Explore our taught Master's degree in Writing.

P-Q3P7 full-time;
P-Q3P7P part-time

MA

1 year full-time;
2 years part-time

3 October 2022

Warwick Writing Programme, SCAPVC

University of Warwick

Writing is a profession and a passion; it is also an act of community. Warwick’s MA in Writing introduces you to the real world of writing, surrounded and supported by writing staff and students who share your ambition. It will show you how to make your way in the world as a writer.

The Warwick Writing Programme, founded in 1996, is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in Europe and was ranked first by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021.

Our flexible MA in Writing is open to students from around the world and offers two pathways:

Route A (Taught) Full-Time

Four taught modules (Fiction Workshop 1 or Writing Poetry, plus three other taught modules of your choice, plus compulsory training in Research for Writing)

Route A (Taught) Part-Time

In your first year you take two taught modules (Fiction Workshop 1 or Writing Poetry, plus one other taught module of your choice, plus compulsory training in Research for Writing). In your second year you take two further taught modules of your choice.

Route B (Long Project) Full-Time

Two taught modules (Fiction Workshop 1 or Writing Poetry, plus one other taught module of your choice, plus compulsory training in Research for Writing) and a Long Project module for which you write a long piece of creative work in any genre that the Programme is able to supervise. This creative piece is accompanied by a shorter critical reflection.

Route B (Long Project) Part-Time

In your first year you take two taught modules (Fiction Workshop 1 or Writing Poetry, plus one other taught module of your choice, plus compulsory training in Research for Writing). In your second year you take a Long Project module for which you write a long piece of creative work in any genre that the Programme is able to supervise. This creative piece is accompanied by a shorter critical reflection.

Permission to follow the Long Project route depends on an assessment of your prior experience of writing and of a proposal submitted before the degree begins, as well as on the availability of a qualified supervisor(s) who will supervise you during the spring and summer terms.

Warwick Writing Programme

The acclaimed Warwick Writing Programme is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in Europe. You will be working alongside practising, award-winning novelists, poets and literary translators. Our teaching staff includes: A.L. Kennedy, Tim Leach, Nell Stevens, Maureen Freely (Chair of the International Booker Prize 2019), Gonzalo C. Garcia, David Morley (winner of the Ted Hughes Award 2015), Ian Sansom and Chantal Wright. We are closely involved with The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Each year the winner of the award – which has in the past included Sally Rooney and Raymond Antrobus – spends a period of time as writer-in-residence at Warwick, working with students.

Further information about the MA in Writing is available on the Warwick Writing Programme website.

We teach in writing workshops, seminars and one-to-one supervisions.

Each year, the MA group produce an anthology of new writing derived from work done during their time at Warwick. The latest volume, Lazaretto, was launched in June 2021. You will get the chance to be involved in the production, editing, writing, and promotion of a new anthology, seeing your work in print and gaining some invaluable hands-on experience along the way.

6 to 15 students.

8 hours per week.

Most modules are assessed by portfolios of writing in the relevant genre, sometimes with an accompanying essay. Space for reading, thinking and writing matters almost as much as teaching. Our campus is a good place for writers, with a wide range of creative spaces and events open throughout the year.

Reading lists

Most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library. If you would like to view reading lists for the current cohort of students you can visit our Warwick Library web page.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

2:i undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a related subject.

In addition to the usual application materials, candidates will be selected on the basis of a personal statement and a portfolio of their written work. The portfolio should be a maximum of 20 pages of poetry or 5,000 words of fiction/non-fiction, or a combination of the two. You must upload this with your online application form.

• Band C
• IELTS overall score of 7.5, minimum component scores of two at 6.5/7.0 and the rest at 7.5 or above.

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

There are no fixed core modules for this programme, but all students take an Optional Core module in writing, normally either Fiction Workshop 1 or Writing Poetry, though other modules are possible. Training in 'Research for Writing' is compulsory but not for credit.

Fiction Workshop 1

In this introductory prose workshop you will develop your expressive and technical skills in writing prose fiction, improve your skills as an editor and critic of your own and others’ work, gain a critical understanding of literary craft and technique, develop an understanding of the relationship between your work and the work of classic and contemporary authors.

Writing Poetry

In this module you will study and create poems, come to understand and adopt techniques that suit, and challenge your developing voice as a poet. You will also gain an understanding of poetry’s role in human culture today, and the pleasure to be taken in artistic challenges and breakthroughs.

• Warwick Fiction Workshop 1 and 2
• Writing Poetry
• Writing about Human Rights and Injustice
• Historical Fictions, Fictional Histories
• The Practice of Literary Translation
• Non-Fiction Writing Workshop
• Brave New Worlds: Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy

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