Course information
Department
Educational Studies
English and Comparative Literature
Length
1 year full-time or 2 years part-time
Course overview
The MA in Creative Writing and Education has been designed for writers of poetry, fiction and life-writing who are interested in education and learning. If you are keen to publish your own writing or you're looking to use your creative writing to help people learn or just developing your skills and knowledge then this programme could be right for you.
The MA in Creative Writing and Education offers you the chance to:
- Work with two leading departments at Goldsmiths: Educational Studies and English and Comparative Literature.
- Work with professional writers in the English and Comparative Literature Department, including Ros Barber, Maura Dooley, Stephen Knight, Blake Morrison, Ross Raisin, Francis Spufford, Jack Underwood, Ardashir Vakil and Erica Wagner.
- Collaborate with high-profile organisations to workshop your creative writing and hone your pedagogical skills.
- Work with Creative Writing educators to develop your skills and knowledge as a teacher of Creative Writing, at all ages, from small children to older people.
- Develop your awareness and critical understanding of what creative writing means in different societies and social settings.
You may be given the opportunity to contribute to:
- performances at poetry workshops and events conducted by Apples and Snakes
- poetry performances and sessions run by the Poetry Society
- drama projects created by The Complete Works
- writing projects developed by the English and Media Centre
- writing workshops in a range of forms led by the Ministry of Stories
- creative research projects run by the British Library
Who is the programme aimed at?
You might be a teacher who writes; a writer who works in education; a poet, a novelist, a short story writer or an author of autobiography who wants to learn more about the connections between creative writing and education.
Contact the department
If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dr Francis Gilbert (Educational Studies)
What you'll study
Full-time: you will complete 4 modules in one year plus a dissertation, amounting 180 credits – full details of the modules are in the Overview section below. This can mean committing yourself to attending evening seminars and lectures twice a week in the autumn and spring terms for 10 weeks, and a number of one-to-one tutorials for your dissertation.
Part-time: you can spread your modules for the course over two years. This could mean attending seminars/lectures once a week during the autumn and spring terms for the two years and then spacing your dissertation tutorials over two terms.
Overview
You'll have the opportunity to develop your own creative writing practices and explore a range of educational approaches towards creative writing.
You'll work with practising and published creative writing lecturers and education lecturers in collaboration with professionals working in local cultural institutions.
You'll participate in creative and life writing workshops and research creative writing pedagogies in classrooms and educational settings.
You have to complete 180 credits points, made up from:
- One compulsory core module in the Department of English and Comparative Literature:
- Workshop in Creative and Life Writing (30 credits)
- Two compulsory core modules in the Department of Educational Studies in association with the British Library, Poetry Society, English and Media Centre, Apples and Snakes, Ministry of Stories, The Complete Works:
- Contemporary Writer Identity and Education (30 credits)
- Research into Writing Practices (30 credits)
- An optional module in the Department of Educational Studies (30 credits)
- A dissertation in the Department of Educational Studies and the Department of English and Comparative Literature (60 credits)
Practitioners who already have existing M-level credits may transfer these on to the MA.
Assessment
Assessment for the Workshop in Creative and Life Writing module is by the submission of a piece or pieces of creative or life-writing of 5,000 words plus a critical account of how you have structured and developed your work.
Assessment for the Educational Studies modules is by the submission of assignments.
You'll also be assessed on a project-based dissertation.
Download the programme specification for the 2018-19 intake. If you would like an earlier version of the programme specification, please contact the Quality Office.
Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.
Entry requirements
You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least second class standard in a relevant/related subject.
You will need to submit a portfolio of your creative or life writing when you apply. Your portfolio should include one item, or a combination of items, from the following list (up to a maximum of 6,000 words):
- 1 or 2 short stories
- 10-15 poems
- 2 or 3 extracts from a novel
- 2 or 3 extracts from non-fiction writing
You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least second class standard in a relevant/related subject.
International qualifications
We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.
If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 7.0 with a 7.0 in writing to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.
Fees, funding & scholarships
Find out more about tuition fees.
Additional costs
We produce reading packs electronically and in hard copy format. There’s a small charge for the hard copy reading packs. You may also be asked to contribute towards trips and some materials for your modules.
Funding
Find out more about funding opportunities for home/EU applicants, or funding for international applicants. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.
How to apply
You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.
Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:
- Details of your education history, including the dates of all exams/assessments
- The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference
- A personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online
Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement
- A portfolio of your creative or life writing (see entry requirements for details)
- If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory)
You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.
When to apply
We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September.
We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place that is conditional on you achieving a particular qualification.
Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available.
If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an earlier application deadline.
Selection process
Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK. Occasionally, we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.
Find out more about applying.
Staff
Find out about staff in the Departments of Educational Studies and English and Comparative Literature.
Careers
Skills
The programme will enable you to develop creative writing skills to a potentially publishable level, participate in local cultural events as writers, and develop advanced theoretical and critical skills in creative writing pedagogy.
Careers
The programme provides and enhances continuing professional development in creative writing for educators and teachers, opening up opportunities to work with local cultural institutions and schools, and enriching current professional practice.
Previous students have helped their careers by doing this MA, going on to work in business, arts organisations, theatre, spoken word and diverse educational settings. Previous students include Niall Bourke who won the 2015 Costa Short Story Award, Joshua Seighal shortlisted for the National Literacy Trust Award 2015 and a number of students have published their academic research in prestigious scholarly journals.
Feedback from the students is overwhelmingly positive, with many saying doing the MA has been a life-changing experience.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
