Course summary

The Creative Writing MA at Canterbury Christ Church offers a stimulating course with a commercial edge, taught by experienced tutors who are successful writers themselves. We believe that all writers need a core toolkit of skills, but we also understand that our students often want to specialise in an area of writing about which they’re passionate. That’s why we offer pathways that allow you to explore subgenres within Fiction, Writing for Children and Creative Non-Fiction, supported by subject specialists. Our courses are designed with busy lives in mind, and are taught through a combination of intensive weekends, distance learning and tutorials. We also offer a strong focus on developing professional practice in writers, looking at skills such as self-presentation, pitching and understanding the publishing industry. Fiction: Students selecting this pathway will explore literary and more commercial forms of creative writing. You may wish to focus on a particular subgenre such as fantasy, horror or science-fiction, where you can work on building a larger imaginative world. Perhaps you want to try your hand at historical fiction, or a page-turning thriller, where research is key to the authenticity of your fiction. Or maybe you would like to try new forms for fiction through experimental writing. Whatever your focus, we can help you to explore how to write within, and push the boundaries of, your chosen genre. Creative Non-Fiction: This pathway allows students to explore the creative aspects of non-fiction writing, including memoir and writing from life, features journalism, travel and nature writing. Students will consider the creative tension between fact and fiction and how this can be explored in contemporary creative non-fiction. Writing for Children: An ideal choice for those who want to develop a career in writing novels, picture books or children’s non-fiction, this pathway will develop the specific writing skills needed for writing for under-12s. Steeped in literary history, Canterbury is an excellent setting for the next chapter of your Creative Writing story. Canterbury Christ Church University is a young, dynamic university and the degree is run by a team of writers who have live experience of the publishing market. We pride ourselves in taking innovative approaches to the way our students learn, offering flexible options that help you to fit an MA into your life. We also have strong links to publishers, agents and literary festivals, and work hard to create opportunities for our students to develop their writing practice and career. The MA Creative Writing includes core modules in The Craft of Writing, Professional Practice, Critical Reading and Research skills, which develop a toolkit for great writing across all genres. In other modules students specialise in their chosen pathway, developing a critical understanding (and warm appreciation) of their specialised area of writing. Finally, every student submits a 15,000 word piece of extended writing, working closely with an established writer from their chosen area of specialism.