creative writing masters in europe

• Schools & departments

Creative Writing MSc

Awards: MSc

Study modes: Full-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Creative Writing

The community has been one of my favourite parts. The department has very warm and encouraging staff. Some of my classmates are now close friends, and we still workshop stories across time zones, and complain to each other about writing - and not writing! Bhavika Govil, prize-winning fiction writer MSc in Creative Writing, 2020

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Programme description

Based in the first UNESCO World City of Literature, this one-year, full-time taught Masters programme is tailored towards your practice in either fiction or poetry.

There is a strong practical element to the programme, helping you develop your creative skills through:

• presenting your work for peer discussion
• hearing from guest writers and other professionals on the practicalities of life as a writer

You will also sharpen your critical skills through:

• seminars exploring the particulars of your chosen form
• option courses in literature, helping you move from theoretical considerations to practical applications

The programme culminates with the publication of ‘From Arthur’s Seat,’ an anthology of student work.

Why Edinburgh

Literature has been taught here for over 250 years, and today Edinburgh thrives on its designation as the first UNESCO World City of Literature. The city is home to the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish Poetry Library, and a number of celebrated publishing outlets, from Canongate and Polygon, to Luath Press, Birlinn and Mariscat. The University hosts the prestigious James Tait Black Awards, established in 1919 and one of the oldest literary prizes in Britain.

There are lots of opportunities to write and share your work, from ‘The Student,’ the UK’s oldest student newspaper (founded in 1887 by Robert Louis Stevenson), to The Selkie, which was founded by Creative Writing students in 2018 to showcase work by people who self-identify as underrepresented.

Around the city, you will find:

• library readings and bookshop launches
• spoken word gigs
• cabaret nights
• poetry slams

Edinburgh isn’t just historic – it’s a modern hub for literature. That’s part of what makes the city great for writing.

Austin Crowley, MSc in Creative Writing, 2023

We team teach our programme so that you benefit from the input of a range of tutors, as well as your fellow students and our Writer in Residence, the poet and author Michael Pedersen, who also co-ordinates a range of student writing prizes and our annual industry and networking event.

The academic staff you will be working with are all active researchers or authors, including well-published and prize-winning writers of poetry, prose fiction and drama. They include:

• Dr Jane Alexander - Fiction
• Dr Lynda Clark
• Dr Patrick Errington - Poetry/Fiction
• Dr Miriam Gamble - Poetry
• Professor Alan Gillis - Poetry
• Dr Jane McKie - Poetry
• Dr Allyson Stack - Fiction
• Kim Sherwood - Fiction
• Alice Thompson - Fiction

Programme structure

Over the duration of the programme, you will:

• take two core courses, both worth 40 credits
• two optional courses chosen from a wide range of subjects, both worth 20 credits

The core activities in Creative Writing are:

• tutor-led workshops, in which you will present your work-in-progress and critique the work of your fellow students
• regular seminars exploring techniques and issues specific to your practice (either fiction or poetry) and the statements and theories of practitioners

Optional courses

We have a large number of option courses to choose from, including preferred courses for fiction and poetry (which will be offered to Creative Writing students in the first instance), and courses from across the Department of English Literature and the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures.

Visiting speakers

Throughout the programme, you will be expected to attend readings and talks by visiting speakers. Early on, these will be from published writers and, later, advisors from the writing business: literary agents, magazine editors and publishers.

Dissertation

The final element of the programme is your dissertation, a piece of creative writing (worth 60 credits) written with the advice and support of a designated supervisor.

Fiction dissertations are between 15,000 words and 20,000 words, and poetry dissertations between 25 and 30 pages.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

• identify, conceptualise and define formal elements of craft in your chosen field (poetry or fiction) within published works and within works by your peers
• remain open to criticism and respond effectively and creatively to feedback on your own creative work
• work from initial conception through multiple drafts to the final version of a creative piece within your chosen field (fiction or poetry)
• transfer editorial skills and creative abilities from one context to another
• analyse creative works within your chosen field (fiction or poetry), work with a focus on craft effectiveness, and articulate strengths and weaknesses in a piece of writing in a constructive manner

Career opportunities

Over the course of this programme, you will complete a body of creative work that has been rigorously peer reviewed.

Our students go on to careers in a wide variety of fields, including:

• arts administration
• web and audio book editing
• script and ghost writing
• gaming narrative design

Some decide to extend their studies and take a PhD with us.

Many of our alumni go on to achieve literary success, publishing novels and short story and poetry collections, and winning awards. Our graduates’ recent successes include:

debut novels from:

• Amanda Block (The Lost Storyteller, published by Hodder Studio)
• Karin Nordin (Where Ravens Roost, published by Harper Collins)
• Marielle Thompson (Where Ivy Dares to Grow, published by Kensington Books)
• August Thomas (Liar’s Candle, published by Simon and Schuster)
• Rosie Walker (Secrets of a Serial Killer, published by One More Chapter)
• Mark Wightman (Waking the Tiger, published by Hobeck Books and shortlisted for Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2021)

debut short story collections from:

• Dayle Furlong (Lake Effect, published by Cormorant Books)
• Dima Alzayat (Alligator and Other Stories, shortlisted for the James Tait Black Award for Fiction)
• a non-fiction debut from Sonali Misra (21 Fantastic Failures, published by Rupa Publications India)

debut poetry collections from:

• Rebecca Tamás (WITCH, published by Penned in the Margins)
• Naomi Morris (Hyperlove, published by Makina Books)
• Aileen Ballantyne (Taking Flight, published by Luath Press)
• the 2022 Edwin Morgan Poetry Award, won by Alyson Kissner
• the 2021 Brotherton Poetry Prize, won by Lauren Pope
• the 2021 Pontas & JJ Bola Emerging Writers Prize, won by Bhavika Govil

Meet our graduates

From Arthur’s Seat – stories from the heart of Edinburgh

Tim Tim Cheng

• Bhavika Govil
• Dima Alzayat

What's the best type of masters programme for you?

Entry requirements.

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in any discipline. This will often be in a directly related subject like English Literature/Creative Writing, but we welcome applicants from all academic backgrounds.

Applicants who are entered into selection will be asked to provide a sample of written work to enable their suitability for the programme to be assessed.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 62 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Scholarships and funding, featured funding.

If you are intending to study full time on this Creative Writing programme, you are eligible for a William Hunter Sharpe Memorial Scholarship which will contribute towards your tuition fees.

You do not need to apply for this scholarship – all eligible candidates who apply for the programme by Monday 6 May 2024 will be considered for them and contacted if successful.

• Find out more about the William Hunter Sharpe Memorial Scholarship and other scholarships in literatures, languages and cultures

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
• Contact: College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Admissions Office
• School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
• 50 George Square
• Central Campus
• Programme: Creative Writing
• School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

MSc Creative Writing - 1 Year (Full-time)

Application deadlines.

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Please be aware that applications must be submitted and complete, i.e. all required documents uploaded, by the relevant application deadline in order to be considered in that round. Your application will still be considered if you have not yet met the English language requirement for the programme.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2024/25:

(Revised 27 March 2024 to extend Round 3 application deadline)

• How to apply

You must submit one reference with your application.

The online application process involves the completion of a web form and the submission of supporting documents.

You should supply a portfolio of writing.

• For poetry, this should be six (6) pages of poetry, starting a new page for each new poem of 14 lines or over.
• For fiction, this should be a complete story or stories, or an equivalent amount from a longer work (between 2,500 and 3,500 words).

These are firm limits.

If you are undecided about whether to apply for fiction or poetry, you should send a sample of both, i.e. six (6) pages of poetry and 2,500-3,500 words of fiction (if offered a place it will be for one or the other).

Work in other forms (for example journalism, life writing or advertising) will not be considered.

Personal statement

When writing your personal statement, consider the following questions:

• What do you most hope to learn/gain from a Creative Writing degree, and why is ours the programme for you?
• Tell us about your writing: what are you interested in and why? Are there aspects of your current practice you're particularly proud of? Things you know you need to work on?

What (if any) prior experience do you have of studying Creative Writing?

Guidance on the application process and supporting documents

All supporting documents, including references, must be uploaded to the online application system by the deadline date.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

MSt in Creative Writing

• Entry requirements
• Funding and Costs

College preference

• How to Apply

About the course

The MSt in Creative Writing is a two-year, part-time master's degree course offering a unique combination of high contact hours, genre specialisation, and critical and creative breadth.

The emphasis of the course is cross-cultural and cross-genre, pointing up the needs and challenges of the contemporary writer who produces their creative work in the context of a global writerly and critical community.

The MSt offers a clustered learning format of five residences, two guided retreats and one research placement over two years. The research placement, a distinguishing feature of the course, provides between one and two weeks' in-house experience of writing in the real world.

The first year concentrates equally on prose fiction, poetry, dramatic writing and narrative non-fiction. There is a significant critical reading and analysis component, which is linked to the writerly considerations explored in each of the genres. In your second year you will specialise in one of the following:

• short fiction
• radio drama
• screenwriting
• stage drama
• narrative non-fiction.

The residences in particular offer an intensive workshop- and seminar-based forum for ideas exchange and for the opening up of creative and critical frameworks within which to develop writerly and analytical skills. There is a strong element of one-to-one tutorial teaching. Tutorials take place within residences and retreats, and relate to the on-going work produced for the course.

You will be assigned a supervisor who will work closely with you throughout the development of the year two final project and extended essay. All assessed work throughout the two years of the course is subject to one-to-one feedback and discussion with a tutor. This intensive, one-to-one input, combined with the highly interactive workshop and seminar sessions, is a distinguishing feature of the course.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department for Continuing Education and this role will usually be performed by the Course Director.

You will be allocated a supervisor to guide and advise you on your creative and critical work throughout the second year.

It is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Department for Continuing Education.

The MSt is assessed by coursework. In the first year, four assignments (two creative, two critical), one creative writing portfolio and one critical essay are submitted. Work is set during each residence and handed in for assessment before the next meeting. Feedback on work submitted is given during tutorials within the residence or retreat. In the second year, submissions comprise one research placement report, one extended critical essay, and a final project – a substantial body of creative work in the genre of choice. 

You will be set specific creative and critical work to be completed between residences and handed in to set deadlines. Creative submissions in the first year must be in more than one genre. In the second year, submitted work focuses around the genre of your choice.

Graduate destinations

Graduate destinations have included publishing creative work in a chosen field, careers in arts/media, and doctoral programmes in creative writing.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2024-25

Proven and potential academic excellence.

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a first-class or upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours  in a related field.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA normally sought is 3.6 out of 4.0.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience 

• Assessors are looking for writers with a proven record of commitment to their craft, whose work demonstrates significant creative promise. You should be a keen reader, and bring an open-minded, questioning approach to both reading and writing. You will not necessarily have yet achieved publication, but you will have written regularly and read widely over a sustained period. You will be keen to dedicate time and energy and staying-power to harnessing your talent, enlarging your skills, and aiming your writerly production at consistently professional standards. It is likely you will have a first degree, or equivalent, although in some cases other evidence of suitability may be acceptable.
• Applicants do not need to be previously published, but the MSt is unlikely to be suitable for those who are just starting out on their writerly and critical development.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's  higher level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides  further information about the English language test requirement .

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process.  

For those applying by the January deadline, interviews are generally held in February and March. For March applicants, interviews are generally held in March and April.

The decision to call an applicant for interview is based on the University Admission Board's assessment of your portfolio, statement of purpose, academic and professional track record and references. Interviews will be conducted in person or by telephone. All applicants whose paper submissions indicate they are qualified for entry will generally be interviewed, either in person or by telephone/Skype. There are always two interviewers. Interviews usually last up to approximately 30 minutes and provide an opportunity for the candidate to discuss his/her application and to explore the course in more detail.

The interview is designed to ascertain, through a range of questions, the shape and emphasis of the candidate's writing and reading, and general suitability for the demands of the MSt. 

How your application is assessed

Your application will be assessed purely on your proven and potential academic excellence and other entry requirements described under that heading.

References  and  supporting documents  submitted as part of your application, and your performance at interview (if interviews are held) will be considered as part of the assessment process. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.

An overview of the shortlisting and selection process is provided below. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide  more information about how applications are assessed . 

Shortlisting and selection

Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:

• socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of  the University’s pilot selection procedure  and for  scholarships aimed at under-represented groups ;
• country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
• protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.

Processing your data for shortlisting and selection

Information about  processing special category data for the purposes of positive action  and  using your data to assess your eligibility for funding , can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.

Admissions panels and assessors

All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).

Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:

• the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the  About  section of this page;
• the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
• minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.

Offer conditions for successful applications

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about offers and conditions . 

In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a  Financial Declaration  in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any  relevant, unspent criminal convictions  before you can take up a place at Oxford.

The department is committed to supporting you to pursue your academic goals. 

The Rewley House Continuing Education Library , one of the Bodleian Libraries, is situated in Rewley House. The department aims to support the wide variety of subjects covered by departmental courses at many academic levels. The department also has a collection of around 73,000 books together with periodicals. PCs in the library give access to the internet and the full range of electronic resources subscribed to by the University of Oxford. Wi-Fi is also available. The Jessop Reading Room adjoining the library is available for study. You will have access to the Central Bodleian and other Bodleian Libraries.

The department's Graduate School provides a stimulating and enriching learning and research environment for the department's graduate students, fostering intellectual and social interaction between graduates of different disciplines and professions from the UK and around the globe. The Graduate School will help you make the most of the wealth of resources and opportunities available, paying particular regard to the support and guidance needed if you are following a part-time graduate programme. The department’s graduate community comprises over 600 members following taught programmes and more than 70 undertaking doctoral research.

The department provides various IT facilities , including the Student Computing Facility which provides individual PCs for your use. Many of the department's courses are delivered through blended learning or have a website to support face-to-face study. In most cases, online support is delivered through a virtual learning environment. 

Depending on the programme you are taking with the department, you may require accommodation at some point in your student career. Rewley House is ideally located in central Oxford; the city's historic sites, colleges, museums, shops and restaurants are only a few minutes’ walk away. The department has 35 en-suite study bedrooms, all with high quality amenities, including internet access.

The Rewley House dining room has seating for up to 132 people. A full meal service is available daily. The department operates a Common Room with bar for students. 

Department for Continuing Education

The need for new learning opportunities throughout life is now recognised throughout society. An intensive, initial period of higher education is not always enough in times of rapid social, economic and technological change. The Department for Continuing Education is known worldwide as a leading provider of extended learning for professional and personal development.

The department provides high-quality, flexible, part-time graduate education, tailored for adults. Students can undertake graduate-level certificates, diplomas and taught master’s degrees in a wide range of subjects. Increasing numbers of courses are delivered in mixed mode, combining intensive periods of residence in Oxford with tutored online study.

The department recruits adult students of all ages on a regional, national and international level. Many courses are offered jointly with other academic departments around the University. Courses are offered in the following areas:

• Mathematical, physical and life sciences
• Medical and health sciences
• Social sciences .

All postgraduate students on the department's courses are members of its Graduate School. The Graduate School aims to provide a stimulating and enriching environment for learning and research. It also fosters intellectual and social interaction between students coming from different disciplines and professions. Interdisciplinary research seminars, training opportunities and other events are offered by the Graduate School in support of this goal.

All masters' and DPhil applicants are considered for Clarendon Scholarships . The department is committed to seeking scholarship support for other students wherever possible.

View all courses   View taught courses View research courses

The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships , if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential. 

For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.

Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:

Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the department's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2024-25

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.

Information about course fees

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding  section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility  and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

This course has residential sessions (residences and retreats) in Oxford. You will need to meet your travel costs in attending these sessions. The tuition fee includes the cost of board and lodging during the residences and retreats (eg for a four day residence, three nights accommodation will be provided). Further, as part of your course requirements, you will need to complete a research placement in the second year. For this placement you will need to meet your travel and accommodation costs, and any other incidental expenses. You may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses. Further information about departmental funding can be found on the department's website. Please check with your specific college for bursary or other funding possibilities.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.

