Program Overview

English with Creative Writing, MA

Introduction

English with Creative Writing at Aberdeen gives you all the advantages of a highly-rated teaching, research and creative hub, teaching by acclaimed writers and poets at Scotland's top centre for creative writing, and the opportunity to develop your own writing in the wonderful environment of a historic university with an award-winning library and priceless literary treasures, and a vigorous calendar of literary events.

Study Information

At a Glance

• Learning Mode: On Campus Learning
• Degree Qualification: MA
• Duration: 48 months
• Study Mode: Full Time
• Start Month: September
• UCAS Code: 3500

Aberdeen is a leading centre for the study of literature, language and creative writing, rated second in the UK for its research output and top in Scotland for creative writing.

What You'll Study

Year 1

• Compulsory Courses:
  • Academic Writing for Language & Literature (AW1008)
  • Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD1002)
  • Acts of Reading (EL1009)
  • Controversial Classics (EL1513)
  • Rethinking Reading (EL1536)

Year 2

• Compulsory Courses:
  • Encounters with Shakespeare (EL2011)
• Optional Courses:
  • Power, Empire and Equality (EL2518)
  • The Tragedy of Knowledge (EL2512)

Year 3

• Compulsory Courses:
  • Creative Writing: Creativity and Craft (EL35YB)
• Optional Courses:
  • Page and Stage: Renaissance Writings (EL30CP)
  • Knights, Virgins and Viragos: Chaucer and Medieval Writing (EL35DQ)
  • Sympathy for the Devil: Scottish Short Stories (EL30QA)
  • Britain and the Nineteenth-Century World (EL35SB)
  • Modernism: Make IT New (EL30FF)
  • American Voices: Self and Society, 1850-1930 (EL30RD)
  • Haunted Texts (EL35KN)
  • Art and Atrocity: Representations of Violence and Trauma (EL35UT)
  • Romanticism (EL30XR)
  • Fallen Women and Self-Made Men (EL35VC)

Year 4

• Compulsory Courses:
  • Creative Writing Folio Dissertation (EL4508)
• Optional Courses:
  • Screenwriting: The Narrative Within the Frame (EL45TM)
  • Brief Encounters (EL40TL)
  • Creative Writing: The Essentials (EL40PB)

How You'll Study

Learning Methods

• Individual Projects
• Lectures
• Research
• Tutorials

Assessment Methods

Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods:

• Coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course
• Practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course
• Written examinations at the end of each course

Why Study English with Creative Writing?

Why English

• An international profile through major literary projects such as the Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen and the Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels of Sir Walter Scott
• The WORD Centre for Creative Writing, promoting creative projects in fiction, non-fiction and collaborative mixed-media in all the languages of northeast Scotland (from Doric to Polish)
• The spectacular, award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library, home to literary treasures collected over 500 years, charting the power of the written word from ancient papyri and medieval manuscripts to contemporary e-books and other media
• Historic collections including rare printed books, the 12th century Aberdeen Bestiary, MacBean Stuart and Jacobite Collection, the novels of Sir Walter Scott, and an exceptional collection of Charles Dickens' first editions
• A packed campus programme of student and public events, exhibitions, seminars, invited speakers and the annual WayWORD Festival, welcoming internationally acclaimed authors to discuss literature, including European writers
• Research centres include the nationally recognised Centre for the Novel, the Centre for Modern Thought, and the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies

Entry Requirements

Qualifications

• 2024 Entry:
  • SQA Highers: Standard - AABB, Minimum - BBB, Adjusted - BB
  • A LEVELS: Standard - BBB, Minimum - BBC, Adjusted - CCC
  • International Baccalaureate: 32 points, including 5, 5, 5 at HL
  • Irish Leaving Certificate: 5H with 3 at H2 AND 2 at H3
• 2025 Entry:
  • SQA Highers: Standard - BBBB, Minimum - BBC, Adjusted - BB
  • A LEVELS: Standard - BBC, Minimum - BCC, Adjusted - CCC
  • International Baccalaureate: 32 points, including 5, 5, 5 at HL
  • Irish Leaving Certificate: 5H with 3 at H2 AND 2 at H3

English Language Requirements

• IELTS Academic: OVERALL - 6.0 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 5.5; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0
• TOEFL iBT: OVERALL - 78 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21
• PTE Academic: OVERALL - 59 with: Listening - 59; Reading - 59; Speaking - 59; Writing - 59
• Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency: OVERALL - 169 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 162; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169

Fees and Funding

• England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland: £9,535
• EU / International students: £20,800
• Self-funded international students commencing eligible undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 will receive a £6,000 tuition waiver for every year of their programme
• Home Students: £1,820

Careers

• The Careers and Employability Service can help you to plan your career and support your choices throughout your time with us, from first to final year – and beyond
• More information on employability at the University of Aberdeen
• More information on the Careers and Employability Service

Our Experts

• You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors
• Information About Staff Changes

Discover Uni

• 100% of students were satisfied overall with their course
• 100% of students say teaching staff have supported their learning well
• 85% in work or doing further study 15 months after the course

Get in Touch

• Address: Student Recruitment & Admissions, University of Aberdeen, University Office, Regent Walk, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX
• Email: [insert email]
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