How to apply

Overview

The details

Course: Creative Writing

Start date: October 2025

Study mode: Full-time

Duration: 1 year

Location: Colchester Campus

Based in: Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies

Our challenging, practice-based course offers you a unique approach to the practice of writing, emphasising innovation and experimentation in your work.

On our MA Creative Writing, you deepen your knowledge of literary tradition, exploring different modes and genres in order to develop your own creative and expressive written skills. You expand your use of creative writing techniques and improve your critical judgement of your own work.

Our course encourages you to develop your writing by stepping outside your comfort zone and discovering the different approaches to verbal art that are possible today. This will invigorate your own practice, whether you are writing psychogeography, plays, novels, stories or something else. You will choose from a variety of modules, covering topics such as:

Development of a novel plan, from research and concept-development, to plotting, character, and structure
Experimental language play of the Oulipo group across the short story, autobiography, cartoons, cookery and theatre
Psychogeography, writing about walking, place, landscape, history and the psychic environment
Poetic practice across experimental writing in poetry from the performative to the visual

To help you hone your craft, we also host a Royal Literary Fund Fellow, professional writers on-hand to help you develop your writing on a one-to-one basis, and regularly host talks and readings by visiting writers.

Essex has nurtured a long tradition of distinguished authors whose work has shaped literature as we know it today, from past giants such as the American poets Robert Lowell and Ted Berrigan, to contemporary writers such as mythographer and novelist Dame Marina Warner, and Booker Prize winner Ben Okri.

Students would usually attend a two-hour seminar for each module each week. Seminar groups would usually have about 10-15 students.

We're 7th in the UK for Creative Writing in the Guardian University Guide 2024

This course is also available on a part-time basis.

Why we're great.

Learn from the professionals as part of our innovative Writers at Essex series
Join a diverse network of distinguished alumni and award-winning teaching staff who have shaped the world of literature
Publish your own work in our annual creative writing journal, Creel

Our expert staff

Our teaching staff are experienced and established writers who have a breadth of experience across literary genres, from novels, prose and plays, to poetry and song.

Our creative writing teaching team has a breadth of experience in the literatures of different cultures and different forms. Our current teaching staff include poet and short story writer Philip Terry, non-fiction and wild writer James Canton, novelist and camper Matthew de Abaitua, poet and performance-writer Holly Pester, poet, fisherman and memoirist Chris McCully, and award-winning playwrights Elizabeth Kuti and Jonathan Lichtenstein.

Our Centre for Creative Writing is part of a unique literary conservatoire that offers students the skills, support and confidence to respond artistically and critically to the study of writing with the guidance of experts.

Specialist facilities

Write for our student magazine Rebel or host a Rebel radio show
View classic films at weekly film screenings in our dedicated 120-seat film theatre
Hear writers talk about their craft and learn from leading literature specialists at regular talks and readings
Our on-campus Lakeside Theatre has been established as a major venue for good drama, staging both productions by professional touring companies and a wealth of new work written, produced and directed by our own staff and students
Improve your playwriting skills at our Lakeside Theatre Writers workshops
Our Research Laboratory allows you to collaborate with professionals, improvising and experimenting with new work which is being tried and tested
Contribute some of your work to our annual publication 'Creel', an anthology of creative writing produced by our postgraduate students and published by Muscaliet Press, founded by PhD Creative Writing alumni Simon Everett.

Your future

Many of our students have gone on to successfully publish their work, notable recent alumni including:

Ida Løkås, who won a literary prize in Norway for The Beauty That Flows Past, securing a book deal
Alexia Casale, whose novel Bone Dragon was published by Faber & Faber and subsequently featured on both the Young Adult Books of the Year 2013 list for The Financial Times, and The Independent's Books of the year 2013: Children
Elaine Ewart, graduate from our MA Wild Writing and PhD Creative Writing courses, placed second in the New Welsh Writing Awards 2015
Patricia Borlenghi, the founder of Patrician Press, which has published works by a number of our alumni
Petra McQueen, who has written for The Guardian and runs creative writing courses and is studying PhD Creative Writing in the Department

We also offer supervision for PhD, MPhil and MA by Dissertation in different literatures and various approaches to literature, covering most aspects of early modern and modern writing in English, plus a number of other languages.

Our University is one of only 11 AHRC-accredited Doctoral Training Centres in the UK. This means that we offer funded PhD studentships which also provide a range of research and training opportunities.

