university of oxford creative writing masters

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

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

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."

Alice Oswald postal poetry workshop

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

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 Professor Alice Oswald. She will be giving one lecture each term for the four years of her tenure. Watch and/or listen to her previous talks by clicking on the links below.

A Lament for the Earth

In Sleep A King

Sidelong Glances

On Behalf of a Pebble

Interview with Water

Useful links.

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.

Elleke Boehmer

Bart van Es

Hannah Sullivan

Sally Bayley

Matthew Reynolds

We value your privacy

We use cookies to allow this site to work for you, improve your user experience, and to serve you advertising tailored to your interests. Let us know if you agree to all cookies. You can manage your preferences at any time

Your Privacy

We use cookies, which are small text files placed on your computer, to allow the site to work for you, improve your user experience, to provide us with information about how our site is used, and to deliver personalised ads which help fund our work and deliver our service to you for free.

The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience.

You can accept all, or else manage cookies individually. However, blocking some types of cookies may affect your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

You can change your cookies preference at any time by visiting our Cookies Notice page. Please remember to clear your browsing data and cookies when you change your cookies preferences. This will remove all cookies previously placed on your browser.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, or how to clear your browser cookies data see our Cookies Notice

Manage consent preferences

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems.

They are essential for you to browse the website and use its features.

You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. We can’t identify you from these cookies.

These help us personalise our sites for you by remembering your preferences and settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers, whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, then these services may not function properly.

These cookies allow us to count visits and see where our traffic comes from, so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are popular and see how visitors move around the site. The cookies cannot directly identify any individual users.

If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site and will not be able to improve its performance for you.

These cookies may be set through our site by social media services or our advertising partners. Social media cookies enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They can track your browser across other sites and build up a profile of your interests. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to see or use the content sharing tools.

Advertising cookies may be used to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but work by uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will still see ads, but they won’t be tailored to your interests.

Personalise what you see on this page.

• United States

LOOKING FOR

• Undergraduate courses
• Postgraduate courses
• CHOOSE ONE OR MORE

Popular universities

• University of Kent
• University of East Anglia UEA
• University of Chester
• Coventry University
• University of Aberdeen
• University of Portmouth
• Nottingham Trent University
• University of Sunderland
• London Metropolitan University
• London South Bank University
• University of East London
• BROWSE ALL UNIVERSITIES

Course search

Popular undergraduate courses.

• Computer Science
• LLB Bachelor of Laws
• Biomedical Sciences
• Physiotherapy
• Sports Science

Open days search

Upcoming open days.

• UCEN Manchester
• University of the Arts London
• Swansea University
• Kingston University
• University College Birmingham
• Bath Spa University

Article search

Popular articles.

• Guide to UCAS Hub
• Alternatives to medicine and surgery
• What's a university open day
• Tips for writing your personal statement
• Types of degree in the UK
• BROWSE ALL ARTICLES

Popular topics

• Choosing what to study
• Choosing where to study
• Applying to university
• League tables
• Student life - after you start

MSt in Creative Writing University of Oxford

Course options

Qualification.

MSt - Master of Studies

University of Oxford

• TUITION FEES
• ENTRY REQUIREMENT
• UNIVERSITY INFO

Course summary

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.

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 doctoral programmes in creative writing

Application deadline

01 March 2024

Tuition fees

• Afghanistan
• Antigua & Barbuda
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Burkina Faso
• Central African Republic
• Congo (Democratic Republic)
• Czech Republic
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Ivory Coast
• Korea DPR (North Korea)
• Liechtenstein
• Marshall Islands
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Northern Ireland
• Palestinian Authority
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Puerto Rico
• Republic of Ireland
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Saudi Arabia
• Sierra Leone
• Solomon Islands
• South Africa
• South Korea
• South Sudan
• St. Kitts & Nevis
• Switzerland
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Turkmenistan
• United Kingdom
• Vatican City
• Western Samoa

£ 14,155 per year

Tuition fees shown are for indicative purposes and may vary. Please check with the institution for most up to date details.

University information

University league table, campus address.

