MA Creative Writing

Hi,

I am from India and I am very much interested in the Creative Writing course.
I have applied at Falmouth University. Which other Universities should I look at?

Since its not a mainstream course, I have hardly any idea about which Universities are good for Creative writing course. Can anyone please help me with it?

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Reply 1

dfw

UEA is the university that offers the most famous course in Creative Writing, and is consequently more difficult to get into (Ian McEwan perhaps being its most famous graduate, if I remember rightly). There are plenty of début novelists that come out of that course. Off the top of my head, Warwick and Manchester also offer courses with good tutors so it's worth checking them out.

Reply 2

dullardandy

Thank you for the suggestions.

Can I ask you how good is Oxford for the same course? Also which Manchester University, UOM or MMU?

Thanks once again.

Reply 3

dfw

I don't really know loads about the Oxford course. I know that it's a part-time course over two years, so it depends if that's suitable for you. And unlike some other courses, you will have to study poetry and prose in the beginning - whereas other places will allow you to select a strand right from the start. It's also structured as a group of residential courses rather than a regular weekly element like most others, so you need to figure out how to fit that around work if that's what you're going to do.

I don't really think the reputation of Oxford would necessarily benefit you, if that's what you're thinking. I mean these MA courses are basically glorified workshops with networking events attached to them, and how successful you are will ultimately depend on what you end up producing from it. So don't put too much thought into thinking "Oh I need to go here because this university is well known".

Really you just need to look into each of the courses and see which feels right for you. As I say, UEA is the one that everyone immediately thinks of when asked about a famous creative writing course and so the networking opportunities for that course are particularly good.

...oh and it was UoM I was talking about.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 4

Renegade Dagger

Definitely check out the one at Warwick, it's meant to be very very good.

Reply 5

ListenerFriendly

I'm an American student and have my BSc degree in English: Creative Writing. I had originally intended to bet my MA in Creative Writing. However, I've since changed my direction.

I had been looking at a bunch of schools, and can only make recommendations based off of my research.

UAE is the most famous, and has a great international reputation.

Oxford's course isn't much to drool over... plus, it is part-time which means you might not be able to get a student visa.

In Creative Writing it is important to realize that you shouldn't judge the program by the school's reputation. It really has no weight on your degree. You have to choose the school's based on who you would like to study with! This is really important because if you study with someone that doesn't understand your genre, you'll be wasting your time and won't be improving as a writer. A degree in Creative Writing won't lead to an easy career in writing, but does provide time for you to spend focused on your craft.

My suggestion: Read the professors at different schools!!! Look at the schools (some have specific areas of expertise and unique programs) and talk to the students.

I don't know what you write, but make sure your portfolio is strong and represents your best work. For example, my emphasis is in meditative poetry and creative nonfiction.

Hope this helps!

Reply 6

~ Purple Rose ~

PS Reviewer

UEA/Warwick/Lancaster are all good for creative writing.

Reply 7

dullardandy

Hi all,

Sorry for the late reply, I had gone for a holiday.

Thanks a lot for all your inputs. I have already applied at Manchester,Lancaster, Glasgow, UEA, Gloucestershire and Falmouth University.

I got an unconditional offer from Falmouth University. I am still waiting for others to reply.

Does anybody here know about Falmouth University? Is it good enough for the Creative Writing course? I have been to the City last year and absolutely loved it.

Reply 8

ListenerFriendly

Original post by dullardandy

For Creative Writing, don't be concerned with prestige... and this is true of the UK or the US. It may look good, shortly, on a resume. But as a writer, what really matters is the quality of your own work. For that, it is best to choose a location in which you feel driven and inspired. I have my undergraduate degree in Creative Writing, and I think that is a really key thing.

If you like Falmouth... then go, by all means. But, again, the most important thing is to choose a program that will nurture you and provide you with the means to improve as a writer. Research the program, look at authors who have graduated from the program, and look further into the workshop facilitators... all of these things matter far more than the general reputation of the school or program.

Hope that helps!

Reply 9

dullardandy

By that I meant the same thing. :smile:

I wanted to know how good is the course rather than the reputation of the college, as Falmouth's ranking is not that good, but the city feels really artistic and inspires me.

Thank you for all your help.

I will be waiting for the other Universities to revert back as well.

P.S - I write mostly fiction and to be honest my writing is heavily inspired by Albert Camus, Haruki Murakami and Neil Gaiman, until I find my own style.

Reply 10

nulli tertius

Original post by dullardandy

I've just had a looking at Falmouth's website and they don't really do a creative writing post-graduate course for intending novelists or poets.

They do a course for book illustrators, a course on performance writing (taught in Bristol) which is about writing as a visual art form, a course in advertising copy writing, a couple of courses in journalism and a course on professional writing.

I think it is the latter that you are interested in, but it is designed for those who want to write non-fiction and scripts as well as novelists. This course doesn't have the format of typical creative writing courses.

Reply 11

dullardandy

Thank you for letting me know that. I am more interested in writing fiction and poems. It's better I wait for the other 5 Universities to respond, shame that I will miss it as Falmouth is a really beautiful city.

