A total of 48 semester hours is required to complete the degree. The basic course of study required in the program includes: 12 semester hours of graduate creative writing workshops (required), 12 hours of graduate literature courses (required), and six to 12 hours of thesis work (required); the remaining 12 to 18 hours are electives, taken in literature, workshops or other graduate courses. Beyond the required courses, the student is free to work out a total program of 48 hours, with the advice of the program director or the student’s thesis adviser, which is appropriate to the individual student’s aims and interests. The thesis work gives students the opportunity to produce a manuscript of publishable quality. Course work also is available in the techniques of teaching creative writing, and the program is flexible enough to include studies undertaken in other departments of the university as well, including Art History, Theatre, Philosophy and the School of Mass Communications.