Program Overview

English and Creative Writing MA (Hons)

The English and Creative Writing MA (Hons) program is designed to develop the tools to take ideas from the first concept to the final draft, and learn from professional writers and publishers working today.

Overview

The program is offered by the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, and it starts in September 2026. The duration of the program is 4 or 3 years, and the UCAS Code is QW38. The program is located at the Dundee City Campus.

Program Details

The program covers various writing techniques, including:

• fiction
• poetry
• creative non-fiction
• screenwriting
• writing for performance
  • comics and video games Students will examine the writer's role and purpose in modern society and learn how to publish their writing professionally.

Course Topics

The program covers topics such as:

• Reading and writing fiction
• Writing poetry
• Screenwriting
• Writing the environment
• Creative and cultural industries
• English-language literature from the 16th century to today, including:
  • Victorian
  • Romantic
  • Modernist
  • Contemporary Literature
• Global literatures
• Science Fiction literature and film
• Gothic literature
• Film studies from classic Hollywood to modern Europe and the national cinemas of:
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • Iran
• Comics and graphic novels
• Theatre and performance studies
• Gender studies

Teaching and Assessment

Students will attend writing workshops, lectures, seminars, and masterclasses. They will work with dedicated and expert staff and prominent professionals from literary and publishing.

Career Opportunities

The program will focus on writing in creative industries, and graduates may work as writers or artists, in publishing, media, or cultural institutions. They may also enter a teaching profession from primary to university level and beyond.

Student Experience

In recent years, students have been writers-in-residence at the Arbroath Abbey, have led workshops at the V&A Dundee, and made creative work in response to contemporary art at the University's Cooper Gallery. There is also an annual published anthology of final-year student work, organised by a student-led committee. Students will meet best-selling and prize-winning authors, editors at major publishing houses, and independent artists working across storytelling, poetry, and contemporary performance.

Research and Partnerships

The program has strong teaching and research links with prominent institutions like the Dundee Rep Theatre, Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre, The McManus, and Hospitalfield. The Dundee University Review of the Arts (DURA) gives students a platform to publish their own critical writing, and the student-run magazine The Magdalen helps them learn about publishing from the ground up. The university is also an international leader in Comics Studies, with resources including a dedicated publishing imprint, UniVerse, that publishes comics based on research and work by students.