ma creative writing reading list

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Creative Writing MA (Distance Learners)

Reading lists online.

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Welcome to Reading Lists Online

Your module reading list contains details of items like books, journals, web pages or databases. These items have been selected for you by your module leaders, so when you are doing coursework the reading list is the best place to start.  Reading Lists Online (RLO) allows you to easily  access these selected resources.

Lists can be accessed through your modules on Blackboard. Y ou can also search for your reading list using the RLO search box below, just type in your module code or module title. The RLO search box is also available from the library website.

You can see whether the item on your reading list is available online or in print with the View Online or View Availability buttons. 

View Online means we have access electronically and you just need to click on the button to access it.

View Availability means we do not have it electronically but we may have the item in print.

Just click on the View Availability button to see further details of how to access the book. 

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It is easy to access reading lists on the go and for you to find the resources you need wherever you are.

Personalising your reading lists

You can sign into RLO and create your own profile. This will allow you to access some of the advance features, such as adding notes and reading intentions to your lists.

• Setting reading intentions and writing personal notes
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• Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024 1:08 PM
• URL: https://libguides.tees.ac.uk/creative_writing_ma

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Department of English and Comparative Literature

Reading List

The MFA Comprehensive Exam requires students to write three essays: two in the primary and one in the secondary genre. For the exam you should be prepared to cite approximately 8 works in the primary (approximately 4 per essay) and 4 works in the secondary. In order to be prepared for a variety of essay prompts, students should read widely in both genres—certainly more than the 12 works from the reading lists you will cite on your exam, perhaps 35-50 works or authors. In consultation with their thesis directors, students will devise a personalized list consisting of selections from the lists below as well as additional works of comparable literary quality that they find pertinent to their writing and/or scholarship.

You will confer with your adviser several times during the semester prior to taking the exam to develop your final version of your reading list. Only works on this personalized, advisor-approved list may be cited on the exam.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah.

Anderson, Sherwood. Winesburg, Ohio.

Atwood, Margaret, The Handmaid’s Tale.

Babel, Isaac. Red Cavalry.

Baldwin, James. Giovanni’s Room; “Sonny’s Blues.”

Bambara, Toni Cade. Gorilla, My Love.

Barth, John. Lost in the Funhouse.

Barthelme, Donald. 60 Stories.

Beatty, Paul, The Sellout.

Bellow, Saul. Herzog; Seize the Day.

Borges, Jorge Luis. Labyrinths.

Bronte, Charlotte, Jane Eyre.

Butler, Octavia, Kindred.

Calvino, Italo. Cosmicomics.

Carter, Angela. The Bloody Chamber; Wise Children.

Carver, Raymond. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.

Cheever, John. Stories of John Cheever.

Chekhov, Anton. Anton Chekhov’s Short Stories.

Coetzee, J.M. Waiting for The Barbarians.

Coover, Robert. Pricksongs and Descants.

Danticat, Edwidge. The Farming of the Bones.

DeLillo, Don. White Noise.

Diaz, Junot. Drown.

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations.

Doctorow, E.L. Ragtime.

Ducornet, Rikki. The Jade Cabinet.

Egan, Jennifer. A Visit from the Goon Squad.

Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man.

Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine; LaRose.

Faulkner, William. Absalom, Absalom; As I Lay Dying.

Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary.

Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Gaitskill, Mary. Bad Behavior.

Gibson, William. Neuromancer.

Gordimer, Nadine. July’s People.

Hamson, Knut. Hunger.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Collected Stories.

Hurston, Zora Neale, Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go.

James, Henry. The Portrait of a Lady.

James, Marlon. The Book of Night Women.

Johnson, Denis. Jesus’ Son.

Jones, Edward P. All Aunt Hagar’s Children; The Known World.

Joyce, James, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; Ulysses.

Kafka, Franz. In the Penal Colony; The Metamorphosis.

Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies.

Lalami, Laila. The Moor’s Account.

Lee, Chang-Rae. Native Speaker.

LeGuin, Ursula. The Left Hand of Darkness; The Wind’s Twelve Quarters

Li, Yiyun. A Thousand Years of Good Prayers.

Lispector, Clarice. The Hour of the Star.

Malamud, Bernard. The Magic Barrel.

Marcom, Micheline Aharonian. Three apples fell from heaven.

McBride, James. The Good Lord Bird.

McCarthy, Cormac. Blood Meridian; The Road.

McCullers, Carson. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

McPherson, James Alan. Hue and Cry.

Mitchell, David. Cloud Atlas.

Moore, Lorrie. Birds of America.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved; Song of Solomon.

Mosley, Walter. Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned.

Mueenuddin, Daniyal. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders.

Munro, Alice. Selected Stories.

Murakami, Haruki. The Elephant Vanishes; The Wind-up Bird Chronicles.

Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita.

Naylor, Gloria. The Women of Brewster Place.

Nguyen, Viet Thanh. The Sympathizer.

O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried.

O’Connor, Flannery. Complete Stories.

Ondaatje, Michael. The English Patient.

Paley, Grace. Collected Stories.

Papadiamantis, Alexandros. The Murderess.

Phillips, Jayne Anne. Black Tickets.

Poe, Edgar Allan. Selected Short Stories.

Pynchon, Thomas. The Crying of Lot 49.

Robinson, Marilynne. Housekeeping.

Roth, Philip. Portnoy’s Complaint.

Rushdie, Salman. Midnight’s Children.

Russell, Karen. St Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.

Saramago, José. Blindness.

Saunders, George. Civilwarland in Bad Decline.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein.

Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony.

Singer, Isaac Bashevis. The Collected Stories.

Smith, Zadie. On Beauty.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath.

Stoker, Bram. Dracula.

Strout, Elizabeth. Olive Kitteridge.

Tartt, Donna. The Secret History.

Thuy, Le Thi Diem. The Gangster We Are All Looking For.

Toole, John Kennedy. A Confederacy of Dunces.

Ward, Jesmyn. Salvage the Bones.

Wells, H.G. Time Machine; The War of the Worlds.

Welty, Eudora, Collected Stories.

West, Nathanael. Miss Lonelyhearts.

Wharton, Edith. Age of Innocence.

Whitehead, Colson. The Intuitionist.

Wideman, John Edgar. Sent For You Yesterday.

Williams, Joy. The Quick and the Dead.

Woolf, Virginia, Mrs. Dalloway.

Wright, Richard. Native Son.

Abbey, Edward. Desert Solitaire.

Ackerman, Diane, A Natural History of the Senses.

Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Saint Augustine. Confessions.

Baldwin, James. Notes of a Native Son.

Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone.

Berry, Wendel. Recollected Essays.

Bryson, Bill. A Walk in the Woods.

Capote, Truman, In Cold Blood.

Carson, Rachel, Silent Spring.

Cofe, Judith Ortiz, Silent Dancing: A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood.

Conroy, Frank. Stop-Time.

Conway, Jill Ker. The Road from Coorain.

Didion, Joan, Slouching toward Bethlehem, The White Album, The Year of Magical Thinking.

Dillard, Annie, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, An American Childhood.

Eggers, Dave. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America

Ehrlich, Gretel. The Solace of Open Spaces.

Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches you and You Fall Down, At Large and At Small.

Grann, David. Killers of the Flower Moon.

Haley, Alex, and Malcolm X. The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

Hemingway, Ernest. A Moveable Feast.

Hersey, John. Hiroshima.

Hillenbrand, Laura, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.

Hubbell, Sue. A Country Year: Living the Questions.

Karr, Mary, Liar's Club: A Memoir.

Kincaid, Jamaica. My Brother, A Small Place.

Kingsolver, Barbara, High Tide in Tucson.

Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior.

Krakauer, Jon. Into Thin Air.

Least Heat Moon, William. Blue Highways.

Lewis, C.S. Surprised by Joy.

Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac.

Lopez, Barry, Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape.

Macdonald, Helen. H is for Hawk.

Markham, Beryl. West with the Night.

Matthiessen, Peter. The Snow Leopard.

McBride, James. The Color of Water.

McCourt, Frank, Angela's Ashes.

McFee, John. Coming into the Country.

Mailer, Norman, The Armies of the Night.

Muir, John. Mountains of California.

Nabokov, Vladimir. Speak, Memory.

Noah, Trevor. Born a Crime.

Norris, Kathleen. Dakota: A Spiritual Geography.

Orwell, George. A Collection of Essays.

Pirzig,Robert. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Rodriguez, Richard. Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez.

Sarton, May. Journal of a Solitude.

Sedaris, David. Me Talk Pretty One Day.

Smith, Patti. Just Kids.

Sontag, Susan. Against Interpretation and Other Essays.

Stegner, Wallace, Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs.

Stein, Gertrude, Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas.

Steinbeck, John. Travels with Charley, The Log from the Sea of Cortez.

Styron, William, Darkness Visible.

Terkel, Studs. Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression.

Thomas, Lewis. The Lives of a Cell

Thompson, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

Wallace, David Foster, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and  Arguments

Welty, Eudora. One Writer’s Beginnings.

White, E.B. Essays of E. B. White.

Wilkerson, Isabel. The Warmth of Other Suns.

Williams, Terry Tempest. Refuge: An Unnatural History of Time and Place.

Wolfe, Tom, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Right Stuff.

Wolff, Tobias, This Boy's Life.

Wolff, Virginia, A Room of One's Own.

Wright, Richard. Black Boy

Ai. Vice: New and Selected Poems.

Ali, Agha Shahid Rae. Partly: New and Selected Poems 2001 - 2015.

Aamons, A. R. Selected Poems.

Armantrout, Rae. Partly: New and Selected Poems 2001 - 2015.

Ashbery, John. Selected Poetry.

Auden, W.H. Selected Poems.

Balakian, Peter. Ozone Journal.

Berryman, John. Selected Poems.

Bidart, Frank. Half Light: Collected Poems 1965 - 2016.

Bishop, Elizabeth. The Complete Poems, 1927-1979.

Bukowski, Charles. Essential Bukowski Poetry.

Chin, Marilyn. Portrait of Self as Nation: New and Selected Poems.

Clifton, Lucille. Collected Poems.

Collins, Billy. Sailing Alone Around the Room, New and Selected Poems.

Crane, Hart. Ed. Marc Simon. The Complete Poems.

Creeley, Robert. Selected Poems.

Cullen, Countee. Collected Poems.

Dickinson, Emily. Selected Poems.

Doty, Mark. Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems.

Dove, Rita. Selected Poems.

Dunn, Stephen, New and Selected Poems.

Edson, Russell. The Tunnel: Selected Poems of Russell Edson.

Eliot, T. S. Selected Poems.

Frost, Robert. Selected Poems.

Gilbert, Jack. Collected Poems.

Ginsberg, Allen. Selected Poetry: 1947-1995.

Gioia, Dana. 99 Poems: New and Selected.

Hacker, Marilyn. Selected Poems: 1965 - 1990.

Harjo, Joy. How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems 1975 - 2002.

Hass, Robert. The Apple Trees at Olema: New and Selected Poems.

Hayes, Terrance. American Sonnets for My Once and Future Assassin.

Herrera, Juan Felipe. Half the World in Light: New and Selected Poems.

Hughes, Langston. Selected Poems.

Hugo, Richard. Making Certain It Goes On: Collected Poems.

Jackson, Major. Roll Deep: Poems.

Jeffers, Robinson. The Wild God of the World:An Anthology of Robinson Jeffers.

Justice, Donald. Collected Poems.

Kinnell, Galway. New Selected Poems.

Kizer, Carolyn. Cool, Calm, and Collected.

Koch, Kenneth. Selected Poems.

Komunyakaa, Yusef. Pleasure Dome: New and Collected Poems.

Kyger, Joanne. As Ever: Selected Poems.

Lee, Li-Young, Behind My Eyes.

Levertov, Denise. Collected Poems.

Levine, Philip. New Selected Poems.Lowell, Robert. Selected Poems.

Long Soldier, Layli. Whereas: Poems.

Major, Clarence. From Now On: New and Selected Poems.

Merrill, James. Selected Poems: 1946-1985.

Merwin, W. S. Migration: New and Selected Poems.

Milosz, Czeslaw. The Collected Poems, 1931-1987.

Moore, Marianne. Complete Poems.

O'Hara, Frank. The Selected Poems of Frank O'Hara.

Philips, Carl. Quiver of Arrows: Selected Poems 1986 - 2006.

Plath, Sylvia. Collected Poems.

Pound, Ezra. New Selected Poems and Translations.

Rankine, Claudia. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric.

Rexroth, Kenneth. Complete Poems.

Rich, Adrienne. Adrienne Rich's Poetry and Prose, Norton Critical Edition.

Roethke, Theodore. The Collected Poems.

Rukeyser, Muriel. Selected Poems.

Simic, Charles. New and Selected Poems.

Smith, Tracy K. Life On Mars: Poems.

Snyder, Gary. No Nature: New and Selected Poems.

Soto, Gary. New and Selected Poems.

Stafford, William. The Way It Is: New and Selected Poems.

Stern, Gerald. This Time: New and Selected Poems.

Stevens, Wallace. The Palm at the End of the Mind: Selected Poems.

Tate, James. Selected Poems.

Trethewey, Natasha. Monument: Poems New and Selected.

Whalen, Philip. Selected Poems.

Whitman, Walt. Selected Poems.

Williams, William Carlos. Selected Poems.

Wright, James. Above the River: Complete Poems.

Vuong, Ocean. Night Sky With Exit Wounds.

Yeats, William Butler. Collected Poems.

Young, Kevin. Blue Laws: Collected and Uncollected Poems 1995 - 2015.