If you are studying part-time your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you must still ensure that you will have sufficient funding to meet these costs for the duration of your course.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs). 

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief  introduction to the college system at Oxford  and our  advice about expressing a college preference . For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.

The following colleges accept students on the MSt in Creative Writing:

• Blackfriars
• Brasenose College
• Campion Hall
• Harris Manchester College
• Keble College
• Kellogg College
• Lady Margaret Hall
• Oriel College
• Regent's Park College
• St Catherine's College
• Somerville College
• Wadham College
• Wycliffe Hall

Before you apply

Our  guide to getting started  provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under a December or January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance . Check the deadlines on this page and the  information about deadlines and when to apply  in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £75 is payable per course application. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

• applicants from low-income countries;
• refugees and displaced persons; 
• UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 
• applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to  check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver  before you apply.

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

You do not need to make contact with the department before you apply but you are encouraged to visit the relevant departmental webpages to read any further information about your chosen course.

If you have any questions about the course, these should be directed to the course administrator via the contact details provided on this page.

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents . 

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Referees: Three overall, academic and/or professional

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

Your references will support your commitment to creative writing and suitability to pursue a course of this nature at graduate level. Both professional and academic references are acceptable.

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

A CV/résumé is compulsory for all applications. Most applicants choose to submit a document of one to two pages highlighting their academic and writerly achievements and any relevant professional experience.

Statement of purpose: A maximum of 750 words

The statement of purpose should contain sufficient detail to allow it to be assessed against the indicated criteria.

Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at Oxford, your relevant experience and education, and the specific areas that interest you and/or in which you intend to specialise.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

This will be assessed for:

• your reasons for applying
• evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
• the ability to present a reasoned case in English
• commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course
• capacity for sustained and intense work
• reasoning ability and quality of written expression
• capacity to address issues of writerly and critical significance.

Written work: A maximum of 2,000 words of prose fiction or narrative non-fiction or 10 short poems or 15 minutes of dramatic writing (stage, screen, radio or TV)

Your portfolio of creative writing for assessment can be in any of the four genres, or in more than one. It should be clearly indicative of your ability in creative writing.

This will be assessed for excellence in creative writing.

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please  refer to the requirements above  and  consult our Application Guide for advice . You'll find the answers to most common queries in our FAQs.

Application Guide   Apply

ADMISSION STATUS

Closed to applications for entry in 2024-25

Register to be notified via email when the next application cycle opens (for entry in 2025-26)

12:00 midday UK time on:

Friday 19 January 2024 Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships

Friday 1 March 2024 Applications may remain open after this deadline if places are still available - see below

A later deadline shown under 'Admission status' If places are still available,  applications may be accepted after 1 March . The 'Admissions status' (above) will provide notice of any later deadline.

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2021-22 to 2023-24)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the Department for Continuing Education

• Course page  and blog on  department website
• Funding information from the department
• Academic staff
• Departmental research
• Continuing Education Graduate School
• Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 280145

Application-process enquiries

See the application guide

Visa eligibility for part-time study

We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study on this course. Part-time students may be able to attend on a visitor visa for short blocks of time only (and leave after each visit) and will need to remain based outside the UK.

Alternatively, use our A–Z index

Attend an open day

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Discover more about this subject area

MA Creative Writing / Overview

Year of entry: 2024

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We normally expect students to have a First or Upper Second class honours degree or its overseas equivalent in a humanities-based subject area.

Full entry requirements

Course options

Course overview.

• Engage with writers, editors and agents.
• Become part of a network of esteemed alumni .
• Learn from a distinguished team that includes novelists Jeanette Winterson CBE, Ian McGuire, Kamila Shamsie, Beth Underdown, Honor Gavin and Luke Brown; poets John McAuliffe, Frances Leviston, Vona Groarke and Michael Schmidt; and non-fiction writers Ellah Wakatama and Horatio Clare.
• Discover the rich literary fabric of Manchester, a UNESCO City of Literature, through Literature Live, Manchester Literature Festival, The Manchester Review, the International Anthony Burgess Foundation and Manchester-based publishers.

Please enable JavaScript to watch this video.

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2024, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MA (full-time) UK students (per annum): £12,500 International, including EU, students (per annum): £26,000
• MA (part-time) UK students (per annum): £6,250 International, including EU, students (per annum): £13,000

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

Each year the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures offer a number of  School awards and  Subject-specific bursaries  (the values of which are usually set at Home/EU fees level), open to both Home/EU and international students. The deadline for these is early February each year. Details of all funding opportunities, including deadlines, eligibility and how to apply, can be found on the School's funding page  where you can also find details of the Government Postgraduate Loan Scheme.

See also the University's postgraduate funding database  to see if you are eligible for any other funding opportunities.

For University of Manchester graduates, the Manchester Alumni Bursary  offers a £3,000 reduction in tuition fees to University of Manchester alumni who achieved a 1st within the last three years and are progressing to a postgraduate taught masters course.

The Manchester Master's Bursary  is a University-wide scheme that offers 100 bursaries worth £3,000 in funding for students from underrepresented groups.

Contact details

See: About us

Courses in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

• English Literature, American Studies and Creative Writing

Regulated by the Office for Students

The University of Manchester is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS aims to help students succeed in Higher Education by ensuring they receive excellent information and guidance, get high quality education that prepares them for the future and by protecting their interests. More information can be found at the OfS website .

You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Manchester, including our Degree Regulations and Complaints Procedure, on our regulations website .

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Creative Writing - MA

Course details.

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Contact(s):

Read instructions on how to apply

Register your interest here for more information or to be notified when applications are open.

Brief Description

This programme is available full-time over one academic year or part-time over two years. It enables students to develop their Creative Writing skills through consideration of the work of established writers; through study of the many aspects of a piece of successful Creative Writing; through assignments that foster strategies for revision of work; and through an understanding of the requirements of the redrafting, submission and publication processes

The University of Limerick offers a Master of Arts in Creative Writing. Our Chair of Creative Writing is Prof Joseph O’Connor (author of nine novels including Ghost Light, The Thrill of it All, the million-selling Star of the Sea, and Shadowplay, winner of the Novel of the Year Award  at the 2019 Irish Book Awards, shortlisted for the UK's prestigious Costa Novel Award, 2020). Our outstanding teachers include twice Booker-Prize-longlisted Donal Ryan, (author of The Spinning Heart, From a Low and Quiet Sea and Strange Flowers), widely acclaimed Rob Doyle (Here Are the Young Men and This is the Ritual), and Irish Book Award nominee Prof Sarah Moore Fitzgerald (The Apple Tart of Hope and A Strange Kind of Brave), internationally published Young Adult author and lecturer on self-motivation for writers.

Our Creative Writing students enjoy teaching-visits and readings from outstanding contemporary authors. Visitors to UL Creative Writing have included Colum McCann, Anne Enright, Louise O’Neill, Claire Keegan, Melatu Uche Okorie, Colin Barrett, Anna Carey, Paul Lynch, Christine Dwyer Hickey, Sarah Davis-Goff, John Boyne, Kit de Waal, Kevin Barry, Mary O’Malley, Sara Baume, Liz Nugent, Marian Keyes, Sinead Gleeson, Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford and Laureate for Irish Fiction Sebastian Barry.

Students gain practical experience through working on our literary journal The Ogham Stone, through meeting publishers, editors and literary agents, and in the preparation of their dissertation portfolios.

For dissertation, recent students have offered work across a range of creative genres, from memoir to short stories, chapters of novels, collections of poems and song lyrics. Our Creative Writing student cohort is always diverse and has attracted students from the United States, Puerto Rico, Australia, Brazil, India, South Africa and the UK as well as wider Europe and Ireland. Mature students are always a welcome part of our MA class.

Local literary attractions include the Limerick Literary Weekend in Honour of Kate O’Brien; the Doolin Writers’ Weekend, the Eigse Michael Hartnett Poetry Arts and Literary Festival; Cuisle, the Limerick International Poetry Festival, the Ennis Book Clubs Festival, and the world-famous Listowel Writers' Week in north County Kerry.

