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Writing (MA) (2023 Entry)

Explore our taught Master's degree in Writing.

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.


Course overview

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 and David Morley (winner of the Ted Hughes Award 2015). 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 websiteLink opens in a new window.


General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

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.


English language requirements

You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:

  • 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.

International qualifications

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.


Additional requirements

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Core modules

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.


Optional modules

Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:

  • 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

Teaching

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.


Class sizes

6 to 15 students.


Typical contact hours

8 hours per week.


Assessment

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.

A career in writing

Our staff have excellent links not only with other writers but also with publishing houses, literary journals and agencies, with national and regional organizations such as PEN and the Society of Authors, and with other creative writing programmes both in Britain and in the USA. We are also the home of the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.

Many of our alumni have forged highly successful writing careers and picked up major national and international prizes: recent examples include Cynthia Miller being shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Poetry Collection 2021, Sophie Mackintosh's novel The Water Cure, Katy Whitehead winning the 2017 Fitzcarraldo Essay Prize, Michael Askew winning a 2021 Eric Gregory Award for The Association Game, and Sohini Basak's debut collectionWe Live in the Newness of Small Differences winning the 2016 Beverly Series.

At Warwick Thursdays, our weekly literary and cultural salon, you will encounter creative practitioners (typically including writers, filmmakers, literary translators, visual artists) and industry guests (typically including publishers, agents, journalists), gaining an insight into a range of possible careers in the creative industries.

Warwick Writing Programme

Welcome to the Warwick Writing Programme, an internationally acclaimed writing programme that attracts writers and literary translators from across the globe. If you join us you will immerse yourself in contemporary and experimental narratives, including screenwriting, literary translation, gaming, spoken word and fieldwork.

We foster and maintain excellent creative industry links and networks to enable our students to achieve their career ambitions. We are closely involved with The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, whose recent winners have included Raymond Antrobus, Adam Weymouth and Sally Rooney. We are also the home of the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.

Our teaching staff of novelists, poets, non-fiction writers, screenwriters and literary translators includes A.L. Kennedy, Tim Leach, Nell Stevens, Maureen Freely, Gonzalo C. Garcia and David Morley.

Find out more about us on our website.Link opens in a new window


Our courses

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.

Taught course fees  Research course fees


Fee Status Guidance

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.

Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?

If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.

Find out more about how universities assess fee status

Additional course costs

As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.

For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).

Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:

  • Core text books
  • Printer credits
  • Dissertation binding
  • Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships and financial support

Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.

Living costs

Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.

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Here is our checklist on how to apply for research postgraduate degrees at the University of Warwick.

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