Open University

MA in Creative Writing

The qualification provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:

Knowledge and understanding

On completion of this degree, you will have knowledge and understanding of:

• Approaches to writing several genres including fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and dramatic scripts, with specific knowledge as a practitioner of sophisticated narrative and stylistic methods about at least one of those genres;
• Research methods (including information technology) relevant to creative writing study at postgraduate level;
• Both practical and theoretical aspects of the creative process;
• Professional practice in relation to writing, editing, formatting and presentation in various contexts;
• Historical, literary and contextual reading and performance relevant to practice-led postgraduate writing study.

Cognitive skills

On completion of this degree, you will have developed:

• An ability to engage analytically with a range of literary and media texts, as well as complex technical, theoretical and historical material related to the creative process
• An ability to diagnose writing problems and issues in work-in-progress, along with an appropriate vocabulary with which to discuss such editorial, technical and thematic matters
• An independent and rigorous mode of reflective practice about your writing, research and reading
• Skills in initiating, conceiving and developing ideas, subject matter, stories, characters, voices, lines, forms, narratives and themes which are appropriate to specific genres and media.

Practical and/or professional skills

On completion of this degree, you will be able to:

• Write with creative energy, control, empathy and precision, realising authentic forms, characters, settings and themes;
• Work independently and set own targets, initiating ideas, organising own time and workload, as well as undertaking regular reflective practice;
• Collaborate in a mutually supportive writing and literary community via oral and written exchanges, communicating accurately and flexibly on online platforms using appropriate technical terminology.
• Edit and present manuscripts and scripts to a professional standard, specific to genre and media.

Key skills

On completion of this degree, you will be able to:

• Write clearly and imaginatively in an appropriately complex fashion, with an awareness of readership and audience and in a style which is appropriate for specific genres and media;
• Engage in productive and regular reflective activities and practices;
• Use information technology to conduct necessary contextual research connected to creative projects and critical reflections on the creative process, and also to communicate fluently and flexibly via various online forums and formats;
• Read and view published and draft work, text and performance, with a sophisticated contextual and editorial awareness

To gain the 180 credits you require for this qualification, you must study the modules in the order shown below and pass part 1 before progressing to part 2:

• MA Creative Writing part 1 (A802)
• MA Creative Writing part 2 (A803)

Please note that MA Creative Writing part 2 (A803) is worth 120 credits. Module fees for postgraduate modules are based on the number of credits you study. Therefore the fee for this 120-credit postgraduate module will be double that for the 60-credit module MA Creative Writing part 1 (A802).

You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 60 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods

You will study both modules for the MA entirely online. You will gain knowledge and understanding through the study of published and broadcast literary texts and performance, distance-learning materials and a detailed study guide.

You will also benefit from audio-visual materials such as interviews with authors, extracts from books and performances, writing exercises, assignment and project guides, module website resources (including a study planner) and written feedback on assignments. Learning outcomes are assessed by means of assignments: creative writing projects (such as fiction, poetry and drama scripts), reflective commentaries and critical appraisals.

You will develop and practise cognitive skills through the study of the course materials, through your further reading and writing practice, and through assessment. These skills are also taught and practised through online tutor group work, carefully monitored written feedback by tutors on assignments and through developing competence in giving and receiving constructive criticism to fellow students.

Practical and professional skills are taught throughout the programme in a cumulative way. For instance, you will be producing potentially publishable creative work throughout the programme, and part of the peer and tutor assessment will gauge and discuss such work’s position in the literary or media landscape.

There is also a 'writer of the world' and professional practice strand in the modules, which considers such elements as media-specific formatting and publishing submission strategies, among other professional issues. This strand will be assessed in various ways. For instance, you will be asked to research markets and write approach letters along with synopses of your writing projects.

Peer review – the sharing and critiquing of work – is a foundational element of Creative Writing, and features on most academic courses in the subject. On this qualification, you will submit your work for review by your peers, online. In turn, you will review their writing. This crucial aspect is assessed in both modules of the MA programme.

Skills in digital and information literacy will be addressed throughout the assessment where, for instance, research for creative projects is assessed, alongside contextual reading and understanding of the creative process. You will be developing IT and information literacy skills by, for instance, using the OU library’s e-resources which include databases, e-journals and ebooks, and by participating in online activities such as asynchronous online forums and workshops.

These activities will figure directly and indirectly in the assessment. In this way, throughout the programme, you will be assessed on skills valued by employers, such as critical and independent thinking, analysis, creativity and communication. There will also be online tutorials at key moments throughout the programme of study.

Many of the activities and assessments on the MA will have reflective components which invite you to consider your own learning and development. This will feed readily into ongoing personal development planning. These reflective activities will run throughout the programme of study, accompanying all formative and summative assessments of creative work. Such reflections will range from responding to tutor and peer feedback on a specific project, to considering feedback on a project proposal, to reflecting on your overall progress and development as a writer.

If you wish to pursue a freelance writing career this master's degree will equip you with the necessary writing and editorial skills, as well as equipping you with a raft of highly valued transferable communication and collaborative skills necessary to the modern writer’s usual portfolio of occupations.

If you are aiming for an academic career in higher education, this qualification will provide a route towards a higher level research or writing practice degree (e.g. PhD), which is essential for such a career. A master's degree can help to enhance your career prospects as a teacher in secondary and higher education (HE); most HE creative writing teaching now demands an MA in the subject.

If your aim is to enter professions associated with the media, culture, creative or knowledge industries, or if you already have a career in one of these areas and are seeking a further qualification as a means of career development, then a Masters degree, supplemented by relevant skills and experience, can prove invaluable.

This degree is pertinent to those careers that directly call upon knowledge of the craft of writing, editing and critiquing (for instance, journalism, publishing, copywriting). It may also be relevant for careers that demand skills in the creative use and analysis of texts of various sorts, critical thinking and organisation, and understanding of culture in a broad sense.