Full time Programme:

Part time Programme:

How to Apply Applications are open for the MA in Creative Writing for Academic Year 2023/4. We do not operate a deadline; instead we close applications when the class is full. Generally we accept a maximum of 24 applicants. Many applicants for our Creative Writing MA have a first or second class Level 8 honours degree (NFQ or other internationally recognised equivalent) but application is open to everyone, including applicants who do not have a primary degree but have what might be considered equivalent experience, perhaps in the arts, publishing, bookselling, writing, creativity or some related activity. Please note, we always receive more applications than we have places to offer.

Applicants must accompany their formal online application with a 3,000 word sample of their creative writing (this can be one single piece or several pieces totalling 3,000 words) and a one-page letter setting out why they would like to work with us on our MA programme as opposed to the many other Creative Writing MA programmes now available.

Previous experience of Creative Writing workshops is helpful.

The Application Portfolio is assessed by a small committee of staff, who judge submissions on their originality, technique, and readability.  Please note that we are not in a position to offer feedback to applicants who are not offered a place.

Applicants must satisfy the English Language Requirements of the University. 

Visit www.ul.ie/graduateschool/prospective‐students for details.

Applications should be submitted online. Further details can be found here: www.ul.ie/graduateschool

Admission will also be based upon a piece or pieces of creative work up to 3000 words submitted by the student as part of the application process. This might be a novel extract, a short story, a set of poems or a screenplay. This creative work will be assessed by a small committee of staff, who will judge submissions on their originality, technique, and intellectual rigour.

What to include with your application

• Qualification transcripts and certificates
• Supporting Statement
• English language qualification if English is not your first language
• A copy of your birth certificate/passport
• If your qualifications have been obtained in a country where English is an official language this will suffice

If this is not available, the following additional documents must be provided: • English translation of your qualification(s)/transcripts AND • English language competency certificate

For more information  Click Here

EU - €4,328 per annum

Non- EU - €10,100 per annum

EU - €8,002

Non- EU - €18,800

Further information on fees and payment of fees is available from the Student Fees Office website. All fee related queries should be directed to the Student Fees Office (Phone: +353 61 213 007 or email [email protected]. )

Recent graduates of our Creative Writing MA have been published nationally and internationally and have won or been short-listed for major literary prizes, including the prestigious Hennessy New Writer of the Year Award, the RTE Francis McManus Award, the Listowel Writers’ Week Bryan MacMahon Short Story Award, the Arts Council Next Generation Award and the Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair Award

Pippa Slattery, MA Creative Writing 2020/21

“My confidence in my writing has also developed immensely. Because of the MA, I now feel like I’m on my way to becoming an author, not just a writer.”

William Keohane

“If you love writing, I would encourage you to pursue it. This MA is the perfect way to do that.”

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+353 (0)61 234377 University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

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Home > Postgraduate study > Postgraduate courses > Creative Writing MFA

Creative Writing MFA

Why choose this course.

The first Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in the UK, this course offers talented and aspiring writers the chance to refine their craft under the tutelage of acclaimed professionals and develop a unique combination of creative and practical skills on this course, in preparation for a career as a published writer.

You will learn in workshops, one-to-one or in small groups, with support from practising and published writers, and fellow students. Our award-winning former creative writing students include Booker-shortlisted Oyinkan Braithwaite, Joe Pierson, who won the Bridport Prize, Stefan Mohammed, awarded the Dylan Thomas Prize, Bafta-winner, Sarah Woolner, the acclaimed poet Dom Bury and celebrated novelist Faiqa Mansab.

Our external examiner has rated this course highly:

• 'This course has developed a strong identity in terms of encouraging students to fuse disparate, varied influences in their work.'
• 'I'm a fan of this course - well done!'

Curtis Brown Agent's Choice competition

All successful applicants who take up their place with us in September will be entered into our competition to have a consultation with Annabel White , an agent at top London literary agency Curtis Brown.

So make sure the creative work you submit with your application is your very best - it might win you a meeting with a literary agent.

Reasons to choose Kingston

• The Creative Writing MFA (Master of Fine Arts) is designed for serious writers who would like to build upon their publishing record or become a published writer.
• You will become part of Kingston's thriving community, with events such as readings, lectures from published authors, editors and agents, masterclasses and enriching discussions.
• You will have the opportunity to contribute to Kingston University's publication, Ripple, which includes fiction, poetry, reviews and creative non-fiction and is edited by students on the course.
• It uses a practical approach to develop your writing skills and is ideal if your writing is already of a good standard but you want to progress towards producing potentially publishable material.
• You also have the chance to learn more about professional elements of writing, such as working with agents/publishers and presenting proposals.
• You can enrol on the MFA at the beginning of your postgraduate degree at Kingston or after completing an MA in Creative Writing (or related subject).

The Art School Experience

As part of  Kingston School of Art , students on this course benefit from joining a creative community where collaborative working and critical practice are encouraged.

Our  workshops and studios  are open to all disciplines, enabling students and staff to work together, share ideas and explore multi-disciplinary making.

What our students say

In this video, one of our creative writing alumna and a current student discuss why they chose the course, what they enjoyed about it and why they'd recommend it to future applicants.

What you will study

You'll attend writing workshops; examine literary genre and texts; take a module designed to prepare you for the world of publishing; and write a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic of your choice in the first year of the course. In the second year you progress to smaller group writing workshops. The extensive one-to-one supervision for the dissertation leading to the MFA (no less than 40,000 words) will be provided by one of the course's permanent staff, one of our distinguished professors.

MFA students need to complete all four MA modules (120 credits) before they can progress to the MFA (second) year. The MFA dissertation has 120 credits. The option modules and dissertation give you the chance to further specialise and pursue an area of interest in depth.

Core modules

Mfa dissertation.

120 credits

This module provides students with one-to-one supervision over an extended period of time (approximately one year for full time students and two years for part time students). The module is assessed in two ways: firstly, by a creative dissertation of 40,000 words that may take the form of a single sustained piece of writing or a collection of pieces from a suitable range of genres; and secondly, by a critical reading log of approximately 4,500 words.

Special Study: Workshop in Popular Genre Writing

This module offers a regular and intensive review of your writing in one of the following genres: poetry, crime writing, prose fiction, biography, drama, scriptwriting or writing for children. You will be advised on how to strengthen your knowledge of the codes and conventions of your chosen genre to produce a substantial piece or collection of work that will reflect your knowledge of and engagement with your chosen genre. You will apply detailed feedback on your work to your writing as well as using your increased knowledge of your chosen genre to make your writing more effective. These elements will help you improve the key transferable skills of analysis and implementation that will feed forward into your dissertation module and into all analytical/practical tasks you subsequently undertake.

Writing the Contemporary

This module provides the opportunity to examine ways in which reading is essential to writing practice and teaches you to apply literary techniques and strategies from contemporary fiction, life writing and poetry texts to your own work. You will develop the concept of 'reading as a writer' in order to explore how contemporary concerns are brought to the fore by artistic strategies, and examine how an understanding of these can provide models for your own creative practice. You will submit work including a reflective reading journal as well as a creative piece in a genre of your choice.

Ten Critical Challenges for Creative Writers

The module is designed to introduce students to some issues of critical and literary theory. The module is also designed to make students more aware of how their work impacts upon wider literary, cultural, political and philosophical issues. Awareness of these theories and of some of the issues surrounding the production and reception of literary texts will stimulate them, encouraging creative and conceptual thinking.  The module will explore debates about literature and the practice of creative writing through readings of essays and texts that are relevant to criticism and theory.  The academic component of the assessment will support the creative work with the objective that students will also have to demonstrate critical, academic, analytical skills.

Writers' Workshop

In this module you will present and discuss your own and each other's work in a weekly workshop. The draft work presented may include several genres and forms, such as crime writing, fantasy fiction, children's literature, historical fiction, science fiction, romance and autobiography. Practical criticism of student writing will be accompanied by discussion of the scope or constraints of the various genres, as well as the implications of particular forms. Attention will be paid to the transferable components of good writing: appropriate use of language, narrative pace, dialogue, expression, characterisation and mood.

Entry requirements

Typical offer.

A 2:2 or above honours degree, or equivalent, in creative writing, English literature, literature and language, drama or theatre studies or a humanities subject.

International

All non-UK applicants must meet our English language requirements. For this course it is Academic IELTS of 6.5 overall, with 5.5 in all elements. Please make sure you read our full guidance about  English language requirements , which includes details of other qualifications we'll consider.

Applicants from one of the recognised  majority English speaking countries (MESCs)  do not need to meet these requirements.

Country-specific information

You will find more information on country specific entry requirements in the International section of our website.

Find your country:

• Middle East

Teaching and assessment

Book-length creative dissertation; critical reading log of approximately 4,500 words.

Guided independent study (self-managed time)

When not attending timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This typically involves reading and analysing articles, regulations, policy documents and key texts, documenting individual projects, preparing coursework assignments and completing your PEDRs, etc.

Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, the library and CANVAS, the University's online virtual learning platform.

Support for postgraduate students

At Kingston University, we know that postgraduate students have particular needs and therefore we have a range of support available to help you during your time here.

Your workload

Year 1: 7% of your time is spent in timetabled learning and teaching activity.

Contact hours may vary depending on your modules.

Type of learning and teaching

• Scheduled learning and teaching: 88 hours
• Guided independent study (self-managed time): 1112 hours

How you will be assessed

Assessment typically comprises exams (e.g. test or exam), practical (e.g. presentations, performance) and coursework (e.g. essays, reports, self-assessment, portfolios, dissertation).

The approximate percentage for how you will be assessed on this course is as follows, though depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose:

Type of assessment

• Coursework: 100%

The MFA dissertation is a 45,000-word creative project plus a 4,500-word critical essay.

Feedback summary

We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.

Class sizes

To give you an indication of class sizes, this course normally enrols 10-12 students and lecture sizes are normally 8-15. However, this can vary by module and academic year.

Who teaches this course?

As a student on this course, you will benefit from a lively study environment, thanks to the wide range of postgraduate courses on offer. The combination of academics and practitioners makes it a unique environment in which to further your studies and your career.

The University provides a vibrant and forward-thinking environment for study with:

• committed and enthusiastic staff – many of whom are published authors and expert practitioners as well as leading academics and researchers;
• courses designed in collaboration with industry professionals – keeping you up to date with the latest developments;
• established connections with the London arts and media scene – with a range of guest speakers, professors and lecturers visiting the University; and
• a range of opportunities to take part and attend author events, including readings, poetry festivals, industry masterclasses.

Postgraduate students may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader.

Dr James Miller

Course director.

Mr Oludiran Adebayo

Dr Adam Baron

Dr Martin Dines

Mr Steven J. Fowler

Dr Meg Jensen

Dr Wendy Vaizey

Fees for this course, 2024/25 fees for this course, home 2024/25.

• MFA full time £9,900
• MFA part time £5,445

International 2024/25

• MFA full time £16,900
• MFA part time £9,295

2023/24 fees for this course

Home 2023/24.

• MFA full time £9,860
• MFA part time £5,423

International 2023/24

• MFA full time £16,200
• MFA part time £8,910

Tuition fee information for future course years

This is a two year full time course with the published full time fee payable in each year of study.

If you start your second year straight after Year 1, you will pay the same fee for both years.

If you take a break before starting your second year, or if you repeat modules from Year 1 in Year 2, the fee for your second year may increase.

Postgraduate loans

If you are a UK student, resident in England and are aged under the age of 60, you will be able to apply for a loan to study for a postgraduate degree. For more information, read the postgraduate loan information on the government's website .

Scholarships and bursaries

Kingston University offers a range of postgraduate scholarships, including:

• Inspire the Future scholarship
• Postgraduate scholarships for international students

If you are an international student, find out more about  scholarships and bursaries .

We also offer the following discounts for Kingston University alumni:

• Alumni discount
• Progression Scholarship

Additional costs

Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs that are not covered by tuition fees which students will need to consider when planning their studies. Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessment and operating University facilities such as the library, access to shared IT equipment and other support services. Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

Where a course has additional expenses, we make every effort to highlight them. These may include optional field trips, materials (e.g. art, design, engineering), security checks such as DBS, uniforms, specialist clothing or professional memberships.

Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. You may prefer to buy your own copy of key textbooks, this can cost between £50 and £250 per year.

Computer equipment

There are open-access networked computers available across the University, plus laptops available to loan . You may find it useful to have your own PC, laptop or tablet which you can use around campus and in halls of residences. Free WiFi is available on each of the campuses. You may wish to purchase your own computer, which can cost £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.

Photocopying and printing

In the majority of cases written coursework can be submitted online. There may be instances when you will be required to submit work in a printed format. Printing, binding and photocopying costs are not included in your tuition fees, this may cost up to £100 per year.

Travel costs are not included in your tuition fees but we do have a free intersite bus service which links the campuses, Surbiton train station, Kingston upon Thames train station, Norbiton train station and halls of residence.

There is a wide range of facilities at our Penrhyn Road campus, where this course is based. You will have access to a modern environment with the latest equipment, including the Learning Resources Centre. This offers:

• subject libraries, plus a free inter-library loan scheme to other libraries in the Greater London area
• online database subscriptions
• a growing selection of resource materials.

The Iris Murdoch Archives

Kingston University has two major archives relating to Iris Murdoch, a significant philosopher and one of the 20th century's greatest novelists. These archives currently comprise:

• Iris Murdoch's Oxford library (more than 1,000 volumes, many of them heavily annotated by Murdoch)
• the papers, tapes, interviews and manuscripts collected by Peter Conradi, Iris Murdoch's official biographer and Murdoch scholar
• various letter runs and documents donated by well-wishers.

Resources in London

Kingston is just a 30-minute train journey from central London. Here you can access a wealth of additional libraries and archives, including the British Library.

After you graduate

Former graduates have achieved multi-book publishing deals or gone on to work in the publishing industry; others have progressed in careers in translating, writing, journalism, advertising and film.

Research areas

Research in English literature and creative writing at Kingston University covers the following areas:

• 19th and 20th century British and American fiction;
• fictions of globalisation;
• gothic writing;
• travel writing;
• narratives of slavery;
• women's writing from the 18th century to the present;
• New Woman and fin de siècle fictions;
• Shakespeare;
• literature of the English Reformation period;
• English women's religious poetry during the seventeenth century; and
• postcolonial studies.

It focuses around the following research initiatives:

• Centre for Iris Murdoch Studies – established in 2004 to oversee research on the Iris Murdoch archives acquired by Kingston University in 2003/04).
• Centre for Life Narratives – bringing together best practice from all genres of life narrative work.
• Cultural Histories at Kingston – centred around the concept of the 'cultural text', the group includes scholars from the fields of literature, film, media, history, music, dance, performance, and journalism.
• Writers' Centre Kingston – a literary cultural centre dedicated to creative writing in all its forms, with an annual programme of events, talks, workshops and festivals.
• Race/Gender Matters – captures and concentrates research on theoretical, critical and creative engagements with the materiality of race, gender and language.

We also hold regular seminars and host presentations by visiting speakers.

Course changes and regulations

The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course.  Course changes explained .

Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.

Regulations governing this course  can be found on our website.

Related courses

Creative Writing and Publishing MA

Creative Writing MA

Publishing MA

Secondary Teaching leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) PGCE English

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CONTACT: School of Adult and Graduate Education Blaney Hall 105 [email protected] 610-740-3770

Welcome to the Cedar Crest College Low-Residency Pan-European MFA in Creative Writing.

We’d like you to join us on a creative journey as you work toward the completion of your master’s degree and the creation of a publishable work of literature. Study fiction, poetry, nonfiction, travel writing, or a dual genre with award-winning faculty members in inspiring locations across Europe.

The Cedar Crest College Pan-European Creative Writing MFA program offers gifted students from around the world a unique opportunity to unite for three fifteen-day intensive workshops, held in European locations rich in culture and literary significance. The remainder of your studies will take place on your time and in your home, led by faculty members and supported by an international community of students.

Our residencies rotate between Dublin, Ireland; Barcelona, Spain; and Vienna, Austria, with new locations to be offered in the future. The residencies take place during the first two weeks of July.

