Manchester Metropolitan University
MA in Creative Writing
Manchester, United Kingdom
MA
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 20,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning, On-Campus
* EU and non-EU international students full-time fee
Key Summary
At the heart of the Manchester Writing School are our master's programmes in Creative Writing, available to study on campus in Manchester and also from anywhere in the world via online distance learning.
In our Master of Arts (MA) Creative Writing programme, you will explore and practice techniques and styles of modern and contemporary writing and apply these through the development of your own creative work. You will undertake a taught element blending writing workshop with reading units and an elective, and then complete your studies through submission of an extended piece of writing from a proposed full-length book or script.
You will specialise in one of the following routes: novels (including Short Fiction), Poetry, Writing for Children & Young Adults, Scriptwriting (for stage, screen or radio), or Creative Non-Fiction.
The MA is available to complete in one year full-time or two years part-time. The Novel, Poetry, and Scriptwriting routes are available to study on campus (full-time or part-time) or online (part-time only). The Writing for Children and Creative Non-Fiction routes are online (part-time) only. We have intakes to the programme in September and January each year.
You can also choose to pursue our MFA Creative Writing master's.
Features and benefits
- Ongoing alumni success - More than 100 students and graduates have published first books, had work produced, achieved publication in journals and magazines, won writing awards and prizes, set up small presses and anthologies, and found roles in the publishing industry.
- Academic expertise - The course is taught by high-profile writers and critics, including Professor Andrew McMillan, Professor Simon Stephens, and Professor Monique Roffey, under the direction of Professor Carol Ann Duffy DBE.
- Home to Manchester Poetry Library - Manchester Poetry Library is the North West’s first public poetry library and holds over 12,000 books and recordings that can be explored through the online catalogue, in person, and through the annual programme of events.
- Research power - English at Manchester Met was ranked 8th out of 92 UK universities for the power of our research. Students can access world-leading expertise and an exciting collection of community-facing projects, events, and activities through our research groups.
- Manchester, City of Literature - Manchester has been designated an international UNESCO City of Literature in recognition of its thriving live literature scene, with a diverse range of regular author events, writers’ forums, networking opportunities, and open mic nights at Manchester
- Extended piece of writing - All MA students will complete an extended piece of writing from a proposed full-length book or script, supported by one-to-one supervision.
Course information
MA Creative Writing can be tailored to suit your writing preferences by following a specialist route in Novel (including short fiction), Poetry, Writing for Children and Young Adults, Scriptwriting (for stage, screen or radio), or Creative Non-Fiction. Watch our playlist to find out more about each route.
This MA blends writing workshops, where you produce and develop your own work-in-progress with regular feedback from tutors and fellow students, with a reading module, which looks at the techniques, forms, and styles used by a range of writers in modern and contemporary literature. All students also take a 30-credit option module and can choose from a range of Creative Writing modules, or modules from our MA English Studies or MA Publishing courses. The final piece of work for the MA is the dissertation – an extended piece of creative writing from a proposed full-length book or script.
The MA is available to complete in one year full-time or two years part-time. Our Novel and Poetry routes can be studied in-person on campus (full-time or part-time) or via online distance learning (part-time). Scriptwriting is in-person on campus only (full-time or part-time). Writing for Children and Creative Non-Fiction are online distance learning (part-time) only. We have intakes to the programme in September and January each year.
Year 1
Classes for core Workshop and Reading units take place in the evenings (6-8 pm UK time) during the autumn and spring semesters. Full-time students take all of their units in a single year and usually have classes two evenings per week. Part-time students spread these units over two years (study pattern may vary depending on specialist route) and usually have classes one evening per week. All students also take a 30-credit option module and can choose from a range of Creative Writing modules, or modules from our MA English Studies or MA Publishing courses. The MA concludes with the submission of the Creative Dissertation, completed through independent study with one-to-one support from a Dissertation Supervisor.
In the option slot, students can choose a second Reading unit in their own specialism, or a Reading unit from one of the other specialist routes.
Core modules
- Creative Dissertation
- Reading 1
- The Workshop
Option modules
- Green Writing
- Reading 2
- Remaking Games: Creativity, Play, and Communication
- Teaching Creative Writing
- The Industry
- Writing About Relationships
More than 100 of our students and graduates have embarked upon publishing careers, launching their first books, with others achieving publication in journals and magazines, winning writing awards and prizes, setting up small presses and anthologies, and seeing their work go into production and performance. Our alumni include winners of the Costa First Novel Award, Forward Poetry Prize Yale Windham-Campell Prize, and a long listing for the Man Booker Prize.
Our School plays a leading role in establishing Manchester as a city of writers with a commitment to finding diverse new voices and creating opportunities for writer development, enabling new writing and building audiences for the next generation of talent. Manchester has been designated a UNESCO City of Literature in recognition of its thriving live literature scene, with a year-round programme of author events, writers’ forums, networking opportunities and open mic nights.
We are home to a suite of ground-breaking outreach projects including the Manchester Children’s Book Festival and Mother Tongue Other Tongue, an international multilingual poetry competition that celebrates cultural diversity and the many languages spoken in schools in the UK. Our Manchester Poetry Library holds over 12,000 books and recordings that can be explored through our online catalogue, in person and through our annual events programme. Our School has a strong Manchester presence, with links to many of the city’s major cultural and arts organisations, and also a global reach with students and alumni based across the UK and continental Europe, and in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia.
Our strong partnerships and innovative projects mean that you will have plenty of opportunities to develop your industry experience and network.
On completion of this course, you may decide to pursue PhD study or to develop a career in bookselling, agenting, publishing, editing, producing or directing for screen, stage or radio, or in teaching creative writing. You will have access to the Careers and Employability Hub located in the Business School at Manchester Met, offering a host of information resources, one-to-one careers support, and employability events throughout the year. This service is also available for up to three years after you graduate.
Study
- Full-time 34% lectures, seminars or similar; 0% placement; 66% independent study
- Part-time 34% lectures, seminars or similar; 0% placement; 66% independent study
Assessment
- Full-time 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination
- Part-time 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination