Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing

[For students starting from MT 2017 and before MT 2020: 

( a ) The course shall consist of lectures, tutorials, seminars and classes on the subject of Creative Writing. The course is available on a part-time basis only, over a period of two years.

( b ) The course will cover the study and practice of the craft of writing. A range of literary genres and sub-genres will be considered, and directed approaches to the analytical reading of work by other writers will be undertaken. ]

[For students starting from MT 2020: 

1.  The course will cover the study and practice of the craft of writing.

( a )  There shall be two pathways through the course. The blended pathway shall consist of online units, lectures, seminar/workshops and tutorials, and a two-week summer residence consisting of lectures or readings, workshop/seminars and tutorials on the subject of Creative Writing. The face-to-face pathway shall consist of lectures/readings, seminar/workshops and tutorials on the subject of Creative Writing. The course is available on a part-time basis only, over a period of two years.

( b )  A range of literary genres and sub-genres will be considered, and directed approaches to the analytical reading of work by other writers will be undertaken. ]

2. Every candidate will be required to satisfy the examiners in the following:

( a ) Nine written assignments, each of no more than 2,000 words in length of prose, or 15 pages of drama , or 100 lines of poetry;

( b ) Two end-of-year portfolios of written work, each of not more than 6,000 words of prose, or 30 pages of drama or 300 lines of poetry.

Assignments under ( a ) and ( b ) will be submitted to the examiners via the approved online submission system for consideration by such dates as the examiners shall determine and shall notify candidates.

3. Candidates may be required to attend a viva voce examination at the end of the course.

4. Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners in the assignments under 2( a ) - ( b ) may be permitted to resubmit work in respect of the part or parts of the examination which they have failed on not more than one occasion which shall normally be within one year of the initial failure.

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Diploma in Creative Writing

  • Course Overview
  • Learning Outcomes
  • Certification

Creative Writing Online Course

Ready to take your creative writing skills to the next level?  Looking for a free online creative writing course you can take in your spare time, with the option of claiming an endorsed diploma upon completion? If so, this new and exclusive creative writing online course could be just the thing.  Exclusive to Oxford Home Study Centre , this advanced Diploma in Creative Writing is now available 100% free of charge. An endorsed diploma for flexible online learning, this in-depth writing skills programme is open to newcomers and experienced writers from all backgrounds.  Whether looking to improve your business writing skills or simply looking to inject more creativity and innovation into your writing, this free online training programme comes highly recommended.

With no prior knowledge or experience necessary, this advanced writing skills diploma introduces the fundamentals of effective writing, before moving on to more advanced concepts. Each of the 10 self-paced modules concludes with a multiple choice assessment, covering such topics as the basics of good business writing, the importance of critical thinking, how to build better research skills, creativity and innovation in writing, important writing technicalities, how to appeal and engage online audiences, and more.  We welcome ambitious learners from around the world, and we include all learning materials as standard – all with nothing to pay at any time.  Contact the team at Oxford Home Study Centre to learn more, or sign up online and start your creative writing course today.

By the end of this course the learner will be able to:

  • Discuss how to make writing clear, complete, concise, and correct.
  • How to improve sentence construction and paragraph development.
  • Identify the benefits to proper research and documentation
  • Read for maximum information retention and recall
  • Take effective notes
  • Plan a research strategy
  • Identify and use various types of research sources
  • Identify the difference between creativity and innovation
  • Recognize your own creativity
  • Build your own creative environment
  • Explain the importance of creativity and innovation in business
  • Define critical and non-critical thinking
  • Identify your critical thinking style(s), including areas of strength and improvement
  • Describe other thinking styles, including left/right brain thinking and whole- brain thinking
  • Work through the critical thinking process to build or analyze arguments
  • Develop and evaluate explanations

All  free online certificate courses  at Oxford Home Study Centre are 100% free of charge from start to finish.  There is no enrolment fee, all study aids are provided via our online learning platform and all of our courses are self-paced for total flexibility.

Our exclusive free courses provide the perfect opportunity to expand your knowledge, develop new skills and explore new professions.  Upon completion of your free online certificate course, you will have the option of claiming one of three different types of certificates for a small fee:

  • An official Course Completion Certificate from Oxford Home Study Centre
  • A CPD Accredited Certificate to boost your CPD profile
  • An Endorsed Certificate issued by the Quality Licence Scheme

Each of these certificates could prove helpful in supporting future job applications, or helping you climb the career ladder with your current employer. All certificates are 100% optional upon successful completion of your course - available to purchase with your preferred postage option.

For more information on certificate costs, head over to our  pricing page  or contact a member of the team at Oxford Home Study Centre anytime. 

COURSE CONTENT

Topics covered in the course.

This Diploma in Creative Writing course covers the following modules:

  • The C’s Of Quality Writing
  • Writing Technicalities
  • Developing Research Skills
  • Developing Creativity & Innovation
  • Developing Critical Thinking Skills
  • Fundamentals of Business Writing
  • Proposal Writing
  • Writing Effective Emails
  • Writing Memos
  • Writing for the Web

HOW IT WORKS

Enhance your skills with our highly informative courses.

Pass the assignments by getting the required marks.

Get certified and enhance the worth of your CV.

WHY GET CERTIFIED

oxford diploma in creative writing

Once you get certified, employers have more trust in your capabilities. You can easily add the certification to your credentials and share it everywhere.

Becoming a certified professional gives the impression that you have better skills and you are committed to enhancing your skills. As a result, your chances of getting hired got increased.

Enhancing your understanding and knowledge is the key to get hired, achieve a higher position, and pursue a new career.

RELATED COURSES

Report writing stages (short course), creative thinking (short course), research skills (short course), certificate in creative writing.

oxford diploma in creative writing

Student Feedback

Course info.

Oxford Brookes University

Creative Writing

MA or PGDip or PGCert

Find out more by joining a live webinar

Start dates: September 2024 / September 2025

Full time: PGCert: 4 months, PGDip: 8 months, MA: 12 months

Part time: PGCert: 2 semesters, PGDip: 3 semesters, MA: 24 months

Location: Headington

Department(s): School of Education, Humanities and Languages

Find a course

Whether words come easily to you, or you work tirelessly at every sentence, we want to help you bring your writing craft to a professional level. We’re looking for passion, no matter your background or level of experience. Every writer might be different - but every writer can benefit from the insight of our published experts.

Our Creative Writing MA is a well-established course taught by acclaimed professional writers published around the world. You’ll benefit from the input of creative writing fellows and visiting lecturers such as Patience Agbabi, Sally Bayley, and Steven Hall. And you’ll be studying in one of the world’s great literary cities.

You'll gain a better understanding of your craft and how to apply it to different literary genres and forms. You’ll also meet and pitch your work to top literary agents Felicity Bryan Associates and publisher Philip Gwyn Jones. Whether or not you aspire to get published, we’ll support and encourage you all the way to achieving your full writing potential.

Attend an open day or webinar Ask a question Order a prospectus

Why Oxford Brookes University?

Our teaching staff are prize-winning writers who will pass on their experience through seminars and workshops.

We’ll assess your portfolio of work to see how we can best support you to grow as a writer.

Small groups help to build trust among peers and tutors.

Pitch your work to literary agents. Any graduating student who achieves a distinction is guaranteed to have their work read by a publisher.

You’ll learn a lot about yourself and you may find that the full MA isn’t right for you. You can choose to finish with a PGDip or PGCert.

Course details

Course structure, learning and teaching.

You might be considering this course because you want to become better at your craft. Or you may simply want to complete a writing project in a structured environment. Whatever your creative writing aims, we want to help you.

The Writing Studio core module will take you out of your comfort zone and get you thinking critically about your work and your practice. In your optional modules, you’ll learn about the techniques successful writers use to achieve their aims. You’ll also learn about poetry and voice, explore different narratives forms, and sharpen your life-writing skills.

For your final project, you’ll complete an extended piece of your own creative writing, accompanied by a self-evaluating critical commentary.

You’ll join a supportive community and benefit from insightful masterclasses run by our group of creative writing fellows. They’ll also critique your work, helping you increase your chances of getting published if that’s your aim.

Students discussing their work

You’ll learn creative writing skills through reading, writing and discussing. You’ll learn to create, and to adapt. 

You’ll experience a variety of teaching and learning methods that include:

  • Collaborative seminars
  • Presentations and shared readings
  • Group workshops
  • Visiting notable speakers
  • 1-1 supervision
  • Writing and rewriting.

You’ll also work with our Creative Writing Fellows and guest speakers who each lead a class every semester:

  • Patience Agbabi FRSL,  award-winning poet, international performance poet, and children's author, most recently The Infinite and The Time-Thief
  • Sally Bayley,  fiction and nonfiction author, most recently Girl With Dove and No Boys Play Here
  • Steven Hall,  a Granta Best Young British Novelist 2013, author of  internationally-acclaimed The Raw Shark Texts , and Maxwell's Demon
  • Simon Mason,  author of Moon Pie (Guardian Children's Fiction Prize - shortlisted) and YA series Garvie Smith , and leading children's fiction editor

You’ll constantly share and discuss your work with your tutors and your peers. This regular feedback will strengthen your self-assessment skills - helping you develop your craft as a writer.

You’ll be formally assessed via:

  • Portfolios of your creative writing, with accompanying critical essays
  • A final Writing Project in your chosen form and genre

Study modules

The modules listed below are for the master's award.

All students take the core compulsory module The Writing Studio. In addition:

  • MA students choose two elective modules and complete the The Writing Project.
  • PGDip students choose two elective modules.
  • PGCert students choose one elective module.

Taught modules

Final project, compulsory modules.

The Writing Studio

This is the core module taken by all our students at the beginning of the MA. Through workshops led by our staff and Creative Writing Fellows, it’s designed to lead you out of your comfort zone and get you writing in ways you might never have contemplated. In our virtual space – the studio – you are free to think, write and depart in new directions. It demands a readiness to go out of the “comfort zone” and ask real questions of your own writing.

Optional modules

Bringing a story to life.

You’ll learn about the techniques – the “tricks of the trade”, in a completely positive sense – which highly successful authors use to achieve their aims. You’ll explore how narratives and stories are constructed through elements like plotting, pace, perspective and structure. You’ll be aiming to identify these writerly techniques, to describe them and - most importantly of all – to incorporate them in your own writing.

We’ll look at:

  • characterisation through dialogue
  • unspoken stories
  • the unreliable narrator
  • omniscient narrators
  • the slow reveal.

Writing Poetry Now

What is poetry? What is it for, and what can it do that prose can’t? You’ll focus on contemporary poetry in terms of its functions, as well as its form. While the emphasis will be on your own writing, we’ll also study the poetry of both contemporary and traditional writers from Britain and further afield, who work or have worked in a variety of forms and using a range of techniques.

You’ll also look at topics like:

  • poetry and place
  • narrative poetry
  • experiments in form.

Writing the Lives of Others

If you’ve ever wanted to write about your own life, or the lives of others, this module is for you. We’ll look at autobiography, biography, hagiography, diaries, fictional recreations of real lives, and fictions taking in individual or family lives. Using the set texts as a basis, each session will consist of a short, tutor-led discussion, focusing on the technical issues. You’ll follow these with intensive attempts to apply these techniques to your own writing.

Topics on this module include:

  • Autobiography
  • Hagiography
  • Fictionalising Lives.  

Writing Voice

You’ll explore methods for writing creatively in relation to voice. We’ll discuss and analyse works by contemporary authors in a range of forms (poems, novels, short stories), to inspire you to explore different voices in your own writing.

We’ll investigate:

  • how writers create distinctive voices to control and modulate tone and register in a text
  • the interplay of multiple voices (author, narrators, characters)
  • interrelated notions of identity, authenticity, social construction, style and aesthetics.

Topics will include:

  • Monologue and Dialogue
  • Unreliable Voices
  • Children’s Voices
  • Historicised voices.  

Independent Study

This is a great chance to design your own course of study, allowing you to explore an area of writing that fascinates you. You’ll start by producing a detailed project plan, to be agreed with your supervisor and module leader. You’ll develop high-level research skills, manage your own schedule and produce well-structured, articulate work at master’s level. Examples of independent studies have included: an extended poem developed from the literature and art of ancient Persia, and a pacy novel for young adults set in a militaristic dystopia.

The Writing Project

You’ll complete an extended piece of your own creative writing, in any genre, accompanied by a self-evaluating critical commentary. You’ll develop your work in group sessions, through one-to-one tutorials, and in workshops with Creative Writing Fellows. 

Your writing project will be a maximum of 20,000 words in length, but the minimum word length may vary according to the genre and format. You’ll decide all these factors – genre, format and length – in consultation with your module leader and supervisor.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Our commitment to research-led teaching means that all our teaching staff are recognised experts in their field. They contribute to the canon of published work in their specialist fields influencing debate and discussion. And they value the opportunity to share their ideas with students through their teaching.

We are home to the Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre, which:

  • creates a space for discussion and research
  • promotes connections between poets, academics, and readers of poetry in the local community
  • sponsors readings by poets, such as Simon Armitage, and a regular seminar series.

Research supervision is offered in the following areas:

  • English 20th-century poetry – particularly Eliot and Heaney
  • Irish writing
  • Modernist drama
  • Witchcraft in the 19th century
  • John Clare and eco-criticism
  • Sir Walter Scott
  • Shakespeare
  • Theatre and science
  • Contemporary literature
  • Thomas More
  • Modernist poetry
  • Franz Kafka
  • Victorian religion
  • Literature and war.

Researcher in the library

On the MA Creative Writing course, we’ve had a lot of success in producing brilliant writers. However, we’re not a factory for producing writers. That’s why many of our graduates take their newly acquired skills to companies and organisations such as the UK Civil Service, Ralph Trustees Ltd, Hestia Charity and the National Trust. Whether it’s critical thinking, creative problem-solving, or research, you’ll be highly prized in sectors such as: 

  • PR, marketing and communications
  • NGOs and charities
  • higher education
  • media and journalism.

Student profiles

Sarah Stretton

"I was attracted to the course by the literary fellows and the focus on workshopping and developing as a writer"

Dr Morag Joss

Morag Joss is the award-winning author of the Sara Selkirk novels, Half Broken Things, Puccini’s Ghosts, The Night Following, Among the Missing (Across the Bridge) and Our Picnics in the Sun. She has also written for television, and writes short stories for print and broadcast. Her prizes and shortlistings include the CWA Silver Dagger, the USA Edgar Award for best novel, and a Heinrich Böll residency on the island of Achill, Ireland.

I was attracted to the course by the literary fellows and the focus on workshopping and developing as a writer

Entry requirements

Specific entry requirements.

Applicants should normally hold a good honours degree (2.2 or above), or equivalent, in an appropriate discipline and must be able to demonstrate ability in creative writing.

A portfolio of recent creative work must be submitted consisting of 2000 words prose, or 5 poems, or a proportionate mixture of the two. Applicants may also be interviewed. If it is some time since you completed your undergraduate education and you do not meet the standard requirement, it may be possible to consider your application based on evidence of other relevant personal and professional experience, the support of your referees and your portfolio of written work.

Please also see the University's general entry requirements .

English language requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English should hold one of the following qualifications:

  • British Council (IELTS) Test: band 7 overall with at least 6 in each band
  • Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency: grade C or above
  • NEAB University Test in English for Speakers of Other Languages: Pass
  • JMB Test in English for Overseas Students: grade 1, 2 or 3.

Please also see the University's  standard English language requirements .

Pathways courses for international and EU students

We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.

Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.

If you need to improve your English language, we offer  pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.

English requirements for visas

If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements.  Find out more about English language requirements .

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

When you accept our offer, you agree to the  Terms and Conditions of Enrolment . You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply, application process.

All applications for the MA in Creative Writing must be accompanied by a portfolio of recent creative work.

This must consist of 2000 words prose, or 5 poems, or a proportionate mixture of the two.

Tuition fees

Questions about fees.

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

[email protected]

Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support. 

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy  page

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Optional costs

Funding your studies, financial support and scholarships.

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences believes strongly in the importance of making a difference to the world of our students, and in the ability and potential of our students to make a difference in the world. The Dean's Scholarship is one small way in which we make that belief tangible.

International students can apply for our International Students Scholarship . Please click on the link below to find out more.

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

Programme changes : On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.

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Creative Writing

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in creative writing whilst a student within the Faculty and a number of our academics are also published authors. Oxford's English Faculty also has some of the country's leading poets among its lecturers. Our academics, the Professor of Poetry and other invited guests give regular lectures and workshops at the Faculty. Browse recent events below.

Creative Writing Workshops & Lectures

oxford diploma in creative writing

Anna Deavere Smith playwrighting workshop: Causing a Scene/Scene-ing a Cause

Professor Smith held two workshops for University of Oxford students entitled ‘Causing a Scene/Scene-ing a Cause’.The workshops were designed to bring short scenes conceived by student playwrights into performance. 

oxford diploma in creative writing

Jeanette Winterson workshop

"Generous and candid, Jeanette had the room enraptured for two hours, as she discussed everything from stalking your characters home, to writing with your whole body." 

Rachel cusk workshop

Rachel Cusk workshop

"Rachel’s candour and eloquence – and sometimes astounding capacity for truth-telling – sent everyone spiralling into almost palpable coils of thought."

Alan Hollinghurst workshop

Alan Hollinghurst workshop

"For those of us who had a first encounter with a creative writing ‘class’, we could not have chosen a more amicable and supportive environment."

letter poems from Alice Oswald workshop

Alice Oswald postal poetry workshop

Prof Oswald invited participants to anonymously write and send a poem to another workshop participant.

zadie smith at oxford literary festival

Zadie Smith lecture on 'Conscience and Consciousness' at the Oxford Literary Festival

Following a talk at the Oxford Literary Festival, Zadie Smith joined English Faculty students at a formal dinner.

Professor of Poetry lectures

The current Professor of Poetry is A.E. Stallings. She will be giving one lecture each term for the four years of her tenure. You can watch and/or listen to previous Professor of Poetry talks by A.E Stallings and Alice Oswald by clicking on the links below. Visit the Professor of Poetry page for more information.

close up of wheat field bathed in golden light

A Lament for the Earth

crumpled bed in darkness with rays of sunlight

In Sleep A King

close up of eyes in black and white

Sidelong Glances

close up of pebbles on a beach

On Behalf of a Pebble

Abstract photo of copper lines on black background

Interview with Water

Useful links.

oclw logo

The Oxford Centre for Life-Writing

The Oxford Centre for Life-Writing is committed to outreach, collaboration, and fostering research into life-writing. It promotes a lively, cross-disciplinary dialogue on the full range of life-writing, including biography, memoir and social media forms.

Authors at the Faculty

Hermione lee.

