MSc in
MA Creative Writing
University of Surrey
Key Information
Campus location
Guildford, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 - 2 year
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 18,400 / per year **
Application deadline
Request info *
Earliest start date
Sep 2023
* Applications for September 2023 are still open for students who do not require a visa.
** full-time UK students: £8,200 | part-time UK students: £4,100; overseas students: £9,200
Introduction
Why choose this course
Surrey’s MA in Creative Writing is about more than just words. It’s a pathway to finding your own unique literary voice.
Drawing on the experience of our published writers and academics, you’ll engage with intriguing literary theories and writing techniques, and discover how to find your niche and engage with the publishing world. As part of our School of Literature and Languages, you’ll share ideas within a diverse, creative community and be able to attend a calendar of events that will broaden your thinking and develop your writing skills – this includes the annual Surrey New Writers’ Festival and Surrey Poetry Festival.
What you will study
Our MA in Creative Writing encourages lateral thought and will sharpen your research and writing abilities.
You may join us as a relatively new writer, who wants to experiment with a range of forms and discover your voice and genre. Alternatively, you may arrive with a more advanced project you want to develop further.
Either way, the extensive experience of our published writers and academics, including our Distinguished Writer-in-Residence and Poet in Residence, will help you hone your technical ability, and deepen your understanding of the cultural, literary, and theoretical history of text production. This course could be your stepping stone to a career in writing, communications, publishing, marketing, advertising, journalism, or teaching, or a gateway to PhD study.
Admissions
Curriculum
Academic year structure
Full-time: 1 year / Part-time: 2 years
Full-time students typically take four modules per semester, followed by a dissertation to be completed after the summer, over one calendar year. Part-time students typically take two modules per semester and then complete the dissertation during the summer period in their second year of study.
The compulsory modules (including Research and Writing Skills, 21st Century Literature: Forms, Modes, and Genres, and Creative Writing Workshop I & II), run alongside a range of options (which change from year to year and may include Screenwriting, Advanced Children’s Literature, Writing Gaming, and Textual Materialities).
Modules
The modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that modules may be subject to teaching availability, student demand, and/or class size caps.
The University operates a credit framework for all taught programs based on a 15-credit tariff. Modules can be either 15, 30, 45, 75 or 120 credits, and additionally for some masters dissertations, 90 credits.
The structure of our programs follows clear educational aims that are tailored to each program. These are all outlined in the programme specifications which include further details such as the learning outcomes:
Full-Time
Year - 1
- 21st-century Literary Studies: Theories, Methodologies, and Approaches
- Beyond Tolkien - Rewriting Fantasy
- Creative Writing Workshop
- Open Writing
- Queer Ecologies and Environmental Literature
- Research and Writing Skills
- The Age of Chivalry: Medieval and Early Modern Romance
- Travel Writing Past and Present: Themes, Forms, and Critical Perspectives
- Women Behind the Screen: Gender and Labour in Film
- Writing Gaming
- 21st-Century Forms and Genres
- Advanced Childrens Literature
- Advanced Screenwriting
- Building Stories- Methods and Materials of Contemporary Writing
- Creative Writing Workshop
- Medieval Women's Writing
- Mobilities of Nation and Empire: Victorian Literature 1850-1890
- Open Writing 2
- Translation for the Creative Industries
- Writing Shakespeare
- Creative Writing Portfolio
Part-Time
Year - 1
- 21st-century Literary Studies: Theories, Methodologies, and Approaches
- Beyond Tolkien - Rewriting Fantasy
- Creative Writing Workshop
- Open Writing
- Queer Ecologies and Environmental Literature
- Research and Writing Skills
- The Age of Chivalry: Medieval and Early Modern Romance
- Travel Writing Past and Present: Themes, Forms, and Critical Perspectives
- Women Behind the Screen: Gender and Labour in Film
- Writing Gaming
- 21st-Century Forms and Genres
- Advanced Childrens Literature
- Advanced Screenwriting
- Building Stories- Methods and Materials of Contemporary Writing
- Creative Writing Workshop
- Medieval Women's Writing
- Mobilities of Nation and Empire: Victorian Literature 1850-1890
- Open Writing 2
- Translation for the Creative Industries
- Writing Shakespeare
- Creative Writing Portfolio
Timetable
Course timetables are normally available one month before the start of the semester. We usually run the English Literature MA and Creative Writing MA modules on Mondays and Tuesdays, but please note that we cannot always guarantee this, and scheduled teaching can potentially take place on any day of the week (Monday – Friday). Please, therefore, check with academic staff before the beginning of the academic year. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities.
