MLitt Creative Writing

Program Overview

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MLitt Creative Writing

Overview

The MLitt Creative Writing program at the University of Stirling is designed to provide a supportive environment for students to develop their writing skills and build a professional portfolio. The program combines intensive writers' workshops, creative writing techniques, and one-to-one tuition with distinguished writers.

Key Facts

• Award: Masters / MLitt, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma
• Start date: September 2025
• Duration: MLitt full-time: 12 months, MLitt part-time: 24 months
• Mode of study: full time, part time
• Delivery: on campus

Entry Requirements

Academic Requirements

• A minimum of a second-class honours degree (2:1 preferred) in a relevant subject or equivalent is required.
• If you don't have these formal qualifications, but have significant relevant work and life experience, we still encourage you to apply.

Creative Work Guidelines

• If you are choosing to study prose, we require up to ten pages (fiction or creative nonfiction).
• For poetry, we are looking for approximately eight poems.
• You can also send us half prose and half poetry as your sample.

Personal Statement

• The personal statement is an opportunity for you to share your background, experiences, and the types of contemporary literature that you like to read and which you aspire to write.

Other Routes of Entry

• If you don't currently meet our academic requirements, University of Stirling International Study Centre offers a variety of preparation programmes that can earn you the qualifications and skills you need to progress onto some of our courses.

International Entry Requirements

• View the entry requirements for your country.

English Language Requirements

• If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
  • IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.
  • Pearson Test of English (Academic) 60 overall with a minimum of 59 in each sub-skill.
  • IBT TOEFL 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.

Course Details

Modules

• The module information below provides an example of the types of course module you may study.
• Modules and start dates are regularly reviewed and may be subject to change in future years.

Teaching

• You'll take part in intensive writers' workshops, technique-focused modules, and have one-to-one tuition by the distinguished writers on staff.
• There's also intriguing visits from authors, book agents, publishers, poets, and others involved in the literary world.

Fieldwork

• Staff have strong links to local research and creative networks, including the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival, the Annual Charles Wallace India Trust, and the Booker Prize Foundation Universities Initiative, and students are encouraged to attend a wide range of literary-related events.

Assessment

• Assessment for each module you take will vary, but may include a critical essay, a journal, or a creative project.
• Assessment for the workshops will depend on the literary form you've chosen (e.g., prose or poetry), but will be based on reading journals and/or working notebooks, book reviews, and completed pieces of creative work.

Fees and Funding

Fees and Costs

• University of Stirling alumni will automatically be awarded a fee waiver for the first year of Masters studies through our Stirling Alumni Scholarship.
• Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland who hold a first-class honours degree or equivalent will automatically be awarded a £2,000 scholarship through our Postgraduate Merit Scholarship.

Scholarships and Funding

• If you have the talent, ability, and drive to study with us, we want to make sure you make the most of the opportunity – regardless of your financial circumstances.
• Learn more about available funding opportunities or use our scholarship finder to explore our range of scholarships.

Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loans

• Scottish students may be eligible to apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for loans of up to £11,500 to cover tuition fees and associated living costs.
• English students can apply for a loan of up to £12,167 each year as part of the Postgraduate Masters Loan Scheme.
• Welsh students can apply for financial support of up to £18,770 as a combination of grant and loan from Student Finance Wales.
• Northern Irish students can apply for a postgraduate tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 from Student Finance NI.

After You Graduate

Career Support

• Our Faculty of Arts and Humanities has a dedicated Employability and Skills Officer to guide your career path.
• The University's Careers Service works with academic staff to prepare you for the job market.

Career Opportunities

• A creative writing Masters opens doors across many fields.
• Graduates work in:
  • Publishing and editing
  • Television and media production
  • Marketing and public relations
  • Arts administration
  • Higher education
  • Literary agencies
  • Cultural organisations
  • Freelance writing and editing

Earning Potential

• Creative writing careers offer varied earning potential.
• UK salary data shows:
  • Public Relations Officers: £38,665 average
  • Professional Writers: £31,315 average
  • Publishing Editors: £35,000-£45,000
  • Content Strategists: £40,000-£60,000

Graduate Success Stories

• Our graduates have achieved notable success in publishing and media.
• Published authors include:
  • Graeme Armstrong (The Young Team)
  • Roseanne Watt (Moder Dy)
  • Ross Sayers (Mary's the Name)
  • Leonie Charlton ()
  • Sandy Winterbottom (The Two Headed Whale)
• Recent graduates work in key roles such as:
  • Script Editor
  • Journalist
  • Development Editor
  • Lead Bookseller
• Organisations where our graduates have gone on to work include:
  • STV Online
  • ITV Studios
  • Waterstones
  • Cambridge University Press