Wherever you live, wherever you write, you become part of a vibrant literary community when you join the Pan-European MFA program. We look forward to meeting you, working with you, and guiding you toward publication.

Request More Information

“A book is simply the container of an idea—like a bottle; what is inside the book is what matters.” - Angela Carter

“The writer is an explorer. Every step is an advance into a new land.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A word after a word after a word is power.” - Margaret Atwood

Learn More:The MFA Experience

“Going to different cities and being able to write about those experiences has been invaluable to me.” - Angela Griffin ‘15

“I’ve worked with amazing professors who have said go deeper, go further, explore this more, and who have been encouraging throughout this course.” - Uma Mishra ‘15

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• Creative Writing Doctor of Philosophy - PhD MA

Bangor University School of English Literature

• Creative Writing MA Postgraduate Diploma - PgDip

Bangor University School of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics

• Creative and Critical Writing Doctor of Philosophy - PhD Master of Philosophy - MPhil

Bangor University School of Music and Media

• Creative Practice Master of Research - MRes
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• Professional Writing, Film, Media, New Media, Journalism, Creative Studies, Drama, Professional Writing Doctor of Philosophy - PhD Master of Philosophy - MPhil

Bath Spa University School of Creative Industries

• Creative Writing MA
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Bath Spa University School of Writing, Publishing and the Humanities

• Children's Publishing MA
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Birkbeck, University of London School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication

• Creative Writing and Contemporary Studies MA
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• Text and Performance MA

University of Birmingham Department of Film and Creative Writing

• Creative Writing Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

University of Birmingham School of English, Drama, and Creative Studies

Bournemouth university department of communication and journalism.

• Creative Writing and Publishing MA

University of Brighton School of Humanities and Social Science

Canterbury Christ Church University School of Humanities

Cardiff University School of English, Communication and Philosophy

University of chichester humanities - english and creative writing.

• English and Creative Writing (Including Literature) Doctor of Philosophy - PhD Master of Philosophy - MPhil

City, University of London Department of English

• Creative Writing MA Master of Fine Arts - MFA (PG)

City, University of London School of Communication and Creativity

University for the creative arts school of fine art, crafts and photography.

• Art Writing (with Integrated International Pre-Masters) MA
• Art Writing (with Integrated Pre-Masters) MA

De Montfort University Arts, Design and Humanities

University of Derby Humanities

University College Dublin UCD School of English, Drama and Film

• Creative Writing MA MFA
• Writing for Stage & Screen MA

Durham University English Studies

University of East Anglia UEA School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing

• Creative Writing (Non-Fiction) MA
• Creative Writing Crime Fiction MA
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The University of Edinburgh School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

• Creative Writing Doctor of Philosophy - PhD MSc

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56 Best universities for Creative Writing in Germany

Updated: February 29, 2024

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• Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Mathematics

Below is a list of best universities in Germany ranked based on their research performance in Creative Writing. A graph of 62K citations received by 9K academic papers made by 56 universities in Germany was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

1. Free University of Berlin

For Creative Writing

2. Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main

3. University of Munich

4. Heidelberg University - Germany

5. Humboldt University of Berlin

6. University of Cologne

7. University of Hamburg

8. University of Freiburg

9. Saarland University

10. University of Bremen

11. University of Tubingen

12. University of Gottingen

13. Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

14. University of Leipzig

15. University of Munster

16. University of Konstanz

17. University of Bonn

18. University of Bielefeld

19. University of Erfurt

20. University of Duisburg - Essen

21. University of Marburg

22. Ruhr University Bochum

23. University of Trier

24. University of Potsdam

25. University of Stuttgart

26. University of Wurzburg

27. University of Augsburg

28. University of Giessen

29. Heinrich Heine University of Dusseldorf

30. Dresden University of Technology

31. University of Bayreuth

32. University of Erlangen Nuremberg

33. University of Siegen

34. Kiel University

35. RWTH Aachen University

36. TU Dortmund University

37. Technical University of Munich

38. Friedrich Schiller University of Jena

39. University of Wuppertal

40. University of Regensburg

41. University of Kassel

42. Technical University of Berlin

43. Osnabruck University

44. Darmstadt University of Technology

45. University of Mannheim

46. University of Bamberg

47. Braunschweig University of Technology

48. Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg

49. Leuphana University of Luneburg

50. Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg

51. University of Passau

52. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

53. Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg

54. University of Paderborn

55. Leibniz University of Hanover

56. University of Rostock

The best cities to study Creative Writing in Germany based on the number of universities and their ranks are Berlin , Frankfurt , Munich , and Heidelberg .

Art & Design subfields in Germany

The 2025-26 Competition is now open. Applications must be submitted by the national deadline of October 8, 2024 at 5pm ET.

Current U.S. Student

United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply.If you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a U.S. college or university, you will apply through that institution, even if you are not currently a resident there. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus.

U.S. Citizen but not a Student

If you are a U.S. citizen, will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and do not have a Ph.D. degree, then you are eligible to apply. Non-enrolled applicants should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Candidates with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program .

The Getting Started page will provide information on eligibility and next steps.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program .

Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.

U.S. Professor/Administrator

If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor or administrator at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award, you will need to apply through fulbrightscholars.org .

To support your students in applying for a U.S. Student Program award, please connect with the Fulbright Program Adviser at your institution.

Non U.S. Citizens

If you are a non-U.S. citizen interested in applying for a Fulbright Award to the United States, you will need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program or Fulbright Foreign Student Program .

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1 Fulbright/University College Cork Masters in Creative Writing Award

Specialized grant types, fulbright graduate degree grants, award profile.

Grantee may pursue a taught Masters in Creative Writing at  University College Cork  which was established in 1845 as one of three Queen’s Colleges at Cork, Galway and Belfast.  Located on a beautiful, historic campus, University College Cork has grown from 115 students to over 20,000, from one building to dozens, from less than 20 staff to more than 1,600 today. The  MA in Creative Writing at University College Cork  encourages students to be curious about literature, to pursue creative excellence and to develop their writing in a university atmosphere. The course as a whole encourages and supports a full exploration of the creative self while also maintaining a strong vocational emphasis including professional placements. All of University College Cork’s courses are embedded in Cork’s dynamic creative milieu, rooted in expert practice and taught by highly accomplished professionals. A rich variety of modules are available, including Fiction, Poetry and Life Writing.

Grant Length

Grant period.

Commencing in September 2025.

Orientation

Orientation typically takes place in October once the majority of grantees are in-country.

Candidate Profile

The Commission is seeking applicants who:

• Possess excellence (academically, personally, professionally, creatively);
• Demonstrate leadership experience, attributes and, or potential;
• Outline a strong rationale and feasible methodology for pursuing a degree in University College Cork that indicates how a Fulbright to Ireland fits into their longer term goals;
• Demonstrate the benefit of becoming a Fulbrighter; to themselves (personally and professionally), to their discipline, to society, to Ireland, to the Fulbright Program / Commission and to the US when they return;
• Extend themselves beyond their project / studies to become actively involved in Irish society and the work of the Fulbright Commission.  The Commission is keen to support projects that brings awardees into contact with a wide range of stakeholders, particularly outside of academia, to maximize their academic / cultural exchange experience and to raise awareness of the Fulbright Program in Ireland.

University College Cork will consider applications from graduates of all disciplines. Applicants are expected to have a cumulative GPA of 3.2.  Applicants with relevant writing or arts experience (e.g. working in publishing, journalism or arts administration) are also invited to apply. All applicants will be asked to submit a piece of creative writing of 1000 words (any genre).

What is life like for Fulbrighters in the host country?

Ireland is a friendly, engaging and vibrant country with centuries of U.S. interaction as part of its DNA. As an increasingly diverse society with a highly educated workforce, competitive educational system and millennia of culture, it is a popular choice for U.S. Student applicants.

Higher education in Ireland is provided by 12 universities, 2 Institutes of Technology, and a number of specialist colleges in art, business, law, music, medicine and theology. There are also a significant number of well-funded research centres and cultural institutions that may be considered as host options.

Irish colleges typically operate on a two-semester academic year: September to December and January to May. Further information on higher education in Ireland can be found  here .