University of Oxford, University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 2JD, England

Suggested courses

Creative Writing MA or PGDip or PGCert

Oxford Brookes University

University league table

MA Creative Writing

Leeds Trinity University

Is this page useful?

Sorry about that..., how can we improve it, thanks for your feedback.

Our cookies

We use cookies for three reasons: to give you the best experience on PGS, to make sure the PGS ads you see on other sites are relevant , and to measure website usage. Some of these cookies are necessary to help the site work properly and can’t be switched off. Cookies also support us to provide our services for free, and by click on “Accept” below, you are agreeing to our use of cookies .You can manage your preferences now or at any time.

Privacy overview

We use cookies, which are small text files placed on your computer, to allow the site to work for you, improve your user experience, to provide us with information about how our site is used, and to deliver personalised ads which help fund our work and deliver our service to you for free.

The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience.

You can accept all, or else manage cookies individually. However, blocking some types of cookies may affect your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

You can change your cookies preference at any time by visiting our Cookies Notice page. Please remember to clear your browsing data and cookies when you change your cookies preferences. This will remove all cookies previously placed on your browser.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, or how to clear your browser cookies data see our Cookies Notice

Manage consent preferences

Strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems.

They are essential for you to browse the website and use its features.

You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. We can’t identify you from these cookies.

Functional cookies

These help us personalise our sites for you by remembering your preferences and settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers, whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, then these services may not function properly.

Performance cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and see where our traffic comes from, so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are popular and see how visitors move around the site. The cookies cannot directly identify any individual users.

If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site and will not be able to improve its performance for you.

Marketing cookies

These cookies may be set through our site by social media services or our advertising partners. Social media cookies enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They can track your browser across other sites and build up a profile of your interests. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to see or use the content sharing tools.

Advertising cookies may be used to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but work by uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will still see ads, but they won’t be tailored to your interests.

Course type

Qualification, university name, postgraduate creative writing courses at university of oxford.

1 course available

Customise your search

Select the start date, qualification, and how you want to study

Related subjects:

• Creative Writing
• Communication Studies
• Communications and Media
• Film Studies
• Visual Communication

MSt in Creative Writing

University of oxford.

• 2 years Part time degree: £9,025 per year (UK)

Course type:

Qualification:, related subjects:.

• 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**

Not what you are looking for?

Scholarship Opportunity with Postgrad.com

Are you a PG student at this University or have you applied to study a postgraduate program at a university in Europe? Tell us your plans and qualify for a £500.00 PGS Scholarship.

Exclusive bursaries Open day alerts Funding advice Application tips Latest PG news

Sign up now!

Take 2 minutes to sign up to PGS student services and reap the benefits…

• The chance to apply for one of our 5 PGS Bursaries worth £2,000 each
• Fantastic scholarship updates
• Latest PG news sent directly to you.

Similar courses

Creative Writing

University of Oxford

www.ox.ac.uk

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is the only global university performance table to judge research-intensive universities across all of their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

Photos of university / #oxford_uni

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.

Graduate destinations have included doctoral programmes in creative writing; teaching creative writing; publishing creative work in chosen field; careers in arts/media.

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 and 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.

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

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.

Applicants are normally expected to be predicted or have achieved a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualifications), as a minimum, in a related field.

Assessors 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.

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

If you hold non-UK qualifications and wish to check how your qualifications match these requirements, you can contact the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC).

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

• Official transcript(s)
• CV/résumé
• Statement of purpose: Around one page
• Written work: 2,000 words of prose fiction or narrative non-fiction or 10 short poems or 15 minutes of drama
• References/letters of recommendation: Three overall, all of which must be academic

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Higher level

• Global Education
• Hill Foundation Scholarships

Creative and Life Writing

University of Cambridge

Brunel University Uxbridge

Bangor University

Oxford Brookes University

Napier University

University of Birmingham

University of Wales

University of Southampton

Metropolitan University

Deadline information.

Ask admission

We use cookies to give you the best online experience. Their use improves our sites' functionality and enables our partners to advertise to you. By continuing to use our website or clicking on the I agree button you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Details on how we use cookies can be found in our Cookie Policy

Don’t miss out!