Tom Stoppard book cover

Elleke Boehmer

to the volcano book cover

Bart van Es

the cut out girl

Hannah Sullivan

three poems

Sally Bayley

no boys play here book cover

Matthew Reynolds

the world was all before them book cover

A Complete Guide to Creative Writing Courses at Oxford

In the era of constant competition where everyday new career option is finding its way into our lives, it becomes a vital need to keep ourselves updated with the coming opportunities. and one such career option is creative writing. ever wondered how stan lee came to make his dream of thor true or how rajamuli made his imagination into reality. well the answer is simple, by surpassing the realms of normal technical contemporary writing and learning creative writing which encompasses the exploration of different genres across fictional and nonfictional, playwriting, prose, poetries, and much more. this is what you are going to learn in the creative writing courses at oxford that we have mentioned in this article..

A complete guide to creative writing courses at Oxford

Wondering how to complete that novel or poem that has been kept inside the drawer? Is the kid inside of you still dreaming about how to be a writer or what to do after having a first script idea? Be it a student or a working professional, we have solutions for all, no matter which age, ethnicity, or gender you are; that little dream of being a scriptwriter, poet, or author can now live maybe a little closer to you, as this article will help you to know all about creative writing courses at Oxford.

But the question remains how to start? What needs to be your first step? Keep up with this post to know the courses to begin your writing journey. Now here is a l ist of pros and cons one should keep in mind before joining the Oxford creative writing course to take an informed decision:

  • Oxford is the historical university that has shaped so many brilliant humans like J.R.R Tolkien, Robert Mugabe, Imran Khan, lewis Carrol, and the list goes on. Most of them have performed exceptionally well in the field of writing.
  • The Goodwill and prestige of this university have worked wonders for the students academically as well as professionally, as this gives them an edge over other professionals from the same field.
  • Outstanding Faculties: Oxford has always been known for its faculties and tutors, and their way of teaching is always different than the conventional teaching trends. Apart from the normal regular tutors, there are various industry experts whom they invite for workshops and knowledge sessions to provide you with depth and length to your existing knowledge.
  • Exposure: Being here will provide you with a lot of exposure and will enhance your personality in several ways. Students would get the opportunity to meet different people from different ethnicities, cultures, and nationalities. So, students can learn to develop diverse perspectives which gives them many enriching experiences.
  • Selection Criteria: There is no pre-required degree for students to join the creative writing courses at Oxford. Graduates, non-graduates, or anyone can apply for the course. Just some passion and experience are enough.
  • For the people who are not from the UK, shifting countries can prove to be big stress as it could be a pricey deal due to extra living expenditure that they have to bear.
  • Cost and the fees of the course can be quite expensive and bearing that expenditure can become a problem for many students, especially for those who are not earning in Dollars and may feel that they are not getting enough return on investment.
  • Oxford does accept students across the globe but it should also be considered that not everyone can adjust well to the cultural changes well. 
  • One might feel too burdened or stressed out due to the amount of work you would be asked to do just to the bare minimum from the course.
  • Everybody responds differently to different environments. Some people cannot grow as writers in those uncomfortable and stressful situations, maybe you are someone who will grow better and faster in your native country or by working or assisting under some industry professional.

There are several programs offered by Oxford university for various levels of creative writers. For novices and professionals alike, no matter where you stand as a writer, the creative writing courses at Oxford has something to upscale your writing journey.

Find here the in-demand Creative Writing Courses in London

1. Part-time Courses:

We understand that not everyone has time to appear in the full-time courses or may not be able to leave their prior commitments just to pursue their passion as a creative writer. Some even have less time to give it to their art while others are not sure whether to take it as a full-time career or not and still be able to figure out their interests and pursuits in writing.

This is the option for them to opt for as it has flexible timings and shorter durations of approximately 1-2 months, with fees of approximately 500 to 600 pounds. In fact, the batches are kept with a limited number of learners to keep it more interactive among peers and tutors. There are almost sixty-seven different short-term courses provided by Oxford, designed for virtual learning and with no in-person classes.

All the classes are pre-recorded and given to the students, whereas the option of attending it face-to-face is also available to the students once a week. Some of the creative writing courses at Oxford are:

  • Advance Writing Lives: 

It is for people with some prior experience and has a certain command over the English language. This course will give you insight into how writers transform their personal experiences into their writings, character arcs, and stories and how we can do the same.

  • Trollope, Eliot, Dickens, and Hardy: 

Reading Victorian Fiction: Victorian age literature is very difficult and interesting, and not everyone can understand its depth and hilarity, so this course will help the writers reading and understand the mindset of the writer during the nineteen century and help them develop the same via the course.

  • Writing Lives: 

It is helpful for writers who wish to learn how can you transform their truths into amazing stories and how to bring them into their write-ups, and how to go below the surfaces and understand the emotions.

  • Critical Reading : 

This course will help the students in reading, understanding, and analyzing literary texts and teach them how to critically analyze texts.

  • Writing Fiction: 

The aim of this course is to learn to write novels,  short stories , and other types of fiction. And also how to start writing the same as well as the development of different characters and putting different emotions into the same story and making it versatile.

  • Nature Writing:

Victorian Village to Global Village: It helps the students explore different nature writings that have been developed over time and how to read them along with publishing your content.

Ever wondered how the Bronte sisters lived such normal lives yet made such beautiful and everlasting fiction? How they carved their ways in such a male-dominated world yet kept their creativity and imagination alive, and made their fiction survive through time and generations? This course is all about these, you will learn in-depth about them.

  • Writing Drama: 

People love drama, and the feeling it arouses in humans is something that makes people come back to the theaters. The crux of any drama is the script, the direction, and the character formations and this course will teach you the same.

Apart from these, there are fifty-nine other courses available on creative writing courses at Oxford based on different specializations, and credits earned during these courses are even transferable to higher studies certificates.

You may also want to check the best Creative Writing Courses in Liverpool

2)  Undergraduate Writing Programs:

The undergraduate creative writing course is a two-year part-time program focusing on four parts, prose, poetry, drama, and analytical reading, and is available in two different modes. Online (with the short module in oxford) which will be held on 4 Saturdays till semesters one to five, two in term six, as well as offline weekend course asking the students to visit the university during the weekends.

Some of the benefits remain common like peer group interaction, reading sessions, and peer rating of the work written by you. The opportunity to work with the oxford is also a major advantage of the course but the main requirement is dedication and enthusiasm to write. A hardworking attitude and passion for writing is a mandate as this program will require you to put in at least twelve plus hours of writings apart from the classes, but the admission process is not very difficult.

It does not require any prior formal experience in writing and the only required thing is fluency in the English language and passion for writing. With this degree, one can even apply for a master’s program, and if you pass the criteria, you can be accepted into Oxford itself. Besides the weekend classes, one also gets the opportunity to meet guest lecturers from various fields of writing and to broaden the horizon to get a deeper understanding of the subject along with the workshops.

The fee for this creative writing course is 7000-12000 pounds. The presence of 7 days of summer school in the creative writing courses at oxford is also a key highlight of the course. Students get the opportunity to live their dreams and get a chance to work on their writing skills . In order to understand the craft better, the course provides private time for students to write.

Students can focus on the best out of their final year which includes various optional visits to various places such as literary sites and historical places. It also helps in the creation of a portfolio, this course will make you develop a portfolio of around ten thousand words as this course gives you plenty of time and permits you to get engaged in all different types of genres, starting from prose, and poetries to stories and scripts.

Various young authors and experienced faculties like Edward Clark, John Ballam, Frank Egerton, Beatrice Hitchman, Victoria Condie, Helen Jukes, and many more students get great insight into the industry which can help students find their routes in the most uncharted ways.

To apply for the course, go to the creative writing courses at oxford and click on the apply button where they will help you to register yourself and help you find the best option for you by considering various factors like profession, preference, nationality, and so forth and tell you about the best possible option and course you should opt for. The fee structure remains the same in both the creative writing courses at oxford, between 3000-6000 pounds.

Also Read: Creative Writing Courses in Birmingham

3) Masters in Creative Writing:

While a diploma and bachelor’s degree might be for beginners and for one who is just starting with their writing career, master’s in creative writing courses at oxford are for the one with prior experience as it will help them by giving them an edge to their careers. The assignments would include a high amount of writing like four 2500-word assignments, a creative portfolio of 7000 words and 7000 words critical extended essay, and one 4000 words critical essay in the first year. And the last year students get to experience the specialization in a particular field among the following based on their interests:

  • Short fiction
  • Radio Drama
  • Screen drama 
  • Stage drama
  • Narrative nonfiction 

This particular specialization will help them figure out their abilities and give them in-depth knowledge in their chosen fields as the assignments given to them will be rigorous and ask them to write 25000 words of prose fiction. Another ninety minutes of radio drama and poetry collection of 60-80 poems will help them to develop a strong portfolio along with the genre-related critical approach of their choices.

But students need not worry about how they are going to do that on their own as every student will be allocated a personal guide or tutor to help them throughout the course so that they will not leave hanging alone in the mid-air. If you’re still wondering which creative writing courses at oxford are best for you, don’t worry!

Here is the List of Factors You Should Consider While Deciding the Course for You.

No matter how much we wish to believe that we have passed that phase, the virus is still here, so before joining any course which would require you to move out of your city, consider all the possible situations you might be facing and how you are going to be dealing with the same.

Native Country:

Do keep in mind the native country you live in, all the different types of changes and challenges you might be facing if you have to change the country, and is that course really worth all the challenges.

Also, consider the fact that by being stuck in all those different challenges you will some way or the other be diverting your focus and attention from the course and might not be able to keep up with the workload that will be there. 

Course Structure: 

Before deciding on the course, look at the detailed course structure and check does it meet your requirements, and what amount of time you can give to the course that is necessary.

Completion Time:  

Take the class timings and the course timings as one of the important factors as it is going to influence your decision a lot. If you are looking for a part-time course or full-time course, align them with the current projects that you are working on and your prior commitments that cannot be left unfinished.

Fee structure: 

Sometimes paying back the education loan can become a big burden and you are going to lose a large chunk of your salary in paying back that loan which can become quite the burden afterward.

Must check out the top-notch Creative Writing Courses in Brighton

Qualification Details: 

Do check all the prerequisites that would be required to enroll in the course, although the creative writing courses at oxford do not have any prior requirements, they do have a rigorous selection procedure, and one needs to have a great understanding of English for the course as well to survive in the country.

But please do not forget to choose the option that excites and challenges your writing boundaries as that will eventually help you grow as a writer. Even if you are feeling that maybe Oxford is not where you belong, keep in mind that it is not the only institution that teaches creative writing. You can choose other creative writing courses at Oxford to start your writing journey. 

Creative writing is something that one learns to gather more information about different styles of writing like Poetry, Prose, scripts, Dramas, and many more such things, and one of the very renowned places to learn this can be Oxford which has several courses according to the need and preference of the writer like the part-time courses with a week-long summer school at oxford university where they will help the writers to reach their maximum potential.

They also have one diploma course to gain in-depth knowledge about the subject and one long-term course with a one-year specialization. Fees of the course vary according to the time and mode of the classes, but one should keep in mind different factors before making the decision like the fees, city, prior commitments, course structure, and many more which will help your skills develop according to to your convince.

FAQ’s 

1. does northeastern university have creative writing courses.

Ans) Yes, it has different creative writing courses based on the preference of the students, it offers different Minors that students can choose as a subject and can study during their semester which will provide them with an overview of different styles of writing and help them find their genre. It also has an advanced writing MFA program and a multilingual writing program which is a year or two long. 

2. Is there any good creative writing course?

Ans) There are various types of creative writing courses that one can opt for based on the type of writing he chooses to learn like novel writing, story writing, prose and poetry writing, and screenplay writing. The course is even available based on the mode of study you wish to opt for these days. Even big universities like Oxford, Columbia, and brown are offering different courses.

3. What is advanced creative writing?

Ans) Various advanced writing programs offer different types of courses that will give you not basic but advanced knowledge about creative writing, and it does expect its student to have at least some kind of prior knowledge and experience about creative writing. It is for students who wish to gain some depth in their prior existing knowledge.

4. How can I learn creative writing for free?

Ans) Various universities offer a scholarship for various courses to national as well as international students. One can definitely choose to learn the same from various online resources absolutely free. There are also a number of courses available free of cost on different platforms. Apart from that, Youtube is the best platform for free and effective learning.  

5. Which are the best creative writing courses in London?

Ans)  There are various creative writing universities which are situated in different parts of London like the University of St. Andrews, Oxford, Cambridge, University of Birmingham, Brunel University of London, and many more based on the interests of the students, one can opt for the best amongst the available choices.

6. How long does the creative writing course?

Ans) There are various courses based on different time frames like the creative writing courses at oxford provide a course that is for one or two years, but there are universities that provide one or two-month courses as well.

Creative writing is one of the in-demand skills nowadays that plays a major role in brand awareness. As businesses need to market their products or services, they need creative writers to present their products in front of the mass in the most compelling manner. Hence, it proves what value creative writers possess in today’s digital environment where the creative mind is the only king. In the end, we hope we have provided you with a complete guide to the Oxford courses, you can apply to any of the courses, part-time or full-time, according to your convenience. All the courses possess good value, and the expert faculty make the program more fun with practices and assignments.

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oxford diploma in creative writing

  • Home »
  • University of Oxford »
  • University of Oxford Department For Continuing Education »
  • Creative Writing

find your perfect postgrad program Search our Database of 30,000 Courses

University of oxford: creative writing, part-time, 2 years starts oct 2024.

**The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2023). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.**

The MSt in Creative Writing is a two-year, part-time master's degree course offering a unique combination of high contact hours, genre specialisation, and critical and creative breadth.

The emphasis of the course is cross-cultural and cross-genre, pointing up the needs and challenges of the contemporary writer who produces their creative work in the context of a global writerly and critical community.

The MSt offers a clustered learning format of five residences, two guided retreats and one research placement over two years. The research placement, a distinguishing feature of the course, provides between one and two weeks' in-house experience of writing in the real world.

The first year concentrates equally on prose fiction, poetry, dramatic writing and narrative non-fiction. There is a significant critical reading and analysis component, which is linked to the writerly considerations explored in each of the genres. In your second year you will specialise in one of the following:

- the novel

- short fiction

- radio drama

- screenwriting

- stage drama

- narrative non-fiction.

The residences in particular offer an intensive workshop- and seminar-based forum for ideas exchange and for the opening up of creative and critical frameworks within which to develop writerly and analytical skills. There is a strong element of one-to-one tutorial teaching. Tutorials take place within residences and retreats, and relate to the on-going work produced for the course.

You will be assigned a supervisor who will work closely with you throughout the development of the year two final project and extended essay. All assessed work throughout the two years of the course is subject to one-to-one feedback and discussion with a tutor. This intensive, one-to-one input, combined with the highly interactive workshop and seminar sessions, is a distinguishing feature of the course.

Part-Time, 2 years started Oct 2023

**The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (October/November 2022). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas**

Part-Time, 2 years started Oct 2022

**The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (October/November 2021). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas**

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oxford diploma in creative writing

  • Bodleian Libraries
  • Oxford LibGuides
  • Creative Writing

Creative Writing: Books

  • Free Online Resources
  • Introduction

The majority of books held by the Bodleian Libraries, in both physical and electronic formats, can be searched via SOLO . On this page you will find recommended books, guidance on how to search for and access print and ebooks, and libraries in the University that might be relevant for your studies and research.

Physical books

  • Rewley House Continuing Education Library
  • English Faculty Library
  • Other Collections

Use the tabs above to explore the key texts and libraries for students of Creative Writing. Access to collections and borrowing privileges are subject to conditions; please check individual library websites for further information.

Help with books

For those wishing to learn more about searching for physical collections in Oxford, we recommend the following:

  • SOLO: Search Oxford Libraries Online guide A guide for students and researchers at the University of Oxford, or those visiting, who seek support in using the Bodleian Libraries resource discovery tool, SOLO.
  • Bodleian Libraries Special Collections Information about special collections at the Bodleian Libraries and how to access them.
  • Bodleian Libraries theses and dissertations Links to information on accessing the Bodleian Libraries collections of Oxford, UK, US and other international theses.

Below you will find key texts for Creative Writing. The links will take you through to SOLO where you can find out how to access the books.

Cover Art

  • Rewley House Continuing Education Library The Rewley House Continuing Education Library supports the teaching, learning and research of the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. The library holds books on reading lists for courses taught at the Department, including the Diploma and Masters courses in Creative Writing. Most of these books are available to borrow.

Browsing the library's print collections can help you find relevant resources as the books are shelved in subject order, so you'll find related books shelved together.

In the literature sections, each genre is subdivided by period and then author surname. Critical and biographical works about an author are shelved immediately following works by the author.

  • English Faculty Library The primary purpose of the library's collections is to support the teaching and study English language and literature at Oxford, with coverage from medieval to post-colonial literatures in English. Less frequently used books are stored offsite and need to be requested to a reading room via SOLO. See the link below for information on locating books within the EFL.
  • Finding English faculty Library items A guide to how books are organised within the English Faculty Library

A number of other libraries may be of relevance to those studying Creative Writing.

  • Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library is the University's largest library, and holds the main research collection for English literature and language. Most material is stored off-site and can be called to a reading room via SOLO. There is an open-shelf collection for English held in the Upper Reading Room, consisting largely of standard editions of the works of renowned authors from the Anglo-Saxon period onwards, major bibliographical and reference works and series.
  • Radcliffe Camera The Radcliffe Camera is part of the central Bodleian Library complex, and linked to the Old Bodleian Library underground, via the Gladstone Link. There is an open-shelf collection for English in the Upper Camera, in support of teaching.

Electronic books (ebooks)

  • Ebook Collections
  • Free Resources
  • Study skills
  • Reference Books

Ebooks are digital versions of written works. Broadly speaking they come in two forms: they are either 'born digital' or are digital reproductions of printed books. See the tabs above for details of different ebook resources relevant to those studying Creative Writing.

Many ebooks have enhanced functionality, such as connectivity with reference management software, the ability to annotate and accessibility features.

Members of Oxford University can use ebooks that the Bodleian Libraries have purchased for free. Search for them on SOLO . They can be read on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, e-reader or mobile phone; you just need your Oxford Single Sign On to access them. Individually purchased ebooks are all searchable on SOLO, but not all purchased ebook collections are, so it is important to visit the websites of ebook collections too. Look at the 'ebook collections' tab above.

Note, some ebooks have restrictive access and usage terms, for example they can only be read by one person at a time.

Some books are acquired via 'electronic Legal Deposit'. These must be read on a library desktop computer in one of the Bodleian Libraries. Further information on how to identify and access electronic Legal Deposit items on SOLO is at the link below.

  • Electronic Legal Deposit guide

Help with ebooks

The links below are provided for those wishing to learn more about ebooks.

  • Ebooks guide A guide intended for students and staff using, or likely to use, ebooks in the course of their studies and research.
  • Online and Remote Access Information on accessing Bodleian Libraries content remotely.
  • University of Oxford E-resources Blog The e-resources team use this blog to help keep you informed of news and changes in the world of ejournals and databases.

Below you will find key texts available as ebooks for Creative Writing. 

You will need your Oxford Single Sign On to access the ebooks if you are not on the University network.

Cover Art

The following is a list of ebook collections applicable to those studying Creative Writing at Oxford. Not all ebook collections are available on SOLO, so it is important to visit ebook collection websites to expand your search. You can browse and search across all ebooks on the provider's website and encounter titles of interest you may not have otherwise found.

The ebook collections have been selected by the Bodleian Libraries and you are able to access them for free because of institutional subscriptions to the content. You will need your Oxford Single Sign On to access the collections if you are not on the University network.

The Bodleian Libraries have access to over 2,000 e-books on the Bloomsbury Collections platform, including research publications in the following series and subject areas: Ancient Commentators on Aristotle; Ancient Philosophy; Applied Linguistics; Biblical Studies; C.H. Beck · Hart · Nomos; Christian Doctrines; Christology; Classical Literature; Classical Studies & Archaeology; Competition Law; Constitutional and Administrative Law; Continental Philosophy; Criminal Law and Justice; Economics; Education Around the World; Family and Social Law; Hart Publishing; History; History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade Landmark Texts; Intellectual Property Law; International Critical Commentary; International Relations; Legal Philosophy; Literary Criticism; Middle East; Pauline Studies; Philosophy; Religious Studies; Second Language Acquisition; Theology; Zed Books Sexuality and Gender Studies Archive; Zed Books Economics Archive; Zed Books Sexuality and Gender Studies 2017-2020.

Please note we do not have access to all books on this platform.

Cambridge Collections Online offers subject or theme based collections of content within a richly functional, fully cross-searchable online environment. The Complete Cambridge Companions is available as a complete collection and as two sub-collections comprising the Cambridge Companions in Literature and Classics and the Cambridge Companions in Philosophy, Religion and Culture. Each collection is updated with new Companions on publication.

  • Contemporary World Drama Full text playscripts from playwrights around the world. more... less... This collection examines the richness and diversity of contemporary theatre and drama from a global context. It includes new work from established and up-and-coming contemporary playwrights from around the world. At completion, the collection will include 1,000 contemporary plays, from 2000 to present day. Purchase of this resource was funded by the Drue Heinz Fund.

Alternative names: Arden Shakespeare ; Nick Hern books  

Drama Online provides access to the searchable full-text of thousands of plays, drawn from the Methuen Drama, Arden Shakespeare, Faber, Nick Hern, Aurora Metro and Oberon Books lists to form a collection of the most studied, performed and critically acclaimed plays from Aeschylus to the present day. Over 100 critical and contextual works are also included, as well as biographical and bibliographical information for each playwright. The collection will be regularly updated with the latest works from new and established writers. This resource includes access to video recordings of Shakespeare performances from the Globe, the RSC and the Donmar, and performances from the National Theatre.

Please note: Oxford has access to most but not all content.

Purchase of the National Theatre Collection 1 was partly funded by the Drue Heinz Fund.

Ebsco's ebook collection is a collection of e-books purchased by Oxford librarians. Currently there are over 2,000 purchased books ('Our Collection') as well as over 3000 free e-books.

Access to each e-book is limited to one or, more commonly, two simultaneous users, depending on the individual book licence.

New books are being purchased on a regular basis.

Deatils on accessing the ebooks on this platform are at: http://ox.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=19854712 .

  • Oxford Scholarship Online Academic works published by Oxford University Press. Organised by subject including a Literature section. more... less... Alternative name: OSO. Contains scholarly books, published by Oxford University Press, in the humanities, sciences, medicine and social sciences online. The full texts of over 1,000 key Oxford titles in Biology, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Public Health and Epidemiology, Business and Management, Law, Music, Physics, Religion, Classical Studies, Linguistics, Neuroscience, Political Science, Social Work, Economics and Finance, Literature, Palliative Care, Psychology and Sociology are now available - together with specially-commissioned book and chapter abstracts and keywords. At least 200 new books will be added each year as part of the annual subscription.
  • ProQuest Ebook Central Ebooks from scholarly sources, including University Presses. Subject categories include Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Literature, and Publishing. more... less... Alternative names: Ebook Central ; Ebook Library (EBL) ; ebrary

Oxford Academic includes over 40,000 academic ebooks from Oxford University Press and other university presses, including:

  • American University in Cairo Press
  • British Academy
  • University of California Press
  • University of Chicago Press
  • Columbia University Press
  • Cornell University Press
  • Edinburgh University Press
  • University Press of Florida
  • Fordham University Press
  • University of Hawai‘i Press
  • Hong Kong University Press
  • University of Illinois Press
  • University Press of Kentucky
  • Liverpool University Press
  • Manchester University Press
  • University of Minnesota Press
  • University Press of Mississippi
  • University of North Carolina Press
  • Policy Press
  • Princeton University Press
  • Stanford University Press
  • Yale University Press

Includes medical ebooks previously available through the Oxford Medicine Online platform. To access medicine content, select "Subject" -> "Medicine and Health".

  • Very Short Introductions Concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects. Expert authors combine facts, analysis, new insights, and enthusiasm to make often challenging topics highly readable more... less... Very Short Introductions offer concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects.
  • What Everyone Needs to Know Concise introductions to current events and issues. more... less... Alternative name: WENTK What Everyone Needs to Know is a series of over 100 books from Oxford University Press that concisely introduce current events, issues, and countries, spanning across popular topics and disciplines including Politics, Economics, Sciences, and Religion. The books are written by experts in their fields in a straight-forward question-and-answer format.

A number of eresources, including ebook collections, are freely available online and listed below.

Some of these resources are listed on SOLO but not all, so it is important to visit the websites to expand your search. You do not need your Oxford Single Sign On to access them. These are different to the ebooks purchased by the Bodleian Libraries for which you need your Single Sign On for access.

  • Google Books Full text of many out of copyright books, and selected previews of books which are still in copyright.
  • Google Scholar Used to search for scholarly literature including articles, theses, abstracts and books from a variety of publishers.
  • Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg provides access to over 60,000 out of copyright books. These will be mainly older publications.
  • Digital Book Index Provides links to more than 165,000 full-text digital books from more than 1800 commercial and non-commercial publishers, universities, and various private sites. More than 140,000 of these books, texts, and documents are available free.
  • Internet Archive A non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.
  • Many Books A library of close to 50,000 free ebooks, with a selection of classic poltical and philosophical texts.
  • Open Book Publishers Open Book Publishers is one of the biggest independent open access academic publishers of monographs in the UK.
  • Open Textbook Library Supported by the Open Education Network, the Open Textbook Library offers over 800 etextbooks that are licensed by authors and publishers to be freely used and adapted. Download, edit and distribute them at no cost.
  • Planet Ebook Classic literature, downloadable in various formats compatible with e-readers.

You will find study skills resources compiled by Bodleian Libraries staff available on Oxford Reading List Online (ORLO).

You will need your Oxford Single Sign On credentials to access the list.

  • Study skills resources This list gives a sample of available books, documents and videos on study skills that you may find helpful.

A selection of dictionaries, thesauri and encyclopedias useful to those studying Creative Writing.

You will need your Oxford Single Sign On to access the collections if you are not on the University network.

Oxford Reference Online brings together over 450 reference works published by Oxford University Press into a single cross-searchable resource. It includes English and bilingual dictionaries, English grammar and usage guides, quotations and subject-specific reference works.

It is updated regularly with new titles, new editions, new entries, full-colour maps and illustrations, timelines, weblinks, and bibliographies.

Cover Art

Green’s Dictionary of Slang is the largest historical dictionary of English slang. Written by Jonathon Green over 17 years from 1993, it reached the printed page in 2010 in a three-volume set containing nearly 100,000 entries supported by over 400,000 citations from c. AD 1000 to the present day. The main focus of the dictionary is the coverage of over 500 years of slang from c. 1500 onwards. On this website the dictionary is now available in updated online form for the first time, complete with advanced search tools enabling search by definition and history, and an expanded bibliography of slang sources from the early modern period to the present day. Since the print edition, nearly 60,000 quotations have been added, supporting 5,000 new senses in 2,500 new entries and sub-entries, of which around half are new slang terms from the last five years.

Note that this is a free version with no access to protected content.

Recommend a book

If the Bodleian Libraries don't have the print or ebook you are looking for, you can make a recommendation by completing the form below ( Oxford Single-Sign On required).

  • Recommend a purchase

Inter-library loans

If the Bodleian Libraries don't have the book you are looking for, we may be able to source it through Oxford's inter-library loan service.

  • Inter-library Loans Service Online Form Use this form to request material not held by the Bodleian Libraries. Please check Oxford collections on SOLO and ensure that the item is not in stock, either in print or electronically.

Why are some books not available electronically?

There are a number of reasons why the Bodleian Libraries may be unable to provide electronic access to a resource. The ebooks guide explains some of these reasons:

  • Why isn't there an ebook?
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A close up of wooden printing blocks

MSt in Creative Writing

  • Entry requirements
  • Funding and Costs

College preference

  • How to Apply

About the course

The MSt in Creative Writing is a two-year, part-time master's degree course offering a unique combination of high contact hours, genre specialisation, and critical and creative breadth.

The emphasis of the course is cross-cultural and cross-genre, pointing up the needs and challenges of the contemporary writer who produces their creative work in the context of a global writerly and critical community.

The MSt offers a clustered learning format of five residences, two guided retreats and one research placement over two years. The research placement, a distinguishing feature of the course, provides between one and two weeks' in-house experience of writing in the real world.

The first year concentrates equally on prose fiction, poetry, dramatic writing and narrative non-fiction. There is a significant critical reading and analysis component, which is linked to the writerly considerations explored in each of the genres. In your second year you will specialise in one of the following:

  • short fiction
  • radio drama
  • screenwriting
  • stage drama
  • narrative non-fiction.

The residences in particular offer an intensive workshop- and seminar-based forum for ideas exchange and for the opening up of creative and critical frameworks within which to develop writerly and analytical skills. There is a strong element of one-to-one tutorial teaching. Tutorials take place within residences and retreats, and relate to the on-going work produced for the course.

You will be assigned a supervisor who will work closely with you throughout the development of the year two final project and extended essay. All assessed work throughout the two years of the course is subject to one-to-one feedback and discussion with a tutor. This intensive, one-to-one input, combined with the highly interactive workshop and seminar sessions, is a distinguishing feature of the course.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department for Continuing Education and this role will usually be performed by the Course Director.

You will be allocated a supervisor to guide and advise you on your creative and critical work throughout the second year.

It is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Department for Continuing Education.

The MSt is assessed by coursework. In the first year, four assignments (two creative, two critical), one creative writing portfolio and one critical essay are submitted. Work is set during each residence and handed in for assessment before the next meeting. Feedback on work submitted is given during tutorials within the residence or retreat. In the second year, submissions comprise one research placement report, one extended critical essay, and a final project – a substantial body of creative work in the genre of choice. 

You will be set specific creative and critical work to be completed between residences and handed in to set deadlines. Creative submissions in the first year must be in more than one genre. In the second year, submitted work focuses around the genre of your choice.

Graduate destinations

Graduate destinations have included publishing creative work in a chosen field, careers in arts/media, and doctoral programmes in creative writing.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2024-25

Proven and potential academic excellence.

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

  • a first-class or upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours  in a related field.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA normally sought is 3.6 out of 4.0.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience 

  • Assessors are looking for writers with a proven record of commitment to their craft, whose work demonstrates significant creative promise. You should be a keen reader, and bring an open-minded, questioning approach to both reading and writing. You will not necessarily have yet achieved publication, but you will have written regularly and read widely over a sustained period. You will be keen to dedicate time and energy and staying-power to harnessing your talent, enlarging your skills, and aiming your writerly production at consistently professional standards. It is likely you will have a first degree, or equivalent, although in some cases other evidence of suitability may be acceptable.
  • Applicants do not need to be previously published, but the MSt is unlikely to be suitable for those who are just starting out on their writerly and critical development.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's  higher level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides  further information about the English language test requirement .

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process.  

For those applying by the January deadline, interviews are generally held in February and March. For March applicants, interviews are generally held in March and April.

The decision to call an applicant for interview is based on the University Admission Board's assessment of your portfolio, statement of purpose, academic and professional track record and references. Interviews will be conducted in person or by telephone. All applicants whose paper submissions indicate they are qualified for entry will generally be interviewed, either in person or by telephone/Skype. There are always two interviewers. Interviews usually last up to approximately 30 minutes and provide an opportunity for the candidate to discuss his/her application and to explore the course in more detail.

The interview is designed to ascertain, through a range of questions, the shape and emphasis of the candidate's writing and reading, and general suitability for the demands of the MSt. 

How your application is assessed

Your application will be assessed purely on your proven and potential academic excellence and other entry requirements described under that heading.

References  and  supporting documents  submitted as part of your application, and your performance at interview (if interviews are held) will be considered as part of the assessment process. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.

An overview of the shortlisting and selection process is provided below. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide  more information about how applications are assessed . 

Shortlisting and selection

Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:

  • socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of  the University’s pilot selection procedure  and for  scholarships aimed at under-represented groups ;
  • country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
  • protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.

Processing your data for shortlisting and selection

Information about  processing special category data for the purposes of positive action  and  using your data to assess your eligibility for funding , can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.

Admissions panels and assessors

All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).

Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:

  • the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the  About  section of this page;
  • the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
  • minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.

Offer conditions for successful applications

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about offers and conditions . 

In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a  Financial Declaration  in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any  relevant, unspent criminal convictions  before you can take up a place at Oxford.

The department is committed to supporting you to pursue your academic goals. 

The Rewley House Continuing Education Library , one of the Bodleian Libraries, is situated in Rewley House. The department aims to support the wide variety of subjects covered by departmental courses at many academic levels. The department also has a collection of around 73,000 books together with periodicals. PCs in the library give access to the internet and the full range of electronic resources subscribed to by the University of Oxford. Wi-Fi is also available. The Jessop Reading Room adjoining the library is available for study. You will have access to the Central Bodleian and other Bodleian Libraries.

The department's Graduate School provides a stimulating and enriching learning and research environment for the department's graduate students, fostering intellectual and social interaction between graduates of different disciplines and professions from the UK and around the globe. The Graduate School will help you make the most of the wealth of resources and opportunities available, paying particular regard to the support and guidance needed if you are following a part-time graduate programme. The department’s graduate community comprises over 600 members following taught programmes and more than 70 undertaking doctoral research.

The department provides various IT facilities , including the Student Computing Facility which provides individual PCs for your use. Many of the department's courses are delivered through blended learning or have a website to support face-to-face study. In most cases, online support is delivered through a virtual learning environment. 

Depending on the programme you are taking with the department, you may require accommodation at some point in your student career. Rewley House is ideally located in central Oxford; the city's historic sites, colleges, museums, shops and restaurants are only a few minutes’ walk away. The department has 35 en-suite study bedrooms, all with high quality amenities, including internet access.

The Rewley House dining room has seating for up to 132 people. A full meal service is available daily. The department operates a Common Room with bar for students. 

Department for Continuing Education

The need for new learning opportunities throughout life is now recognised throughout society. An intensive, initial period of higher education is not always enough in times of rapid social, economic and technological change. The Department for Continuing Education is known worldwide as a leading provider of extended learning for professional and personal development.

The department provides high-quality, flexible, part-time graduate education, tailored for adults. Students can undertake graduate-level certificates, diplomas and taught master’s degrees in a wide range of subjects. Increasing numbers of courses are delivered in mixed mode, combining intensive periods of residence in Oxford with tutored online study.

The department recruits adult students of all ages on a regional, national and international level. Many courses are offered jointly with other academic departments around the University. Courses are offered in the following areas:

  • Mathematical, physical and life sciences
  • Medical and health sciences
  • Social sciences .

All postgraduate students on the department's courses are members of its Graduate School. The Graduate School aims to provide a stimulating and enriching environment for learning and research. It also fosters intellectual and social interaction between students coming from different disciplines and professions. Interdisciplinary research seminars, training opportunities and other events are offered by the Graduate School in support of this goal.

All masters' and DPhil applicants are considered for Clarendon Scholarships . The department is committed to seeking scholarship support for other students wherever possible.

View all courses   View taught courses View research courses

The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships , if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential. 

For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.

Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:

Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the department's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2024-25

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.

Information about course fees

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding  section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility  and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

This course has residential sessions (residences and retreats) in Oxford. You will need to meet your travel costs in attending these sessions. The tuition fee includes the cost of board and lodging during the residences and retreats (eg for a four day residence, three nights accommodation will be provided). Further, as part of your course requirements, you will need to complete a research placement in the second year. For this placement you will need to meet your travel and accommodation costs, and any other incidental expenses. You may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses. Further information about departmental funding can be found on the department's website. Please check with your specific college for bursary or other funding possibilities.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.

If you are studying part-time your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you must still ensure that you will have sufficient funding to meet these costs for the duration of your course.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs). 

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief  introduction to the college system at Oxford  and our  advice about expressing a college preference . For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.

The following colleges accept students on the MSt in Creative Writing:

  • Blackfriars
  • Brasenose College
  • Campion Hall
  • Harris Manchester College
  • Keble College
  • Kellogg College
  • Lady Margaret Hall
  • Oriel College
  • Regent's Park College
  • St Catherine's College
  • Somerville College
  • Wadham College
  • Wycliffe Hall

Before you apply

Our  guide to getting started  provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under a December or January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance . Check the deadlines on this page and the  information about deadlines  in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £75 is payable per course application. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

  • applicants from low-income countries;
  • refugees and displaced persons; 
  • UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 
  • applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to  check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver  before you apply.

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

You do not need to make contact with the department before you apply but you are encouraged to visit the relevant departmental webpages to read any further information about your chosen course.

If you have any questions about the course, these should be directed to the course administrator via the contact details provided on this page.

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents . 

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Referees: Three overall, academic and/or professional

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

Your references will support your commitment to creative writing and suitability to pursue a course of this nature at graduate level. Both professional and academic references are acceptable.

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

A CV/résumé is compulsory for all applications. Most applicants choose to submit a document of one to two pages highlighting their academic and writerly achievements and any relevant professional experience.

Statement of purpose: A maximum of 750 words

The statement of purpose should contain sufficient detail to allow it to be assessed against the indicated criteria.

Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at Oxford, your relevant experience and education, and the specific areas that interest you and/or in which you intend to specialise.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

This will be assessed for:

  • your reasons for applying
  • evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
  • the ability to present a reasoned case in English
  • commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course
  • capacity for sustained and intense work
  • reasoning ability and quality of written expression
  • capacity to address issues of writerly and critical significance.

Written work: A maximum of 2,000 words of prose fiction or narrative non-fiction or 10 short poems or 15 minutes of dramatic writing (stage, screen, radio or TV)

Your portfolio of creative writing for assessment can be in any of the four genres, or in more than one. It should be clearly indicative of your ability in creative writing.

This will be assessed for excellence in creative writing.

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please  refer to the requirements above  and  consult our Application Guide for advice . You'll find the answers to most common queries in our FAQs.

Application Guide   Apply

ADMISSION STATUS

Open to applications for entry in 2024-25

12:00 midday UK time on:

Friday 19 January 2024 Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships

Friday 1 March 2024 Applications may remain open after this deadline if places are still available - see below

A later deadline shown under 'Admission status' If places are still available,  applications may be accepted after 1 March . The 'Admissions status' (above) will provide notice of any later deadline.

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2021-22 to 2023-24)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the Department for Continuing Education

  • Course page  and blog on  department website
  • Funding information from the department
  • Academic staff
  • Departmental research
  • Continuing Education Graduate School
  • Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

[email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 280145

Application-process enquiries

See the application guide

Visa eligibility for part-time study

We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study on this course. Part-time students may be able to attend on a visitor visa for short blocks of time only (and leave after each visit) and will need to remain based outside the UK.

oxford diploma in creative writing

Level: Postgraduate

Duration: 2 years part-time

Starts: September 2024

Open to applications for 2024 entry.

Application deadline (12:00 midday UK time):

  • Friday 1 March 2024

Applications may remain open after the March deadline if places are still available. Please check the  admission status .

Questions? Email:  [email protected]

MSt in Creative Writing

Course details.

Oxford University's Master of Studies in Creative Writing is a two-year, part-time master's degree course offering a unique combination of high contact hours, genre specialization, and critical and creative breadth.

The emphasis of this postgraduate creative writing course is cross-cultural and cross-genre, pointing up the needs and challenges of the contemporary writer who produces his or her creative work in the context of a global writerly and critical community.

The programme offers a clustered learning format of five Residences, two Guided Retreats and one Placement over two years. The research Placement, a distinguishing feature of the course, offers between one and two weeks' hands-on experience of writing in the real world. Students may undertake their placement in a literary agency, a publishing house, the offices of a literary periodical, a theatre company, a screen production company, or other relevant organization. Placement organisations have included Macmillan, the Poetry Society, Initialise Films, Random House, the BBC, the Literary Review, AM Heath, Pegasus Theatre, and Carcanet.

Quick links​

  • The course in detail

Oxford college affiliation

Student comments, awards and successes, destinations, who should apply.

  • Staff and tutor profiles
  • FAQ, course blog and twitter
  • Application details  – how and when to apply, fees, scholarships and sources of funding

IT requirements

  • English language ability and visas

Programme details

Course content.

The first year concentrates equally on prose (fiction and narrative non-fiction), poetry and drama. There is a significant critical reading and analysis component, which is linked to the writerly considerations explored in each of the three genres. Students are expected to engage fully with all three genres, in a spirit of exploration and with the aim of discovering what impact and relevance unaccustomed genres have for the development of their individual writerly voice. This necessarily involves undertaking assignments and exercises in areas that are new to students, and do not relate directly to any work they may have in progress. Students may be able to continue with their own longer term pieces-in-progress but the concentration of year 1 teaching is on producing new work, and the exercises and assignments, which should take priority, reflect this emphasis.

The second year offers specialization in a single genre, again accompanied by a significant critical element focused around issues of interest to the individual student and related to the genre of choice.

Your specialization choices are as follows:

  • Short fiction
  • Radio drama
  • Screenwriting
  • Stage drama
  • Narrative non-fiction

In year 2, the specialization in the genre of students’ choice provides an opportunity for significant concentration on either new work, or, subject to consultation with supervisor, on existing work-in-progress.

Course brochure for MSt in Creative Writing

How is the course structured?

Course Dates Year 1 (2024-25)

Residence 1: Saturday 21 September to Tuesday 24 September 2024 Residence 2: Saturday 18 January to Tuesday 21 January 2025 Residence 3: Sunday 20 April to Wednesday 23 April 2025 Guided Retreat: Sunday 29 June to Tuesday 1 July 2025

The exact dates of the second year residences have not yet been finalised but will be in early October 2025, and in late March and early July 2026.

How is the course assessed?

Year 1: 

  • 4 x 2500-word assignments, 2 creative writing and 2 critical analysis
  • 1 x 7000-word portfolio of creative writing
  • 1 x 4000-word extended critical essay

Work is set during each Residence and handed in for assessment before the next meeting. Feedback on work submitted is given during tutorials within the Residence or Retreat.

Year 2: 

  • 1 x 2500-word report of Research Placement
  • 1 x final creative writing project amounting to:
  • approximately 25,000 words of prose fiction
  • or approximately 25,000 words of narrative non-fiction
  • or a piece or pieces of radio drama totalling approximately 90 minutes’ duration or up to 18,000 words)
  • or stage play of 90 minute’s duration (23,000 – 25,000 words)
  • or TV play of 90 minute’s duration (approx 18,000 words)
  • or screenplay (entire, c. 110 to 120pp; approx 25,000 words)
  • or a collection of poetry of between 40 and 60 pages AND between 600 and 1200 lines
  • 1 x 5000-word extended essay on a genre-related critical approach of own choice

You will be allocated a Supervisor to guide and advise you on your creative and critical work throughout the second year.

As a matriculated postgraduate degree student, you will become a member of one of the University’s famous interdisciplinary colleges, enabling you to encounter new perspectives in your field or learn more about many other different subjects from fellow college members.

The collegiate system makes studying at Oxford a truly special experience. Oxford colleges are small, intimate communities, where you could find yourself absorbed in fascinating conversations with students and academics from a variety of disciplines at college seminars, dinners, and informal occasions. 

To find out more about Oxford University colleges, please consult the  University's Graduate Admissions website .

"The Oxford MSt enables you to fast-track your career in writing." - Fortuna Burke

"… the freedom to explore and experiment… has been fundamental to my development as a writer." - Clare Tetley

"The range and variety of the group … offers truly exciting opportunities for the kind of exchanges that really accelerate your development as a writer." - Michael Schuller

"What does the course offer? Self-discipline, professionalism and confidence." - Abigail Green-Dove

"My life has been so enriched and expanded. My writing evolves daily through the tools that you gave me. Not to mention the wonderful friendships formed throughout our two years together." - Lindsay Moore

"The Masters in Oxford, while encouraging creativity, raised the bar on the quality of the finished work and gave me the discipline to be a professional." - Bette Adriaanse

"I doubt there’s a more suitable MSt in the United Kingdom for work which challenges boundaries and takes risks." - Jennifer Thorp

Eighteen cohorts of students have so far graduated, and our students have already achieved significant writerly successes.

Our fiction writers have achieved high-profile publication, including a Booker Prize shortlisting; a two-book deal with Jonathan Cape; two-book deals with Knopf Random House (USA) and Chicken House (UK and Europe); a major deal with Bloomsbury; a two-book deal with Quercus, and a three book deal with Quercus. Other imprints with which our students and alumni have published include Unnamed Press; Unbound; John Murray; Knopf; Alcemi Press; Cillian Press; Marshall Cavendish; Palimpsest Press; V & A Publishing; HarperCollins India; Riverrun; Harlequin; and Penguin Books India.

Periodicals in which our prose writers have placed work include: Structo, the Mays Anthology, De Revisor, Vestoj, A Joyful Archipelago, Blood Ink Crime Writing Anthology, Litro, The Rumpus, Newsweek, Drum Literary Magazine, Flash: The International Short-short Story Magazine, Carillon Magazine, Skyline 2014 anthology, The Warwick Review, The International Journal of Literature and Aesthetics, Northern Liberties Review, The Irish Literary Review, Annexe Magazine, Cannon’s Mouth Journal and Rock Ink Roll Anthology.

Our poets have also published widely with, among others, Eyewear; Gatehouse Press; Templar Press; Dancing Girl Press; Carcanet/Oxford Poets; Red Mountain Press; Poetry Salzburg; Emma Press; Unsolicited Press; Albion Beatnik Press; Bloomsbury; and Southward Press.

Awards received by students and graduates specializing in poetry include the Ruth Lilly Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation of America, shortlisting for the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Prize for young poets of unusual promise, the Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine, the International Jane Martin Poetry Prize, the Templar Portfolio Award, and shortlisting for the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. A student was also nominated for the Hennessey Literary Award in the Emerging Poetry category. A current student was selected for the Poetry Ireland Introductions Series 2017.

Publications in which our poets have appeared include The Spectator, Poetry Review, Chattahoochee Review Irish Special, Cinnamon Press, Other Poetry, The Moth, Heart Shoots Anthology, Shearsman, Smiths Knoll, Ash Magazine, The Frogmore Papers, Cadaverine, Inkcapture, Catechism, Agenda, Magma. Poetry London, The American Literary Review, Poetry Review, Southword, The Lamp, Ambit, The Lumen, Acumen Literary Journal, Popshot Magazine, The Chicago Review, and Sentinel Literary Quarterly: The Magazine of World Literature.

