MA Creative Writing

About

Develop your flair for writing, with expert guidance and support from published authors, with our MA Creative Writing programme.

Creative writing can simultaneously be a vocation, a career and a transferable skill. This programme focuses on the multiple roles that writing can play in your life. We’re in the top 150 universities in the world for this subject (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024).

The University of Reading is 6th in the UK for research outputs in English Language and Literature (Times Higher Education analysis of the latest Research Excellence Framework 2021 – English Language and Literature, when scoring by GPA Output).

Our experts will mentor you in how best to develop and complete mid-sized creative projects – whether you have existing written work or are starting out – while introducing you to a range of modules closely related to the life of writing.

You will work on a writing project of your own devising, which you’ll develop through a combination of individual supervision and group workshops. In your first semester, core modules will focus on the effective planning, research and development of your project, then on the early stages of drafting and revising the text as it develops.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements: Normally a good undergraduate honours degree (2:1 or above), or equivalent from a university outside the UK, in an appropriate subject.

For MA Creative Writing, you will need to submit two examples of your creative writing.

IELTS: 6.5 overall with no element less than 6.0 (or equivalent)

Pre-sessional English language Programme

Our Pre-sessional English Programme is for international students who need to meet their degree programme English language requirements.

Our courses equip you with the skills and language needed for academic success, including critical thinking, self-reflection, learner autonomy, research skills and integrating sources. The Pre-sessional English Programme is accredited by the global association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes, which guarantees you will receive a high-quality student experience.

To find out more, visit Pre-sessional English.

English Program Requirements

IELTS: 6.5 overall with no element less than 6.0 (or equivalent)

Career

Careers with MA Creative Writing

As a creative writing graduate and beginning author, you will enter the job market with advanced research and writing abilities, together with a high degree of cultural literacy and critical sophistication. In today’s economy, this knowledge and these communication skills can be vital.

Read about Katrina Ricarte's experience pursuing an MA and her plans for a future in creative writing.

Our degrees have been designed to develop the capabilities valued by both creative and commercial industries, providing you with a diverse range of career opportunities following graduation. Your transferable skills are highly sought by employers and well-suited to a number of sectors, including:

journalism
publishing
marketing and PR
teaching
civil service.

Fee Information

Tuition Fee

34,766 / year

How to Apply

1. Check our entry requirements

Please see our postgraduate subject finder for minimum entry requirements for the programme you are interested in; entry requirements can vary from one programme to another. International students can consult our country-specific pages for information and guidance on alternative qualification equivalencies for master’s study.

If English is not your first language, you will also need to meet our English language requirements. You can find the IELTS requirements on each course page. We also accept a range of alternative English language qualifications.

If your English ability is not at the required standard, you can choose to apply for one of our Pre-sessional English programmes. The programmes will equip you with the study skills and preparation needed for academic study in English. The length of your Pre-sessional English programme is determined by your current level of English against the English language requirements of your chosen master’s programme.

2. Application and funding deadlines

Although most master’s programmes do not formally close for applications, some programmes do have application deadlines; if your programme has a deadline it will be specified on the course page under the ‘Entry requirements’ section. For programmes that do not have a specific application deadline, places may be limited and programmes may become full. We recommend that you apply as early as possible (particularly if you are an international student) to allow time not only for us to process your application, but for you to ensure that you can meet any offer conditions, arrange your accommodation and, importantly, funding for your studies. For admission in September, we do recommend that you apply by 1 August (if you are a UK applicant) and 1 July (if you are an international applicant requiring a visa to come to the UK) however, we are happy to still consider applications after these dates.

International applicants should also see our advice and guidance on visas and immigration.

Funding deadlines

We require an offer of study for many of our master’s scholarships and bursaries. You should check deadlines for applications carefully, and each scholarship or bursary will have specific application instructions. We may add scholarships throughout the year, so it is a good idea to re-visit our scholarships and bursaries page.

3. Submit your application

You can apply for master’s programmes directly through our online application system, RISIS. For our PGCE/Teacher Training programmes, applications must be made via the Department of Education's Find Postgraduate Teacher Training portal. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an automatic confirmation.

Various documents are needed to make your application. You should electronically upload:

full transcripts of all degree programmes taken. If these are not in English, a certified translation into English is required. Please do not mail original copies; we only require PDF copies via electronic upload,
an English language certificate (for example IELTS or TOEFL), if English is not your first language (this can also be provided after you submit your application),
contact details for two academic/professional references. Your references will automatically be invited via email to upload their reference directly once you have submitted your application. Please remind your references to check their junk/spam filters for the email and let them know that the link to the form is only valid for 20 days,
statement of purpose. Your personal statement should outline your academic performance, interest in applying to master’s study, any relevant work experience and skills gained,
a copy of your passport (for international students).

Application fee

We do not charge an application fee to apply for our master’s programmes.

4. Track your application

You can track the progress of your application using our applicant portal, Me@Reading, a personalised resource including information about your programme of study, student stories and what's happening here at Reading. It has everything you need to know, all in one place. When we have made a decision on your application, we will contact you via email. If we are able to make you an offer for a place to study, your offer will contain information about what to do next, including how to accept your offer, pay a deposit (if applicable), and any conditions you must meet to study with us.