New St. Andrews just received approval from our accreditation organization for a change in one of our grad programs, and I am as excited about the prospects for this as I have been about anything we have done here at the college thus far. Here are few paragraphs from NSA’s website explaining some of the mundane details, and then I will follow up with a more colorful explanation.
If you’re interested in writing, you may be even more interested in New Saint Andrews’ new graduate writing program. The College’s Board of Trustees has approved the addition of a new writing and literature (“letters”) component to its M.A. degree program starting this fall. The College will also host a new writer’s workshop this summer.
The College is now accepting graduate school applications from aspiring writers for the Fall 2011 launch of its new creative writing and literature M.A. courses. For more information about the new graduate “Letters” program, email Dr. Jonathan McIntosh or call (208) 882-1566.
In addition to the new graduate writing program, a summer writer’s workshop, entitled “Three Days in the Wordsmithy,” is set for June 28-July 2, 2011. The workshop is geared for students considering college, graduate school and/or a career in writing. Participants will benefit from three full days of close interaction with N.D. Wilson, Douglas Wilson and Aaron Rench in workshops on poetry, essays, fiction and screen plays. For qualified participants, the workshop instruction and assignments may be eligible for grad school credit. Those interested in the writer’s workshop should email Ben Merkle (bmerkle@nsa.edu) for more information or visit www.nsa.edu.
We have had a theology MA for a few years now, and this approved change means that we have altered the structure of this degree. Here’s how it works now. The degree is like an artist’s palette, with three basic colors — theology, culture, and letters (the writing component). Instead of “majoring” in one of the three areas, all our grad students in this program will have some courses in each of the three areas. At the same time, but they will take significantly more courses in their area of interest and emphasis.
We have already seen an uptick in the number of applicants, and based on the interest expressed to us about the study of wordsmithing, we expect a good bit more. If you or anyone you know is interested in a graduate program in writing, this is a program you really should know about. Did I mention that I am excited about it?