Sign up or Log in now to save your favorites.

Get updates on your chosen subjects and programs

Wishlist your ideal programs

Save time sending enquiries to programs providers

• Program Finder
• Internships
• Scholarships
• Collections
• Bachelor programs
• Masters programs
• PhD programs
• MBA programs
• PostDoc programs
• Norway programs
• US programs
• UK programs
• Canada programs
• Germany programs
• Italy programs
• Netherlands programs
• Australia programs
• New Zealand programs
• Applied Sciences
• Natural Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Clients and Partners
• Public relations

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Will a master's in creative writing get you a book deal?

I signed with my literary agent three days before I started the two-year master of studies in creative writing at Oxford, and I signed a two-book contract with Quercus three days before the second year of the course began. Some people, however, assume that my book deal was wholly the result of the course.

At first, I relished being an undeserved poster boy for creative writing courses. My publishing contract – like all book deals coming the way of students enrolled in or fresh off a programmes – was a slap in the faces of those who said creative writing courses were a farce, factories where writers who have never been published teach writers who will never get published. Then the emails started pouring in.

They came from far and near: from north-eastern India, where home is for me; from Nepal, where my mother comes from; and from the US, where I spent many years. In each congratulatory message, well-wishers asked whether they should pursue a master's. When I asked them how they hoped to pay for their degrees many people, especially those from America and the UK, said they would finance their studies with student loans. 

As an overseas student at Oxford, I must have spent more than £30,000. This, I understand, is about half of what most students on American creative writing programmes fork out and double what my EU counterparts at Oxford paid. What, exactly, was I supposed to tell people who thought they might take out a loan to pay for their studies?

Should I tell them about the student two years ahead of me who found an agent through the end-of-the-year readings and went on to publish a fantastic book with a well-respected publishing house? Should I talk about how one of the stories in The Gurkha's Daughter stemmed from a class exercise I wrote for a bestselling author? Should I describe the pathetic excitement that gripped many students when a lone tutor said he didn't mind receiving work from us even after we graduated? Or should I inform prospective students about the banal feedback process, during which platitudes such as "I don't usually get poetry, but this I totally loved" were bandied about? (Yes, the comment came from me, and it was 100% insincere.)

Maybe I could tell these hopeful writers about my early days on the course, when people said a collection of short stories wouldn't be picked by a publisher because … it wasn't a novel. Or how some tutors were extremely knowledgeable about the British publishing scene but less so about international publishing. To expect them to know the American, Asian and Australian markets was perhaps hoping for too much, but when you pay huge sums for a course, your expectations rise; you become extra-sensitive about some tutor not attending your reading, or not even knowing your name. 

I don't believe writing can be taught, and I think people who design creative writing programmes agree with me. Such courses, however, are predicated on the idea that writing can be finessed with the help of the right tutors, the right peers and the right atmosphere. Did that hold true for me?

In a way it did. I joined the Oxford programme because I had nothing to do; I had quit my job and was halfway through a rough collection of short stories. I was tired of people asking me well-meaning questions such as "What are you doing?". Also, I come from a country where advanced degrees, no matter how frivolous, give people multiple orgasms, so a master's it was going to be. I wasn't about to spend three semesters studying postmodernism, so I looked at courses at places like Columbia and the University of Iowa . The latter was in the middle of nowhere, Columbia was formidably expensive, and a few other places I was considering met daily. (Going to class every day was unappealing.) Oxford's retreat- and residence-focused schedule suited my needs. We had two to three months between every block of classes to read and write – this was when I completed a large chunk of my second book – and then we would meet from 8am to 8pm every day for three or four days. 

I dabbled with poetry and screenwriting – two genres I'd have avoided were it not for the course. To get my money's worth, I decided to write a screenplay for my final-year project. For assignments, I submitted my most experimental pieces. I brought in the weakest stories to be workshopped, reasoning that if I was spending so much money I might as well take to the course what I would be embarrassed to workshop elsewhere. Weighing the worth of every assignment, every reading and every tutorial against how much money you're shelling out is a common practice among students of creative writing.

I found two people on the course with whom I shall probably exchange work all my life, I published my first poem, and I have in my possession a puerile screenplay of which I am equally proud and ashamed. All wonderful things, yes, but not worth £30,000 of debt. (Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about interest rates, job placements and how to pay off my loans – a combination of savings and investments helped fund my education, as did the wonderful club that is the Oxford University Poker Society .)

I usually advise people to enrol in creative writing courses if they have the cash and the time. But to take out a loan to finance your studies? Considering the current publishing landscape – where a mid five-figure advance is considered a big deal – should give you an idea of where you might, if you're lucky, find yourself as a graduate. That is, of course, if things work out. If they don't, you could always teach.

• Creative writing
• University of Oxford
• Higher education

comments (…)

Most viewed.

• Skip to content
• Study with us

We make sure that every student has a hands-on education that’s filled with adventure.

• Study with us overview
• Applying to university overview
• Admission requirements
• Application dates
• Pathways to university
• Undergraduate courses overview
• Double degrees
• A-Z listing
• Postgraduate courses overview
• Research degrees
• Online courses
• Short courses
• Where study meets sustainability
• Our accommodation overview
• Cradle Coast
• Scholarships, fees and costs overview
• Domestic scholarships
• International scholarships
• Starting at the University overview
• Accepting and enrolling
• Orientation and settling in
• Learning abroad
• International students overview
• Our agent partners

There’s more to uni than studying. Learn how you can connect with new people through events, sports, volunteering opportunities, and more.

• Uni life overview
• Our campuses overview
• Transforming our University
• Experience Tasmania
• Support and wellbeing
• Clubs and societies
• Sport at the University
• Aboriginal students - Riawunna Centre

Our research

We are proud of our research excellence, which delivers impact for and from Tasmania.

• Our research overview
• Research institutes and centres
• Research facilities and infrastructure
• Partner with us
• Research stories and insights
• Discover our expertise
• Research support
• Research degrees overview
• What is a research degree?
• Scholarships and fees
• Available projects
• Apply to become a research student

For community & partners

We pride ourselves on forming deep connections, collaborating not just with one another, but with local industry, schools, and everyone who calls our island home.

• For community & partners overview
• Community and public engagement
• For schools overview
• Subscribe for student activities updates
• Aboriginal networks and resources overview
• Aboriginal Business
• For alumni overview
• News and publications
• Giving overview
• Donate to the University
• Donate to scholarships
• Partner with us overview
• Educational partnerships
• Business, industry, and government partnerships
• Tasmanian Policy Exchange
• Arts and cultural collections

Tasmania is an island of creative and curious minds. No matter where you join us from, you’ll become part of a welcoming and collaborative community.

• About us overview
• Governance, leadership and strategy
• Sustainability
• Inclusion, diversity and equity
• Public reporting
• Lutruwita Aboriginal Tasmania
• Our colleges and schools
• Safety, security and wellbeing
• News and stories
• Events overview
• Our Open Day events
• Graduation ceremonies
• Working at the University overview
• Current job opportunities
• Casual registration
• Applying to work with us
• Contact us overview
• Raising concerns and complaints

How can we help you?

I'm interested in, are you an international student.

We want to provide content that's relevant to you. Your options are stored in a browser cookie which you can delete at any time via the link below.

Choose a login

Creative writing program at home in city of literature.

Lifestyle | Newsroom 13 Nov 2023

• Creative Arts and Writing
• Arts Law and Education
• School of Humanities
• 4 Quality Education
• Art and Culture
• Small City Life
• Education, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Undergraduate courses
• Postgraduate courses
• twitter Twitter
• facebook Facebook
• linkedin LinkedIn

Hobart’s emergence as a literary hotspot has long been sustained by the talents of students, staff and alumni from the University.

Now it is set to benefit more, with the newly named UNESCO City of Literature to be supported by the College of Arts, Law and Education’s Creative Writing program.

A $127,000 City of Literature PhD scholarship will be added to a host of activities already supporting our Tasmanian writers.

The bespoke scholarship will be offered to a student exploring literary culture or Tasmanian writing.

