Creative Writing MA
About this course
Creative Writing is one of the longest established postgraduate courses of its kind in the UK, with a strong record of publication and related industry success by its graduates, and close links to publishers and the writing industries. Designed for talented, committed writers, the course is taught by a team of award-winning, widely-published tutor-writers, all at the forefront of screenwriting, fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction.
You will be joining a lively community of writers and industry professionals, where you will have the opportunity to develop your work. You will receive considerable tutor and peer support in specialisms you will select from a variety of genres, including fiction, poetry, and writing for stage, radio and screen. You will also engage with a wide range of industry professionals, and have the opportunity to develop projects, while working in one of England’s four UNESCO Cities of Literature.
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Our tutor-writers really are experts at the forefront of their genre specialisms, and include BAFTA-nominated screenwriters and multiple-award-winning, widely-published novelists, short story writers, poets, editors and other genre specialists. -
73% of NTU’s research in English Language and Literature was assessed to be world-leading or internationally excellent in REF2021. -
Our close links to the publishing and editing industries provide you with networking opportunities with publishers, editors and agents, and we teach you how to put your best foot forward. -
All seminars and lectures for both the full-time and part-time courses take place in the evening, allowing you to work or study during the day.
UNESCO City of Literature
In 2015, Nottingham was designated a UNESCO City of Literature – one of only 20 in the world – thanks to our long and diverse literary history. From D H Lawrence to Alan Sillitoe and Lord Byron to J M Barrie, many wonderful wordsmiths have called Nottingham home.
The University is also a key partner in the city’s Creative Quarter. Centred around the historic Lace Market and Hockley areas, it’s a hotbed of culture, and home to many of the city’s independent retailers, bars, restaurants, small creative companies, and artists.
Interested in Creative Writing?
Dip your toe in the water with our Creative Writing short course programme for adults that runs throughout the year.
What you’ll study
The course invites you to develop your writing strengths by providing a framework within which you can discuss your own and each other’s work. At the heart of the course are small group workshops in your chosen specialisms, and a series of workshop-lectures given by staff, visiting writers, agents, and other industry professionals. Recent guest speakers have included Gwendoline Riley, Carol Leeming, Michael Schmidt, David Almond, Alan Hollinghurst, Kathleen Jamie, Jackie Kay, Alan Jenkins, Alison Moore, Carrie Etter, Sandeep Mahal and Michèle Roberts, among many others. Establishing important links with the publishing and editing industries, you will work closely with tutors, all experienced and highly active writers with excellent publication and production records, to develop your creative work to an excellent standard and prepare you to navigate the intricacies of the literary industries and literary marketplace.
This course is divided into modules which are separately taught and assessed. You will choose two options, and take two core modules. Most assignments for each module require you to present a piece of original creative writing, accompanied by a critical or editorial discussion.
Core modules
Writing and the Writing Industries (40 credit points)
Through a dynamic series of lectures and workshops by authors in multiple genres, editors, and other professionals, you will develop critically-informed opinions about key issues and trends in contemporary writing, and hone your writing skills across an exciting range of genres. The module includes regular advanced-level practical exercises to improve your technical abilities, as well as a series of short projects to help you to develop high-level skills in writing, editing, researching as a writer, and critique.
Dissertation (60 credit points)
The aim of this module is to help you to produce an extended piece of creative writing ready to take to an agent or publisher, should you wish to do so. You will choose a major writing project (e.g. a film script, longer piece of fiction, portfolio of poems, memoir, etc), then work closely with guidance from a supervisor on developing this to the highest possible standard. Supervisors will advise you on reading and research methods as well as aspects of the precise form you have chosen to pursue, actively supporting your project to completion.
Optional modules
You will also choose two of the following 40-credit optional modules, each taught by widely-published experts currently working in the relevant fields:
- Fiction
- Writing for Stage, Radio and Screen
- Poetry
In each of these option modules, you will work closely with one or more highly-acclaimed and active genre specialists, at the forefront of the discipline, alongside a small workshopping group of peers, learning the intricacies of craft and developing your work to a superb standard. You will also be taught about the writing and publishing industries in relation to these genre specialisms, with a specific emphasis on the work you have chosen to produce.
Full-time students complete the course in one calendar year. Part-time students complete the Writing: Research Methods, Theory and Practice module and their first option in Year One, and the dissertation and their second option in Year Two. (Modules run subject to demand, but it is highly unusual for any of them not to run.)
Further information on what you'll study
Student Anthology
Every year, with support from editing and publishing experts on out staff, MA Creative Writing students have the opportunity to produce and publish their own high-quality anthology of original work. This project gives you an invaluable insight into the editorial and publishing industry, as well as introducing your work to the wider public. Most anthologies go to multiple print runs, and contain the fiction, poetry and other writing of students alongside the work of lecturers, guest lecturers, and other professionals, as selected by you, the editorial team.
Discover the 2022 Anthology - Almost Home
We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.
How you're taught
How will I learn?
All seminars and lectures for both the full-time and part-time courses take place in the evening, allowing you to work or study during the day.
The core course consists of a series of lectures and seminars on different aspects of the writing process, with optional modules incorporating practical writing workshops. Students currently choose two options from Fiction, Writing for Stage, Radio and Screen, and Poetry.