Playwriting/Screenwriting

Albee, Edward. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.

Beckett, Waiting for Godot.

Brecht, Bertolt. The Good Woman of Setzuan.

Chekhov, Anton. The Cherry Orchard.

Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun.

Ibsen, Henrik. Ghosts.

Ionesco, Eugene. The Bald Soprano.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman.

Molière. Tartuffe.

O'Neill, Eugene. Long Day's Journey into Night.

Pinter, Harold. The Birthday Party.

Reza, Yasmina. Art.

Sartre, Jean Paul. No Exit.

Shaw, George Bernard. Candida.

Sheridan, Richard Brinsley. The School for Scandal.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.

Sophocles. Oedipus Rex.

Stoppard, Tom. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

Valdez, Luis. Zoot Suit.

Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest.

Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire.Valdez, Luis. Zoot Suit.

Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie.

Wilson, August. Joe Turner's Come and Gone.

All About Eve.

The Bicycle Thief

Casablanca.

Citizen Kane.

The Grapes of Wrath.

North by Northwest.Rear Window.

Rules of the Game.

Seven Samurai.

Singin' in the Rain.

Stagecoach.

Wild Strawberries.

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Creative Writing MA

• Full-time: 12 months
• Part-time: 24 to 36 months
• Start date: September 2024
• UK fees: £9,250
• International fees: £22,600
• Entry requirements: 2:1

Course overview

Would you love to see your name in print? Are you curious about the creative industries? Or maybe there’s a poem or novel in you that's waiting to come out?

You will be supported to develop your creative work, and learn about the process of writing and publishing from expert staff who are published poets and authors themselves.

We will explore contemporary poetry, fiction and hybrid forms of writing (which cross genres), as well as building on your own critical writing skills. This broad analysis of technique and form will put you in a strong position to pursue a career in writing and the creative arts.

We also offer placements and internships to enhance your professional experience in sectors including publishing, marketing, charity, journalism, theatre, teaching, museums and heritage, events and libraries. Placements are flexible; you choose the duration and number of hours that best fit around your studies and other commitments.

Why choose this course?

Get ‘off the page’.

With Nottingham’s culture and activities , including Writing East Midlands , Nottingham Writers’ Studio , and Five Leaves Bookshop

Explore opportunity

in a  UNESCO City of Literature

Practice your skills

write for  Impact Magazine , the  Nottingham Poetry Exchange , or  The Letters Page  journal

Ranked 10th

for grade point average among 92 universities, and 7th in the Russell Group.

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Course content

Pre-arrival reading lists will be sent out with registration information before you join your course, where available.

This course is made up of 180 credits. 

Full-time students complete six modules across the year, before completing the dissertation over the summer.

Part-time students complete three taught modules in the first year of study, then three in their second, before turning to the dissertation.

All classes take place during weekdays.

• Core modules
• Optional modules
• Dissertation

There are five core creative writing modules, worth 20 credits each:

Develop your fiction through exercises and analysis of point of view, narrative voice, dialogue, and plot, among other techniques.

Expand your poetic range by playing with different approaches to form, exploring a range of creative techniques and sharpening your interpretive skills.

You will be encouraged to reflect on your writing output and incorporate the critiques of others when editing and developing your work.

This module is worth 20 credits. 

One of the key things you need to be able to do as a writer is critique and contextualise your own work.

This not only involves being able to edit and draft your work, it also includes understanding the wider influences from other literary and non-literary works.

These skills are really important when it comes to writing the critical essay – something you have to do alongside the creative work on the course. Yet, this module also explores how criticality itself offers new kinds of creative forms and approaches too, breaking down the traditional divide between prose, poetry and creative non-fiction.

You will explore:

• How to critically examine your own creative work
• How to write a critical essay
• New hybridic forms of writing that cross traditional boundaries (for example, prose, poetry and non-fiction) such as autofiction and autotheory
• New writers of creative, critical and hybridic work

This module is worth 20 credits

Investigate the complex relationships between writer, genre and creative industries.

In considering the production of prose and poetry, we will study the role of:

• booksellers
• literary events

Your assessment consists of a portfolio of either prose or poetry, or a combination of the two, as well as a critical essay.

This module is worth 20 credits.

Explore in depth how to write effective and compelling fiction.

Through in-class discussion and weekly readings and exercises, this module pushes and extends your own craft and technique.

Along the way, you’ll explore how to approach short story, flash fiction and novel writing. You’ll also be introduced to a range of secondary and critical texts that will help you deepen your own understanding of form, genre and style.

You will discover:

• key prose-writing techniques, including point of view, characterisation, dialogue and setting
• a range of form and genre, and the techniques and approaches that are relevant to them
• a range of critical texts that deepen and extend your understanding of prose writing technique

Explore a range of poetic conventions, and the contexts in which poetry is produced, whilst developing your own poetic style. 

Through the ‘practitioner’ approach, you are not only supported in your craft but encouraged to work towards submitting your work for publication. 

The reading list for this module includes: 

• poetry magazines
• new writers’ anthologies
• debut poetry collections
• poetry in performance 

You will select one 20-credit optional module (chosen during enrolment). Examples include:

This module represents a course in cognitive poetics. It aims to understand the meanings, emotions and effects of literary reading based on our current best understanding of language and mind. This means drawing on insights developed in cognitive science, especially in psychology and linguistics. You will also develop skills in stylistics and critical theory.

Cognitive poetics attempts to find answers to the following questions:

• How is it that different readers interpret the same literary work differently?
• How can we care emotionally about fictional people in books?
• How do some literary works make you cry, or laugh, or be fearful or joyous?
• How do we understand the minds of other people, real and imaginary?
• How do literary works create atmosphere, tone, and ambience?
• Does reality and fictionality matter?
• How does language create worlds?

You do not need to have a background in both linguistics and literary studies – either area will be perfect preparation for your exploration of cognitive poetics. You will be taught in a small-group two-hour tutorial discussion.

This module studies the representation of fictional consciousness.

Character consciousness has become so fundamental to any narrative, that we hardly think about the problems involved in representing another person's mind.

On this module, you will:

• explore in depth techniques for the presentation of consciousness in novels and other fictional texts
• learn about the linguistic indices associated with the point of view of characters and the various modes available to a writer for the presentation of characters' thoughts and perceptions
• examine the style of narrative texts that portray consciousness and study the theories that explain their methods
• consider the historical development of consciousness presentation techniques

The module is worth 20 credits.

Gain a practical introduction to the world of contemporary publishing, including:

• small presses
• online writing
• digital narratives
• social media

You will explore the landscape of contemporary publishing, both offline and online, and study the practical skills needed to research, write, edit, and publish writing across a range of forms and platforms.

The module is structured around practical writing tasks, working towards a real-world publication project which will form the basis for your assessment. You will be taught through a mixture of lecture-style content on relevant topics and practice-based workshops.

Alongside the module, you also have the opportunity to take up a work placement with The Letters Page , the School of English's own literary journal.

It has often been suggested that the idea of literary history – a narrative that understands, classifies and explains the English literary past – is an impossibility.

The relationship between literature and the history of the time of its creation is an equally vexed and productive question. We will look at various ways in which literature has combined with the study of history and also how histories of literature have been constructed.

Topics explored include:

• The development of the literary canon
• Periodicity
• Inclusions and exclusions
• Rediscoveries
• Representation

You will also look at the ways in which literary biography relates to the creation of literary histories. We will introduce key topics in the area and apply them to a variety of types of literature, and the myriad critical ways in which such literature has been viewed, both in its immediate moment and retrospectively.

Explore the use of linguistic frameworks to investigate literary texts.

Through a series of practical analyses, you will be introduced to a range of linguistic explorations of poetry, prose, and drama from a wide range of historical periods.

The module will invite you to use the analyses as an occasion for the critical evaluation of the various approaches to language and literature, to investigate the notions of literariness and interpretation, and to consider the scope and validity of stylistics in relation to literature and literary studies.

This module considers a major English literary genre and its critical heritage. It also demonstrates that medieval English romance narratives can be set in complex and profound critical relationship to each other and to other artistic media.

You are encouraged to explore how reading Middle English romance texts can:

• equip us with vocabulary and concepts to discuss the cultural specificities of the literary representations of romance, love and chivalry in this period
• represent public and private identities
• ask questions regarding individuality and selfhood that arise in literature produced in a volatile period of religious and social uncertainty and dissent

These are all issues that now define the Middle Ages for modern scholars.

Study key work in narratology from literary, stylistic and sociolinguistic perspectives.

 We will explore narrative texts in terms of:

• temporal organisation
• characterisation
• point of view

You will examine both literary and non-literary narratives and gain an understanding of the historical development of narrative techniques.

Explore how writers of the modernist period responded to an age of dramatic change, and new formations in society, politics and art.

This was an an age in which revolutionary developments in science, technology, philosophy and psychology prompted the formation of radically new understandings of the self and the world.

Studying a range of literary, dramatic, cultural and critical texts, we consider the individual and collective nature of the formulation of radical aesthetics. We will be discussing modernist and avant-garde approaches to such subjects as:

• Subjectivity and consciousness
• Community and identity: gender, race, nation
• Experimental form and the literary marketplace

We will study these texts in relation to the many relevant contexts of the period, as well as by the light of more recent critical and theoretical approaches that continue to make new the work of the moderns.

This module looks at various authors, movements, and genres in the history of English poetry, from 1500 to the present.

You will gain an overview of certain key chronological areas, and case studies of more specific movements or ideas. Themes and areas of focus may include:

• late medieval
• religious verse
• poetry and science
• Epicureanism
• verse epistles
• gender and recovery
• 'minor' poets and failure
• Empire and Romanticism
• the dramatic monologue
• modernist poetics

Explore a range of modern drama, all themed around the idea of riot.

We will explore the phenomenon of the riot, examining how it is defined and how it might relate to other kinds of western performance event.

• Analyse the way that riots have both been triggered by, and represented in, an assortment of other performances
• Compare and contrast material from a range of different chronological periods and across a range of different genres

Although this module is largely focused on dramatic texts, it gives you the opportunity to consider an assortment of other performance events. For example, we will analyse the drama of Synge and O’Casey, the ballet of Stravinsky and Nijinsky, and the performance poetry of Linton Kwesi Johnson.

Explore the changing meanings of Shakespeare’s plays across text, stage and screen.

The module examines three plays in depth, looking at their literary interest (from textual history and sources to thematic concerns and characterisation) and their performative possibilities on stage and in film. The module is redesigned each year to take advantage of what theatres are currently staging.

By approaching the plays from multiple angles, you will discover the varied potential for reinterpretation and recreation that each text offers.

You will build on seminar discussions to develop your own project question about:

• the interpretive possibilities that the plays offer
• the choices made by specific interpreters of the text

Your project will be developed in consultation with tutors to consider the interplay of performance and text.

Every published document that we read, be it a novel, poetry anthology, or magazine article, has been through a complex process of evolution and editing. This module introduces you to how texts are transmitted from ‘author’ to audience.

We will consider:

• modes of transmission, both manuscript and print
• modes of representation, including scholarly editions and anthologies, both print and digital
• editorial theory and practice, including ‘best text’, genetic editing and single witness

You are encouraged to apply questions of editing to your own areas of interest, and work through the practicalities of producing an edition yourselves.

The book, handwritten or printed, was as innovative and pervasive a technology in the Middle Ages as electronic technologies are in our own time.

This module introduces the study of the book as physical ‘artefact’ and world-changing technology.

We will cover:

• methods of construction and compilation
• handwriting and early printing techniques
• reading marginalia as well as text

You will also be introduced to the benefits and applications, as well as the problems, of applying an understanding of the artefact to the texts contained within.

During the summer, you will complete a 14,000-word creative writing dissertation. This is a major piece of independent research, and you will be allocated a supervisor who is a specialist in your chosen area.

You could choose to do a series of poems or short stories, a piece of non-fiction, or an excerpt from a novel. Your supervisor will guide you through the writing of your project through to completion.

This module is worth 60-credits.

Learning and assessment

How you will learn.

• Group study
• Guest speakers

Teaching consists of workshops in poetry and fiction led by prize-winning writers  Professor Jon McGregor ,  Matthew Welton ,  Thomas Legendre ,  Dr Lila Matsumoto  and  Dr Spencer Jordan .

Students are taught in small seminar groups, so there is plenty of opportunity for discussion of ideas and development of our students as researchers.

MA Dissertation Preparation Day

This is an opportunity for students to learn more about the challenges of a larger-scale research project, about supervision and support, and about the resources available to Masters researchers. It is also a social occasion, bringing together our postgraduate students as an academic community. 

More about the Dissertation Preparation Day

Peer mentoring

All new postgraduate taught students can opt into our peer mentoring scheme. Your peer mentor will help you settle into life at Nottingham and access support if needed. 

More about peer mentoring

How you will be assessed

• Creative writing

Most modules are assessed by written work of varying lengths, corresponding with the content and weighting of the module.

Your course tutors provide detailed comments on assignments.

For your creative writing assessment, this will consist of a portfolio. Depending on the module, this could include poetry, a short story or stories, an excerpt from a novel, or something more experimental that crosses genre or form.

Towards the end of your studies, you will complete a 14,000-word dissertation. This is a major piece of independent research, and you will be allocated a supervisor who is a specialist in your chosen area. You will produce an original piece of work in a medium of your choosing: you could produce a set of poems, a piece of fiction, or a series of short stories, for instance. You will also write a critical essay.

Your dissertation supervisor will provide advice and guidance to help you select your area of study, and offer close supervision and support as you complete your research.

Contact time and study hours

During the autumn semester, there will be approximately six hours of workshops per week for full-time students. Part-time students can expect around half of this contact time per week.

You may also arrange one-to-one tutorials with your tutors. Outside of this time, you will be expected to conduct independent study, whether reading, researching, or writing.

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2024 entry.

• Home / UK students
• EU / International students

Alternative qualifications

Applicants will be asked to submit an example of their written work. You will be contacted by the university with full details of how to submit this.

The School of English welcomes writers of poetry, fiction, or a combination of the two. In reading the writing samples, we are looking for work that indicates that its author would be able to succeed on the course. There is no restriction on the subject matter of the writing sample. We only require that it is your own work.

You will be asked for either:

• no more than 3,000 words of prose fiction (this could be one story, a group of stories, or an extract from a longer piece)

Meeting our English language requirements

If you need support to meet the required level, you may be able to attend a presessional English course. Presessional courses teach you academic skills in addition to English language. Our  Centre for English Language Education is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK.

If you successfully complete your presessional course to the required level, you can then progress to your degree course. This means that you won't need to retake IELTS or equivalent.

For on-campus presessional English courses, you must take IELTS for UKVI to meet visa regulations. For online presessional courses, see our CELE webpages for guidance

Visa restrictions

International students must have valid UK immigration permissions for any courses or study period where teaching takes place in the UK. Student route visas can be issued for eligible students studying full-time courses. The University of Nottingham does not sponsor a student visa for students studying part-time courses. The Standard Visitor visa route is not appropriate in all cases. Please contact the university’s Visa and Immigration team if you need advice about your visa options.

We recognise that applicants have a variety of experiences and follow different pathways to postgraduate study.

We treat all applicants with alternative qualifications on an individual basis. We may also consider relevant work experience.

If you are unsure whether your qualifications or work experience are relevant, contact us .

Our step-by-step guide covers everything you need to know about applying.

Where you will learn

Library facilities - school of english.

• manuscripts from the 12th-15th centuries and books in Old and Middle English, Old Icelandic, Viking Studies, and runology
• the  English Place-Name Society  library and archive
• Hallward Library's  DH Lawrence archive (containing Lawrence family papers, manuscripts, first editions, and books owned by Lawrence)
• the Cambridge Drama Collection (over 1,500 items including plays and works about the British theatre from 1750-1850)

Social Science and Arts Graduate Centre

The Graduate Centre for postgraduate students in the Arts and Social Sciences is available on the first floor of Highfield House, next to the Trent Building. Accessible 24/7, this space provides computer stations, a social area with informal seating and areas where students can work individually or in groups. 

The Centre also offers support for students interested in developing their own ideas in the form of seminars, conferences, events, and socials.

University Park Campus

University Park Campus  covers 300 acres, with green spaces, wildlife, period buildings and modern facilities. It is one of the UK's most beautiful and sustainable campuses, winning a national Green Flag award every year since 2003.

Most schools and departments are based here. You will have access to libraries, shops, cafes, the Students’ Union, sports village and a health centre.

You can walk or cycle around campus. Free hopper buses connect you to our other campuses. Nottingham city centre is 15 minutes away by public bus or tram.

Digital Transformations Hub

As a researcher you have full access to the  Digital Transformations Hub  and can use our equipment and software for free.

Additional information for international students

If you are a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you may be asked to complete a fee status questionnaire and your answers will be assessed using guidance issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) .

These fees are for full-time study. If you are studying part-time, you will be charged a proportion of this fee each year (subject to inflation).

Additional costs

All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice .

You'll be able to access most of the books you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to buy your own copies of core texts. The Blackwell's bookshop on campus offers a year-round price match against any of the main retailers (i.e. Amazon, Waterstones, WH Smith).

There are many ways to fund your postgraduate course, from scholarships to government loans.

We also offer a range of international masters scholarships for high-achieving international scholars who can put their Nottingham degree to great use in their careers.

Check our guide to find out more about funding your postgraduate degree.

• Careers advice
• Job prospects

We offer individual careers support for all postgraduate students .

Expert staff can help you research career options and job vacancies, build your CV or résumé, develop your interview skills and meet employers.

Each year 1,100 employers advertise graduate jobs and internships through our online vacancy service. We host regular careers fairs, including specialist fairs for different sectors.

International students who complete an eligible degree programme in the UK on a student visa can apply to stay and work in the UK after their course under the Graduate immigration route . Eligible courses at the University of Nottingham include bachelors, masters and research degrees, and PGCE courses.

Graduate destinations

This course is designed to develop a range of transferable professional skills, including:

• Analytical reasoning
• Communication
• Self-motivation
• Time-management
• Developing and presenting complex ideas

Our graduates have moved into a diverse range of careers, working as:

• Teachers and lecturers
• Copywriters
• Journalists
• Communications officers
• Digital marketers
• Proofreaders

"I loved my time at Nottingham, and the high quality tuition I received definitely lifted my writing to a level that got it noticed by agents and editors, and was the stepping off point for my career as a published author. The MA really did what it said on the tin: it made me understand the internal workings of fiction and, without doubt, made me a better writer."

- Clare Harvey, Creative Writing MA graduate and professional author

Career progression

75% of postgraduates from the School of English secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average starting salary was £20,796*

*HESA Graduate Outcomes 2020. The Graduate Outcomes % is derived using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.

There are a range of public engagement opportunities open to students in the School of English.

You may also apply to gain editing experience through The Letters Page online journal.

"I’ve always had the aspirations and dreams to work within the publishing industry. I was never sure what specific role I would want or how it would happen. But working with The Letters Page definitely cemented my desire to be a part of that industry…And now I am!"

- Mandy Baker , Creative Writing MA graduate, completed a placement with The Letters Page

Related courses

English literature ma, english studies ma.

The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) is a national grading system, introduced by the government in England. It assesses the quality of undergraduate teaching at universities and how well they ensure excellent outcomes for their students in terms of graduate-level employment or further study.

This content was last updated on Thursday 27 July 2023. Every effort has been made to ensure that this information is accurate, but changes are likely to occur given the interval between the date of publishing and course start date. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply.

Creative Writing

Making its home south of Midway Plaisance in Taft House, The Program in Creative Writing is an intersection of imagination and critical inquiry. Creative Writing offers an array of writing-workshop-based classes in a variety of genres, from fiction and poetry to creative nonfiction and translation. In addition, MAPH students focusing in creative writing have the unique opportunity to inform their creative projects with rigorous analytic research in a variety of subjects, such as Art History , Cinema and Media Studies , Comparative Literature , English Language and Literature , Gender and Sexuality , Philosophy , and Visual Arts .

Selected Faculty

Rachel DeWoskin

Srikanth Reddy

Sample Courses

There are two open spots in every Creative Writing course with a grad section; MAPH students in the Creative Writing Option get priority in these courses, and require instructor permission to register for open slots. There is no prerequisite on any grad section and all MAPH students are exempt from prerequisites. You can find the numbers for grad sections on Class Search or CIM.

If the two grad spots are already taken there is still a chance that the instructor would be interested in adding additional graduate students. In that case, students should write to the instructor, ask to be added to the waitlist and once they get the OK, plan to enroll during add/drop.

Please visit the Creative Writing page  for more details on classes and registration.

CRWR 40229 - Technical Seminar in Fiction: 3D Character Builder ( Rachel DeWoskin ) This reading and writing course will acquaint students with one of the essential tools of fiction writers, characterization. We will read works by authors including Baldwin, Guo, Nabokov, Munro, Sharma and Wharton, toward exploring how some of literatures most famous characters are rendered. How do writers of fiction create contexts in which characters must struggle, and how does each character's conflicts, choices, and use of language reveal his or her nature? How do we make characters whose behaviors are complicated enough to feel real, and why are some of the worst characters the most compelling? Students in this technical seminar will complete both creative and analytical writing exercises, reading responses, and a critical paper that focuses on characterization in a work of fiction.

CRWR 40411 - Technical Seminar in Poetry: Urban Image and Poetic Play  ( Garin Cycholl ) This technical seminar focuses on poems’ development of image through the work of urban writers. We will explore the lineage of urban lyric within the nineteenth century, then reflect on its development in the contemporary city. What impulse defines an “urban poetics?” What is urban lyric’s relationship with painting and photography? Do all city poems reflect one “city” in the end or is a more local impulse at work in cities as foci for writing? This course seeks to establish a solid, working basis in examining “image” and its lyric development through critical reflection and field work. To this end, we will work with a range of urban writers, including Paul Blackburn, Andrew Colarusso, Wanda Coleman, Kevin Killian, Frank O’Hara, Salima Rivera, Ed Roberson, and David Ulin.

CRWR 44021 - Advanced Nonfiction Workshop: The Trouble With Trauma ( Dina Peone ) In “The Body Keeps the Score” Bessel van der Kolk writes, “The greatest sources of our suffering are the lies we tell ourselves.” Many trauma survivors begin writing reluctantly, even repulsed by the impulse to query their woundedness. The process is inhibited by stigma surrounding the notion of victimhood, entities that would prefer a survivor's silence, plus our tendency to dismiss and devalue ones suffering in relation to others. Students in this class will shed some of these constricting patterns of thinking about trauma so they may freely explore their stories with confidence, compassion, curiosity, and intention. We'll read authors who have found surprise, nuance, and yes, healing through art, honoring the heart-work that happens behind the scenes. Half of class-time will include student-led workshops of original works in progress. Paramount to our success will be an atmosphere of safety, supportiveness, respect, and confidentiality. By the quarter's end each student will leave with a piece of writing that feels both true to their experience and imbued with possibility.

CRWR 49300 - Thesis/Major Projects in Poetry ( Margaret Ross ) This thesis workshop is for students writing a creative BA or MA thesis in poetry, as well as creative writing minors completing the portfolio. Because it is a thesis workshop, the course will focus on various ways of organizing larger poetic “projects.” We will consider the poetic sequence, the chapbook, and the poetry collection as ways of extending the practice of poetry beyond the individual lyric text. We will also problematize the notion of broad poetic “projects,” considering the consequences of imposing a predetermined conceptual framework on the elusive, spontaneous, and subversive act of lyric writing. Because this class is designed as a poetry workshop, your fellow students’ work will be the primary text over the course of the quarter.

A more comprehensive list of courses and descriptions is available at the Creative Writing course page . 

• Creative Writing Courses

Creative Writing Option

Students who plan to do a creative writing thesis project in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction can choose to pursue the MAPH Creative Writing Option. Students who complete the following requirements will receive a Creative Writing notation on their MAPH transcript:

• The MAPH Core course (Foundations of Interpretive Theory)
• One creative writing course in the student's chosen genre in Fall Quarter
• Creative Writing Thesis/Major Projects workshop in Winter Quarter
• Three academic courses relevant to the student’s proposed thesis area
• Two elective courses to be taken in any area of student interest

Two-Year Language Option for Creative Writing

MAPH's Two-Year Language Option is a great way for students to pursue advanced work in literary translation in their second year. Some possibilities might include advanced workshops on literary translation in various genres, upper-level undergraduate seminars and graduate courses in non-Anglophone literatures across a range of geographical regions and historical periods, and courses on translation theory.

Two-Year Language Option

Lawrence Grauman Jr. Fellowship Fund

The Grauman Fellowship , made possible by a generous legacy gift from Lawrence Grauman Jr. (AM '63), supports MAPH students studying English and/or Creative Writing, with a strong preference whenever possible for students who focus their studies on nonfiction writing or literary journalism. 

MAPH applicants who plan to work on creative nonfiction or literary journalism can indicate an interest in the Grauman Fellowship on their application.

Grauman Fellowship

Recent Creative Writing Thesis Projects

"Wonders of Unsung Black Life: A Poetic Interpretation on Living in Blackness" Tia White, MAPH '21 Advisor: Margaret Ross

" Once and Future Gardens " Sarah Hobin, MAPH '21 Advisor: Lina Ferreira Cabeza-Vanegas

" Love Me, Love Me Not, Love Me Again: Stories for Bibliotherapy " Casey Glynn, MAPH '20 Advisor: Rachel DeWoskin

" From the Well That Washes Itself: A Novel (Excerpt)" Hajrije Kolimja, MAPH '20 Advisor:  Rachel DeWoskin

" The Confrontation Exercises: Essays " Jiaying Liang, MAPH '19 Advisor: Daniel Raeburn

• Staff & students

MA Creative & Life Writing

Course information.

English and Creative Writing

1 year full-time or 2 years part-time

Scholarship information

Funding available

Course overview

Have you got a story to tell? Or poems that you want to shape into a collection? This Masters degree will help you develop your creative writing practice. You’ll experiment with a wide variety of forms to help you discover your preferred mode of writing.

Why study MA Creative & Life Writing at Goldsmiths

• You may be writing regularly; you may be returning to it after concentrating on your career. Whatever your background, if you're serious about your writing, this postgraduate course can help you to develop your practice.
• Our students bring with them a lively range of interests, cultures and experiences. We welcome students of any age who share the drive to take their writing seriously.
• You’ll have the chance to experiment with different forms – poetry, the novel, short story and life writing - as well as to specialise in one of those areas -  and you will receive expert guidance in each field.  Read work by our students .
• Some seminars will be taken by visiting writers who will talk about their work, introduce you to different theories of creative writing and engage you in discussion about their writing. Recent visitors have included  Ali Smith , Caryl Phillips, Claire Keegan, and Daljit Nagra.
• We host weekly readings and discussions organised by our Writers Centre, together with occasional visits from editors, literary agents and organisers of literary projects.
• The Pat Kavanagh Prize is presented annually to an outstanding graduate from the programme. The £500 prize, created in memory of the much-admired literary agent, is awarded by a team of her colleagues at United Agents. This has been the catalyst for publication by several previous winners.