It comes on top of a range of programs already offered in the College. The Hedberg Writer-in-Residence program, funded by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, provides a three-month writing opportunity each year, while the James McAuley Creative Fellowship supports writers and other creatives. The University of Tasmania Prize is awarded for best unpublished work at the biennial Tasmanian Literary Awards. The Green Family Award for Tasmanian History , offered through the College, offers $25,000 for historical fiction and history writing. The College has also forged important partnerships with Tasmania Reads and Island magazine.

The Creative Writing program boasts award-winning alumni such as Robbie Arnott, Erin Hortle, Adam Ousten, Katherine Johnson and Adam Thomson, while research projects like Creative Antarctica are exploring the literary legacy of our broader region.

Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing Dr Lucy Christopher, herself an award-winning writer for young people, said the University would continue to be central to Hobart’s rich literary culture.

“The University already provides experienced and inspiring teaching of Creative Writing, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels,” Dr Christopher said.

“It will play a key role in inspiring, teaching, supervising and encouraging our future writers of Tasmania, as well as continuing to reach out to the literary community of Hobart with events and opportunities.”

The University also has a strong association with local writers including Danielle Wood, Robyn Mundy, Heather Rose, Ruairi Murphy, Alan Carter and Ben Walter, many of whom have also taught in the Creative Writing program.

“Hobart and all of Tasmania have become home to a thriving writing and reading culture,” Executive Dean of the College of Arts, Law and Education Professor Kate Darian-Smith said.

“This is in no small part due to our Creative Writing program, and we look forward to inspiring writers from the island and elsewhere to create our future literary works.”

Hobart/nipaluna’s original stories were revived by the Tasmanian Aboriginal community with palawa kani, a hybrid of lutruwita’s indigenous languages.

The city was the birthplace of the first Australian novel, published in 1818, is home to the winners of prizes around the world including the Vogel Award, Stella Prize, Commonwealth Writers Prize, Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and the Booker Prize.

Hobart joins the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s Creative Cities Network of 350 cities in more than 100 countries.

“The cities in our Creative Cities Network are leading the way when it comes to enhancing access to culture and galvanising the power of creativity for urban resilience and development,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said.

If you are passionate about writing, find out more about our courses here .

The University of Tasmania uses cookies to deliver content that’s relevant to you. We rely on cookies to remember your preferences, provide personalised content, and to analyse our website traffic. You consent to our cookies if you click “Accept”. Please refer to our privacy policy for more information.

• Essential functionality (required) - these cookies are needed for this website to run and are always turned on.
• Personalisation and preferences - these cookies help us remember your preferences and deliver a more personalised experience.
• Personalisation and analytics - these cookies help us gather non-identifiable data about the way our site is used and to help us make improvements.
• Marketing and promotion

Undergraduate creative writing courses

Part-time study in creative writing at Oxford

Completely new to the world of creative writing? Need an extra push to finish your novel, poem or play? Looking for a low-residency master's programme? No matter where you are in your writing journey, we have a flexible, part-time course for you.

Diploma in Creative Writing

Our two-year, part-time Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing  helps 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.

There are distance-learning and face-to-face options available. The Diploma is a good foundation for those wanting to progress to a master's in creative writing.

Find out more about the  Diploma in Creative Writing . 

Short courses and the Certificate of Higher Education

Our  weekly classes and flexible online courses in creative writing are taught at undergraduate level and cover all genres – fiction, poetry, memoir, drama, writing for young adults and critical reading. There are courses for beginners as well as those with experience and class sizes are kept small to maximise interaction between you and your classmates and tutor.

Credit earned from these courses is transferable towards our Certificate of Higher Education - a part-time undergraduate course in which you study a main subject discipline but also undertake study in other academic subjects.

Student spotlights

Tahmina maula.

Tahmina worked as a senior manager in education before taking a career break to undertake the Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing.

Charles Bush

Charles Bush published his debut young-adult novel thanks to the skills and experience gained from completing the Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education.

Georgia Fancett

Studying on the Certificate of Higher Education led Georgia to writing a prize winning novel.

Short courses and part-time qualifications

Literature, creative writing and film studies

Undergraduate diploma in creative writing, mst in creative writing.