Most Higher Education Institutions are supported by the Irish government. For example, universities and Institutes of technology receive more than 90 percent of their income from the state. The Irish government has invested 2.5 billion euro establishing advanced centres of research, and world-class research facilities and programs that are an attractive destination for international exchange visitors.

Fulbright Alumni cite the following advantages associated with coming to Ireland: English-speaking; very welcoming; family-friendly; safe; intellectually challenging; culturally rich and diverse; and accessible. Please see the Commission’s  Coming to Ireland page  for more information and resources. Helpful advice on living and studying in Ireland can also be found on the official website of the Government of Ireland here .

Please contact the Fulbright Commission in Ireland via email at [email protected]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSqPQGZKWc0 – Irish Fulbright Commission

For further information on Fulbright Alumni, please see the Alumni Directory here . A complete list of Fulbright Campus Ambassadors is also available to search and view.

Eligibility

Degree level of applicant, foreign language proficiency, fulbright proposal types, affiliation.

Letter not required at deadline. Applicants will need to apply for admission to the Masters in Creative Writing as per University College Cork’s admissions procedures . Applicants are expected to have proof of acceptance onto the Masters in Creative Writing programme if offered a Fulbright award. The Fulbright Commission can assist with / advise on this process but applicants should make initial enquiries with the Director of Creative Writing, Dr Eibhear Walshe, email:  [email protected] prior to contacting the Commission.

Affiliation Fees/Tuition

Award benefits.

• A stipend broadly based on the cost of living in the host country. These funds may be used by the grantee to support housing, meals, and incidental costs during the grant period.
• International travel benefits
• Accident & sickness health benefits
• 24/7 mental health support line for urgent and non-urgent situations
• 12 months of non-competitive eligibility (NCE) hiring status within the federal government

Stipend Amount This is an estimated amount and is subject to change. The financial terms of the grant will be confirmed in the grant document issued after selection.

Estimated cost of living consider using cost of living comparison websites to gain a better understanding of the potential costs in your host country..

The estimated monthly cost of living is €1750 to €2000.

Dependents are not permitted to accompany applicants on grant.

Fulbright Program Management Contact

Fulbright commission/u.s. embassy website, fulbright commission/u.s. embassy contact, additional online resources.

NAWE Virtual Conference 2024 | Call for submissions

The deadline for proposals is Friday 31 May 2024 with selection being made by 30 June 2024, and notifications being sent out by Friday 12 July 2024. Non-members may also participate

Symposium on Words, Music and Silence: Call for papers

A Symposium is being held on Friday 28th June, 2024 at Bournemouth University (BH12 5BB) organised by the Literature and Music Research Group at The Open University, in partnership with University Music Bournemouth. The day will conclude with a lecture recital exploring words, music, silence and disability given by the concert pianist Duncan Honeybourne, whose career has been shaped by his autism

VIII Premium Virtual Edition | A sense of place

From the 16th to the 18th of April, 2024, the EACWP launches the VIII Premium Virtual Edition of its European Course for Teachers of Creative Writing. Worldwide participants are welcome to join us. Enrollments are already open until April, 10th, 2024

VII Flash Fiction Contest | Deadline extended!

The competition has been extended up to April, 8th (2024)

L’Inventoire | Poetry Contest in French

Our partners from Aleph-Écriture & its literary magazine L’Inventoire open up this poetry contest in partnership with the publisher la Boucherie littéraire. The deadline for participants is April 4 (2024). Texts must be submitted before 18.00 around the writing topic “Nuit(s).” You may find here all the relevant info + requirements in French

The EACWP Flash Fiction Contest | VII Edition

The contest will run from February, 15 to April, 1st (2024)

© 2024 EACWP

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52 Master Degrees in Humanities Studies Composition Studies Creative Writing in Europe for 2024

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Master Degrees in Humanities Studies Composition Studies Creative Writing

Many creative writing programs supplement classroom instruction with interactive hands-on events, so students can see writing in action. Students are encouraged to attend theater performances, poetry readings, film screenings and prose performances throughout the surrounding community.

In all, there are over 4000 Higher Education Institutions in Europe offering a wide range of courses at Bachelor, Masters and Doctorate level. With more and more of these organizations offering English as the language of education for at least some of their degree programs, universities in Europe are now of higher quality than ever before. Universities in Europe offer a friendly welcome to foreign students and to give a course of knowledge that meets their profession needs in today’s global demand.

A masters is earned after students complete an undergraduate degree program. To obtain a masters, you usually need to complete 12 to 18 college courses that often involve completing comprehensive tests and/or a thesis.

Creative Writing Program Marks Three Decades of Growth, Diversity

By Luisa A. Igloria

2024: a milestone year which marks the 30 th  anniversary of Old Dominion University’s MFA Creative Writing Program. Its origins can be said to go back to April 1978, when the English Department’s (now Professor Emeritus, retired) Phil Raisor organized the first “Poetry Jam,” in collaboration with Pulitzer prize-winning poet W.D. Snodgrass (then a visiting poet at ODU). Raisor describes this period as “ a heady time .” Not many realize that from 1978 to 1994, ODU was also the home of AWP (the Association of Writers and Writing Programs) until it moved to George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

The two-day celebration that was “Poetry Jam” has evolved into the annual ODU Literary Festival, a week-long affair at the beginning of October bringing writers of local, national, and international reputation to campus. The ODU Literary Festival is among the longest continuously running literary festivals nationwide. It has featured Rita Dove, Maxine Hong Kingston, Susan Sontag, Edward Albee, John McPhee, Tim O’Brien, Joy Harjo, Dorothy Allison, Billy Collins, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sabina Murray, Jane Hirshfield, Brian Turner, S.A. Cosby, Nicole Sealey, Franny Choi, Ross Gay, Adrian Matejka, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Ilya Kaminsky, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Jose Olivarez, and Ocean Vuong, among a roster of other luminaries. MFA alumni who have gone on to publish books have also regularly been invited to read.

From an initial cohort of 12 students and three creative writing professors, ODU’s MFA Creative Writing Program has grown to anywhere between 25 to 33 talented students per year. Currently they work with a five-member core faculty (Kent Wascom, John McManus, and Jane Alberdeston in fiction; and Luisa A. Igloria and Marianne L. Chan in poetry). Award-winning writers who made up part of original teaching faculty along with Raisor (but are now also either retired or relocated) are legends in their own right—Toi Derricotte, Tony Ardizzone, Janet Peery, Scott Cairns, Sheri Reynolds, Tim Seibles, and Michael Pearson. Other faculty that ODU’s MFA Creative Writing Program was privileged to briefly have in its ranks include Molly McCully Brown and Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley.

"What we’ve also found to be consistently true is how collegial this program is — with a lively and supportive cohort, and friendships that last beyond time spent here." — Luisa A. Igloria, Louis I. Jaffe Endowed Professor & University Professor of English and Creative Writing at Old Dominion University

Our student body is diverse — from all over the country as well as from closer by. Over the last ten years, we’ve also seen an increase in the number of international students who are drawn to what our program has to offer: an exciting three-year curriculum of workshops, literature, literary publishing, and critical studies; as well as opportunities to teach in the classroom, tutor in the University’s Writing Center, coordinate the student reading series and the Writers in Community outreach program, and produce the student-led literary journal  Barely South Review . The third year gives our students more time to immerse themselves in the completion of a book-ready creative thesis. And our students’ successes have been nothing but amazing. They’ve published with some of the best (many while still in the program), won important prizes, moved into tenured academic positions, and been published in global languages. What we’ve also found to be consistently true is how collegial this program is — with a lively and supportive cohort, and friendships that last beyond time spent here.

Our themed studio workshops are now offered as hybrid/cross genre experiences. My colleagues teach workshops in horror, speculative and experimental fiction, poetry of place, poetry and the archive — these give our students so many more options for honing their skills. And we continue to explore ways to collaborate with other programs and units of the university. One of my cornerstone projects during my term as 20 th  Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth was the creation of a Virginia Poets Database, which is not only supported by the University through the Perry Library’s Digital Commons, but also by the MFA Program in the form of an assistantship for one of our students. With the awareness of ODU’s new integration with Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and its impact on other programs, I was inspired to design and pilot a new 700-level seminar on “Writing the Body Fantastic: Exploring Metaphors of Human Corporeality.” In the fall of 2024, I look forward to a themed graduate workshop on “Writing (in) the Anthropocene,” where my students and I will explore the subject of climate precarity and how we can respond in our own work.

