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Department

Educational Studies
English and Comparative Literature

Length

1 year full-time or 2 years part-time

Course overview

You might be a teacher who writes; a writer who works in education; a poet, a novelist or a short story writer. Whatever your background, this course will teach you more about the connections between creative writing and education.

Why study MA Creative Writing and Education at Goldsmiths?

  • You'll develop your writing skills across a variety of genres. This includes prose, life-writing, poetry, script writing and non-fiction.

  • You’ll gain an understanding of how creativity and education are linked, and develop the skills you need to become an effective educator, influencing the next generation of learners. The video above illustrates just one of the many projects the programme runs.

  • You’ll be taught by published creative writers and academics who are actively making a difference in the field of education.

  • We hope that you’ll leave us transformed. You’ll be encouraged to think independently, develop your social awareness and challenge the norms.

  • We have a number of partnerships with high profile creative and educational organisations including First Story, Apples and Snakes, the British Library, Ministry of Stories and the Poetry Society. Our students have previously taken part in performances, poetry and writing workshops, drama productions and creative research projects for these institutions as well as getting paid to work in schools, hospitals and charities. The course has developed some innovative work placement programmes with First Story and the Ministry of Stories, exclusive to Goldsmiths.

Get in touch on our Facebook page for more information.

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: 
    • Creative Writing Pedagogies and Identities (which explores how to teach creative writing) (30 credits)
    • Research into Writing Practices (which explores how to research creative writing) (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.

Individual Modules

Some modules from this course are also available to be taken as part of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme.

Download the programme specification, for the 2019-20 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

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 (or equivalent English language qualification) of 7.0 with a 7.0 in writing and no element lower than 6.5 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

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2020/21 academic year.

  • Home/EU - full-time: £8640
  • Home/EU - part-time: £4320
  • International - full-time: £15500

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time if you require a Tier 4 student visa, however this is currently being reviewed and will be confirmed in the new year. Please read our visa guidance in the interim for more information. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

How to apply

Apply now

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. Alumni include Niall Bourke, who won the 2015 Costa Short Story Award, Joshua Seighal, who was shortlisted for the National Literacy Trust Award 2015, and a number of students who have published their academic research in prestigious scholarly journals.

Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.

Feedback from the students is overwhelmingly positive, with many saying doing the MA has been a life-changing experience.

Former student and noted writer/spoken word educator, Sara Hirsch, writes:

"This course was genuinely life changing. It opened up so many new pathways for me to explore both creatively and academically as well as challenging every aspect of my practice to make me a far better writer, teacher and all round human. The unique balance between writing and education, the opportunities to grow and develop and the diversity and quality of the tutors all contribute to a top notch masters programme. I am richer for the experience (emotionally speaking, I am still a writer after all)."

 

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