A number of our Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies graduates have gone on to undertake successful careers as writers, and others are now established as scholars, university lecturers, teachers, publishers, publishers' editors, journalists, arts administrators, theatre artistic directors, drama advisers, and translators.

We work with the university's Careers Services to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

"The facilities were fantastic while the lecturers were very supportive and still continue to offer help, even though I have now graduated! There was always a good atmosphere and I know I’ll never have writer’s block again! I am working towards a career as a playwright, so of course my degree has been invaluable to me, and I have recently been approached to do a Channel 4 TV show called The Audience."

Janine Hornsby, MA Creative Writing, 2012

Entry requirements

UK entry requirements

A 2:2 degree in one of the following subjects:

Art History
Creative Writing
History
Journalism
Literature
Media Studies
Music
Performing Arts
Philosophy
Politics
Sociology
Theatre/Drama Studies

International & EU entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.

Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please contact our Graduate Admissions team at pgquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 7.0 overall with a minimum component score of 6.5 in writing and 5.5 in all other components.

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Additional Notes

The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.

Structure

Course structure

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Components and modules explained

Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose.

Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits.

In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available.

Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code. For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

100

The department or school the module will be taught by.

In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.

The module number.

The UK academic level of the module.

A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course.

A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules.

A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.

The term the module will be taught in.

AU: Autumn term
SP: Spring term
SU: Summer term
FY: Full year
AP: Autumn and Spring terms
PS: Spring and Summer terms
AS: Autumn and Summer terms

COMPONENT 01: CORE

Dissertation

(80 CREDITS)

Your dissertation is the culmination of your time at Essex. Focusing on one particular topic in great depth, you formulate an urgent research question to be subsequently addressed, either critically or creatively. Your dedicated supervisor will be on-hand to guide you through the process, and our pre-requisite module on research methods will ensure you are fully prepared for the task at hand.

View Dissertation on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 02: COMPULSORY

Dissertation Preparation: Postgraduate Research and Writing Skills

(20 CREDITS)

Are you ready for your dissertation? Examine a variety of research methods and methodologies, building the research skills and understanding needed to complete your postgraduate-level research project.

View Dissertation Preparation: Postgraduate Research and Writing Skills on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 03: COMPULSORY

Creative Writing Workshop

(20 CREDITS)

Editing and redrafting is a crucial part of the writing process, but can often feel like the most difficult phase. This participatory workshop is your opportunity to receive peer-to-peer feedback on your work, in a mutually supportive and friendly environment. You work alongside colleagues to develop creative best practice, and learn how to provide constructive comments on features such as form, voice, and distance.

View Creative Writing Workshop on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 04: OPTIONAL

(20 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 05: OPTIONAL

(20 CREDITS)

COMPONENT 06: OPTIONAL

(20 CREDITS)

Teaching

Five modules are followed over the autumn and spring terms, and generally consist of ten two-hour seminars
An emphasis on practice, experimenting with different techniques to produce work of your own
Seminars may include introductions by your tutor, presentations by you, and discussion based on a programme of reading
Visiting scholars are invited to speak about their research

Assessment

Four essays of 4,000-5,000 words, usually combining a creative piece and critical commentary
There is normally considerable freedom for you to choose the topics of your essays
A reflective piece on research methods

Dissertation

You produce a dissertation consisting of a creative component up to 10,000 words plus critical commentary of 6,000 words excluding bibliography and footnotes written between April and September.
This takes the form of a creative piece and a critical commentary

Fees and funding

Home/UK fee

£10,500

International fee

£22,750

Masters fees and funding information

Research (e.g. PhD) fees and funding information

What's next

We hold Open Days for all our applicants throughout the year. Our Colchester Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex, and give you the chance to:

tour our campus and accommodation
find out answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, graduate employability, student support and more
meet our students and staff

If the dates of our organised events aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing tours@essex.ac.uk and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.

You can apply for this postgraduate course online. Before you apply, please check our information about necessary documents that we'll ask you to provide as part of your application.

We aim to respond to applications within two weeks. If we are able to offer you a place, you will be contacted via email.

For information on our deadline to apply for this course, please see our ‘how to apply' information.

If you are applying to a masters course in the department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies you must provide a piece of critical academic writing (2,500 words) on a topic relevant to your application.

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If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tour allows you to explore the Colchester Campus from the comfort of your home. Check out our accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.

At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.

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The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.

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