Our dramatists have had plays staged in significant theatrical venues, including the Soho Theatre and the Hong Kong Arts Festival. One alumnus has run storytelling workshops for the National Theatre. A 2010 graduate is now an award-winning playwright who has had four stage plays produced and three radio plays recorded. One graduate produced a short film in 2015 which premiered at Raindance in London. One alumnus’ play was performed as part of Theatre503’s Rapid Write Response, and another edited and contributed to a collection of plays by British East Asian playwrights, published by Oberon Books.

Awards our students and alumni have received include the Royal Court’s Alfred Fagon Award for the best play by a writer of African and Caribbean descent, a nomination for a Princess Grace Award for playwriting, Best Play (awarded by Meera Syal) at the Oxford University New Writing Festival, and longlisting for the King`s Cross Award for New Writing. One alumnus was selected as part of the ‘Migration Matters’ Festival for a weeklong residency, while another wrote a film which won ‘corporate gold’ at the Cannes Festival.

Prizes and Shortlistings – Poetry, Prose and Drama

Students and alumni have won a wide range of prizes. These successes include winning the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2017, the Bridport Prize for Poetry, the Gregory O’Donoghue Prize, the Writers’ Village International Short Fiction Award 2014, the Editors Prize from the Poetry Foundation, the Hippocrates Prize, the Parallel Universe Poetry Competition, the Martin Starkie Prize, the Heritage Arts Radio play competition, the Cascade Pictures Writer’s Couch pitching competition, first prize in the Poetry Book Society Student Poetry Competition, and the Yeovil Literary Prize for Poetry. Two alumni have won the Oxford University’s DL Chapman Memorial Prize, and another won the London Fringe Festival’s Short Fiction Award. Alumni have been awarded a Toshiba Studentship, a Hawthornden Fellowship, and funded residencies at the Banff Centre, Canada, and at the Expansionists Project, Whitstable.

Students and alumni have had their work shortlisted across the genres for, among others, the British Library’s Michael Marks Poetry Award, the Sunday Times Short Story Prize, the Costa Award, the Dylan Thomas Prize, Not the Booker Prize, the Sunday Times/EFL short story prize 2017, the Asham Award, the Bridport Prize, the Bridport Prize for Flash Fiction, the Fish Flash Fiction prize, the Oxonian poetry prize, the Fish Short Story Prize, the Big Issue in the North’s New Writing Award, the Oxonian review, the Aesthetica Creative Writing Competition, and the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger award 2011.

The MSt in Creative Writing blog is kept up to date with stories of alumni successes.

Many of our graduate students have signed with agents, and each year a number go on to undertake doctoral study in creative writing or English Literature. Our graduates have obtained positions in publishing, media and the creative arts industries, as well as teaching positions in tertiary education.

We are looking for writers with a proven record of commitment to their craft. You should be a keen reader, and bring an open-minded, questioning approach to both reading and writing. You will not necessarily have yet achieved publication, but you will have written regularly and read widely over a sustained period. You will be keen to dedicate time and energy and staying-power to harnessing your talent, enlarging your skills, and aiming your writerly production at consistently professional standards. It is likely you will have a first degree, or equivalent, although in some cases other evidence of suitability may be acceptable.

The MSt has enjoyed a very strong application field since its inception, attracting record interest in recent years from a global constituency of writers. The course`s emphasis on critical analysis as well as on writerly and creative excellence attracts students of commensurately strong academic potential as well as of significant creative promise. This combination of academic rigour and creativity is a central distinctive feature of the course. The resulting emphasis on exploration and the development of an individual writerly voice serve to attract particularly talented students from around the world as well as a strongly diverse group of UK students of varied backgrounds and ethnicity.

The high number of contact hours are concentrated into Residences and Retreats. Students should be at a stage in their writing where, with appropriate guidance, they can undertake agreed assignments, projects and essays between meetings. There is a dedicated Course Website for provision of up-to-date information; contact and exchange between students; and contact between students and tutors. The course, however, is not a ‘distance-learning’ course, and tutors, while being happy to help with questions or problems, do not offer regular weekly ‘office hours’.

The programme is similar to MFA (Master of Fine Arts) programmes. It is a creative degree that centres around professional artistic practice for those who wish to build upon, or start, their publishing record. 

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA we normally seek is 3.6 out of 4.0. We do not seek a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT score. Although a GRE or GMAT score is not a formal requirement, if one is available it should be supplied.

The MSt is unlikely to be suitable for those who are just starting out on their writerly and critical development. If you have any doubts about whether the MSt is right for your stage of development, please take a look at our  Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing .

Course Director:  Dr Clare Morgan

Tutor profiles . 

During a  virtual open event in 2011 , participants' questions were texted in and answered by the acting Course Director Jane Draycott and course administrator. All of these questions and answers are  available to read here.

Blog and twitter

The MSt blog  is a resource of interviews, events, calls for submission, competitions, news of alumni and tutors, and more.

The course Twitter account is @OxMst .

Fees and funding

Course fees.

Please visit the  Creative Writing page on the University of Oxford Graduate Admissions website  for details of course fees and costs.

Scholarships and sources of funding

As a postgraduate student studying on this course at the Department, you may be able to gain assistance through Career Development Loans or Educational Trusts and Charities. 

Please visit our  sources of funding page  for information on student loans, bursaries and external sources of funding.

The Clarendon Fund

The aim of the  Clarendon Fund  is to assist the very best students who obtain places to study for postgraduate degrees in the University. The main criterion for the awards is academic ability. 

Application details

The application deadline for September 2024 entry is 1 March 2024.

If you have any questions about the progress of your application, please contact the Graduate Admissions Office (tel: 01865 270059;  Query facility ); or the Course Administrator (tel: +44 (0)1865 280145; email: [email protected] ).

How to apply

For entry requirements, selection criteria and how to apply, please visit the  Oxford University Graduate Admissions website .

The University requires online applications. Paper applications are only acceptable in exceptional cases where it is not possible for you to apply online. A paper application form can be requested from the Graduate Admissions Office.

You will need to submit the application form and all supporting materials:

  • Three references Note: If you anticipate having difficulty providing three referees who have an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for this Programme of Study, please contact the Programme Administrator for advice.
  • Transcripts of previous higher education results.
  • Current CV/resume
  • A statement (see application form) of your reasons for applying to the course. This should include what you feel the course would offer you and your writing, and what you feel you could bring to the course.
  • A portfolio of creative writing for assessment. This can be in any of the three genres, or in more than one, and should consist of approximately 2000 words of prose (fiction, or narrative non-fiction) or 10 short poems or fifteen minutes equivalent of drama.

Please note that supporting materials cannot be returned. Please also note that no correspondence can be entered into, should your application be unsuccessful.

When to apply

We strongly recommend that you apply by the January or March deadlines. After the March deadline, the course will only stay open for that year's entry if places are still available. 

Remember that it can take a number of weeks to obtain all of the documents you need and to prepare a competitive application. You should also allow your referees plenty of time to submit your references. We therefore recommend you apply as soon as possible.

Please see the current  admission status .

This course uses the Department’s online assignment submission system. In order to prepare and submit your course assignments you will need access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended  minimum computer specification . Students of this course may use the student computing facilities provided in Departmental buildings.

English language ability

Prospective students whose first language is not English should note that English language certification at the higher level is required, and any offer of a place will be conditional on the receipt of an original certificate (see the ‘Notes of Guidance’).

International applicants please note that it is not possible to be resident in the UK on the basis of this course. As the MSt is a two-year, part-time course, it does not have the number of teaching hours per week required for a student visa, and international students will not be permitted to live in the UK on the basis of undertaking the course.

International students must research whether they require a visa, and if so, obtain an appropriate visa to cover their time in England before coming to the UK. Many international students on the course apply for Standard Visitor visas to enable them to come to England for the periods required over the duration of the programme. For information on this please see https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/visa/before/visitors and https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/Visas-and-Immigration/Visitors. 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support

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Daisy Johnson

Patrick toland, mst in creative writing tutor profiles, undergraduate diploma in creative writing, further information.

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    Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing - OPTION 1 About the course Our two-year, part-time Diploma allows you to strengthen your ability in four major areas of literary activity — prose, poetry, drama and analytical reading — as well as the chance to specialise in the genre of your choice.

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    They can be used to locate journal articles, conference proceedings, books, patents, images, data and more. You can find some of the key databases for Creative Writing below. Take a look at the ' Databases ' tab of this guide for more information. Databases A-Z. A full, browsable list of Oxford's online databases. ProQuest One Literature.

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    Start dates: September 2024 / September 2025 Full time: PGCert: 4 months, PGDip: 8 months, MA: 12 months Part time: PGCert: 2 semesters, PGDip: 3 semesters, MA: 24 months Location: Headington Department (s): School of Education, Humanities and Languages Overview Course details Careers Entry requirements How to apply Tuition fees Find a course

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    Creative Writing. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in creative writing whilst a student within the Faculty and a number of our academics are also published authors. Oxford's English Faculty also has some of the country's leading poets among its lecturers. Our academics, the Professor of Poetry and other invited guests give ...

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    The fee for this creative writing course is 7000-12000 pounds. The presence of 7 days of summer school in the creative writing courses at oxford is also a key highlight of the course. Students get the opportunity to live their dreams and get a chance to work on their writing skills.

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    Our two-year, part-time Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing allows you to strengthen your ability in four major areas of literary activity — prose, poetry, drama and analytical reading — as well as the chance to specialise in the medium of your choice. You can now opt to take this course mostly online.

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