Scholarships and Funding
About the Discounts for Surrey Graduates 2023 entry
If you are a fully self-funded Home or International student who has studied for an undergraduate degree at the University of Surrey campus in Guildford, you may be eligible for a 20 percent discount on our taught postgraduate master program fees.
The discount applies to:
- September/October 2023 entrants
- February 2024 entrants
- February 2024 entrants. Note: If applicable master's programs are running with a February intake for the 2023/24 academic year.
- This scheme is only open to 2023 postgraduate taught entry students who are not in receipt of any external sponsorship.
Postgraduate Master's Loans
A Postgraduate Master’s Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate course.
What you'll get
You can get up to:
- £12,167 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2023
- £11,836 if your course started between 1 August 2022 and 31 July 2023
- £11,570 if your course started between 1 August 2021 and 31 July 2022
- £11,222 if your course started between 1 August 2020 and 31 July 2021
- £10,906 if your course started between 1 August 2019 and 31 July 2020
- £10,609 if your course started between 1 August 2018 and 31 July 2019
This loan is non-means tested, i.e. the amount you can request is not dependent on your or your family's income. Your loan can be used towards the cost of your course fees and living expenses.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you will need to meet a number of eligibility criteria set by the Government including residency, age, and course. See the full eligibility criteria.
Not all courses at the University of Surrey are eligible for postgraduate loan funding, for example, unstructured, part-time, or distance learning courses where the maximum period of registration is five years are not eligible.
Contact the Student Records team for more information on whether your course is eligible.
Repayment
You’ll repay your postgraduate loan using a percentage of your income. Once you are earning more than £21,000 a year (or £1,750 a month), you’ll pay six percent of the amount you earn above the £21,000 threshold.
You’ll be charged interest from the day you get the first payment.
Get more information on repaying your postgraduate loan.
How to apply
The quickest and easiest way to apply is through the Government's Postgraduate Master's Loans website.
Receiving your loan
To receive the first payment of your loan, you’ll need to have fully completed registration with the University (which includes part payment of tuition fees).
You get the first payment after your course start date, once your university or college confirms that you’ve registered.
There are specific rules around students who transfer or repeat the study and how this affects eligibility. For further information, please contact the Student Records team.
If you have been accepted for the Postgraduate Master's Loan, and are having difficulties in paying your fees before your first installment is due, please contact our Student Finance team once you’ve received a tuition fee invoice.
Please be aware this page is a summary correct as of January 2023. For full details, please visit the Government website.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
We offer career information, advice, and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University. Our graduates have lifetime access to Surrey Pathfinder, our online portal for appointment and event bookings, jobs, placements, and interactive development tools.
As an English literature or creative writing student, you’ll build a network of industry contacts by working alongside published writers and editors. Our courses are a stepping stone into a career in writing, communications, publishing, marketing, advertising, journalism, and teaching.
Some of our graduates have gone on to start their careers in the following roles:
- Content writer
- Editor
- Professional writer
- Publisher
- Journalist
- Technical writer.
Facilities
Student Testimonials
Pre-departure offer-holder webinars
These one-hour webinars will provide you with more information about the next steps in your journey to studying at Surrey.
English Language Requirements
Certify your English proficiency with the Duolingo English Test! The DET is a convenient, fast, and affordable online English test accepted by over 4,000 universities (like this one) around the world.