Short fiction, the novel, poetry, plays and screenplays: define and refine your chosen genre at the University of Birmingham, and explore genres that are new to your writing experience.
If you are a graduate with considerable experience in writing creatively and wish to proceed to a career or further study in this area, then our innovative MA in Creative Writing is for you.
The programme will allow you to develop your own work, your own voice and your own ideas with dedicated workshop time and opportunities to give and receive feedback to and from your peers. You will also benefit from professional skills training to prepare you for your encounters with the writing industry, with insights from industry professionals such as editors and publishers.
The programme brings together students who work across different genres so that you can engage collaboratively across genres before specialising in screenwriting, playwriting, prose fiction or poetry for your dissertation.
Why study this course?
Breadth and depth of study – at Birmingham we focus on the craft of writing and editing, combining academic with creative skills, and an artistic focus with industry insights.
Learn from our permanent staff of published authors - Elsa Braekkan Payne, an expert in the short story who also has particular interests in editing; Luke Kennard, a poet and novelist whose criticism appears in Poetry London and The Times Literary Supplement; Richard House, fiction and screenwriter, long-listed for the Man Booker Prize; Anna Metcalfe, a short story writer and novelist whose work has been shortlisted for the Sunday Times Short Story Award; Dan Vyleta, an award-winning, bestselling novelist; Isabel Galleymore, an award-winning poet; and the best-selling novelist Ruth Gilligan.
Opportunities for experimentation – the course combines focused modules with the opportunity to develop your own work through independent study.
Join a lively and supportive writing community – we encourage our students to be active within the university and the broader community, and to participate in readings, festivals, and events, both regionally and nationally. For example, the Creative Writing Societies provide an energetic and talented scene in which to write. There are regular events, readings, poetry slams and student publications.
Links within the West Midlands – the Department has links to the award-winning local press Tindal Street and the boutique poetry pamphlet publishers Nine Arches Press. Each year there are visiting lectures from writers, publishers and editors.
The postgraduate experience
The College of Arts and Law offers excellent support to its postgraduates, from libraries and research spaces to careers support and funding opportunities.