Thesis FAQ

The MFA thesis is a book-length creative work. For fiction students it might be a novel, a collection of short stories, or a combination of stories and a novel-in-progress. For poetry students, it will be a collection of poems. 

Fiction theses should be at least 130 pages; Poetry theses should include at least 48 poems. 

No.

Your thesis may (or may not) include a mix of genres, depending on your Thesis Director's discretion. 

Your thesis committee is a group of faculty members who will read your thesis and examine you for your thesis defense. Every thesis committee includes three members: the director, second reader, and third reader.

Your director is an MFA faculty member who you will work directly with throughout your thesis year (in your Thesis A and Thesis B courses) to help you craft your thesis and prepare for your comprehensive exam. Each director runs Thesis A and Thesis B differently, but most meet with students at regular intervals to discuss their thesis-in-progress. 

The second reader is a faculty member (either an MFA or non-MFA English faculty member) who reads your completed thesis and then examines you during your defense. You third reader serves the same function, but must be a non-MFA member of the English Department faculty. 

Thesis directors are assigned at the end of the last semester before thesis year. For most students admitted in the Fall, this will be at the end of the Spring semester of their second year (usually the end of April). You will rank available MFA faculty members in your genre based on who you'd most like to direct your thesis. After all the responses have been collected, the department admin and faculty will work together to divide thesis students among available directors based on their stated preferences. 

Because there are many students' preferences to take into account, students may not ask faculty directly if they can be their director—the request can only be made via the preference form. Students are encouraged, however, to speak with any faculty they may wish to work with about how they approach thesis direction in advance to help them make an informed request. 

Second readers may either be professors in the MFA or in the English Department at Texas State. If you wish to have an MFA faculty member serve as your second reader, you will note your preference on the same form you used to rank your preferences for director. Like your director, there is no guarantee that you will get your first choice for second reader. 

If you wish your second reader to be a non-MFA professor in the English Department, you must contact them directly with your request. Any English faculty member can serve on your committee, but they may decline if they are already serving on too many committees or not a good fit for you project. It is a good idea to get your requests in early, as English Department faculty serve on thesis committees for MFA, MA, MATC, and MARC students. 

Third readers must be non-MFA faculty members of the English Department. The request process for third readers is the same as non-MFA second readers. 

The comprehensive exam is a work of critical reflection that accompanies the creative portion of your thesis. It will be written over the course of about a week, after you've submitted your manuscript to your committee.  

Your Thesis Director will formulate three prompts in your Thesis B semester based on your project and reading list. These prompts might ask about your individual craft concerns, problems you've taken up in your work, how your work relates to the theory, literary antecedents, and/or contemporary literature outlined by your reading list, etc. You will then use these prompts to write one to three essays, totaling 20 pages.

No. It is only for committee purposes. 

No. The comprehensive exams for both genre tracks are expected to cover theory, the history of their chosen genre, and contemporary writers. 

Each Thesis Director hosts the defense differently. Typically, however, each committee member will prepare questions to ask you about your thesis and/or your exam. They will also likely ask you to read parts of your thesis out loud. It is recommend that you bring your thesis and comprehensive exam essay(s) to your defense for reference. 

Yes. You may invite whoever you want to sit in on your defense. You may also make it an “open defense," which extends the invitation to any students in the MFA who wish to attend. 

The exact days for your deadlines will vary depending on the year and arrangements with your director/committee, but the general timeline for thesis year looks something like this: 

November: You file your thesis proposal form with the signatures of your committee members.

January: You contact your committee members to arrange the date, time, and location of your thesis defense. The date of your defense will determine the deadline for your comprehensive exam, which is submitted two weeks ahead of your defense date.

Late February: You submit a copy of your thesis to each of your committee members and to the MFA Program Office. 

Mid-to-Late March: You email your comprehensive exam essay to your committee.

Late March or Early April: You defend your thesis. 

You can find the Graduate College's deadlines here.

Your Thesis Proposal Form should include a brief description of your project and any goals or craft concerns you may have; it is not a query letter, and does not need to “pitch” your project. Your completed form must also have signatures from your thesis director and committee members. 

Yes. Your thesis must adhere to the University's formatting guidelines. For more information, visit the Thesis and Dissertation Information page, where you'll find a comprehensive formatting guide at the bottom of the page. You will submit your properly formatted thesis to the University only after you successfully defend. 

Work on your reading list and write as much as you can. If your thesis director has other, more specific expectations going into the year, they will reach out to let you know about them.