Course description
This programme has run successfully for over ten years, making it one of the longest-established creative writing Masters courses in Britain. Its distinctive, broad-based approach makes it an ideal choice for students moving directly to an MA from their undergraduate degrees. While it allows those who have previously studied creative writing to develop and explore, it also offers an excellent grounding to students whose first degrees were in other disciplines.
The programme equips students with the skills necessary to go forward to careers in the creative industries, including publishing, film or TV, journalism or arts administration. It is an excellent basis for those who wish to teach creative writing.
Course Details
In sharing the first term modules with the MA Creative Writing: The Novel, we naturally start by concentrating on the main strategies of prose fiction under the expert guidance of acclaimed novelists on our staff, including Professor Fay Weldon, Celia Brayfield and Matt Thorne. While the Novel MA is tightly focused on fiction in its second term, Creative and Professional Writing offers a more inclusive syllabus with modules on screen and feature writing, creative writing in education, in community projects and arts administration. These are taught by experts in the field including Jonathan Hourigan and Oliver Bennett.
The Creative Writing Programme at Brunel works closely with the creative industries and a number of guest speakers from these professions, including literary festivals, book groups and the Arts Council, give lectures and masterclasses. This wide-reaching approach is continued by the independent project of the third term, which can be written in almost any creative or professional genre.
Four taught modules are followed by the preparation of a creative or professional writing dissertation, which is a 20,000 word portfolio of work in one of the fields studied accompanied by a critical commentary.
Modules (all core)
Elements of Fiction
A general study of fiction writing techniques leading to a portfolio of short stories.
Theories of Practice
An advanced study of literary theory assessed by a creative piece and a critical essay.
Feature and Screen
Two short courses in feature journalism and screenwriting, leading to the production of a collection of feature articles and a short film script.
Creative Writing in Education and the Community
A career-focused course that encourages students to apply their expertise. You will study the teaching of creative writing and arts administration applied to community initiatives such as literary festivals, reading and writing groups.
Dissertation
You will be able to work one-to-one with your Dissertation Tutor to prepare a writing project of 20,000 words in one of the disciplines studied over the course.
Recent examples of dissertations by students taking this course include:
* A Scottish bildungsroman set in Aberdeen and Edinburgh
* Portfolio of articles about medicine
* A collection of short stories about life in rural India
Successful completion of the course leads to the award of MA. If you only complete part of the course you can still gain a postgraduate certificate or postgraduate diploma.
Special Features
* Taught by leading writers
* Career oriented and focused on current professional practice
* Each module is designed to produce marketable work
* Our West London campus allows maximum contact with the arts in the capital
Our students, both postgraduates and undergraduates, have won national literary awards and launched successful careers in the creative industries.
Careers
The programme equips students with the skills necessary to go forward to careers in the creative industries, including publishing, film or TV, journalism or arts administration. It is an excellent basis for those who wish to teach creative writing.
