Creative Writing (Online) PhD

Program Overview

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Research Overview

The University of Nottingham is a fantastic place to study creative writing. We have expertise in poetry and fiction that range from haiku poetry to digital storytelling. In addition, all our lecturers are actively publishing their work and collaborating with cultural institutions across the United Kingdom.

You can also get editing experience through The Letters Page online journal, working with award-winning writer Jon McGregor.

Hear from our students

Creative Writing PhD student, James Aitcheson, discusses doing a PhD as a published author.

Course Content

A PhD in Creative Writing is mainly made up of independent study, with supervision meetings occurring online (e.g. via Microsoft Teams) and spread throughout the year.

There are no taught credits attached to a PhD, although it is compulsory for full-time students to attend the Arts Faculty Researcher Skills training programme, which is available for online attendance.

Part-time students

Part-time students are required to take part in all required research training, attend postgraduate seminars where possible, and one postgraduate researcher (PGR) symposium over the period of their registration.

Assessment

You will complete a written thesis of up to 100,000 words, with expert support and advice from your academic supervisors. You will also take a verbal examination called a viva voce, where you explain your project in depth to an examination panel.

A creative writing thesis will mainly consist of your own original creative work. This could be a novel, a manuscript of poems, a collection of short stories, a book-length piece of creative non-fiction, or another form of creative output. Your thesis will also include a critical analysis of your creative work, which you will situate within a theorised or analytical context.

A PhD thesis should not normally exceed 100,000 words in length. It is expected that the creative element would usually comprise 50,000-70,000 words for a novel or short story collection; for poetry the creative element would usually comprise around 50-70 pages of poems. The critical analysis component will normally be 15,000-30,000 words in length.

What is the thesis pending period?

All periods of registration are followed by a period of writing-up, called the thesis-pending period, when tuition fees are not paid and students are writing up their thesis.

Find out more in the university's Quality Manual.

Progression review

All PhD students take part in progression review assessments to ensure that their project is progressing satisfactorily. A progression review consists usually consists of written reports from both the student and the supervisory team.

All students have an independent assessment interview for their Stage 1 and Stage 2 reviews (end of years 1 and 2 for full-time students, years 2 and 4 for part-time students).

Entry Requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2025 entry.

• Degree: 2:1 (or international equivalent) and a masters degree at Merit level or above. Applicants without a masters degree who can demonstrate equivalent expertise should contact the School of English.
• International and EU equivalents: We accept a wide range of qualifications from all over the world. For information on entry requirements from your country, see our country pages.
• IELTS: 7.0 (no less than 6.0 in any element)
• English language requirements: As well as IELTS (listed above), we also accept other English language qualifications. This includes TOEFL iBT, Pearson PTE, GCSE, IB and O level English.

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.

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.

Applying

You will be required to provide a PhD proposal with your application, which will set out the structure of your project.

A PhD proposal should be a minimum of 1000 words. There is no upward limit for proposals, although successful proposals are often not much longer than about 2500 words. You should consider:

• The methodologies that you will use in your project (as appropriate)
• The necessary resources and facilities you will need to carry out your project

Fees

Qualification| PhD ---|--- Home / UK| £5,006 International| £23,000

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). Students must also have a suitable desktop/laptop to carry out their research.

Books

You'll be able to access many of the books and journal papers you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to buy your own copies of core texts. Because some resources may not be available online, the University of Nottingham library offers postal loans for online learners and can scan up to one chapter or article from a book or journal on request.

Funding

There are funding opportunities which are only open to students within the Faculty of Arts.

Support

Regular supervision

You will have a team of at least two supervisors. Full-time students will meet with their supervisory team at least 12 times each year (six times for part-time students).

Professional development

Research students in the School of English may benefit from:

• Student-led research seminars and an annual symposium (recorded and/or hybrid for online students)
• Research networks created by the research centres and individual research projects
• Co-authorship with members of staff, where applicable
• Dedicated staff-postgraduate reading groups in some research areas
• Support for participation in international conferences and seminars

Careers

Whether you are considering a career in academia, industry or haven't yet decided, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Expert staff will work with you to explore PhD career options and apply for vacancies, develop your interview skills and meet employers. You can book a one-to-one appointment, take an online course or attend a workshop.

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 will develop key transferable skills, including:

• Analysis and problem-solving
• Independent research
• Information gathering and data management
• Construction of logical and persuasive arguments

As a result, our graduates enter a wide range of careers. These include:

• Lecturing, teaching and academic research
• Specialist archive, librarian, heritage and museum work
• Journalism, publishing and research
• Marketing
• Local and central government
• Social policy

100% of postgraduates from the School of English secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual salary for these graduates was £37,402.

Program Outline

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Outline:

• A PhD in Creative Writing is mainly made up of independent study, with supervision meetings occurring online (e.g.
via Microsoft Teams) and spread throughout the year.
• There are no taught credits attached to a PhD, although it is compulsory for full-time students to attend the Arts Faculty Researcher Skills training programme, which is available for online attendance.
• Some PhD students also choose to audit masters modules taught by their supervisors where appropriate.
This is not compulsory, nor does it involve any formal assessment, and would be limited to modules offered online.

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Assessment:

• You will complete a written thesis of up to 100,000 words, with expert support and advice from your academic supervisor(s).
• You will also take a verbal examination called a viva voce, where you explain your project in depth to an examination panel.
• A creative writing thesis will mainly consist of your own original creative work.
This could be a novel, a manuscript of poems, a collection of short stories, a play, or another form of creative output.
• Your thesis will also include a critical analysis of your creative work, which you will situate within a theorised or analytical context.
• A PhD thesis should not normally exceed 100,000 words in length.
It is expected that the creative element would usually comprise 50,000-70,000 words. The critical analysis component will normally be 15,000-30,000 words in length.

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Careers:

• 100% of postgraduates from the School of English secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation.
• The average annual salary for these graduates was £37,402.
• HESA Graduate Outcomes 2019/20 data published in 2022.
The Graduate Outcomes % is derived using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on data from graduates who completed a full-time postgraduate degree with home fee status and are working full-time within the UK.

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Other:

• The University of Nottingham is a fantastic place to study creative writing.
• We have expertise in poetry and fiction that range from haiku poetry to digital storytelling.
• In addition, all our lecturers are actively publishing their work and collaborating with cultural institutions across the United Kingdom.
• You can also get editing experience through The Letters Page online journal, working with award-winning writer Jon McGregor.

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• UK fees: £5100
• International fees: £21500