1 The examiners of the candidate’s portfolio will recommend to the Higher Degrees Committee one of the following outcomes:
a) the Degree be awarded unconditionally.
b) the Degree be awarded subject to certain minor corrections of detail or of presentation specified by the examiners. These shall not involve changes of substance to the portfolio. The corrections shall normally be carried out within one month of receipt of the specifications to the satisfaction of the internal examiner.
c) the Degree be awarded subject to certain changes of substance in a specific element or elements of the portfolio specified by the examiners. These shall not involve a revision of the whole portfolio or of a major proportion of it. They may, however, include a requirement to carry out a further period of research in order to strengthen the portfolio. The revisions shall be carried out within a timescale determined by the examiners and shall be confirmed by all of the examiners.
d) the portfolio as a whole is unacceptable. The candidate is invited to resubmit the portfolio taking account of the comments of the examiners. The resubmitted portfolio will be examined on one occasion only. It will be resubmitted within a timescale to be determined by the examiners but normally no later than nine months after the date of the joint report notifying the candidate of the requirements for revision. A resubmission fee will be charged to cover the examining costs.
e) the portfolio as a whole is unacceptable for the award of a Masters degree and the candidate is invited to revise and resubmitthe portfolio for the degree of Master of Philosophy.
f) no degree be awarded.
7. Requirements for the Exit Award of Master of Philosophy
7.1 The exit award of Master of Philosophy (Creative Writing) is available at the end of year 1 of the Degree Programme on satisfactory completion of core seminar(s), formal research training and attendance requirements stipulated for year 1 together with submission of a portfolio of 17,000-30,000 words. A candidate for the exit award of MPhil may be required by the examiners to present themself for oral or other examination. Resubmission of the portfolio will be permitted on one occasion only within a timescale to be determined by the examiners but normally no later than six months after the date of notifying the candidate of the requirements for revision.