Student success

Since an MA creative writing course was established at Goldsmiths, later followed by a PhD programme and the introduction of creative writing at undergraduate level, over 100 of our students have gone on to bring out books with mainstream publishers.

Notable successes include:

• Bernardine Evaristo was joint winner of the 2019 Booker Prize.
• Two of our MA graduates, Ross Raisin and Evie Wyld, were named on Granta’s list of ‘best of young British novelists’.
• Sophie Collins, Jack Underwood, Emily Berry, Richard Scott, Malika Booker, Anthony Joseph, Abigail Parry, Nick Makoha,Charlotte Shevchenko Knight, Rachel Long and Rachael Allen are among the prize-winning poets who have come through Goldsmiths.
• In 2018, the Royal Society of Literature elected 40 new fellows under the age of 40 – in effect selecting the leading young British writers today. Six of them – Ross Raisin, Evie Wyld, Lucy Caldwell, Sophie Collins, Amy Sackville, and Emily Berry – are Goldsmiths alumni. No other university creative writing programme comes close to matching that.
• Since 2016, ten of our creative writing graduates have been winners of the Eric Gregory award for poets under thirty: Sam Buchan-Watts, Alex MacDonald, Rachael Allen. Ali Lewis. Sophie Collins, Phoebe Stuckes, Susannah Dickey. Amina Jama, Kandace Siobhan-Walker, and Daniella Fearon.
• Other awards won by alumni include the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, the Betty Trask Prize, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award, the Rathbones Folio Prize, the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Authors’ Club First Novel Award, the Somerset Maugham Award, the Seamus Heaney Centre Prize, the T S Eliot Prize and the George Devine Award, as well as wins and shortlisting for the Costa Prize (in the poetry, novel and short story categories), the Encore prize, the Orange Prize for Fiction, the Orange Award for New Writers, the Dublin International IMPAC Prize, The Miles Franklin Award, the Ruth Rendell Award, The Young People’s Laureate for London, the Michael Marks Award, the Commonwealth Writers Prize, the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, the Dylan Thomas Prize, the TS Eliot Prize, the Bridport short story award, the Guardian short story award for BAME writers, and the Forward Prize for Poetry.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Stephen Knight .

What you'll study

Compulsory modules.

You will take three compulsory modules over the course of the programme. You will also participate in twelve one-on-one tutorials throughout the year.

You also choose one option module. Full-time students take the module in the second term, while part-time students take it in the second term of their second year.

You can choose from a specialist workshop in fiction, poetry, or life writing, or an option module from the list of MA options offered by the Department of English and Creative Writing including topics such as European Avant-Garde, Postmodernist Fiction, or Re-writing Sexualities.

Assessment is by the submission of four pieces of writing of 5,000 words each – either an essay, or, for workshops, a piece or pieces of creative or life-writing – plus a critical account of how you have structured and developed your work. You will also be assessed on a portfolio (maximum of 20,000 words) containing a piece or pieces of creative or life-writing together with a critical account of how you have structured and developed your work. In all cases, the number of words applies to prose. 

Programme structure

The programme is taught in person, via workshops and seminars which are usually taught on one day each week. However, we cannot confirm this will be the case for the next academic year, as timetables are not published till just before the start of term.

This programme can also be studied either full-time or part-time.

Full-time students will take 2 modules each autumn and spring term (4 in total), and each module is taught via 2.5hr sessions.

Part-time students take the same modules, but one per term, over the course of 2 years. There are also tutorials, the timing of which is flexible, as they are scheduled with the tutor directly.

Download the programme specification .

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Entry requirements

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least second class standard in a relevant/related subject. 

You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

We consider applications from candidates without literary backgrounds. In this case, we would focus on the applicant's relevant experience, the quality of their portfolio and evidence of wider reading. Applicants from a non-literary background often bolster their CV with short creative writing courses, to demonstrate written skills and the ability to work in a team.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification ) of 7.0 with a 7.0 in writing and no element lower than 6.5 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study .

Fees, funding & scholarships

Annual tuition fees.

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

• Home - full-time: £9630
• Home - part-time: £4815
• International - full-time: £17690

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office , who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment .

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page .

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities . If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

Scholarships

This programme is eligible for one of the department's fee waivers. Find out more about how to apply.

How to apply

There is no fixed deadline for submitting your online application. 

However, please note that due to the popularity of the programme and the large number of applications, places fill up quickly. We aim to process applications within three months of receipt of receiving your full application, including references. This may take longer during busier periods and holidays.

Please apply early to avoid disappointment.

For more information about the programme please contact the Department of English.

Making an application

You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system. 

Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:

• Details of  your academic qualifications
• The  email address of your referee  who we can request a reference from, or alternatively a copy of your academic reference
• Copies of  your educational transcripts   or certificates
• A  personal statement  – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online.  Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement
• You must also submit a portfolio of your creative or life writing with your application. Your portfolio should include two or three short stories, 12-20 poems or several extracts from a novel

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

You must submit a portfolio as part of your application. This can include two or three short stories, 12-20 poems, or several extracts from a novel. You can include a combination of genres in your portfolio to reflect your writing practice, with a mixture of short stories, poems, extracts from a novel or larger piece, and life writing.

There's no set word limit, but we'd recommend no more than 3,000 words of prose or 12-20 poems.

Please make sure portfolios are in 12pt font with double-line spacing.

When to apply

We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September. 

We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place that is conditional on you achieving a particular qualification. 

Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available.

If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an earlier application deadline. 

Selection process

As part of the selection process, you may be invited to an online or in-person interview. Occasionally, we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.

Find out more about applying .

Staff who contribute to the programme include:

Stephen Knight  – poet, novelist

Stephen's recent poetry collection is 'Drizzle Mizzle Downpour Deluge' (2020). Other publications include 'Flowering Limbs’, ‘The Prince of Wails’, ‘The Sandfields Baudelaire’, ‘Dream City Cinema’, and, for children, ‘Sardines and Other Poems’.

He has published a novel, ‘Mr Schnitzel’, which was the Arts Council of Wales Book of the Year in 2001, and co-edited with Mimi Khalvati the anthology, ‘I Am Twenty People’. He has worked as a theatre director and his fiction and poetry reviews have appeared in The Times Literary Supplement, the Independent on Sunday and The Literary Review. He won the National Poetry Competition in 1992, the TLS/Blackwells Poetry Competition in 2003 and has twice been shortlisted for the T S Eliot Prize.

Amy Sackville

Amy writes novels and occasionally short stories and personal essays. Her most recent book was ‘Painter to the King’ (2018). Her first, ‘The Still Point’ (2010), started life when she was a student on the Goldsmiths MA and won a John Llewellyn Rhys Prize; her second, ‘Orkney’ (2013), won a Somerset Maugham Award. She is currently researching a new historical novel.

Francis Spufford  – novelist

Francis is a writer of creative non-fiction, essays and more recently, fiction. His most recent novel, 'Light Perpetual' (2021) won the Encore prize. His novel ‘Golden Hill’ (2016) won the Ondaatje Prize. His anthology of literature about the poles is, ‘The Ends of the Earth’ (with Elizabeth Kolbert), and he is the author of ‘The Child That Books Built’, ‘The Backroom Boys’, ‘Unapologetic’ and ‘Red Plenty’. 

Ardashir Vakil  – novelist

Ardu’s first novel, ‘Beach Boy’, won a Betty Trask Award, was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award and has been translated into 10 languages. His second novel, ‘One Day’, was shortlisted for the Encore Award. Ardu is currently working on a new novel and a collection of shorter fiction.

Tom Lee is the author of a novel, The Alarming Palsy of James Orr (2017), a collection of short stories, Greenfly (2008), and a memoir, The Bullet (2024).

Richard Scott - poet

Richard's first book Soho (Faber & Faber, 2018) was a Gay’s the Word book of the year and shortlisted for five other awards including the T. S. Eliot prize. His chapbook Wound' won the Michael Marks Award. Recent works include ‘Still Life with Rose’ and ‘love version of’ in 100 Queer Poems (Vintage). Richard’s poetry has been translated into German and French.

Other tutors include:

• Karen McCarthy Woolf
• Declan Ryan
• Claire Adam
• Jack Underwood

Find out more about staff in the Department of English and Comparative Literature .

Graduates of this programme include writers Tom Lee,  Lucy Caldwell , Ross Raisin , Amy Sackville , Rohan Kriwaczek,  Evie Wyld ,  Sara Grant ,  Naomi Foyle , Bronia Kita , Claire Adam , Lijia Zhang, Luiza Sauma ,  Ashley Dartnell  and  Suzanne Joinson  and the poets Emily Berry, Andy Spragg, Kate Potts, Jack Underwood, Abigail Parry, Anthony Joseph, Katrina Naomi and Matthew Gregory.

Among them they've won or been shortlisted for awards including:

• Desmond Elliott Prize 2019
• The Sunday Times/EFG Private Bank Short Story Award 2012
• Rooney Prize for Literature 2011
• Dylan Thomas Prize 2008 and 2011
• The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award 2009
• John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2009 and 2010
• Several Eric Gregory Awards
• Guardian First Book Award
• New Writing Ventures Prize
• Several Betty Trask Awards

Other graduates have gone on to work in publishing (for example, as senior commissioning editors), journalism, public relations, teaching, advertising, the civil service, business, industry, and the media.

The MA will enable you to develop transferable skills, including: enhanced communication and discussion skills in written and oral contexts; the ability to analyse and evaluate different textual materials; the ability to organise information, and to assimilate and evaluate competing arguments.

Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths . 

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Creative & Critical Writing MA: Reading and Resource Lists

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Master's in Creative Writing Online MA Degree Program

Earn a Master's in Creative Writing

• $637/credit (36 credits)
• Inclusive creative writing community
• 24/7 online access – attend class at your convenience
• 100% online – no residency required
• 4 genre options for concentrations
• Complete in as few as 15 months, or at your own pace

Master's in Creative Writing Online Program Overview

Ignite your imagination and jump-start your professional writing career with a Master of Arts (MA) in English and Creative Writing online at Southern New Hampshire University. Learn to use the written word to effectively tell your story and share your ideas with the world. By studying literature and the way accomplished authors have perfected their art, you'll be prepared to enter a number of industries as a creative writer. 

This English and creative writing graduate program fosters your imagination and creativity with a perfect balance of critical analysis and craft, along with an emphasis on literary theory and the history of the English language. You also have the freedom to choose from 4 genre concentrations or to combine your choice of genre courses if, for example, you're interested in both fiction and screenwriting.

This specialized creative writing master's degree can help you develop an ability to communicate in any career path you choose to follow, including:

• Marketing and communications

If you've always dreamed of starting your own novel, writing a collection of poetry or developing your screenplay, you'll gain the foundation you need through this program.

At the end of the program, you'll either complete a creative thesis or submit a portfolio of creative writing, along with a retrospective essay.

.st0{fill:#21386D;} What You'll Learn

• Integrate form, language and literary works into writing style and voice
• Expand upon your own creative process
• Create original literary works of publishable quality
• Reflect on goals, process and ethos as a creative writer
• Use technology as a tool to stylize and promote creative work

.cls-1 { fill: #21386d; } How You'll Learn

At SNHU, you'll get support from day 1 to graduation and beyond. And with no set class times, 24/7 access to the online classroom and helpful learning resources along the way, you'll have everything you need to reach your goals.

Concentration Options

You'll also have the option to master a specialized skill set with one of our 4 genre-focused concentrations .

Fiction Literature has long been a source of inspiration, both for readers and writers. In Southern New Hampshire University's online MA in English and Creative Writing with a concentration in Fiction degree, you can find your creative voice and tell your story. Your knowledge can grow beyond a basic understanding of plot building, narrative, voice and character as you push your creative boundaries. Hone your craft for the kind of fiction you've always dreamed of bringing to life through novels, short stories, children's literature and more. In this degree program, you'll have the opportunity to explore whichever genres in fiction pique your interest, from horror and sci-fi to fantasy, young adult, romance and more.  The art of storytelling has deep historical and societal roots, and it is critical to cross-cultural communication. In your MA in Creative Writing online degree program, you’ll study the work of published writers to help you develop your own creative writing skills. You’ll focus on why authors make specific creative decisions to develop a deeper understanding of fiction in all of its forms, all while writing your own works of fiction. If you decide to pursue this concentration, you'll take a capstone course designed around completing your thesis in your fiction genre of choice. At the culmination of your coursework, you’ll create your own manuscript and apply what you've learned about your own creative voice to your work. If you feel it's time to put pen to paper to tell a tale, this program is for you. "I chose the fiction concentration [because] I believe it will give me a wider range in skills and training that will make me more attractive as a writer," said student Joshua Yarbrough . "Great and imaginative storytelling is always needed, and by having this concentration, it will open doors and avenues in a wide range of projects." Career outlook: Whether you're looking to pen the next great fiction novel, or you'd like to specialize in short stories that capture the imagination for a period of time, this concentration can give you the tools you need to become successful in your field. The MA in English and Creative Writing with a concentration in Fiction can also lead to numerous career opportunities, as this program does more than just expose you to literature and help you develop new writing skills. You can apply the creative skills you gain to any profession, from scriptwriting to marketing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual wage for writers and authors was $73,150 in 2022. 1 Courses include: Fiction Fundamentals Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Other Popular Fiction Fiction Thesis Writing Fiction Thesis Completion Request Info Apply Now Nonfiction In the MA in English & Creative Writing with a concentration in Nonfiction degree, you'll learn how and why writers craft nonfiction narratives. These tools can help you develop factual material based on research and experiences of your own - or someone else's. The creative writing master's degree can help you gain insights into publishing, broadcasting and professional production while you explore your creative boundaries. At the culmination of the program, you'll develop your own professional-quality piece of nonfiction, one that takes you deep into subjects that matter to you and helps you develop the skills you need for great storytelling. MA English & Creative Writing nonfiction graduate Alec Biron '17 '21G particularly enjoyed the combined emphasis on creative writing and literature. "While the curriculum allowed me to select a unique genre of creative writing to develop my nonfiction thesis," he said, "it also allowed me to explore traditional forms of literature that I love, such as medieval British and feminist genres." Career outlook: Nonfiction is the art of telling real stories - ones that people can learn from, relate to and understand. It covers a wide range of styles and subjects, encompassing everything from personal essays, autobiographical writing and memoirs, to marketing, travel writing and magazine features. Given the many career paths you could take by adding a concentration in nonfiction writing to your degree, it's worth noting some potential career paths you could explore. During a time when remote work is on the rise, you could consider a career writing freelance nonfiction stories for traditional print magazines and digital publications. Or, if telling stories for brands excites you, you could work in advertising as a copywriter and see your words on websites, billboards, emails, commercials and other types of advertisements. "Employers have been impressed by not only my achievement of a master’s degree, but also by the publications I've subsequently written for following my education," said Biron. If you like finding ways to make factual yet complex topics more digestible, you may enjoy the role of technical writer. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, technical writers earned a median annual salary of $79,960 in 2022. 1 Courses include: Non-Fiction Fundamentals Non-Fiction Thesis Writing Non-Fiction Thesis Completion Request Info Apply Now Poetry Develop the skills you need to convey your poetic vision with a MA in English and Creative Writing with a concentration in Poetry . The poetry concentration within our online creative writing graduate program can take you to a new level of analysis, appreciation and understanding of this art form. Foster your love of verse with the inspiration, passion and creative peer collaboration that only SNHU's concentration in poetry can bring. This curriculum focuses your study of literature on a genre where every word and line counts. Here, you'll be able to use your imagination to create imagery that moves and inspires readers and writers alike. This creative writing graduate program challenges you to gain an appreciation for how the unique craft and vision of poetry is critical to learning to think, understand and communicate with the world at large. Throughout this online program, you’ll broaden your understanding of the art of poetry. You'll also dive deeper into structure, tone and rhythm while analyzing the work of renowned poets. Upon completion of the program, you’ll develop your own manuscript of poetry, one that allows you to expand on subjects you're passionate about. "I chose a poetry concentration because I am a poet at heart, and my career revolves heavily around creative writing, specifically poetry and accessible arts programming," said NaBeela Washington '21G . "I wanted to make sure that my studies preserved time to truly focus on poetry and developing my manuscript and network and connection to other authors." Career outlook: Whether it's getting your own poetry published or becoming the next great poet laureate that interests you, a career in poetry is sure to be one filled with passion for your work. You could work for nonprofits to promote local poetry in your area, or become the poetry curator for an array of journals, magazines and even bookstores. And the ability to write clever, concise and compelling copy is also a great fit for advertising and marketing positions. "Before SNHU, I hadn’t been published since middle school," said Washington. "And before completing the program, I would be invited to read my work at a Poetry Series in Takoma Park, MD; I would start a literary journal, Lucky Jefferson, and I would go on to be published several more times in publications like The Cincinnati Review and The Washington Writers’ Publishing House, even winning an award for my journal and building a network of more than 6,000 writers and artists." Her list of accomplishments doesn't stop there. "I’ve been invited to speak on panels about my work in the literary world as well as to help found a roundtable for Editors of Color," she said. "It's really nice realizing that I could accomplish my goals and that I believed in myself." Courses include: Poetry Fundamentals Poetry Thesis Writing Poetry Thesis Completion Request Info Apply Now Screenwriting We live in an increasingly visual society. The online Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing with a concentration in Screenwriting program at Southern New Hampshire University is an advanced exploration of the world of film and video, from shorts and episodic serials to feature-length blockbusters and documentaries. This concentration is based on a comprehensive study of film, with a special focus on story structure, character development and creative writing. At the culmination of the degree program, you'll have developed your own screenplay that you can then share with others and put out into the world if you so choose. While an understanding and analysis of literature – whatever the genre – is at the core of this MA degree, the screenwriting concentration places a special emphasis on visual storytelling. Designed by experienced and distinguished faculty, this master’s in screenwriting program can give you a powerful understanding of how story, character, theme, action, visuals and dialogue intertwine to create an immersive experience. In this concentration, you'll also have the opportunity to work closely with peers and faculty to workshop your pieces, which can help push your creative work to new heights. Take it from José Roldan Jr. '17G who, with the support of his friends, family and his SNHU advisor, was able to enroll in the online MA in English and Creative Writing with a concentration in Screenwriting program while balancing his full-time job and full-time performance schedule, along with additional acting gigs and auditions.  "That support just allowed me the strength to say, 'You know what? I can get this done. There are so many people who believe in me to do it, that I can get it done,'" Roldan said. "It wasn't easy, but it's possible. It's possible." Career outlook: Whether you dream of writing for the big screen one day or writing scripts at a regional level, in the screenwriting concentration you can hone your craft for television, commercials, news, feature films, short films and even video games. There are multiple ways you could use this degree in the media world, from adapting an existing work into a movie or writing your own script, to working closely with producers on funding and producing projects. While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual wage for writers and authors was $73,150 in 2022, it also reports that producers and directors earned a median annual wage of $85,320 the same year. 1 Courses include: Screenwriting Fundamentals Fiction and Film Screenwriting Thesis Writing Screenwriting Thesis Completion Request Info Apply Now if (typeof accordionGroup === "undefined") { window.accordionGroup = new accordion(); } accordionGroup.init(document.getElementById('322677cfabe042d9a55551dc7b079012')); Career Outlook

Whether it's telling your story or telling someone else's, your online master's in creative writing can equip you with detailed knowledge about the worlds of publishing, communications, copywriting and the role of the professional writer. As world markets continue to shift toward a demand for online education and digital media technology, the technical skills learned in this program should continue to be in demand for a long time. The enhanced writing and communication skills you'll develop can be applied to many professions, from publishing, print and film to journalism and marketing.

Read more about Jacob Powers in this Q&A.

"The major takeaway I have gotten from my classes is that there is a viable career in literature, creative writing, and English," said student Joshua Yarbrough . "I feel confident in having the necessary skills to either work for myself or an employer and the training I have received at SNHU has made it possible."

.cls-1 { fill: #21386d; } Job Growth

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of writers and authors is projected to grow 4% – about as fast as average for all occupations –  through 2032. 1

.cls-1 { fill: #21386d; } Salary

The BLS reports the median wage for writers and authors was $73,150 in 2022. 1

Understanding the Numbers When reviewing job growth and salary information, it’s important to remember that actual numbers can vary due to many different factors — like years of experience in the role, industry of employment, geographic location, worker skill and economic conditions. Cited projections do not guarantee actual salary or job growth.

The master's in creative writing is also ideal if you're interested in pursuing your PhD or teaching at the collegiate level. Additionally, the MA in Creative Writing is also a great option for high school instructors or other educators who wish to level up their salaries, as well as those whose districts require a Master of Arts for sustained career growth.

"I believe there’s a nice balance here for the program — for students who wish to pursue publication, we offer the tools, resources and faculty to help guide them. For students who wish to advance in their current career, or learn creative writing skills but also strengthen other skills (like editing, proofreading, etc.), the program offers that, as well," Powers said.

SNHU does not guarantee that the completion of this program will result in endorsements or rank and salary increases for teachers and strongly encourages interested individuals to contact their state education licensure board prior to enrolling. SNHU provides additional information for education-related outcomes on our Licensure and Certification Disclosures page.

Where Could You Work?

Graduates of the online master's in English and creative writing program will find that, according to the BLS¹, there is opportunity for employment in a variety of fields, including:

Self-Employment

Tech companies, public relations, start your journey toward an online english and creative writing degree, why snhu for your master's in creative writing flexible with no set class meeting times, you can learn on your schedule and access online course materials 24/7. affordable as part of our mission to make higher education more accessible, we’re committed to keeping our tuition rates low. in fact, we offer some of the lowest online tuition rates in the nation. prior coursework and work experience could also help you save time and money. snhu’s transfer policy  allows you to transfer up to 12 credits from your previous institution. you could also earn college credit for previous work experience . respected founded in 1932 , southern new hampshire university is a private, nonprofit institution with over 160,000 graduates across the country. snhu is accredited by the new england commission of higher education (neche), a regional accreditor, which advocates for institutional improvement and public assurance of quality.  recently, snhu has been nationally recognized for leading the way toward more innovative, affordable and achievable education: “most innovative” regional university honors from u.s. news & world report each year since 2015 a $1 million grant from google.org to explore soft skills assessments for high-need youth recognition as a 2017 digital learning innovator by the online learning consortium network at southern new hampshire university, you'll have access to a powerful network of more than 300,000 students, alumni and staff that can help support you long after graduation. our instructors offer relevant, real-world expertise to help you understand and navigate the field. plus, with our growing, nationwide alumni network, you'll have the potential to tap into a number of internship and career opportunities. 93.6% of online students would recommend snhu (according to a 2022 survey with 17,000+ respondents). discover why snhu may be right for you . admission requirements expanding access to quality higher education means removing the barriers that may stand between you and your degree. that’s why you can apply at any time and get a decision within days of submitting all required materials: completed free application undergraduate transcripts, which we can retrieve for you by submitting a transcript request form acceptance decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the year for our 5 graduate terms . master's degree candidates must also submit a personal statement. students with an undergraduate gpa below 2.75 are eligible for provisional acceptance. how to apply if you’re ready to apply, follow these simple steps to get the process going: complete free graduate application submit undergraduate transcripts work with an admission counselor  to explore financial options  and walk through application process if (typeof accordiongroup === "undefined") { window.accordiongroup = new accordion(); } accordiongroup.init(document.getelementbyid('e835202be13f4497bc29372de09b8f42')); get the skills you need.

Alec Biron '17 '21G

"The skills that I learned in nonfiction writing have helped me to build a career in freelance journalism and content writing."

Courses & Curriculum

The master's in creative writing online exposes you to powerful examples of writing and provides you with an outlet to refine your skills as a writer. SNHU is home to the New Hampshire Writer’s Project and is also a destination for nationally recognized writers who perform readings and participate in workshops and lectures. This can give you additional context and insight into the industry you'll eventually be joining. All of our courses were also created by subject matter experts in their field, many of whom are critically acclaimed writers themselves.

Not only are the courses created by experts, they're taught by them, too. Just ask student Joshua Yarbrough .

"I have worked with professors who are well versed and accomplished in their field," he said. "They have provided valuable feedback to me in terms of preparing for my next steps as a writer and educator."

If you're looking for a degree program with collaboration built in, look no further. The online MA in English and Creative Writing has an added emphasis on peer workshops for additional feedback. Each concentration requires students to take three workshops, so you'll have the chance to fine-tune your editing and proofreading skills both for your peers and for yourself.

You'll also be required to take one of two teaching courses, Seminar in Writing Instruction or Online Teaching Experience . This can give you a background for teaching creative writing or English composition, depending on which interests you more. As a whole, this degree program is highly customizable, allowing you to focus on what types of creative writing interest you most.

In addition to working on your writing craft, you'll take several literary courses that focus on analysis and reflection, while learning about the history of the publishing industry. This can give you the chance to sharpen your editing and professional communication skills, while also giving you the edge you need to advance your writing career.

Graduate Alec Biron '17 '21G agrees. "One course that stood out to me, in particular, was “The Editor”. This course was both writing and editing intensive, allowing us to review the work of our peers while optimizing our own narratives," he said. "The Editor went beyond simple proofreading, and taught me how to edit for structure, character development, syntax, language and tone."

You'll also have the choice of four literary genres:

• Screenwriting

Or, you can customize your program and study multiple genres.

What's more, there's plenty of opportunity to build your network and hone your craft outside of normal class time. Once enrolled, you'll have access to SNHUconnect, a community built exclusively for our online learners. With plenty of clubs and events at your disposal, you might find that the Creative Writing Review Club is right up your alley. Wrote a few poems and want a critique? Need an audience to run your plot ideas by? Here, you can share your nonfiction, fiction, poetry and screenplay works – and even seek peer revising if you desire.

Joan Garner

Joan Garner came from a family of activists. Now she’s earning her master’s in creative writing to write her family’s story.

“The classes that I am taking are helping me in writing the book by stretching my limitations as a writer,” she said.

Read Joan’s story.

Minimum Hardware Requirements Component Type   PC (Windows OS)   Apple (Mac OS)   Operating System  Currently supported operating system from Microsoft.   Currently supported operating system from Apple.  Memory (RAM)  8GB or higher  8GB or higher  Hard Drive  100GB or higher  100GB or higher  Antivirus Software  Required for campus students. Strongly recommended for online students.  Required for campus students. Strongly recommended for online students.  SNHU Purchase Programs  Visit Dell   Visit Apple   Internet/ Bandwidth  5 Mbps Download, 1 Mbps Upload and less than 100 ms Latency  5 Mbps Download, 1 Mbps Upload and less than 100 ms Latency  Notes:   Laptop or desktop?   Whichever you choose depends on your personal preference and work style, though laptops tend to offer more flexibility.  Note:   Chromebooks (Chrome OS) and iPads (iOS) do not meet the minimum requirements for coursework at SNHU. These offer limited functionality and do not work with some course technologies. They are not acceptable as the only device you use for coursework. While these devices are convenient and may be used for some course functions, they cannot be your primary device. SNHU does, however, have an affordable laptop option that it recommends: Dell Latitude 3301 with Windows 10.  Office 365 Pro Plus  is available free of charge to all SNHU students and faculty. The Office suite will remain free while you are a student at SNHU. Upon graduation you may convert to a paid subscription if you wish. Terms subject to change at Microsoft's discretion. Review system requirements for  Microsoft 365 plans  for business, education and government.  Antivirus software:  Check with your ISP as they may offer antivirus software free of charge to subscribers.  if (typeof accordionGroup === "undefined") { window.accordionGroup = new accordion(); } accordionGroup.init(document.getElementById('f756dce5bd874c61855f6f6e92d88470')); University Accreditation

Tuition & Fees

Tuition rates for SNHU's online degree programs are among the lowest in the nation. We offer a 25% tuition discount for U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty.

Tuition rates are subject to change and are reviewed annually. *Note: students receiving this rate are not eligible for additional discounts.

Additional Costs: Course Materials ($ varies by course). Foundational courses may be required based on your undergraduate course history, which may result in additional cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

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1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, on the internet, at:

• https://www.bls.gov/OOH/media-and-communication/writers-and-authors.htm (viewed Oct. 25, 2023)
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/technical-writers.htm (viewed Oct. 25, 2023)
• https://www.bls.gov/OOH/entertainment-and-sports/producers-and-directors.htm (viewed Oct. 25, 2023)

Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.

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MA Creative Writing part 2

This module is the second part of the MA in Creative Writing. You'll build on skills that you have acquired in part 1, whilst at the same time being challenged to develop those skills further in your primary genre specialism. Throughout this module, you'll specialise in one of four writing genres: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction or script. The module is organised into four teaching blocks and a further section of independent study where you'll develop your ideas into a sustained piece of creative writing produced to a professional level.

Vocational relevance

Studying creative writing will equip you with an adaptable set of skills that can give you entry to a vast range of occupations and career directions. You’ll develop sophisticated writing, communication and editorial skills, and you’ll learn to evaluate and assimilate information when identifying and solving problems. Creative writing will help you to increase your critical and analytical abilities. Often, you’ll work independently as a creative thinker, but you’ll collaborate at times, too. You’ll also acquire fluent, flexible, and sophisticated research and IT skills. 

All the above are skills greatly valued in the workplace – whether you’re already working, volunteering, planning to work freelance or changing careers.

Qualifications

A803 is a compulsory module in our:

• MA in Creative Writing (F71)
• Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
• One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
• You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
• For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.

Find out more about entry requirements .

What you will study

This module further develops techniques and approaches introduced in MA Creative Writing part 1 (A802) and allows for more in-depth discussion of writing topics and work in progress. You'll be able to consolidate and build on the writing, editorial, analytical, critical and research skills you've previously acquired, and to develop more sustained pieces of work, and gain greater critical and editorial awareness in the analysis of your own work and the work of your peers. By the end of the module, you will have undertaken a sustained piece of individual work for your dissertation. You'll choose a genre specialism from fiction, poetry, scriptwriting, or creative nonfiction. Your exact study path will depend on your genre specialism. However, all genres will follow a path leading to a period of independent study and the production of a substantial piece of writing.

In Block 1 , you will:

• develop advanced reading-as-a-writer skills in your chosen genre, 
• further develop writing techniques and technical vocabulary specific to your genre;
• explore aspects of your writing such as research, world creation, endings, experimentation, hybrid forms, voice and tone;
• exchange work with fellow students via forums and online workshops;
• develop advanced critiquing skills, analysing increasingly sustained and evolved pieces of work.

In Block 2 , you will:

• explore advanced approaches appropriate to your genre in aspects of writing such as plot, structure, character, the line, the reader, tension, tense and time
• examine your approach to writing and writing with a sense of engagement
• explore and acknowledge the critical influence of writers or works in your genre
• exchange work with fellow students via forums and online workshops
• further develop advanced critiquing skills, analysing sustained and evolved pieces of work.

In Block 3 , you will:

• explore cross-fertilisation of ideas from one of the other three genres taught on the module
• develop advanced approaches to elements such as style, intertextuality, political writing, metaphor, writing about the self, critical concepts and performing your work

In Block 4 , you will:

• engage in aspects of writing such as genre experimentation, the future of your genre; breaching boundaries, playfulness, multidisciplinary and shifting forms
• consider approaches to manuscript and whole book editing
• contemplate the possible future directions of your genre

Interspersed throughout the first four blocks of the module, you'll encounter The Writer in The World . These sections explore how writers make a living from their craft and suggest ways for you to engage with the professional world of writing, such as how to go about contacting agents, producers and publishers. The Writer in the World sections also consider online writing as a mode of self-promotion and as a form of publication.

Block 5 : Independent study

During this part of the module, you'll work primarily on producing a substantial piece of creative writing (15,000 words of fiction or equivalent in other genres). Depending on your specialism, this will either be a substantial extract from a larger prose work or a collection of poems, stories or complete scripts. You'll be expected to produce this work to a professional standard.

You will learn

This module will help to:

• harness your individual creative strengths, nurturing your ability to generate and develop ideas; 
• build a disciplined practice of writing; 
• encourage you to read and analyse texts from different cultural settings;
• focus on writing in your chosen genre while appreciating how other genres work and interact;
• further develop your analytical and editorial skills, technical knowledge, vocabulary, and ability to critique both work-in-progress and contextual reading; 
• accelerate the development of your conceptual ability, communication skills, and capacity for independent thinking and working; 
• further your knowledge of professional writing practice, including an awareness of the publishing/performance sector, networks of practice and freelance possibilities;
• further develop your self-awareness, confidence and reflexivity.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor.

Tuition on this module is provided entirely online, with a strong emphasis on participation in online forums. You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work in assessments, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. Your work will focus initially on your tutor group forum, but you will also benefit from having access to module-wide forums, co-moderated by other tutors – who, like your tutor, will be writing practitioners. There will be four online tutorials on the module, one delivered by your tutor and three delivered to the whole cohort by the module team.

Contact us if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box.

In this module, you'll be assessed on:

• creative work
• reflective commentaries
• critical appraisal of a work(s) or author(s) of influence
• forum and workshop contribution
• a larger reflective commentary related to the final dissertation
• an EMA proposal and extract – first draft
• a 15,000-word dissertation in your specialist genre.

Course work includes

Future availability.

MA Creative Writing part 2  starts once a year – in October. This page describes the module that will start in October 2024. We expect it to start for the last time in October 2028.

Regulations

Entry requirements.

To register for this module, you are required to have successfully completed the MA in Creative Writing part 1 (A802) .

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser .

Additional costs

Study costs.

There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.

Ways to pay for this module

We know there’s a lot to think about when choosing to study, not least how much it’s going to cost and how you can pay.

That’s why we keep our fees as low as possible and offer a range of flexible payment and funding options, including a postgraduate loan, if you study this module as part of an eligible qualification. To find out more, see Fees and funding .

Study materials

What's included.

All teaching material for this module is delivered online via the module website, which includes:

• a week-by-week study planner
• genre-specific module materials
• audio and video content
• assessment guide
• workshops for the exchange of creative work
• creative and professional practice forums

You will need

You may find it useful to have access to a large public or university library, but this is not essential.

Computing requirements

You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11) or macOS Ventura or higher.

Any additional software will be provided or is generally freely available.

To join in spoken conversations in tutorials, we recommend a wired headset (headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone).

Our module websites comply with web standards, and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It’s not available on Kindle.

It’s also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you’ll also require a desktop or laptop, as described above.

If you have a disability

This module has no printed materials and is delivered entirely online. The materials are provided as a series of web pages via the module website. Some online material may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader, and some external reference materials, such as poetry or scripts, may be particularly difficult to read in this way.

You should also be aware that this module demands a high level of independent study, including reading widely in the genre you wish to study. Where certain activities are not accessible for your particular need, we will provide suitable alternatives. However, some activities, for example studying certain poetry or script layouts, may not be available in different formats. This module requires you to engage with other students and their work in online forums and other online tools.

Please be aware that there will be:

• a high level of forum interaction with other students, and this is assessed
• a large amount of reading required, including links to external websites and a requirement to read widely beyond the module materials where formatting is out of our control
• frequent and sustained computer use is required due to the online delivery method.

If you think you will have difficulty in completing these tasks or achieving the learning outcomes due to the effects of your disability (for example, anxiety over communicating with other students or unable to study on screen for any length of time), you are encouraged to contact us for advice before registering for this module.

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Creative Writing: Books

• Free Online Resources
• Introduction

The majority of books held by the Bodleian Libraries, in both physical and electronic formats, can be searched via SOLO . On this page you will find recommended books, guidance on how to search for and access print and ebooks, and libraries in the University that might be relevant for your studies and research.

Physical books

• Rewley House Continuing Education Library
• English Faculty Library
• Other Collections

Use the tabs above to explore the key texts and libraries for students of Creative Writing. Access to collections and borrowing privileges are subject to conditions; please check individual library websites for further information.

Help with books

For those wishing to learn more about searching for physical collections in Oxford, we recommend the following:

• SOLO: Search Oxford Libraries Online guide A guide for students and researchers at the University of Oxford, or those visiting, who seek support in using the Bodleian Libraries resource discovery tool, SOLO.
• Bodleian Libraries Special Collections Information about special collections at the Bodleian Libraries and how to access them.
• Bodleian Libraries theses and dissertations Links to information on accessing the Bodleian Libraries collections of Oxford, UK, US and other international theses.

Below you will find key texts for Creative Writing. The links will take you through to SOLO where you can find out how to access the books.

• Rewley House Continuing Education Library The Rewley House Continuing Education Library supports the teaching, learning and research of the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. The library holds books on reading lists for courses taught at the Department, including the Diploma and Masters courses in Creative Writing. Most of these books are available to borrow.

Browsing the library's print collections can help you find relevant resources as the books are shelved in subject order, so you'll find related books shelved together.

In the literature sections, each genre is subdivided by period and then author surname. Critical and biographical works about an author are shelved immediately following works by the author.

• English Faculty Library The primary purpose of the library's collections is to support the teaching and study English language and literature at Oxford, with coverage from medieval to post-colonial literatures in English. Less frequently used books are stored offsite and need to be requested to a reading room via SOLO. See the link below for information on locating books within the EFL.
• Finding English faculty Library items A guide to how books are organised within the English Faculty Library

A number of other libraries may be of relevance to those studying Creative Writing.

• Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library is the University's largest library, and holds the main research collection for English literature and language. Most material is stored off-site and can be called to a reading room via SOLO. There is an open-shelf collection for English held in the Upper Reading Room, consisting largely of standard editions of the works of renowned authors from the Anglo-Saxon period onwards, major bibliographical and reference works and series.
• Radcliffe Camera The Radcliffe Camera is part of the central Bodleian Library complex, and linked to the Old Bodleian Library underground, via the Gladstone Link. There is an open-shelf collection for English in the Upper Camera, in support of teaching.

Electronic books (ebooks)

• Ebook Collections
• Free Resources
• Study skills
• Reference Books

Ebooks are digital versions of written works. Broadly speaking they come in two forms: they are either 'born digital' or are digital reproductions of printed books. See the tabs above for details of different ebook resources relevant to those studying Creative Writing.

Many ebooks have enhanced functionality, such as connectivity with reference management software, the ability to annotate and accessibility features.

Members of Oxford University can use ebooks that the Bodleian Libraries have purchased for free. Search for them on SOLO . They can be read on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, e-reader or mobile phone; you just need your Oxford Single Sign On to access them. Individually purchased ebooks are all searchable on SOLO, but not all purchased ebook collections are, so it is important to visit the websites of ebook collections too. Look at the 'ebook collections' tab above.

Note, some ebooks have restrictive access and usage terms, for example they can only be read by one person at a time.

Some books are acquired via 'electronic Legal Deposit'. These must be read on a library desktop computer in one of the Bodleian Libraries. Further information on how to identify and access electronic Legal Deposit items on SOLO is at the link below.

• Electronic Legal Deposit guide

Help with ebooks

The links below are provided for those wishing to learn more about ebooks.

• Ebooks guide A guide intended for students and staff using, or likely to use, ebooks in the course of their studies and research.
• Online and Remote Access Information on accessing Bodleian Libraries content remotely.
• University of Oxford E-resources Blog The e-resources team use this blog to help keep you informed of news and changes in the world of ejournals and databases.

Below you will find key texts available as ebooks for Creative Writing. 

You will need your Oxford Single Sign On to access the ebooks if you are not on the University network.

The following is a list of ebook collections applicable to those studying Creative Writing at Oxford. Not all ebook collections are available on SOLO, so it is important to visit ebook collection websites to expand your search. You can browse and search across all ebooks on the provider's website and encounter titles of interest you may not have otherwise found.

The ebook collections have been selected by the Bodleian Libraries and you are able to access them for free because of institutional subscriptions to the content. You will need your Oxford Single Sign On to access the collections if you are not on the University network.

The Bodleian Libraries have access to over 2,000 e-books on the Bloomsbury Collections platform, including research publications in the following series and subject areas: Ancient Commentators on Aristotle; Ancient Philosophy; Applied Linguistics; Biblical Studies; C.H. Beck · Hart · Nomos; Christian Doctrines; Christology; Classical Literature; Classical Studies & Archaeology; Competition Law; Constitutional and Administrative Law; Continental Philosophy; Criminal Law and Justice; Economics; Education Around the World; Family and Social Law; Hart Publishing; History; History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade Landmark Texts; Intellectual Property Law; International Critical Commentary; International Relations; Legal Philosophy; Literary Criticism; Middle East; Pauline Studies; Philosophy; Religious Studies; Second Language Acquisition; Theology; Zed Books Sexuality and Gender Studies Archive; Zed Books Economics Archive; Zed Books Sexuality and Gender Studies 2017-2020.

Please note we do not have access to all books on this platform.

Cambridge Collections Online offers subject or theme based collections of content within a richly functional, fully cross-searchable online environment. The Complete Cambridge Companions is available as a complete collection and as two sub-collections comprising the Cambridge Companions in Literature and Classics and the Cambridge Companions in Philosophy, Religion and Culture. Each collection is updated with new Companions on publication.

• Contemporary World Drama Full text playscripts from playwrights around the world. more... less... This collection examines the richness and diversity of contemporary theatre and drama from a global context. It includes new work from established and up-and-coming contemporary playwrights from around the world. At completion, the collection will include 1,000 contemporary plays, from 2000 to present day. Purchase of this resource was funded by the Drue Heinz Fund.

Alternative names: Arden Shakespeare ; Nick Hern books  

Drama Online provides access to the searchable full-text of thousands of plays, drawn from the Methuen Drama, Arden Shakespeare, Faber, Nick Hern, Aurora Metro and Oberon Books lists to form a collection of the most studied, performed and critically acclaimed plays from Aeschylus to the present day. Over 100 critical and contextual works are also included, as well as biographical and bibliographical information for each playwright. The collection will be regularly updated with the latest works from new and established writers. This resource includes access to video recordings of Shakespeare performances from the Globe, the RSC and the Donmar, and performances from the National Theatre.

Please note: Oxford has access to most but not all content.

Purchase of the National Theatre Collection 1 was partly funded by the Drue Heinz Fund.

Ebsco's ebook collection is a collection of e-books purchased by Oxford librarians. Currently there are over 2,000 purchased books ('Our Collection') as well as over 3000 free e-books.

Access to each e-book is limited to one or, more commonly, two simultaneous users, depending on the individual book licence.

New books are being purchased on a regular basis.

Deatils on accessing the ebooks on this platform are at: http://ox.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=19854712 .

• Oxford Scholarship Online Academic works published by Oxford University Press. Organised by subject including a Literature section. more... less... Alternative name: OSO. Contains scholarly books, published by Oxford University Press, in the humanities, sciences, medicine and social sciences online. The full texts of over 1,000 key Oxford titles in Biology, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Public Health and Epidemiology, Business and Management, Law, Music, Physics, Religion, Classical Studies, Linguistics, Neuroscience, Political Science, Social Work, Economics and Finance, Literature, Palliative Care, Psychology and Sociology are now available - together with specially-commissioned book and chapter abstracts and keywords. At least 200 new books will be added each year as part of the annual subscription.
• ProQuest Ebook Central Ebooks from scholarly sources, including University Presses. Subject categories include Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Literature, and Publishing. more... less... Alternative names: Ebook Central ; Ebook Library (EBL) ; ebrary

Oxford Academic includes over 40,000 academic ebooks from Oxford University Press and other university presses, including:

• American University in Cairo Press
• British Academy
• University of California Press
• University of Chicago Press
• Columbia University Press
• Cornell University Press
• Edinburgh University Press
• University Press of Florida
• Fordham University Press
• University of Hawai‘i Press
• Hong Kong University Press
• University of Illinois Press
• University Press of Kentucky
• Liverpool University Press
• Manchester University Press
• University of Minnesota Press
• University Press of Mississippi
• University of North Carolina Press
• Policy Press
• Princeton University Press
• Stanford University Press
• Yale University Press

Includes medical ebooks previously available through the Oxford Medicine Online platform. To access medicine content, select "Subject" -> "Medicine and Health".

• Very Short Introductions Concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects. Expert authors combine facts, analysis, new insights, and enthusiasm to make often challenging topics highly readable more... less... Very Short Introductions offer concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects.
• What Everyone Needs to Know Concise introductions to current events and issues. more... less... Alternative name: WENTK What Everyone Needs to Know is a series of over 100 books from Oxford University Press that concisely introduce current events, issues, and countries, spanning across popular topics and disciplines including Politics, Economics, Sciences, and Religion. The books are written by experts in their fields in a straight-forward question-and-answer format.

A number of eresources, including ebook collections, are freely available online and listed below.

Some of these resources are listed on SOLO but not all, so it is important to visit the websites to expand your search. You do not need your Oxford Single Sign On to access them. These are different to the ebooks purchased by the Bodleian Libraries for which you need your Single Sign On for access.

• Google Books Full text of many out of copyright books, and selected previews of books which are still in copyright.
• Google Scholar Used to search for scholarly literature including articles, theses, abstracts and books from a variety of publishers.
• Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg provides access to over 60,000 out of copyright books. These will be mainly older publications.
• Digital Book Index Provides links to more than 165,000 full-text digital books from more than 1800 commercial and non-commercial publishers, universities, and various private sites. More than 140,000 of these books, texts, and documents are available free.
• Internet Archive A non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.
• Many Books A library of close to 50,000 free ebooks, with a selection of classic poltical and philosophical texts.
• Open Book Publishers Open Book Publishers is one of the biggest independent open access academic publishers of monographs in the UK.
• Open Textbook Library Supported by the Open Education Network, the Open Textbook Library offers over 800 etextbooks that are licensed by authors and publishers to be freely used and adapted. Download, edit and distribute them at no cost.
• Planet Ebook Classic literature, downloadable in various formats compatible with e-readers.

You will find study skills resources compiled by Bodleian Libraries staff available on Oxford Reading List Online (ORLO).

You will need your Oxford Single Sign On credentials to access the list.

• Study skills resources This list gives a sample of available books, documents and videos on study skills that you may find helpful.

A selection of dictionaries, thesauri and encyclopedias useful to those studying Creative Writing.

You will need your Oxford Single Sign On to access the collections if you are not on the University network.

Oxford Reference Online brings together over 450 reference works published by Oxford University Press into a single cross-searchable resource. It includes English and bilingual dictionaries, English grammar and usage guides, quotations and subject-specific reference works.

It is updated regularly with new titles, new editions, new entries, full-colour maps and illustrations, timelines, weblinks, and bibliographies.

Green’s Dictionary of Slang is the largest historical dictionary of English slang. Written by Jonathon Green over 17 years from 1993, it reached the printed page in 2010 in a three-volume set containing nearly 100,000 entries supported by over 400,000 citations from c. AD 1000 to the present day. The main focus of the dictionary is the coverage of over 500 years of slang from c. 1500 onwards. On this website the dictionary is now available in updated online form for the first time, complete with advanced search tools enabling search by definition and history, and an expanded bibliography of slang sources from the early modern period to the present day. Since the print edition, nearly 60,000 quotations have been added, supporting 5,000 new senses in 2,500 new entries and sub-entries, of which around half are new slang terms from the last five years.

Note that this is a free version with no access to protected content.

Recommend a book

If the Bodleian Libraries don't have the print or ebook you are looking for, you can make a recommendation by completing the form below ( Oxford Single-Sign On required).

• Recommend a purchase

Inter-library loans

If the Bodleian Libraries don't have the book you are looking for, we may be able to source it through Oxford's inter-library loan service.

• Inter-library Loans Service Online Form Use this form to request material not held by the Bodleian Libraries. Please check Oxford collections on SOLO and ensure that the item is not in stock, either in print or electronically.

Why are some books not available electronically?

There are a number of reasons why the Bodleian Libraries may be unable to provide electronic access to a resource. The ebooks guide explains some of these reasons:

• Why isn't there an ebook?
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MA Creative Writing / Overview

Year of entry: 2024

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We normally expect students to have a First or Upper Second class honours degree or its overseas equivalent in a humanities-based subject area.

Full entry requirements

Course options

Course overview.

• Engage with writers, editors and agents.
• Become part of a network of esteemed alumni .
• Learn from a distinguished team that includes novelists Jeanette Winterson CBE, Ian McGuire, Kamila Shamsie, Beth Underdown, Honor Gavin and Luke Brown; poets John McAuliffe, Frances Leviston, Vona Groarke and Michael Schmidt; and non-fiction writers Ellah Wakatama and Horatio Clare.
• Discover the rich literary fabric of Manchester, a UNESCO City of Literature, through Literature Live, Manchester Literature Festival, The Manchester Review, the International Anthony Burgess Foundation and Manchester-based publishers.

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For entry in the academic year beginning September 2024, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MA (full-time) UK students (per annum): £12,500 International, including EU, students (per annum): £26,000
• MA (part-time) UK students (per annum): £6,250 International, including EU, students (per annum): £13,000

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

Each year the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures offer a number of  School awards and  Subject-specific bursaries  (the values of which are usually set at Home/EU fees level), open to both Home/EU and international students. The deadline for these is early February each year. Details of all funding opportunities, including deadlines, eligibility and how to apply, can be found on the School's funding page  where you can also find details of the Government Postgraduate Loan Scheme.

See also the University's postgraduate funding database  to see if you are eligible for any other funding opportunities.

For University of Manchester graduates, the Manchester Alumni Bursary  offers a £3,000 reduction in tuition fees to University of Manchester alumni who achieved a 1st within the last three years and are progressing to a postgraduate taught masters course.

The Manchester Master's Bursary  is a University-wide scheme that offers 100 bursaries worth £3,000 in funding for students from underrepresented groups.

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See: About us

Courses in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

• English Literature, American Studies and Creative Writing

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You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Manchester, including our Degree Regulations and Complaints Procedure, on our regulations website .

Creative Writing Reading List

The writer’s reference library.

Here are some influential literary works, folktales, and myths that are great to have on hand for inspiration and reference. These are all in the public domain:

• The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
• The Poetical Works of John Milton
• Grimm’s Fairy Tales
• Andersen’s Fairy Tales
• The Arabian Nights
• The Odyssey (Pope)
• Le Morte d’Arthur I & II
• Myths & Legends of Ancient Greece & Rome
• Bulfinch’s Mythology – The Age of Fable & Legends of Charlemagne
• The Children of Odin
• The Decameron
• The Divine Comedy
• The Gulistan of Sadi
• The Swedish Fairy Book
• The Norwegian Fairy Book
• Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends
• Folk Tales from the Russian
• Viking Tales
• Mongolian Traditionary Tales
• Indian Fairy Tales
• Celtic Fairy Tales
• English Fairy Tales I  & II
• Korean Folk Tales

You may also want to browse the  Project Gutenberg Folklore Bookshelf  and the  Mythology Bookshelf  for more  inspiration from other cultures.

Further recommendations

General writing help.

• Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
• Wild Mind  by Natalie Goldberg
• Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman
• Daily Rituals by Mason Currey
• The Positive Trait Thesaurus by Ackerman & Puglisi
• Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
• The Art of Brevity by Grant Faulkner

Writing Poetry

• The Ode Less Travelled by Stephen Fry
• A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver
• Notes on Prosody by Vladimir Nabokov

Reading for Writers

• The Common Reader by Virginia Woolf
• Lectures on Literature by Vladimir Nabokov

Mythology & Legend

• The Golden Bough by Sir James George Fraser
• The Myth of the Birth of the Hero by Otto Rank
• The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
• Creative Mythology by Joseph Campbell
• Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola-Estés

Inspiration & Creativity

• The Road to Xanadu by John Livingstone Lowes
• The White Goddess by Robert Graves
• The Creative Mind by Margaret Boden

Text Mining

• Nabokov’s Favourite Word Is Mauve by Ben Blatt
• The Secret Life of Pronouns by James W. Pennebaker

Writers on Writers

• Three Masters: Balzac, Dickens, Dostoeffsky  by Stefan Zweig
• Representative Men: Seven Lectures  by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Writers’ Diaries & Letters

• A Writer’s Diary by Virginia Woolf
• Henry and June by Anaïs Nin
• Byron’s Letters & Journals

Theory & Criticism

• Beginning Theory by Peter Barry
• Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forster

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MSt in Creative Writing

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This course is not open for online applications. If you would like to enquire about this course please do so using the 'Ask a question' button.

The Master of Studies (MSt) in Creative Writing is designed for those who wish to develop high-level skills in creative writing both in fiction and non-fiction literatures. The MSt is taught over two years in short, intensive study blocks. It has been designed to be accessible to those in full- or part-time employment and to international students.

Progression for students who have completed this course is provided in a number of ways: some students may use this course as a progression route into a PhD in Creative Writing or in English Literature at other Universities, or they could go on to study the Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Creative Writing at ICE. 

To watch the MSt Creative Writing and MSt Writing for Performance Information Session recording from our MSt Open Week 2023, click here .

View our MSt open afternoon held on 13 December 2022

Watch MSt students talk about their experience of the course »

You will be guided in the production of creative work in a range of genres and styles, and also in critical reflection on your own work and that of other writers. The course tutors and guest speakers are all established literary professionals.

Who is the course designed for?

The MSt aims to facilitate students' creative practice, whether for their own personal creative development as writers or because their professional work impinges on these areas.

Aims of the programme

By the end of the course students should have:

• Developed their own writing and self-editing skills in a range of fiction and non-fiction genres
• Developed a solid and substantial understanding of the history (in terms of innovative developments) of fiction and non-fiction writing and of critical, analytical and narrative theory

Teaching and learning

The MSt in Creative Writing is structured around four modules taught during year 1 of the course and a presentation module during year 2, each of which students must attend. In the first year, each of the four modules is preceded by guided preparatory reading and other activities, and followed by two writing assignments: one critical and one creative.

A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) offers learning support to students while they are on the programme, including learning resources, and peer-to-peer and student-to-tutor discussion between modules to build a virtual community of practice.

The first year is characterised by variety. Students will engage and experiment with a wide variety of genres, building on existing strengths and exploring unfamiliar territories.

Module 1: Writing for readers: the art of poetry and the craft of criticism  ( 23 - 26 September 2024 )

This module will combine close critical reading of selected examples of poetry and autobiographical prose with the writing of both by students.

Module 2: Writing fiction: imagined worlds (25 - 28 November 2024)

This module focuses on prose fiction, examining the relationship between memory, imagination and research and exploring the essential concerns of the fiction-writer, including plot and narrative, voice and character and the importance of place.

Module 3: Writing for performance: monologue and polyphonic scripts (3 - 6 February 2025)

This module explores various forms of writing for an audience, encompassing writing for radio, theatre, television, cinema and other forms of scripted public address and performance.

Module 4: Writing life: creative non-fiction (12 - 15 May 2025)

This module explores the concept of creative non-fiction and examines examples drawn from a range of sub-genres. These are likely to include biography, memoir, travel-writing and writing about the environment. Sessions on study and research skills will prepare students for Year 2. Visiting speakers for this module will include those from the world of publishing.

The second year is characterised by focus on a specialist genre. Students will work independently to explore further and develop their own literary and critical skills, resulting in an extended piece or portfolio of writing. They will work under the supervision of an expert in their chosen field with whom they will have regular contact.

Students will have five supervisions in the second year. Supervision dates will be arranged between students and supervisors (these can be face-to-face or remote software). The fifth and final supervision will usually take place at around the time of the only module in the second year, the Presentation and Discussion of Portfolios to be held on 20-21 April 2026. 

It is essential that students attend all modules on the dates given above as their ability to complete the course will be severely compromised by missing any of these.

Find out more

If you have any questions about this course, would like an informal discussion on academic matters before making your application, or would like to know more about the admissions process, please complete this enquiry form with your questions .

Following the first module, students will produce 750 words of poetry and a critical commentary of 3,000 words. For each of the following three modules students will produce 4,000 words of creative prose and a critical commentary of 3,000 words.

Students will produce a portfolio consisting of 15,000 words of creative prose (or an equivalent quantity of poems) and a 3,000-word critical commentary.

Students are given formal written feedback on their assignments and informal feedback throughout the course, including during tutorials and supervisions. Tutors produce a report for each student at the end of Year 1 and supervisors produce termly reports for each student during Year 2.

Expected academic standard

Applicants for this course will normally have achieved a good UK 2.i honours degree or overseas equivalent.

There is provision to accept non-standard applicants who do not satisfy the standard academic criterion. Such applicants must produce evidence of relevant and equivalent experience and their suitability for the course.

Language requirement

• IELTS Academic: Overall band score of 7.5 (with a minimum of 7.0 in each individual component)
• CAE: Grade A or B (with at least 193 in each individual element) plus a language centre assessment
• CPE: Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200 in each individual element)
• TOEFL iBT: Overall score of at least 110 with no element below 25

The fees for 2024 will be £8,925.00 per annum for Home students (total Home course fee across the 2 years being £17,850.00) and £15,630.00 per annum for EU/Overseas students (total EU/Overseas course fee across the 2 years being £31,260.00). The combined graduate fee includes college membership. The fee can be paid in eight equal instalments. Students on this course can apply to Downing , Lucy Cavendish , Selwyn , St Edmund's , or Wolfson . Please note there are only a limited number of college places available for this course at Downing and Selwyn Colleges so please indicate a second choice of college on your application form if you are selecting either as your first choice.   

Students will be expected to cover the application fee (£50 online), accommodation whilst in Cambridge and any costs of travel to Cambridge.   Please note that, although you will be a member of a college, you will not be entitled to college accommodation.

ICE fees and refunds policy

For information on a loan from Student Finance England for course fees and a contribution towards living costs, please see https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/info/student-loans

The Institute of Continuing Education offers the Joy Brandon bursary. Find out more  here . 

Applications will be accepted online until Wednesday 17th January 2024 . Interviews for shortlisted candidates will be held in late February/early March either in person or by remote software if candidates are unable to attend in person.  Candidates will be contacted to arrange convenient times during the previous week.

You are required to provide supporting documents as part of your application.  

Please ensure that you have your CV, writing sample, research proposal and personal statement ready before you start your application, as they will be submitted as part of the application form and cannot be submitted later.

Apply online when you are ready to start the application process. Please read the attached file "Supporting documents required for application" which gives more details about the supporting documents required as part of your application. Please note that one of the writing sample requirements has changed from the last application round. 

Visa requirements 

Student visa sponsorship is not offered for this course. International students who do not already hold a UK visa or immigration status that permits study may enter the UK as a visitor in order to attend teaching sessions. 

The visitor immigration route is used to support students on part-time courses longer than 6 months where the majority of time is spent outside the UK and attendance in Cambridge is only required for short teaching sessions. To meet the requirements of holding this immigration status for study purposes, students are expected not to remain in the UK for extended periods of time. It is not possible as a visitor on a course of more than 6 months to make the UK your main study location or residence or make frequent or successive visits to stay in the UK for extended periods.   

Please read the information about Visas for International Students

How often do the MSt courses run? All of the MSt programmes in the Creative Writing portfolio currently have an annual intake.

Is the course taught online, or is it possible to complete the course by distance-learning? The MSt is not a distance-learning course. You will be required to attend teaching sessions in Cambridge.

Can I complete the course on a full-time basis in one year? No, the MSt is only available as a two-year, part-time course.

Are there any sources of funding available? The Institute of Continuing Education offers the Joy Brandon bursary. Find out more  here . 

How many applications do you receive in relation to places available per year? This varies between programmes and depending on the year. For the 2021 cohort of the MSt in Creative Writing there were roughly 6 applications for each place being offered. 

How many references are required? We require two references. References need to be submitted from professional e-mail addresses, so please ensure that you enter the relevant details into the online application form.

What kind of references should I provide? We prefer academic references from people who, if at all possible, are able to comment on your writing skills and experience, and your ability to study at Master’s level. 

What happens if I am not able to provide academic references? We can accept professional references.

Can I nominate an ICE tutor as my referee? Yes, you may nominate an ICE tutor to act as your referee. 

How long should the Personal Statement be? As a guide, we suggest that the Personal Statement is 500-1000 words long. We would ask you not to exceed 1000 words. An ability to write to a specific word count is an important part of studying at Master’s level as it is in the life of a professional writer!

Is there an advantage to submitting my application early? No, all applications will be considered together after the closing date of the course. While there is no advantage to submitting your application early, we would recommend you do not leave submission until the last minute to avoid any technical difficulties.

What is the time commitment outside of the teaching modules? The teaching teams can provide more specific guidance about what is expected but there is a difference in focus between year 1 and year 2 of each course. Year 1 is based around blocks of teaching and shorter assignments whilst year 2 is the dissertation year where students work on their dissertations with regular individual supervisions. 

Can I attend modules on one of the other MSt in creative writing programmes? No, you will only be able to access the teaching sessions that form part of the MSt course onto which you are admitted.

What happens outside of the taught modules? You will be reading extensively and working on assignments, the details of which will be given to you at the end of each module. You will also be encouraged to engage with tutors and fellow students via the course’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) platform.

Can I apply for multiple courses? Yes, you are welcome to submit applications for more than one course, although you would not normally be permitted to undertake more than one MSt at the same time. You are recommended to apply for the course that is most suited to your interests and skills.

Can I use the same referees and writing samples for each separate application? Yes, providing they meet the criteria set out for each application within the Supporting documents file (available on the website).

Can I complete more than one MSt? Although you are welcome to apply for and complete a second MSt course in a subsequent year, it should be noted that you cannot be awarded more than one MSt from the University of Cambridge.

Do I need to have studied creative writing beforehand? You do not need to have previously studied creative writing; however, you would be expected to demonstrate an interest in creative writing and you will be required to provide recent samples of writing as part of your application.

Will I become a College member and do I need to pay College fees? Yes, all of our MSt programmes are matriculated courses meaning that College membership is a requirement. At the time of applying, you will be asked to specify your College preference from a list provided. College places are limited and we liaise with Colleges on your behalf. College fees are included in your course fees.

Will I meet publishers and agents? Yes, there will be opportunity to meet with publishers and agents. During each of the intensive 4-day modules you will have opportunity to hear from numerous guest speakers on a variety of topics and from a variety of genres. 

Course dates

Course duration.

Academic Directors, Course Directors and Tutors are subject to change, when necessary.

Qualifications / Credits

Course code.

Institute of Continuing Education Madingley Hall Madingley Cambridge CB23 8AQ

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Reading lists for students

Quickly and easily access the resources recommended by your lecturers

Your reading lists

Reading Lists at Manchester Metropolitan University allow you to:

• Directly access online resources from your reading list.
• See real time library availability of print books.
• Access online previews of many popular textbooks from Google Books.
• Create a profile to save notes and set your reading intentions.

Use this guide to find out how to access and use your lists, if you need any help please contact [email protected] .

Find a reading list

Search for a list

Accessing your reading lists in Moodle

Go to MyMMU.

Log in with your University ID and password.

Select Moodle:  

In order to display the library block, select the ‘block drawer’ inverted arrow in the top right:

You should now be able to see your reading list:

You can browse all reading lists , although Moodle is the best way to access the resources for the units you study.

Please contact your tutor if your Moodle area does not have a reading list section.

Where do I find my reading list items?

Finding print books and journal articles on your list in the library.

Clicking on the title will allow you to view the full resource record. You will be able to see more information about the resource; including real-time catalogue availability and a Google book preview, if available.   

Accessing ebooks and online journal articles on your list

Click  VIEW ONLINE  to view ebooks, online journal articles, and digitised chapters.

When accessing journal articles, you’ll sometimes see several links to different publishers and databases. Usually you can just use the blue Full text online button, but you may wish to follow one of the alternative links if you prefer one of the alternative databases, and the date range covers the item you require.  

Accessing / printing / downloading digitisations (scanned extracts)

You can access scanned extracts of a particular chapter or article by clicking on  VIEW ONLINE .

You will be asked to sign-in with your Manchester Metropolitan University username and password to access the scan. 

Please note that  only students enrolled on a unit are permitted to download or print  from these scanned extracts.

To do this click on the icon to the left of the cover sheet to select the option to either  Print or Download .

What else can I do with my list?

Click on ‘Table of contents’ to see the section headings used in the list – these might be weeks, topics of study or resource types. Click on the section heading to see the resources listed under each heading. The table of contents is particularly helpful on longer lists.  

Sorting your reading list

You can use the ‘View’ filter to sort your list. 

• You have the option to sort by the level of importance that has been set to each resource by your lecturer/tutor (Items for Purchase, Essential, Further reading).
• There is an option to view either physical resources or online resources.

There is also a search box you can use if you wish to search the list.  

Make notes about items you’ve read

You have an option to add a ‘Personal note’ by selecting the 3 dashes to the right of the resource.

This allows you to add notes against articles, chapters, or quotes that you may find useful later on. Notes can be added to any of the items on your list and are completely private. Your lecturer can see how many notes have been made on an item, but not the content or author of the notes.

Please note : You need to log in following the button in the top right corner, to add notes.  

View your notes

Notes will be visible beneath the resource you have added them to.

Any notes you make are also added to your profile. To see your notes (and edit your profile) click on your name at the top of the page and select ‘View profile’. To view your notes click on the tab ‘My notes’. 

Tip : When making a note it may be worth including which list the item is from as this information won’t be accessible in the saved note from your profile.  

Create ‘read status’ notes

Resources can be marked for later reading using the ‘Read status’ button. When you select the circle button to the right of the resource you will be given a drop down list to select from including ‘Undecided’, ‘Will read’, ‘Reading now’, ‘Have read’, and ‘Won’t read’.

After selecting your action the button will change to display the symbol associated with the option you chose (white circle, star, blue circle, tick, cross).

As with notes, any resource you mark with ‘Read status’ can be viewed in your profile.  

Export your reading list

At the top of every reading list you have the following options to export a list into either: 1. RIS 2. CSV 3. PDF

Selecting the ’Export to PDF’ option allows you to download and print a copy of the list, in a similar style to the online version.

Why reading lists are important

Yale Creative Writing

• English Department

Students from all disciplines in Yale College enroll in the department’s creative writing courses. For students who wish to try their hand at learning basic elements of craft, the department recommends  English 123, Introduction to Creative Writing . This course, combining the small workshop format with lectures and readings by distinguished writers, offers hands-on experience in fiction, poetry, and drama. It is open to all undergraduates, without prerequisite or application.  Read more …

A comprehensive list of readings at Yale can be found  here .

News and Events

TYR Fiction Writers Announced as Finalists for ASME’s 2023 National Magazine Awards

Anne Fadiman in Harper's on Bunky the Frog

Yale Henry Fellow Emil Sands' article in The Atlantic

Louise Gluck delivers 2022 Foundational Courses Lecture

Yale Younger Poets Prize winner Mary-Alice Daniel '08

Lillie Lainoff ('18) Publishes Debut Novel: One For All

Pictures from some of our recent events can be found here .