You people really have been helpful. :smile:

Reply 12

Falmouth Uni

Original post by dullardandy

Hi there- i'm the official rep from Falmouth Uni here, sorry not to have answered your message earlier, we've only recently started using The Student Room.

For more information about our Professional Writing course you can take a look at the course page on our website: http://www.falmouth.ac.uk/201/courses-7/postgraduate-courses-43/professional-writing-ma-81.html or if you use Twitter I suggest following the @FalWriting account: https://twitter.com/falwriting.

Something that might be of interest to you is our new writers in residence programme, featuring authors Louis de Bernières, Philip Marsden and Owen Sheers this year. I'm not yet sure who the residents will be next year but this years is a good indication.

I agree with you that Falmouth is lovely- I came here to study for my MA (Curatorial Practice) and ended up staying here to work for the Uni- feel free to contact me directly if you want more info or want to be put in touch with someone from the current course,

Thanks!
Camilla

Reply 13

mkhuxley

Hi everyone!

I'm also interested in studying for an MA Creative Writing. I'm a Canadian with a BA (Honours) in English Lit, Creative Writing, and History. I've been accepted at Manchester, Edinburgh, Warwick, Glasgow, Birkbeck, and Lancaster. Any thoughts on the overall quality of the programs? I'm used to the workshop structure, and since my BA is partially in CW, I have a lot of experience and don't want a course that focuses too much on the elements of craft (more time spent on craft itself would be wonderful!).

I've done a lot of research, but to be honest, don't feel like any of the websites have been particularly enlightening.

Thoughts? Any help would be amazing!

Miriam

Reply 14

Thriwien15

Original post by mkhuxley

Hey!

I have a place in Lancaster for the MA Creative Writing xD

I did a lot of research as well and Lancaster was the best choice, for me. It seems more practical than theoretical, which I love. My degree here in Portugal was mainly theoretical and I hated it. I wish I had had the chance to do a BA in English Lit with Creative Writing, though :frown:

my degree is in Communication Studies but I did not love it.

Glasgow was one of my options but I took several things into account (I am a fan of PRO and CON lists and these ultimately helped me decide).

Wherever you go I hope you enjoy your MA ^^

Reply 15

palushkowwo

Hi, I 've got a question concerning Birkbeck, in particular postgrad MA in Creative Writing. Any thoughts on a telephone interview ? I am very nervous about it, don't know really what to expect. Is this strictly a formal chat, analyzing your portfolio, or favorite authors or rather a friendly, intellectual small-talk? Will be really grateful for any clues.

Reply 16

mkhuxley

Original post by palushkowwo

Hey! I actually had an interview with Birkbeck a couple of months ago. My interview isn't the best example because the system was down and the interviewer didn't have all of my information. However, he did ask me specific questions about my portfolio, my research interests, my past educational experiences, and my extracurricular involvements (ie I talked about my involvement with a literary magazine). The interview was fairly casual, but he did ask a lot of questions and I was glad I'd prepared (basically just went over the personal statement I'd submitted with my application).

hopefully that helps! Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Reply 17

Jlilleen

Hi there, I know this discussion is from years ago, but I'm desperately trying to decide where to go for my MA in creative writing. I have been accepted to several schools but I've narrowed it down to Warwick and the University of Manchester. Could someone who has experience in either of these programmes give me some feedback, please? Also, I'm from Cape Town so I won't be able to visit campuses before I go; could someone please tell me about their overall experience of the university and the surrounding area? My decision needs to be made in the next couple of weeks. Thanks in advance!

Reply 18

tara777

Original post by dullardandy

Hi, I’m from India as well and I plan on pursuing masters in creative writing as well. I’ve applied to Birmingham, Nottingham, Newcastle, Royal Holloway, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

There is no single best university for creative writing the way Cambridge or Imperial is for sciences and Oxford is for Humanities. I’ll suggest you look at specific courses and their modules. Also, as an international student you must take into consideration fees, living cost, accommodation, cooking, diversity, etc.

Do go in for taught courses because if you have to study on your own, you can do that back home as well, no point of spending so much.

Creative Writing is an expensive course in my opinion and even after doing a Masters from a good university, it is not guaranteed that you’ll get a big publishing offer right away both in India or UK. Also, it is not a technical degree that will help you get a job. I’ll always suggest that you check out and apply for scholarships.

Regarding Oxford, it is a part-time masters which means you wouldn’t be granted accommodation in university and you’d have to make your own arrangement. Also, you wouldn’t get a Tier IV visa for a part-time course so look out for full time taught courses.

I hope my answer helped. :-)

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 19

Foxed

I studied at MMU, the MA no longer follows a complete novel route. The course has moved to MFA. For the MA you will have two hours of campus based or online learning per week. Have a close look at the units on offer. If you are expecting to learn about crafting your voice, story arcs, plotting, narrative or how to submit to agents, you will see this is not part of what's on offer. For that you could get a copy of Save The Cat, if having the MA is your goal, do look at what other universities ate offering, especially if you want to write a complete novel.