MAPW Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • See the 2024 Careers and Professional Skills here.

    *based on the Department of Career Planning and Development.

  • No. Although we offer online courses, course modality is predominantly face-to-face for fall and spring semesters with limited online course offerings. Summer semester courses are online with limited face-to-face offerings.  
  • The MAPW is an intermediate degree program that will prepare you for further study or for career advancement as a professional writer.  The MAPW emphasizes both academic and applied skills in several genres.  The typical MFA focuses on one genre of creative writing and prepares you for writing in that genre.  The MFA is a terminal degree, so it is not necessarily a step toward another degree.
  • The MAPW program offers masters courses in five genres of creative writing classes, as well as a Certificate in Creative Writing. Our degree is a professional writing degree (MAPW), not an MFA, but our graduate creative writing courses will give you expert training in creative writing, laying a broad foundation for you to pursue an MFA, or to begin a writing career. You can focus on one genre or several. Our approach is similar to that of the best graduate creative writing programs, offering the student both theoretical and practical training. We have a strong record of alumni who are successfully published authors.
  • Our graduate program in screenwriting takes two forms. Students may focus on screenwriting classes under the MAPW Creative Writing concentration or they may focus on screenwriting classes under the Certificate in Creative Writing. KSU offers the best graduate TV and screenwriting program in Georgia, and among the best in the Southeast. And we are located in metro-Atlanta, in the bustling hub of American filmmaking.
  • A Master of Arts in English typically focuses on the study of literature, criticism, or rhetoric and composition.  This degree often emphasizes theoretical approaches over practice.  The MAPW studies creative writing, rhetoric and composition, and/or applied writing and how these three, and all writing, interrelate.  Though the MAPW includes theoretical approaches, it emphasizes practice so that a graduate has a solid foundation in academic writing and research, can undertake long, even book-length writing projects, and is adept with the technology used to compose and to present writing.
  • MAPW graduates are well prepared to seek an MFA or PhD in English. Students who complete our Teaching Assistantship program will be qualified and prepared to begin college level teaching as an MFA or PhD candidate. Many MAPW alumni continue their studies as PhD, MFA and law school candidates.
  • The MAPW provides an infield upgrade for certified high school English teachers and middle grades language arts teachers in Georgia. See the Georgia Professional Standards Commission Upgrade Advisor
  • Students major in one concentration and minor in a second.  This flexibility will allow you to discover how various kinds of writing tasks overlap.  The required final “capstone” project or thesis may also blend genres and approaches to writing.
  • Award-winning faculty, many of whom are publishing or screen-writing professionals and literary artists, teach in the MAPW program.  See the MAPW faculty listing
  • See the MAPW Costs and Financial Aid.

  • Graduate Assistants receive an annual stipend of $2,000-5,000, a tuition waiver, and valuable experience in research or classroom instruction.  The Teaching Assistant application deadline is Feb. 1 for the following academic year.  Research Assistants are selected each semester.  See more on graduate assistants.

    Tuition and Fees Cost of Attendance

  • In their first year, Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) work in the Writing Center; in their second year, they teach two Freshman Composition classes each semester under the supervision of an advisor.

    Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) work with individual professors on a variety of research projects.  Most MAPW students are involved in magazine production or other writing projects.

  • The Professional Writing program offers regular professional workshops, visiting writers and lecturers, and social events.   In addition, you’ll have access to activities, events, organizations and associations related to creative writing in the Atlanta and north Georgia. Please see the Publications and Community page for more information about clubs and organizations.

  • On campus housing is available.  See Housing Options. In addition, many off-campus housing options are within a short walk or on KSU or public bus routes.
  • Kennesaw State’s two campuses are in Atlanta’s northern suburbs with many opportunities for restaurants and shopping.  They are within 25 miles of downtown Atlanta with its historical, cultural and entertainment venues.  They are also within a two-hour drive of the Appalachian Trail and many other outdoor recreational venues.

 

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