Creative Writing MA - 2023/4
Awarding body
University of Surrey
Teaching institute
University of Surrey
Framework
FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Final award and programme/pathway title
MA Creative Writing
Subsidiary award(s)
| Award | Title |
|---|---|
| PGDip | Creative Writing |
| PGCert | Creative Writing |
Modes of study
| Route code | Credits and ECTS Credits | |
| Full-time | PPG63003 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
| Part-time | PPG63004 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
QAA Subject benchmark statement (if applicable)
Other internal and / or external reference points
N/A
Faculty and Department / School
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences - School of Literature and Languages
Programme Leader
SZCZEPANIAK Angela (Lit & Langs)
Date of production/revision of spec
16/04/2024
Educational aims of the programme
- - The programme aims to help students to: hone and develop their creative writing skills in a variety of modes (including poetry, prose and dramatic writing for stage and screen)
- acquire sound knowledge of the major principles of literary criticism
- help students to reflect on their own practice as literary critics and how this can help to improve their own creative practice
- prepare graduates to undertake a PhD programme in the relevant field and to provide a greater understanding of the different professional paths available to writers, some insight into the contemporary publishing landscape, and the economic practicalities of authorship
- produce work that reflects a high level of technical ability and engages productively with its historical, cultural and literary contexts
- provide students with the transferable skills of creative writing, critical thinking, textual analysis and communication that are attractive to a wide range of employers, from the cultural industries to marketing and advertising to tourism and leisure to the civil service and public/private partnerships
- assist students to understand and meet the challenges of producing high quality creative writing in poetry and prose, the programme also provides advanced understanding of the contexts, theoretical paradigms, methodologies and modes of interpretation that are vital in a full understanding of literary production
- to build confidence and technical ability in a variety of modes of imaginative writing, and to provide students with a clear-eyed grounding in contemporary and historical contexts of text production and circulation, including practical advice on the workings of the publishing industry
- To instil in students the capacity for carrying out independent research
Programme learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | Awards | Ref. | |
| On completion of the programme students will be able to: demonstrate a thorough understanding of the main principles and challenges of creative writing | KCPT | MA | |
| relate developments in the field of literacy studies to the social, political and historical contexts of their own creative work | KCT | MA | |
| distinguish different approaches to literary studies and reflect upon these in their own work | KCT | MA | |
| develop a critical engagement with various theoretical approaches and methods | KCT | MA | |
| Identify and explain relevant techniques and strategies for producing high quality creative writing | KCPT | MA | |
| produce high-quality creative work in and analysis of a variety of literary genres | KPT | MA | |
| verbally present abstract ideas and concepts in a clear and appropriate fashion | CPT | MA | |
| display competence in a range of skills at postgraduate level, including creative writing, advanced analysis and synthesis of arguments, presentation, the conducting of independent research, and the efficient processing of complex ideas and arguments | CP | MA | |
| create and carry out a research project of significant complexity and reflect upon the knowledge gained and incorporate this into independent learning strategies | KCPT | MA |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Programme structure
Full-time
This Master's Degree programme is studied full-time over one academic year, consisting of 180 credits at FHEQ level 7*. All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
- Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)
*some programmes may contain up to 30 credits at FHEQ level 6.
Part-time
This Master's Degree programme is studied part-time over two academic years, consisting of 180 credits at FHEQ level 7. All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
- Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)
Programme Adjustments (if applicable)
N/A
Modules
Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Module Selection for Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Students choose four of the listed optional modules (two in each semester). They also have four compulsory modules to complete (two in each semester).
Year 1 (part-time) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Module Selection for Year 1 (part-time) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Over the course of the two-year Part-Time programme, students choose four of the listed optional modules. By the end of Semester 2, Year 2 students must have completed all four compulsory modules alongside four optional modules. It does not matter which year (or mix of years) the compulsory modules are taken in as long as by the end of Semester 2, Year 2 all four compulsory modules have been completed.
Year 2 (part-time) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Module Selection for Year 2 (part-time) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Over the course of the two-year Part-Time programme, students choose four of the listed optional modules. By the end of Semester 2, Year 2 students must have completed all four compulsory modules alongside four optional modules. It does not matter which year (or mix of years) the compulsory modules are taken in as long as by the end of Semester 2, Year 2 all four compulsory modules have been completed.
Opportunities for placements / work related learning / collaborative activity
| Associate Tutor(s) / Guest Speakers / Visiting Academics | N | |
| Professional Training Year (PTY) | N | |
| Placement(s) (study or work that are not part of PTY) | N | |
| Clinical Placement(s) (that are not part of the PTY scheme) | N | |
| Study exchange (Level 5) | N | |
| Dual degree | N |
Quality assurance
The Regulations and Codes of Practice for taught programmes can be found at:
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2023/4 academic year.