Creative Writing MA (Distance Learning)

Program Overview

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Taught by published authors, the program emphasizes collaborative learning, critical practice, and industry connections. Students can specialize in a chosen genre and produce a substantial creative dissertation, preparing them for careers in publishing, editing, journalism, and freelance writing.

Program Outline

The Creative Writing MA (Distance Learning) offers a dynamic writing environment for students who want to develop their creative writing skills without relocating or giving up current commitments.

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Objectives:

• Develop the craft of creative writing, either on a general level or through specialising in a chosen genre.
• Study critical theory and experimental/avant-garde writing.

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Program Description:

• Taught by practising and published writers.
• Students learn in workshops, one-to-one, or in small groups.
• The program emphasizes collaborative working and critical practice.
• Students benefit from access to workshops and studios open to all disciplines.

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Outline:

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Program Content:

• The Writers' Workshop module encourages students to develop their writing "voice" through engagement with fellow students across a range of genres (fiction or creative non-fiction).
• The Special Study module allows students to specialise in one genre, such as fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or drama.
• Students participate in online masterclasses and apply their learning to their dissertation module.

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Program Structure:

• Full-time students attend two campus days annually, usually in November and February.
• Part-time students typically attend the November campus day in their first year and the February campus day in their second year.

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Course Schedule:

• Full-time students take two 30-credit modules each semester, including a Special Study workshop on a particular genre in the second semester.
• Students participate in general workshops, reading sessions, and tutorials with their dissertation supervisor throughout the course.
• Students can choose to complete a 15,000-word 60-credit dissertation accompanied by a 3,000-word critical review, with one-to-one supervision.

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Modules:

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Core Modules:

• Creative Writing Dissertation: 60 credits.
This module focuses on students' creative writing and research into their chosen form or genre, developed in consultation with their supervisor. Students produce two pieces of writing: a creative dissertation (no more than 15,000 words) and a critical essay (approximately 3,000 words).
• Special Study: Workshops in Popular Genre Writing: 30 credits.
Students develop drafts in their chosen form and genre and master its specific codes and conventions.
• Writing the Contemporary: 30 credits.
• Writers' Workshop: 30 credits.
This workshop-based online module involves students presenting and discussing their work and that of their peers.
• Critical Challenges for Creative Writers: 30 credits.
This module introduces students to critical and literary theory. It aims to make students aware of how their work impacts wider literary, cultural, political, and philosophical issues.

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Assessment:

• Assessment Methods: Continuous assessments in individual accredited modules, plus assessment of the final dissertation.
• Feedback: Feedback on assessments is provided within 20 working days.

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Teaching:

• Teaching Methods: Individual tutorials, streamed lectures, readings, online workshops, and group discussions.
• Unique Approaches: The program emphasizes collaborative learning and critical practice.
It fosters a lively study environment with guest lectures from industry professionals and established connections with the London arts and media scene.

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Careers:

• Potential Career Paths: Publishing, editing, journalism, screenwriting, and freelance writing.
• Opportunities: The program prepares students for a variety of creative writing careers.
• Outcomes: Graduates have achieved notable successes, including published short stories, novels, and attracting literary agents.
• Examples: Oyinkan Braithwaite, Grainne Murphy, Ben Halls, Amy Clarke, Seraphina Madsen, Stevan Alcock, Hannah Vincent, Julia Lewis, Stefan Mohamed, Vicky Newham, Faiqa Mansab, Susie Lynes, Lauren Forry, and many more.

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Other:

• Class Sizes: Class sizes are typically limited to 10 but can vary by module and academic year.
• Research Areas: Research in English literature and creative writing at Kingston University covers various areas, including 19th and 20th-century British and American fiction, fictions of globalization, modernism, gothic writing, travel writing, women's writing, postcolonial studies, theories of gender, life writing and trauma, and more.
• Research Initiatives: The program involves research initiatives such as Iris Murdoch Studies, Life Narratives Research Group, Cultural Histories at Kingston, Writers' Centre Kingston, and Race/Gender Matters.

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Home 2025/26 MA part time distance learning £5,665 MA full time (distance learning) £10,300 International 2025/26 MA part time distance learning £9,680 MA full time (distance learning) £17,600 Home 2024/25 MA part time distance learning £5,445 MA full time (distance learning) £9,900 International 2024/25 MA part time distance learning £9,295 MA full time (distance learning) £16,900