MFA in Creative Writing
Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
Master degree
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
GBP 17,600 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* there is no application deadline for postgraduate courses
** for international full-time | international part-time: 9,680 GBP/year | home full-time: 10,300 GBP/year | home part-time: 5,665 GBP/year
Key Summary
About: This Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing at Kingston University helps writers refine craft under professionals. At Penrhyn Road you'll use facilities and the Learning Resources Centre with libraries, free inter-library loans across Greater London, online databases and resources. You're 30 minutes by train from central London and archives, including the British Library. The programme uses workshops, one-to-one and small-group tutorials with practicing and published practitioners to develop creative practice, manuscript preparation and skills such as pitching to agents and publishers.
Career Outcomes: Graduates secure multi-book deals and roles in publishing, translation, journalism, advertising and film writing.
This course offers talented and aspiring writers the chance to refine their craft under the tutelage of acclaimed professionals.
At our Penrhyn Road campus, 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; and
- a growing selection of resource materials.
Kingston is just a 30-minute train journey away from central London, where you can access a wealth of additional libraries and archives, including the British Library.
Why choose this course?
Throughout our Creative Writing MFA course, you will develop a unique combination of creative and practical skills, 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 practitioners and fellow students.
This course is ideal if your writing is already of a good standard but you want to progress towards producing potentially publishable material. As a result, you will have the chance to learn more about the professional elements of writing, such as working with agents/publishers and presenting proposals.
Course content
You'll attend writing workshops, examine literary genres and texts, take a module 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 will 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.
Modules
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
- Special Study: Workshop in Popular Genre Writing
- Writing the Contemporary
- Ten Critical Challenges for Creative Writers
- Writers' Workshop
The university achieved strong results in the latest rankings published in August and September 2026, with some notable improvements and subject-level achievements:
- The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027: Ranked 78th out of 130 institutions, climbing 16 places from 94th last year.
- Top 10 nationally for Land and Property Management (4th) and Art and Design (10th).
- Top three in London across five subjects: Land and Property Management (1st), Social Work (2nd), Architecture (3rd), Art and Design (3rd) and Nursing (3rd).
- Post-1992 universities: Ranked 4th highest.
- The Guardian University Guide 2027: Ranked 62nd out of 123 nationally.
- The Complete University Guide 2027: Ranked 88th out of 130 nationally.
- The Daily Mail University Guide 2027: Ranked 85th out of 128 nationally.
Being awarded a scholarship is a great achievement
A scholarship not only provides financial support. It also offers a rich student experience unlike any other.
At Kingston, you'll become part of our international scholars community, giving you the opportunity to:
- attend our annual scholars' event alongside senior staff and academics
- boost your career prospects through valuable networking opportunities
- meet other scholars from around the world
- enhance your CV and impress future employees with your award
- work as a TAP ambassador for Kingston University, with opportunities to contribute to marketing material and in-country activities.
After you graduate
Graduates from this course 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.