Program Overview

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Nature and Travel Writing

MA

Postgraduate degree

Overview

For any writer inspired by the natural world, other cultures and the power of place.

• A world-leading course in two powerful genres dealing with today’s greatest challenges.
• Offers you the skills and experiences to become a published writer of books, articles and online.
• Taught remotely and part-time over two years, to fit around your lifestyle.

Teaching staff

• The course is taught by working writers in our genres. Jonathan and Gail are assisted by a team of nature writers and past graduates of the course.
• Jonathan Lorie
• Gail Simmons

What you'll learn

Overview

We aim to give you the skills and knowledge to become a working writer, alongside an understanding of current issues in our field.

• Exemplary writers in our genres and what you can learn from them
• The history and context of contemporary and historical nature and travel writing
• Issues in non-fiction, including representation, writing from reality, presenting issues and transforming lived experience into compelling stories
• How your own writing works and where you want to take it.

Course structure

• Writing in the Field (30 credits)
  • An introduction to writing about nature, place, people and landscapes ‘in the field'. This module is designed to give you a sense of what travel and nature writing is about and how to polish your craft.
• Context, History and Genres in Creative Non-Fiction (30 credits)
  • An overview of the context and history of relevant areas of creative non-fiction and what you can learn from them as a practitioner.
• Advanced Travel and Nature Writing (30 credits)
  • An advanced approach to travel and nature writing literature, professional practice and independent projects.
• Professional Skills in Travel and Nature Writing (30 credits)
  • A module designed to develop business, organisational and writing-related skills, improving your pathway to getting published.
• Portfolio and Reflective Journal (60 credits)
  • The Portfolio is a 16-18,000 word anthology of your creative writing in our genres, with an accompanying Reflective Journal examining your progress through the course and future plans.

Course modules

• Writing in the Field
• Context, History and Genres in Creative Non-Fiction
• Advanced Nature and Travel Writing
• Professional Skills in Nature and Travel Writing
• Portfolio and Reflective Journal

Assessment

You’ll be assessed through a combination of formative and summative assessments. This will include creative writing pieces, critical and analytical essays, presentations and a broad portfolio of your writing.

Teaching and learning

This course is taught remotely, with students attending online from wherever they live in the UK or overseas. Most classes are held in the early evenings, to allow for students’ other commitments such as work and family.

At the start of Year 1 we bring everyone together for an intensive residential event in Bath, which gives you a chance to get to know your peers and tutors, and to experience some guided writing in the field. Please note that you'll have to pay for your own costs for this event (travel, accommodation, subsistence).

Teaching is mainly through seminars and lectures, including a wide range of guest speakers. There are also one-to-one sessions with your tutors.

Opportunities

Fieldwork

In Year 1, the opening residential event includes fieldwork opportunities followed by related writing exercises. In Year 2, the second trimester revolves around a 5-10 day writing trip that you'll organise and undertake in the UK or overseas, usually in April/May. We also encourage you to develop a fieldwork programme of your own.

Work placements, industry links and internships

You’ll have the opportunity to make connections with key practitioners and commissioners in your field, though no formal internships are available.

Facilities and resources

The course is low residency, so apart from the residential event, you'll be taught online.

The course is taught:

• Online using Teams and our Virtual Learning Environment.
• Through a residential event in the UK.

Fees

2025 entry

• UK part time: £4,733*
• International part time: £9,220*

*This course is studied part-time and remotely over two years, with tuition fees payable in both years of study.

Additional course costs

You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document for details of any additional costs.

Funding opportunities

Please visit our Funding pages for an overview of the funding options that may be available, including scholarships and bursaries.

Entry requirements

We’re looking for individuals with:

• A real passion for either the natural world and/or places and people
• A love of travel and/or nature writing
• Above all, an urge to write and be published.

Ideally you should have a first degree (for example, BA/BSc), but this is not compulsory, depending on your other experience. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) web page to learn more.

Interview and portfolio guidance

Interviews are held online through the year, on a first-come-first served basis. Please submit two to four pieces of your writing before the interview, ideally showing an ability to write non-fiction narrative or feature journalism.

Guidance for international students

We assess international students on the same basis as domestic students. We welcome the richness of experience that having students from many countries and backgrounds brings to the course.

In terms of English proficiency, it's important in creative writing to have sufficient grasp of nuance and connotations for meaningful discussions of, for instance, exact word choices; however, it's not a problem to need minor assistance – for example, with the odd bit of rephrasing or problems with prepositions.

English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants:

This course requires an IELTS test (or equivalent) with an overall grade of 7.0 and with no less than 6.0 in each component.

Related courses

• Children's Publishing
• Writing for Young People
• Creative Writing
• Scriptwriting