Even as the University and wider community go through shifts and change through time, the MFA program has grown with resilience and grace. Once, during the six years (2009-15) that I directed the MFA Program, a State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) university-wide review amended the guidelines for what kind of graduate student would be allowed to teach classes (only those who had  already  earned 18 or more graduate credits). Thus, two of our first-year MFA students at that time had to be given another assignment for their Teaching Assistantships. I thought of  AWP’s hallmarks of an effective MFA program , which lists the provision of editorial and publishing experience to its students through an affiliated magazine or press — and immediately sought department and upper administration support for creating a literary journal. This is what led to the creation of our biannual  Barely South Review  in 2009.

In 2010,  HuffPost  and  Poets & Writers  listed us among “ The Top 25 Underrated Creative Writing MFA Programs ” (better underrated than overrated, right?) — and while our MFA Creative Writing Program might be smaller than others, we do grow good writers here. When I joined the faculty in 1998, I was excited by the high caliber of both faculty and students. Twenty-five years later, I remain just as if not more excited, and look forward to all the that awaits us in our continued growth.

This essay was originally published in the Spring 2024 edition of Barely South Review , ODU’s student-led literary journal. The University’s growing MFA in Creative Writing program connects students with a seven-member creative writing faculty in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.

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Webster University Celebrates Student Writing Excellence

May 16, 2024

• undergraduate
• academic resource center

On April 25, Webster University honored freshman student writers at its Julian Schuster Writing Awards Ceremony. The event recognized outstanding academic and creative writing pieces nominated by faculty across Webster’s campuses around the world.  

The Julian Schuster Writing Awards, formerly the Freshman Writing Awards, is an annual event open to students from all Webster University campuses which began in 2006. The awards underwent a name change in 2024, as Webster University President Julian Z. Schuster increased his sponsorship to fund the initiative. All courses, disciplines, assignments, genres and styles are eligible for submission. 

In total, 61 nominated pieces were submitted this year from students across Webster's global campuses. Winners of the Julian Schuster Writing Award received an educational grant of $200 for first place, $150 for second place and $100 for third place in both academic and creative categories. 

This year's winners displayed both skill and creativity in their nominated works. Jayne Herter took home the first-place award in the academic category for her insightful analysis titled "Juul Kraijer's Woman and I: A Mirror." Her piece was written as part of a global cornerstone seminar with instructor Mary Baken.  

“Kraijer’s woman isn’t helpless, nor stagnant, but a metamorphosis,” Herter shared when asked about the piece. “In her I can see that, and in myself.” 

Nelly Hashemi earned second place in the academic category for her probing essay "Unravelling Austria's Environmental Façade," written in an environmental ethics course with Ryan Crawford. Hashemi's work provided a critical look at Austria's sustainability practices and contradictions. 

“In my investigation of the environmental, ecological and Anthropocene debates in Austria, I attempted to uncover the complexities of the country's professed environmental consciousness,” shared Hashemi. “While Austria may portray an image of environmental stewardship, my study goes into the finer details, revealing the disparity between reality and what is perceived. By examining the naturalized mindset surrounding excessive consumption and the rise of consumer society, I hope to shed light on the critical need to reveal Austria's genuine environmental landscape. My writing seeks to be an impetus for a more multifaceted understanding, transcending conventional tales and contributing to a more robust conversation around sustainability.” 

The third-place academic winner was Olly Persoon for the piece "Untitled (Analysis on Portrait of Ross in L.A.),” which was also written as part of Baken's global cornerstone seminar. Persoon’s work was cited as being insightful and wise by the writing award judges. 

On the creative writing side, Andy Castello took first place for the evocative poem "Eye to Eye," which drew inspiration from perspectives explored in Kim Kleinman's global cornerstone seminar. Castello’s sonnet calls attention to the beauty and interconnectedness of the world – encouraging the reader to make eye contact with a potato, observing life inside one of its many eyes.  

Second place for creative writing went to Kaitlyn El-Sheikh for her piece "Decaying,” which was written as part of Mary Baken's introduction to creative writing course.  

“This piece is about the experience of losing my grandpa to pancreatic cancer,” explained El-Sheikh. “I’m honored to be able to share his story with everyone! He was a very talented and hardworking man with all the knowledge in the world. I know he would be proud that I took this moment in our lives and turned it into something good.” 

Rounding out the creative writing winners was Megan Meade with her personal narrative, "My Dynamic Journey to a Relationship with Nature." Meade wrote the piece as part of Corin Pursell's Introduction to Sustainability course and took third place in the creative writing category.  

Semi-finalists who were also recognized at the ceremony included Octave Brun, Shelby Ilko, Muslima Murodjonova and group, Parker Murrow, Styx Nappier and Veronika Tomchani. 

Special thanks to this year’s judges:   Carolyn I. Brown - Assistant Director, Reeg ARC, Webster Groves   Shokhsanam Djalilova - ESL and GCP Program Lead, Tashkent  Kim Kleinman – Special Assistant to the Director, Gleich Honors College, Webster Groves   Ralph Olliges - Chair, Graduate Department of Education, Webster Groves   Carolyn Trachtova - ESL Program Director, Webster Groves   Kwan Willhoft - Head Writing Coach, Reeg ARC, Webster Groves 

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Meet Jongkwan Yun: From South Korea to Iowa, gaining real-world experience in sport management

Jongkwan Yun is a senior at the University of Iowa (UI) majoring in sport and recreation management with a concentration area in communications public relations/journalism, while minoring in news and media literacy. Yun's interest in sports began as a ski instructor at Konjiam Resort in South Korea. When he was a student in sports management at a Korean college, he had a chance to study abroad in Canada and intern at IFung Sports Management, a Canadian soccer agency . These experiences led him to transfer to Iowa to further his undergraduate studies and gain work experience.  

“I was accepted to several colleges in the U.S. when I was looking to transfer, and the two biggest reasons I chose Iowa were credit recognition and field experience classes,” reflected Yun. “I chose my concentration area and minor because there is an unofficial saying in sport management: ‘A minor is mandatory, double major is optional.’ Also, Iowa ranks high in journalism.”

"Embrace the challenge! It is okay to get hit a lot and get hurt a lot — we are students at Iowa, where we have the support and resources to help us get back up if we fall."

Internship at the Iowa Cubs

After gaining hands-on field experience from the UI Athletic Department Fans First, Yun is currently interning in the operations and promotions department of the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, through curricular practical training (CPT). “The help from UI International Student and Scholar Services and Professor Anna Jensen, director of Office of Field Experience in sport and recreation management, was invaluable when getting a full-time CPT,” shared Yun, who is a recipient of the 2024 UI International Student Graduation Most Unique CPT Award.  

Future career aspirations

Looking ahead, Yun aims to land a position with a major South Korean company later this year, like Hyundai or CJ CheilJedang, both of which have a sport management and marketing department. If that does not work out, he plans to use Optional Practical Training (OPT) to work for a Major League team in the U.S. before returning to South Korea to work in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).  

Advice for international students

Yun suggested, “Take advantage of CPT and OPT opportunities. Many things can be learned through classes at school, but I think more things can be learned in the field while working.” Emphasizing his practical approach, he added, “It’s better to draw your dreams through one experience rather than through many contemplations.”

Yun’s closing message is a note of self-reflection and encouragement to fellow international students: Embrace the challenge! It is okay to get hit a lot and get hurt a lot — we are students at Iowa, where we have the support and resources to help us get back up if we fall. 

learn more about cpt and opt

International Programs  (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement.  IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.

• International Student Graduation Celebration
• international students and scholars

International Programs at the University of Iowa supports the right of all individuals to live freely and to live in peace. We condemn all acts of violence based on race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, and perceived national or cultural origin. In affirming its commitment to human dignity, International Programs strongly upholds the values expressed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights .