Requirements by Concentration

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To earn a Master of Arts in Writing degree, students complete nine courses, including core/foundation courses, writing workshops, electives, and a final thesis course. Specific requirements depend on a student’s concentration, as listed below.

Special Notice for Nonfiction and Science-Medical Writing As of Sept. 1, 2012, core course requirements are changing for new Nonfiction students. Contemporary American Writers is replacing Contemporary Nonfiction, which is being eliminated. See the Nonfiction section below for this important announcement. The change also affects new Fiction students, who now will take a joint Contemporary American Writers core course with Nonfiction students. Also, the Writing Program is shifting its current Washington/Baltimore Science-Medical Writing concentration to a low-residency national / international audience. See Science-Medical Writing below for details.

 

Other Course Options

  • Cross-Concentration Courses
  • Independent Study
  • Internships
  • Advanced Workshops
  • Dual-Concentration Students
  • Courses from Outside the Writing Program

 

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS BY CONCENTRATION

Fiction

Fiction students complete the following nine courses:

  • 490.654 Fiction Techniques (core course)
  • 490.653 Contemporary American Writers (core course)
  • Three fiction workshops from the list below, general or specialized
  • Three electives, including at least one Fiction-specific elective
  • 490.801 Thesis and Publication (taken only after completion of all core courses, workshops, and electives.)

Fiction Courses
Workshops (three required; each may be taken more than once)

  • 490.660, 661, 662 Fiction Workshop
  • 490.679 Experimental Fiction Workshop
  • 490.682 Writing the Novel Workshop

Fiction Electives (three required, including at least one from this list)

  • 490.678 Novel Form, Style, and Structure
  • 490.680 20th Century World Literature
  • 490.683 Voice in Modern Fiction
  • 490.684 The Heritage of Fiction I (Pre-20th Century)
  • 490.684 The Heritage of Fiction II (20th Century)
  • 490.687 The Short Story: Past and Present
  • 490.688 The Evolution of Fictional Forms
  • 490.713 Fiction for Young Readers
  • 490.721 Drama & Playwriting *
  • 490.731 Film & Screenwriting *
  • 490.747 Advanced Revision Techniques in Fiction

* Film & Screenwriting and Drama & Playwriting usually are open only to Fiction students who have completed the Fiction Techniques core course. Consult the fiction advisor for more information.

Program Structure

Core courses: Fiction students should complete both core courses before enrolling in any writing workshops, and Fiction students are urged (but not required) to complete the core courses before taking any other courses. For exceptions to the core course rule, see the Student Handbook section on Waivers. Contemporary American Writers is a joint core course with Nonfiction students.

Scheduling and Planning Tip: Fiction Techniques and Contemporary American Writers usually are offered each Fall and Spring term in Washington. In Baltimore, Fiction Techniques and Contemporary American Writers are usually offered only once a year. Core courses usually are not offered in the summer term.

Workshops: Fiction students can meet their workshop requirements by enrolling in a general Fiction Workshop, Writing the Novel Workshop, or Experimental Fiction Workshop. Any combination of those courses is acceptable as long as a total of three are taken. Students usually must complete at least one Fiction Workshop before enrolling in Writing the Novel Workshop. Consult the fiction advisor. Fiction students can submit short stories or, at times, novel chapters, in a Fiction Workshop. However, students working on novels are encouraged to enroll in Writing the Novel if it is offered at their home campus. All other fiction courses are electives and cannot count as workshops. Fiction students may take only one workshop per term.

General Fiction Workshops usually have three course numbers during an academic year to specify the term in which the workshop was offered. However, workshop course numbers are irrelevant to degree requirements; students can take any combination of workshops — with the same or different course numbers.

Students are encouraged but not required to take workshops with different instructors.

Electives: Fiction students do not need to complete core courses to enroll in an elective unless the elective specifically requires such prerequisites. Fiction students must complete at least one Fiction-specific elective from the list below to earn their M.A. in Writing; non-concentration electives may be considered with the fiction advisor’s permission. Enrollment in cross-concentration courses does not require advisor permission. Students may count an additional workshop toward their elective requirement, but Fiction students must complete at least one Fiction-specific elective.

Thesis: Students must complete all eight degree-level courses — two core courses, three workshops, and three electives — before enrolling in the thesis course. Students who must take a second course for financial aid purposes can take a second course during the thesis term only if the course is additional to degree requirements and only with an advisor’s permission.

For more courses of possible interest to fiction writers, see Cross-Concentration Courses, Independent Study, and Advanced Workshops in this handbook.

 

Nonfiction

Important Curriculum Change: Beginning Sept. 1, 2012, the required core courses for Nonfiction students are changing. The new required cores in Nonfiction are Nonfiction Techniques and Contemporary American Writers, which is now a joint core course with Fiction students. Contemporary American Writers replaces Contemporary Nonfiction, which is being eliminated. Material previously covered in Contemporary Nonfiction is being moved to Nonfiction Techniques and Contemporary American Writers. Students who previously completed Contemporary Nonfiction do not have to take Contemporary American Writers, which is required only for new, incoming Nonfiction students who have not completed their core requirements. The two core courses may be taken in any order, or they may be taken in the same term.

To earn the M.A. in Writing, Nonfiction students complete the following nine courses:

  • 490.656 Nonfiction Techniques (core course)
  • 490.653 Contemporary Americam Writers (core course)
  • 490.703 Principles of Journalism (optional core course)
  • Three workshops from the list below, regular or specialized
  • Two or three electives (depending on number of cores taken)
  • 490.801 Thesis and Publication (taken only after completion of all core courses, workshops, and electives)

Nonfiction Courses
Workshops (general or specialized / any combination of three required)

  • 490.669 Combined Workshop in Nonfiction and Science-Medical Writing
  • 490.670, 671, 672 Nonfiction Workshop
  • 490.673, 674, 675 Science-Medical Writing Workshop
  • 490.690 Literary Travel Writing Workshop
  • 490.692 Profile and Biography Workshop
  • 490.693 Writing the Memoir and Personal Essay Workshop
  • 490.698 Writing the Review Workshop (formerly Modern Criticism)
  • 490.695 Viewpoint Journalism Workshop
  • 490.698 Writing the Review Workshop

Nonfiction Electives (two or three required, depending on cores taken; Nonfiction students must complete at least one elective from this list)

  • Masters of Nonfiction
  • Crafting a Nonfiction Voice
  • International Nonfiction
  • Magazine Style & Substance
  • Readings in Essay & Memoir
  • Principles of Journalism
  • The Nature of Nature
  • The Literature of Science

Program Structure

Core Courses: Nonfiction students should complete Nonfiction Techniques and Contemporary American Writers before enrolling in any writing workshop. For more information about a possible waiver of a core course, see the Student Handbook. The two core courses can be taken in any order. Students who want a stronger background in journalistic skills should consider taking Principles of Journalism as an additional core course to help meet their broader creative writing goals. Principles of Journalism also can be an elective.

Scheduling of Courses: Nonfiction Techniques and Contemporary American Writers usually are both offered each Fall and Spring term in Washington. In Baltimore, nonfiction core courses are offered once a year: Nonfiction cores usually are not offered in the summer term. A nonfiction workshop – specialized or general – will be offered each term at each campus, enrollment permitting. Nonfiction electives will be offered on an alternating basis – usually one at each campus each Fall or Spring. Cross-concentration electives are usually offered in the summer, along with workshops.

Workshops: Nonfiction students may complete their workshop requirements by taking regular Nonfiction Workshops or various specialized workshops, such as in Profile & Biography or Memoir & Personal Essay. Generally, only courses with “workshop” in the title count toward workshop requirements. The Nonfiction concentration has the program’s largest number of specialized workshops. All other nonfiction courses are electives and cannot count as workshops. Students may take only one workshop per term.

General Nonfiction Workshops have three course numbers during an academic year to specify the term in which the workshop was offered. However, workshop course numbers are irrelevant to degree requirements; students can take any combination of workshops — with the same or different course numbers.

Students are encouraged but not required to take workshops with different instructors.

Electives: Nonfiction students do not need to complete the core courses to enroll in an elective unless the elective specifically requires a core prerequisite. Nonfiction students must complete at least one Nonfiction-specific elective to meet degree requirements; electives from outside the concentration may be considered with advisor permission. Enrollment in cross-concentration courses does not require advisor permission. An additional workshop can count toward the elective requirement.

Thesis: Nonfiction students should complete all eight degree-level courses — core courses, workshops, and electives — before enrolling in the thesis course. Thesis students who must take a second course for financial aid purposes generally can take a second course during the thesis term if the course is additional to degree requirements and with an advisor’s permission.

For more courses of possible interest to nonfiction writers, see Cross-Concentration Courses, Independent Study, and Advanced Workshops below..

 

Science-Medical Writing

Special Notice: Over the next two years, the Writing Program is shifting the Science-Medical Writing Concentration to a low-residency program that features online courses and intensive, face-to-face residencies. The low-residency program is open to students from around the nation and world. Current Science-Medical Writing students will complete their degrees through their choice of onsite or low-residency courses, but Science-Medical Writing students accepted in 2012 will need to take some online / residency courses to finish their degrees. The lists below include requirements for the current onsite degree in Washington and Baltimore, followed by the tentative curriculum for our low-residency program. The low-residency requirements may change, pending university review.

Onsite Washington / Baltimore Program (phasing out over 2013-14 academic years. This curriculum does not apply to the Online/Low-Residency Program. All students accepted into the Science-Medical Writing concentration in 2012 and beyond will have to complete the low-residency program. Students accepted before that date will choose from on-site, online, and residencies to complete their degree.)

Onsite Science-Medical Writing students complete the following nine courses to earn an M.A. degree:

  • 490.658 Techniques of Science-Medical Writing (core course)
  • 490.656 Nonfiction Techniques and/or 490.703 Principles of Journalism
  • Three workshops
  • Two or three electives depending on number of cores taken
  • 490.801 Thesis and Publication (taken only after completion of all core courses, workshops, and electives)

Science-Medical Writing Courses (Students should consult their advisor to make sure they are completing enough courses to satisfy degree requirements. Advisors can approve courses from outside these lists, as appropriate to the student’s individual goals and the need to complete as many Science-Medical Writing courses as possible.)

Workshops (three required)

  • 490.673, 674, 675 Science-Medical Writing Workshop
  • 490.669 Combined Workshop in Nonfiction and Science-Medical Writing
  • 490.708 Medicine in Action *
  • 490.709 Science in Action*
  • 490.710 In the Field*

Electives

  • 490.691 Science Policy & Politics
  • 490.696 The Nature of Nature
  • 490.697 The Literature of Science
  • 490.707 Prize Winners: The Best Writing about Science, Technology, Environment, and Health
  • 490.708 Medicine in Action*
  • 490.709 Science in Action*
  • 490.710 In the Field*

*With advisor approval, these courses can count as worshops or electives

Nonfiction Electives and Other Electives of Interest

  • 490.676 Sentence Power: From Craft to Art
  • 490.689 Masters of Nonfiction
  • 490.699 Magazine Style and Substance
  • 490.705 Crafting a Nonfiction Voice

Scheduling of Onsite Courses: Science-Medical Writing is a smaller concentration, so the program offers one onsite course in the area each term. Depending on enrollment, the program hopes to offer at least one Science-Medical Writing course at each campus, each Fall and Spring term, although students from Washington and Baltimore most likely will be combined into a single course by live video conference. (If video conference is used, the instructor is expected to teach regularly from both campuses.) Summer offerings will depend on enrollment. The Science-Medical Writing faculty advisor will inform students of upcoming course offerings. Science-medical writers should arrange their studies so they can take their concentration’s courses when they are offered. Science-Medical Writing students are expected to write at least one concentration-specific essay or article if they enroll in a Nonfiction Workshop or a specialized workshop such as Profile & Biography Workshop or Viewpoint Journalism Workshop.

Tentative Curriculum for Low-Residency Degree in Science-Medical Writing

The following curriculum is still under program and university review. Course titles are expected to change. The low-residency curriculum may be offered as soon as Spring 2013. All students accepted into the Science-Medical Writing Program after Sept. 1, 2012, must follow the following program requirements. Students accepted earlier in 2012 should try to follow the low-residency curriculum as much as possible.

The low-residency degree in Science-Medical Writing at Johns Hopkins allows students from around the nation and world to earn a prestigious M.A. degree through a combination of fully online courses and face-to-face residencies. The low-residency program requires at least one full residency of seven to 10 days, plus a shorter thesis residency of three to five days in Washington or Baltimore in the final week of the program. Students may take additional residencies to earn course credits, if they choose.

Students from outside the Washington/Baltimore area should plan for the time and expense of completing the required residency requirements; the degree cannot be completed fully online. Residencies are planned in Baltimore and Washington, plus at our long-standing Hopkins Conference on Craft in the summer. Previous conferences were held in Bar Harbor, Maine (2009, 2012) and Florence, Italy (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011). While discount housing may be available for some residencies, students pay travel and housing costs in addition to tuition for their residency.

Course Requirements: Nine courses are required for the low-residency M.A. in Writing, including two core courses, two writing workshops, one residency that counts as a course, three electives (which can include one or more additional residencies), plus a final thesis course that includes a short residency in Washington/Baltimore.

Two Core Courses (online; both required unless waiver granted): Should be completed before enrolling in a workshop

Techniques of Science-Medical Writing
Science-Medical Storytelling

Two Science-Medical Writing Workshops (online)

Three Electives (online; with permission, can include internships, additional residencies)

The Literature of Science
The Nature of Nature
Prize Winners: The Best Writing about Science, Technology, and Health
Multimedia for Writers & Editors (course in development)

Thesis & Publication (students should complete all cores, workshops, and electives before enrolling in this final course, which is mostly
online but  requires a brief end-of- degree residency in Baltimore/Washington.)

Residency Options: At least one residency is required for the Science-Medical Writing low-residency degree, although students may choose to take other residencies to complete their eight pre-thesis courses. Students complete one course for each residency, and the residency course often can be considered either a workshop or elective. Each residency may have slightly different formats. Previous summer conference residencies involved seven class days over an 11-day period, and the program is considering a more intensive one-week residency to reduce time and housing costs. Students sometimes bring family, spouses, partners, or other guests to residencies, which also include social events. The following residencies will be offered, pending final approval:

In the Field: Science Writing in the Woods, Coasts, and Labs of Mount Desert Island
(Bar Harbor, Maine)

Science in Action (At university research labs, NASA, and other sites in the Washington
and Baltimore region)

Medicine in Action (Baltimore, at world-famous Johns Hopkins Hospital)

Science and Medical Policy & Politics (Washington – Capitol Hill, National Institutes of  Health,  federal agencies, etc.)

History of Science (Florence, Italy: Galileo Museum of the History of Science, La  Specola Museum of Zoology and Natural History, Boboli   Gardens, Botanical Gardens of  Florence, Leonardo Da Vinci Museum, and the Old Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella,  plus other museums in anthropology, archeology, pre-history, paleontology, mineralogy.)

Thesis: The low-residency program’s thesis course will be online, ending with a short residency of three to five days in Washington/Baltimore. The capstone thesis course requires students to revise a portfolio of publishable writing, contribute to a program literary journal, and plan their writing careers and futures. The end-of course residency includes guest speakers, final roundtable discussions, field trips, Hopkins tours, student reading, and a degree completion ceremony. If they choose, low-residency students also may attend the university’s formal commencement ceremonies, which are held annually in late May at the main Homewood campus in Baltimore. Commencement attendance is not required.

OTHER COURSE OPTIONS

Cross-Concentration Courses

The program offers several courses that might be of interest to students in several or all concentrations. These popular courses count as electives and usually do not require advisor permission before enrolling:

  • Sentence Power: From Craft to Art
  • Literary Journals & The Doctor T.J. Eckleburg Review
  • Teaching Writing: Theory, Practice & Craft
  • Identity in Contemporary Writing
  • Shakespeare: Art & Audience
  • Masterworks: Examining the Boundaries
  • Voice in Modern Fiction and Nonfiction
  • Essence of Place: Description, Detail, and Setting

Independent Study

Independent Studies are proposed by advanced students on topics not already covered in the curriculum. The number of Independent Studies approved for any given term is limited, and only advanced students may apply. See Materials for Current Students for more information, or consult your advisor.

Internships

The program occasionally approves internships for select advanced students when the proposed work directly relates to the student’s development as a writer. Students often propose their own internships, which the program then reviews for proper standards. Students also sometimes apply for existing internships.

Advanced Workshops

At times, the program offers Advanced Workshops in one or more concentrations. These special workshops meet the workshop requirements for a degree, but they often require competitive registration reviews. That means students usually must submit new writing samples or meet other special requirements before enrolling; not all applicants can be accepted. See the Course Schedule for more information.

Dual-Concentration Students

At times, students are accepted into the Writing Program in two concentrations. Such students must arrange a hybrid plan of study that allows sufficient coursework in two areas. Dual-concentration students are required to take at least two and as many as four additional courses, meaning they must take a minimum of eleven courses instead of the nine required for a single-concentration Master of Arts in Writing. The coursework usually must include two electives and two workshops in each concentration, plus core courses and additional courses as specified. Before beginning their studies, accepted dual-concentration students should consult the Writing program director and the faculty advisors in the appropriate concentrations. For more information, consult Materials for Current Students.

Courses from Outside the Writing Program

Writing Program students may consider enrolling in Hopkins courses outside the Writing Program, but enrollment in such courses is only occasionally approved. Approval will be granted on a case-by-case basis and depends on the student’s performance in Writing Program courses. Tuition for such courses is based on the home program, not the Writing Program.

For full course descriptions in the Writing Program, click here.