Program Overview

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Overview

A postgraduate research qualification in Creative Writing consists of an original body of work - normally a novel, or a collection of poetry/short stories - with an accompanying critical element. The critical element will place the creative work in an informed and theorised analytical context.

The total assessed word count will be 25,000 words for the MPhil and 80,000 words for the PhD (or equivalent for poetry). The proportion of the creative to the critical work will be agreed by the supervisory team, but in total will usually consist of around 65-70% of creative text and 30-35% of critical text.

All postgraduate research students are supervised by two academics, one of whom will normally be a creative writing academic and the other from English Literature or a discipline related to the creative and critical work. As with the traditional research degrees, the final submission will be expected to make 'a substantial and original contribution to knowledge'. For Creative Writing, this means a body of work that contributes in individual, significant and demonstrable ways to current discourses in literature.

The relation to such discourses will be articulated in the creative work and conceptualised and explored in the critical element; both are intended to address the same research questions, generating dynamic interplay between creative and critical practice.

Key Information

Programme Duration

• MPhil: one year full-time; two years part-time
• PhD: up to four years full-time; up to eight years part-time

Start Date

• January 2025, September 2025, January 2026

Application Deadline

• January 2025 start: 1 December 2024
• September 2025 start:
  • Overseas applicants: 25 July 2025
  • Home applicants: 1 August 2025
• January 2026 start: 1 December 2025

Delivery Method

• Distance Learning, On-Campus

Location

• Clifton

Awards Available

• PhD, MPhil

Programme Structure

MPhil: a standalone, one-year (full-time) research degree. Students will undertake their own research or creative project, concluding with the submission of a 25,000-word dissertation/project (normally 17,000-18,000 words of creative writing and 7,000-8,000 of critical writing). Students may have the option to audit units from our taught master's programmes if they are relevant to their research.

PhD: a research project undertaken across four years (full-time, minimum period of study three years), culminating in an 80,000-word thesis/project (normally 50,000 words of creative work - often an extract from a longer project - and 30,000 words of a critical investigation). As well as having the option to audit taught units where appropriate, there may be the potential for PhD students to teach units themselves from their second year of study onwards.

The MPhil and PhD can be studied via distance learning.

World-Leading Research

• 5th: The University of Bristol is ranked fifth for research in the UK (Times Higher Education)
• 94%: 94% of our research assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent

Entry Requirements

MPhil

• An upper second-class degree or international equivalent
• Acceptance will also depend on evidence of your readiness to pursue a research degree and previous study or achievement in Creative Writing

PhD

• A master's qualification, or be working towards a master's qualification, or international equivalent
• Applicants without a master's qualification may be considered on an exceptional basis, provided they hold a first-class undergraduate degree (or international equivalent)
• Applicants with a non-traditional background may be considered provided they can demonstrate substantial equivalent and relevant experience that has prepared them to undertake their proposed course of study
• Acceptance will also depend on previous study or achievement in Creative Writing

Fees and Funding

Home: Full-Time

• £4,850 per year

Home: Part-Time

• £2,425 per year

Overseas: Full-Time

• £21,300 per year

Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.

Alumni Discount

University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study.

Funding and Scholarships

The University of Bristol is part of the South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (SWW DTP), which will be offering studentships for September 2025.

Career Prospects

People who are awarded a Creative Writing PhD have gone on to a variety of careers. Many are published writers who also teach, either in the academy or in community settings. The intensive training in examining texts is transferable to roles in publishing, broadcasting and media. Others organise literary and other cultural events or work in research. Like many creative people, graduates of this type of degree often have portfolio careers, where they work between several roles and their writing is one of several simultaneous ways in which they are employed.

Meet Our Supervisors

• Dr Carrie Etter, Senior Lecturer, Department of English
• Dr Billy Kahora, Senior Lecturer in Creative and Professional Writing, Department of English
• Dr Jo Nadin, Associate Professor in Creative Writing, Department of English
• Professor Ralph Pite, Professor of English, Department of English
• Dr Mimi Thebo, Reader in Creative Writing, Department of English
• Dr William Wootten, Senior Lecturer, Department of English

Research Groups

• Creative Writing and Critical Practice
• Faculty of Arts Creative Writing Research Cluster
• Brigstow Institute
• Centre for Material Texts

How to Apply

For further information, please see the guidance for how to apply on our webpages.

Start Your Application

Select your award type and start date to begin your application

• Award type: Creative Writing (MPhil), Creative Writing (MPhil) (Distance Learning), Creative Writing (PhD), Creative Writing (PhD) (Distance Learning)