The core course regularly hosts discursive guest lectures by highly-accomplished guest writers, editors, agents and other literary professionals, which makes up approximately half of the programme of weekly sessions for the core module, Writing: Research Methods, Theory and Practice. Recent guests have included:
- Gwendoline Riley
- David Almond
- Jenny Savill (Director, Andrew Nurnburg Associates)
- Hannah Trevarthen (Director, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature)
- Carol Leeming
- Michael Schmidt
- Naush Sabah
- Michael Eaton
- Alan Hollinghurst
- Jackie Kay
- Jon McGregor
- Alan Jenkins
- Amanda Whittington
Option modules are taught in small workshop groups, led by writer-tutors who are widely published and highly active in the respective option module genres, and are expert teachers with excellent industry links and insights to share with you. In these workshops, you will hone your craft to a high specification, and will engage with lots of exciting writing, as well as with writing exercises that are designed to foster your development. You will also learn about how to approach agents and editors, and about other aspects of the writing industries, including publishing and commissioning.
Dissertation projects receive individual, detailed supervision by a specialist, and are intended to leave you with an industry-ready extended piece of creative writing at the end of the course. We have a regular, long and impressive legacy of helping MA students to achieve significant success in the publishing and writing industries.
Find out more about our Creative Writing community on the Nottingham Creative Writing Hub
Assessment
Students take the core module, two options, and a dissertation. (Part-time students do the second option and dissertation in their second year.) There are two assignments in each optional module, which provide you with opportunities to hone multiple pieces of writing under expert guidance.
Research opportunities
Creative Writing (and Critical and Creative Writing) PhD supervision is available, as are funded routes for PhD study. We have a thriving PhD community, specialisms across creative writing and English literature, and a strong legacy of supporting PhD applications from our MA Creative Writing students.
Learn a new language
Alongside your study you also have the opportunity to learn a new language. The University Language Programme (ULP) is available to all students and gives you the option of learning a totally new language or improving the skills you already have. Learning a new language can: enhance your communication skills, enrich your experience when travelling abroad and boost your career prospects. Find out more about the ULP.
Further information
All MA Creative Writing students are invited to join Nottingham Creative Writing hub at NTU, a portal for creative writing students and staff. Visit the Creative Writing Hub at NTU site to find out about upcoming events and discover more about our thriving community of students and award-winning staff.
Careers and employability
Career development
The unique flexibility of the course enables students to work in a variety of genres including fiction, writing for stage, radio and screen, and poetry. Advice on getting published, and discursive, incisive lectures on the writing industry, are incorporated into the structure of the course, and there are opportunities to engage meaningfully with publishers, editors and agents. Students are encouraged to build strong links with Nottingham's thriving literature community and are invited to participate in local events, readings and festivals.
Every year, our MA Creative Writing students have the opportunity to edit and publish their own high-quality anthology of original creative writing, with support from editing and publishing specialists in the department. This gives students invaluable insights into the editorial and publishing industry, provides a valuable publishing credit and professional experience, and introduces excellent student work to a wider public.
Graduates from this course have included many highly successful published authors across a wide range of genres, such as Kim Slater, Helen Cooper, Hilary Spiers, Stephan Collishaw, Maria Allen, Di Slaney, and Nicola Monaghan, among many others.
The course is vocationally-focused and many recent graduates have acquired agents and publishing deals, as well as jobs in publishing, editing, copyediting, and other closely related industries. Many have also progressed to doctoral study in Creative Writing, often with full scholarships.
The course also has strong professional links to Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature, the Times Literary Supplement, Carcanet Press, Five Leaves Publications, Nottingham Playhouse, and many other institutions. This course will help you to develop a broad spectrum of skills transferable to many job roles.
What our students are doing now
Bryna Graziana Broady
We caught up with Bryna, an NTU alum and current student, who tells us about her journey back into postgraduate study, how her degrees have shaped her career path, and what it’s been like to return to NTU after 20 years.
LD Lapinski
Teresa Forrest
Campus and facilities
Entry requirements
UK students
Academic entry requirements: 2.2 honours degree; applications are primarily assessed on the quality of the writing sample and statement.
Other requirements: Submit a 3000-word creative writing sample, OR c. 100 lines of poetry, OR an equivalent mixture of poetry and prose/script. Evidence in a personal statement of a commitment to writing.
Applications from candidates with non-standard entry qualifications will be considered on an individual basis if they can demonstrate relevant professional experience.
Additional requirements for UK students
There are no additional requirements for this course.
Other qualifications and experience
We welcome applications from students with non-standard qualifications and learning backgrounds and work experience. We consider credit transfer, vocational and professional qualifications, and any work or life experience you may have.
You can view our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy which outlines the process and options available, such as recognising experiential learning and credit transfer.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form.
International students
Academic entry requirements: 2.2 honours degree; applications are primarily assessed on the quality of the writing sample and statement.
We accept equivalent qualifications from all over the world. Please check your international entry requirements by country.
Other requirements: Submit a 3000-word creative writing sample, OR c. 100 lines of poetry, OR an equivalent mixture of poetry and prose/script. Evidence in a personal statement of a commitment to writing.
English language requirements: See our English language requirements page for requirements for your subject and information on alternative tests and Pre-sessional English.
Additional requirements for international students
If you need help achieving the academic entry requirements, we offer a Pre-Masters course for this degree. The course is offered through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC) based on our City Campus.
English language requirements
View our English language requirements for all courses, including alternative English language tests and country qualifications accepted by the University.
If you need help achieving the language requirements, we offer a Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes course on our City campus which is an intensive preparation course for academic study at NTU.
Other qualifications and experience
We welcome applications from students with non-standard qualifications and learning backgrounds and work experience. We consider credit transfer, vocational and professional qualifications, and any work or life experience you may have.
You can view our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy which outlines the process and options available, such as recognising experiential learning and credit transfer.
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Getting in touch
If you need advice about studying at NTU as an international student or how to apply, our international webpages are a great place to start. If you have any questions about your study options, your international qualifications, experience, grades or other results, please get in touch through our enquiry form. Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world.
Policies
We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.
