Program Overview

Creative Writing: Writing the City MA

Overview

The Creative Writing: Writing the City MA is the only Creative Writing MA course to focus entirely on the city of London. It will allow you to explore the city as subject matter from a range of perspectives and across all genres. It will also give you a theoretical and practical platform from which to develop your understanding, and become part of the London writing scene.

Course Structure

The course is divided into four modules:

Core Modules

City Stories and Dramas: Fiction and Playwriting

This module concentrates on developing your skills in writing prose fiction and dramatic writing inspired by the city through a combination of practical workshops, writing exercises, and close readings of established authors. You'll also learn to critique their own work while being challenged to raise your work to professional level.

Mapping and Imagining the City: Non-Fiction and Poetic Writing

This module focuses on the methodological approaches and aesthetic preoccupations that underpin creative practices in non-fiction and poetic writing. This dual approach will enable you to develop simultaneously your own research methods, as well as experiment with imaginative ways of representing the city. As well as workshops and tutorials based on campus, the module includes site visits to various locations in London, including archives and libraries.

The Writing Business

This module focuses on employability and professional development. You'll learn how to use your creativity to ‘sell’ your writing and promote your work. The module, which is delivered through a series of guest lectures and student-led workshops, will explore key areas of the writing business including topics such as how to edit, choosing a literary agent and using social media for self-promotion.

The Writing Project

You'll focus on one substantial piece of creative work or a portfolio of smaller pieces, with a view to submission for publication. The module aims to provide the support needed for you to prepare a substantial piece of creative writing and develop your individual voice in the genre of your choice. As the module seeks to synthesise the discoveries about the city made during the course, and helps you to respond appropriately in your creative work, it will allow you to absorb and process your explorations of the city, and respond through your creative work.

Entry Requirements

• A minimum of a lower second class honours degree (2:2) in a humanities-based discipline. Successful applicants will be expected to have a proven interest in, and commitment to, language and its creative outlets.
• Candidates with different or no qualifications will also be considered, and decisions will be made on the basis of their proven experience in the writing or creative industry (generally three years or more) and/or outstanding talent demonstrated in the portfolio. Applicants are required to submit a portfolio of creative writing (maximum of 10,000 words), which should not exclusively include poetry. Selected candidates will be invited for an interview.
• If your first language is not English, you should have an IELTS 6.5 with at least 6.5 in writing and no element below 6.0.

Fees and Funding

• UK tuition fee: £4,950 (Price per academic year)
• International tuition fee: £9,000 (Price per academic year)
• Alumni discount available
• Funding options available, including Student Finance England (SFE) and scholarships

Teaching and Assessment

• Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application.
• Assessment methods include coursework portfolios, reflective logs, essays, and workshop leadership, as well as the 10-12,000-word writing project. There are no formal exams.

Location

• Our Regent Campus is composed of three sites, situated on and around Regent Street – one of the most famous and vibrant streets in London.
• Our Humanities subjects are based at 309 Regent Street, which includes recently refurbished social spaces, gym facilities and our Regent Street Cinema.