Program Overview

The Aberystwyth MA in Creative Writing will help you develop your creative vision and writing abilities through a balanced programme of reading, analysis and writing workshops. You will be exposed to a range of contemporary writers of both prose and poetry, so that your own creative approach may be stimulated and develop in confidence and  maturity. You will also engage in discussions about technique and undertake an exploration of the wider issues related to the practice of writing, such as the significance of genre  and the mechanics of publication.

You will receive individual tuition from the excellent Departmental staff, all of whom are published creative writers. Under their guidance, you will produce a substantial portfolio in the form of a collection of poetry or an extended piece of prose fiction. In addition, you will develop a host of key transferrable skills that will benefit you in a range of academic or employment contexts.

You will study two core modules together with four option modules from the Department’s portfolio of MA provision or other relevant study areas, including Literary Studies. The core modules will equip you with the research skills and subject-specific knowledge required to master a range of practical and theoretical approaches to writing; and the option modules will enable you to direct your study into areas of specific interest. Each module comprises ten weeks of study with a weekly two-hour group meeting and provision for tutorial consultation. This framework for learning will inspire you to widen your artistic horizons and push you to develop your abilities within a constructive critical environment.

The centrally important component of the course is your Writing Portfolio. This piece, to comprise either prose or poetry, will be accompanied by a critical commentary explaining the work in its context and in appropriate analytical terms. We will take great care in assigning a supervisor to guide you whose interests will be as closely matched to your own as possible.