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PhD Creative Writing
Year of entry: 2023
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- A Bachelors (Honours) degree at 2:1 level or above (or its international equivalent) in a related subject; and
- A UK Master's degree with an overall Distinction classification (or its international equivalent) in a related subject
- Any strong relevant professional experience will be considered on a case by case basis.
Full entry requirements
Apply online
Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered. A Personal Statement is NOT required to be submitted. You should select 'Supporting Statement is not required for this programme'.
Application Deadlines
Admission to studying for a PhD is highly competitive, so please allow as much time as possible to prepare your application, browse our research pages and academics' profiles, and familiarise yourself with the application process and any important deadlines.
To be considered for all funding sources, you need to apply far enough in advance of the relevant funding competition deadlines, which are usually much earlier than the programme deadline listed below. For studentships within the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (including AHRC NWCDTP and ESRC NWSSDTP), you must submit your completed programme application by Friday 13 January 2023 unless specfied otherwise in the funding competition information at www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/opportunities/
If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self-funding, you must submit your application before the relevant deadline to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these deadlines have passed.
- For September 2023 entry: 30 June 2023
- For January 2024 entry: 30 September 2023
Programme options
Programme description.
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Our PhD Creative Writing programme gives you the opportunity to work on a significant piece of creative writing while developing your research skills.
You will benefit from creative supervision by an experienced poet or fiction writer and draw on the range of expertise within the University to find a supervisor for your critical element.
There are two elements to the programme. The first is a creative element that can be a novel or a collection of short stories of up to 100,000 words, or a book-length collection of poetry of up to 60 poems.
The PhD also has a critical element, which is a piece of literary or cultural criticism of 30,000 to 50,000 words maximum.
Find out what it's like to study at Manchester by visiting us on one of our open days .
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2023, the tuition fees are as follows:
- PhD (full-time) UK students (per annum): TBA International, including EU, students (per annum): £21,000
- PhD (part-time) UK students (per annum): TBA
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
Please note for the majority of projects where experimentation requires further resource: higher fee bands (where quoted) will be charged rather than the base rate for supervision, administration and computational costs. The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive and, therefore, you will not be required to pay any additional bench fees or administration costs.
All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of the course for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your project.
Read more about postgraduate fees .
Scholarships/sponsorships
We offer a limited number of bursaries and studentships on a competitive basis, details of which can be found via the links below.
Please note that while we do not have closing dates for programme applications, all funding competitions have a specified deadline for submitting the funding application form and a separate (earlier) deadline for submitting the online programme application form, both of which will be stated in the funding competition details below.
You may also be eligible for a postgraduate loan from the government. Find out more about this and other sources of funding on the funding opportunities page.
- AHRC North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP) in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2023-24
- President's Doctoral Scholar (PDS) Awards in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2023-24
- China Scholarship Council - The University of Manchester Joint Scholarship for PhD Study in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2023-24
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures PhD Studentships 2023-24
Contact details
See: About us
Programmes in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.
- English Literature, American Studies and Creative Writing
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview, english language.
Students whose first language is not English require one of the following:
- an overall IELTS score of 7.0 with 7.0 in the writing component, or
- a TOEFL score of 600 paper-based test or 100 internet-based test, or
- a Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 76 overall with 76 in the writing component, or
- an overall Trinity Integrated Skills in English (ISE) III grade of Merit with Merit in the writing component.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements, other entry requirements, application and selection, how to apply, advice to applicants.
We recommend all research applicants attempt to find a suitable supervisor here at Manchester by browsing the subject website for English Literature and Creative Writing and looking at the staff list .
Find out more on the how to apply page.
Please note that we do not teach evening classes or offer distance learning courses.
Interview requirements
The University requires an interview for all applicants to whom we consider making an offer.
Interviews will be conducted by two academics, usually the proposed main supervisor and the subject PGR Director (or an assigned representative).
The interview can be either face-to-face or via Skype, conference call or email.
The interview serves several purposes, allowing us to:
- get a better picture of your ability to carry out the proposed doctoral project than the research proposal on its own;
- tell you what the proposed supervisor(s) can bring to the project;
- discuss with you directly any potential problems with the practical aspects of your studies and explore solutions together.
Re-applications
Programme details, special features.
Centre for New Writing
Undertake our PhD Creative Writing programme and you will become part of the University's Centre for New Writing, which has been championing contemporary fiction, poetry and creative writing since 2007 and is home to writers including Jeanette Winterson, Kamila Shamsie, Ian McGuire, Kaye Mitchell, Jason Allen-Paisant, Beth Underdown, Honor Gavin, Frances Leviston, Horatio Clare and John McAuliffe, and Luke Brown.
Graduate School
All of our postgraduate students become members of the Graduate School when you start at Manchester. It has dedicated facilities for students and offers opportunities to collaborate with other postgraduates.
Teaching and learning
The PhD will require you to develop your research skills and, to this end, you will be able to undertake a research skills audit and attend seminars and workshops on research methods in the first year.
In this way, you will participate in training seminars across the field of arts, languages and cultures, which will develop useful research, teaching and IT skills.
You will also attend seminars in relation to publication, authors' rights etc, which will be particularly useful to students of creative writing.
Specialised research training, and a wider postgraduate research culture within which your work will develop, is given through a programme of writing workshop masterclasses in which students take it in turns to have their writing workshopped by the other Creative Writing PhD students, supervisors and visiting writers from outside the institution.
Coursework and assessment
The PhD will normally consist of an extended and original piece of creative work and a shorter piece of literary or cultural criticism on a related subject.
The creative element could be a novel, a collection of poems, or collection of short stories. For fiction writers, the word length of this section will normally be around 80,000 words (there is a maximum word length of 100,000 words).
The critical component will involve a critical study of a subject related to the creative work, usually 30,000 to 50,000 words in length. This may involve any of the currently debated topics in English and American Studies as they relate to your creative work. For example, you might explore particular thematic or generic preoccupations in the work of other writers, or investigate some of the wider literary, theoretical, or poetic contexts into which your writing fits. Please note that the critical element is not a commentary on your own work or a self-reflective essay on your own creative processes; it is a piece of literary or cultural criticism of the type you would undertake if you were working towards a PhD in English Literature.
See what our current PhD students are working on.
Manchester is home to one of the UK's five National Research Libraries - one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries.
Find out more about libraries and study spaces for postgraduate research students at Manchester.
We also have one of the largest academic IT services in Europe - supporting world-class teaching and research. There are extensive computing facilities across campus, with access to standard office software as well as specialist programmes, all connected to the campus network and internet.
Every student is registered for email, file storage and internet access. If more demanding computer access is required, our specialist computing division can provide high-end and specialist computing services.
The Graduate School offers dedicated state of the art facilities to research students, including common rooms and workstations.
Find out more about facilities for our English Literature and Creative Writing students.
Disability support
Career opportunities.
Completing a doctoral programme in the Department of English, American Studies and Creative Writing at the University of Manchester opens up a number of different career paths:
- Former doctoral students have secured academic positions, both nationally and internationally, teaching and researching at Royal Holloway University of London, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Bangor, Liverpool Hope University, Istanbul Sehir University, Salford University, Birmingham City University, Cardiff University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Leeds, the University of Sheffield, the University of Kent, and the University of Amsterdam.
- Others have been offered post-doctoral fellowships enabling them to complete specific projects or giving them support to develop new research after their doctorate. The most recent ones include: Liberal Arts Early Career Development Fellowship at King's College, London; British Research Council Fellowship at the Library of Congress; Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Cork; Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at Northumbria University; AHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Manchester; Lord Baltimore Fellowship at the Maryland Historical Society; Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the University of Manchester; Visiting Fellowship at the Huntington Library; Visiting Fellowship at the Harry Ransom Foundation, Texas; Jacob M. Price Visiting Research Fellowship at the University of Michigan; Fulbright Fellowship; Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the University of Warwick.
- A doctoral degree in EAC puts you in a strong position to develop a career in teaching, education, and the creative economy. Upper and Sixth Form tutor; Assistant Rector of the University of Notre Dame London Global Gateway; John Rylands Research Institute Manager; Research and Policy Analyst with the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO); and Inclusion Manager for The Growth Company are some of the positions that our graduate students have taken up.
Explore some of our former doctoral students' book and publications:
- E. James West, Ebony Magazine, Lerone Bennett Jr., and Popular Black History (Champaign: The University of Illinois Press, 2020)
- Ben Ware, Francis Bacon: Painting, Philosophy, Psychoanalysis (London: Thames&Hudson, 2020)
- Clara Bradury-Rance's Lesbian Cinema after Queer Theory (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press 2019)
- Philip O'Brien's The Working Class and Twenty-First Century British Fiction (London and New York: Routledge 2019)
- Ilya Yablokov's Fortress Russia: Conspiracy Theory in the Post-Soviet World (London: Polity, 2018)
- Reshma Ruia, A Dinner Party in the Home Counties (Skylark, 2019)
Former students have also published in peer-reviewed journals in different fields: the Journal of Postcolonial Writing, Journal of the Civil War Era, Textual Practice, Literature & History, Key Words: A Journal of Cultural Materialism, Journal of American Studies, The Black Scholar, Feminist Media Studies, and Dante Studies are among them.
If you are interested in pursuing doctoral study with us, contact the PGR office or the Post Graduate Research Director in English and American Studies (currently Prof. Daniela Caselli ).
Find out about alumni from the Centre for New Writing .
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PhD Study in Place Writing
Here, in the Department of English, we provide doctoral supervision on a range of place-related creative, critical, and creative-critical projects.
We also encourage our PhD students to play a full part in the increasingly energetic postgraduate research culture within the Centre, which includes presenting at the multiple place writing events held throughout the year, both on and off campus. Furthermore we extend our expertise to workshops and summer schools, both in Manchester and internationally with a planned Summer School of Place Writing in Barbados (a collaboration with the English Department at the University of the West Indies, which aims to take place in 2021.
For further information about our particular interests, then please take a look at our staff profiles .
If you would like to undertake PhD study with us, it is possible to apply for funding through the Arts and Humanities Research Council consortium for the North West. Details can be found on the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership website .
For place-related enquiries, please contact Dr David Cooper . For general PhD application enquiries, please contact Dr Andrew Moor in the Department of English.
Read more about Research Degrees in Creative Writing

Current U.S. Student
United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply. All applicants enrolled in U.S institutions must apply through their home campuses. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus. If you are an undergraduate student, you are eligible to apply in the fall of your senior year. If you are a graduate student, you are eligible as long as you will not have a PhD degree by the application deadline.
U.S. Citizen but not a Student
If you are a U.S. citizen, will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and do not have a Ph.D. degree, then you are eligible to apply. Non-enrolled applicants should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Candidates with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program .
The Getting Started page will provide information on eligibility and next steps.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program .
Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.
U.S. Professor/Administrator
If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor or administrator at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award, you will need to apply through fulbrightscholars.org .
To support your students in applying for a U.S. Student Program award, please connect with the Fulbright Program Adviser at your institution.
Non U.S. Citizens
If you are a non-U.S. citizen interested in applying for a Fulbright Award to the United States, you will need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program or Fulbright Foreign Student Program .
- East Asia-Pacific
- Europe & Eurasia
- Middle East & North Africa
- South and Central Asia
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United Kingdom
1 fulbright/manchester metropolitan university award in creative writing, specialized grant types, fulbright graduate degree grants, award profile.
The Fulbright Manchester Metropolitan University Postgraduate Award covers one year of a master’s degree in creative writing at the University.
The Manchester Wri ting School is based at Manchester Metropolitan University , a University at the heart of a global city, with an international reputation for its creative courses.
Established in 1998, the Manchester Writing School is one of the largest and most successful writing schools in the UK. The School’s Creative Director is Carol Ann Duffy (UK Poet Laureate 2009-2019), and she teaches alongside a team of distinguished writers and critics including Tony Award-winning scriptwriter Simon Stephens and winner of the 2021 Costa Book of the Year Award Monique Roffey.
Our one-year MA and two-year MFA Creative Writing programmes will help students develop their writing skills through a blend of writing workshops and reading units, allowing candidates to explore the techniques and styles of modern and contemporary literature. Taught by practising writers, we offer units in Novel (including Short Fiction), Poetry, Writing for Children & Young Adults, Scriptwriting or Creative Non-Fiction.
Our school plays a leading role in establishing Manchester as a city of writers. Many of our students and graduates have embarked upon published careers, launching first books, with many more achieving publication in journals and magazines, winning writing awards and prizes, and setting up small presses and anthologies. Our alumni include Yale University Windham-Campbell Prize winner Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, Costa First Book Award winner Andrew Michael Hurley and Forward Poetry Prize winner Kei Miller.
Manchester Writing School is located in the centre of Manchester, a lively and diverse city with a unique arts, culture and music scene. Voted the UK’s best city to live in*, Manchester is surrounded by green space, waterways and the rolling hills of the country’s first national park, The Peak District, which is a short train ride away. Manchester has been designated a UNESCO City of Literature and our School has a strong presence in the city, with links to many of the major cultural and arts organisations.
Grant Length
Grant period.
Master's programs in the UK may last up to one year (and in rare circumstances, 2 years). Unless otherwise stated, funding is provided for the first year of the degree - although the grant period is 10 months, tuition waivers cover the entire first year and student visas are not impacted by grant length.
Stipend amounts are set and do not change based on length of the degree.
Orientation
Candidate profile.
- Rigor in scholarly enquiry and academic or professional excellence;
- Strong reasons for wishing to pursue the proposed project in the UK and at a particular institution;
- A desire to gain a better understanding of the peoples and cultures of their host country;
- Commitment to the community through volunteer and extra-curricular activities;
- Flexibility and dynamism necessary for active involvement in the host country.
Eligibility
- The following applicants are ineligible for consideration: applicants who have extensive previous experience in the UK, applicants whose proposals are to complete any part of a medical degree, including internships or residencies, or applicants who hold a Ph.D. at the time the grant is to begin.
Applicants who have previously spent time at their selected university will be at a competitive disadvantage.
Accepted Degree Levels
Special application instructions.
In your Fulbright online application, for Award Name , please select the specific award you are applying for from the drop down menu
Foreign Language Proficiency
Fulbright proposal types, affiliation.
Applicants are responsible for arranging their own affiliation and must apply for admission according to the relevant university’s admissions procedures. Applicants are not expected to have a letter of admission/affiliation at time of application, but awards are made conditional upon acceptance by the chosen institution before arrival.
Applicants will complete two applications, the Fulbright application and the university’s application (according to the university’s admissions procedures). Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their university applications as early as possible, ideally before January 15, 2023. Applicants who fail to do so may be at a competitive disadvantage. The Fulbright Program does not cover the application fee for the university.
Affiliation Fees/Tuition
Tuition for the first year of study will be waived internally by the host university.
Grant Amount
- Full tuition waiver for the first year of study
- £15,609 living stipend a (contribution towards general maintenance costs)
- £1,500 travel stipend
The living stipend is intended as a contribution towards general maintenance costs towards the first year in the UK.
Based on university partner feedback, select semi-finalist applicants will be interviewed mid-February to early March. Interviews will take place via video conferencing.
Fulbright Program Management Contact
Fulbright commission/u.s. embassy website.
School of Society and Culture
Phd creative writing.
This programme is one of the longest running in the UK, with a history reaching back to the late 1990s. Our postgraduate students have had books published in all forms and received many recognitions of excellence, including being shortlisted for The Forward First Book Prize for Poetry, receiving a two-novel deal with Headline, winning the £10,000 Ballymaloe Poetry Prize, and winning the Manchester Metropolitan Novella Prize (Jamie Edgecombe - see his student profile below).
We offer a rich and warm postgraduate culture, based on creative fellowship and scholarly interaction with the other departments in the Faculty. Our award-winning writers include Miriam Darlington (author of Owl Sense, and Nature Notebook columnist for The Times), Inés G. Labarta (The Three Lives of St Ciarán, a novel blending literary fiction with speculative fiction, history and magic realism), and Anthony Caleshu (author of The Victor Poems and founding editor of Periplum press).
Government loans available
£27,000 Government loans for postgraduate research study, including: PhD, EdD. More information on the gov.uk website .
This full time or part time doctoral programme is suitable for people who have a particular research question or topic in mind, and wish to explore this through independent study in order to produce an original contribution to the subject. If you aspire to a research career this is the most appropriate research degree to undertake. You will be guided by a small supervisory team of academic experts under the direction of a Director of Studies. You will be expected to fully engage with skills development and training and to present your research in a range of scholarly contexts. Your PhD will be assessed via submission of either a written thesis (approximately 80,000 words), or one that combines critical writing with artistic, creative and/or professional practice, and a viva voce (an oral examination). For full details of what doing a PhD entails at the University of Plymouth, please visit our Postgraduate Research Degrees pages .
Core modules
Research Creative Writing (GSRCWRI1)
Research Skills in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (DRTS800)
This module provides research students the opportunity to explore the creation and interpretation of new knowledge within their field; develop the students’ ability to conceptualise, design and present their theses to merit publication; advance the students’ academic enquiry skills and techniques; and to generate and share the new knowledge within their academic discipline and professional practice.
Research Creative Writing (GSRCWRI2)
Research Creative Writing (GSRCWRI3)
Research Creative Writing (GSRCWRI4)
Research Creative Writing (GSRCWRI5)
Research Creative Writing (GSRCWRI6)
Masters degree or equivalent from a UK higher education institution in a relevant subject.
Applicants normally have to supply a research proposal, personal statement, and occasionally evidence that they are prepared to undertake the proposed project. This may include a portfolio, or a sample of critical writing, depending on their area of study.
Other UK or overseas qualifications may also be accepted – with academic reference
For more general guidelines and application requirements, please visit the research degrees applicants page.
Please visit tuition fees for postgraduate research for information about fees. This course is in Band 2 for fees purposes.
In addition to completing the online application form (which includes space for a personal statement), you must also upload a research project proposal of no more than 1000 words in total. Your research proposal should outline your general topic, your key aims and the research question/problem you are addressing, your proposed methodology, key definitions/thinkers/discourses/practitioners you are drawing upon and an explanation of why this topic is significant or important.
Your personal statement should briefly explain why you have chosen to apply to our programme and what you feel you can offer our research community.
You will also need to submit a sample of your critical writing (3000 words maximum) and, if relevant, evidence of your ability to undertake the practice-led research you are proposing (e.g. a DVD, portfolio, links to website, reviews, catalogue, etc.). It should take no longer than 30 minutes to view all the visual material that you provide.
Submitting your application
Complete your application and upload supporting documents to the Doctoral College by completing our online application form .
Questions on the application process?
We're here to help. Please contact the Doctoral College team and we'll be happy to assist you.
You can view or download our postgraduate research admissions policy .
If you have a disability and would like further information on the support available, please visit our Disability Services website .
International Student Advice (ISA) provides support for our international students.
- ) Apply online
- / Contact us
- { Info for applicants
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If you would like to discuss your application, at any stage, please contact Professor Anthony Caleshu . Additionally, the Doctoral College is able to answer any questions you may have about applying for or undertaking a postgraduate research degree at the University of Plymouth: [email protected] or +44 1752 587640 .
Visit studentship opportunities to search for studentships currently available for this programme.
Doctoral Creative Writing projects include collections of poetry influenced by field work in Nepal, creative non-fiction exploring the plight of refugee women in immigration detention centres in the UK, short story sequences about domestic dysfunction, and novels set far and wide: from 16th century America to 21st century Japan. All of our PhD students produce creative work alongside a critical dissertation (from 15,000 words to 40,000 words), exploring their methodology as well as their wider literary context. Jamie Edgecombe gained his PhD for a novel set in post-War and contemporary Japan, with an accompanying dissertation on ekphrastic fiction (writing which is concerned with ‘narrating’ the visual arts). He won the Manchester Metropolitan University Novella Prize for The Art of Kozu (the first part of which was based on his MA Creative Writing dissertation). He works as an English teacher at Tavistock College while also leading MA modules on fiction at Plymouth.
Jamie Edgcombe, MA Creative Writing graduate and current PhD student.
Professor Anthony Caleshu talks about his writing, editing and research of contemporary poetry, as well as his teaching of creative writing in this short video.

English and creative writing research
Our staff have published extensively and internationally across a diverse range of fields in literary criticism and creative writing.
Current and recent PhDs
Russell Evans – PhD Creative Writing "Diagrams of Disturbance: conceptual diagrams and the production of a personal diagram poetry" Awarded 2022 Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Rosemarie Corlett – PhD Creative Writing "Scars the Shape of Wings: Flightlessness, Superstition and Violence in the Story of the Great Auk" Awarded 2022 Director of Studies: Dr Miriam Darlington Ed Whitfield – PhD Creative Writing "Safe Space: a novel and critical dissertation on fandom in contemporary science fiction" 2021–present Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Christopher Cook – PhD on the Basis of Prior Published Works in Interdisciplinary Art and Design 2021–present Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Robert Parsons – PhD Creative Writing "The Backward School: A memoir and critical dissertation on the care system in contemporary creative non-fiction" 2021–present Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Emma George – PhD Creative Writing "Stampy, Bringing the World of Philately into Disrepute: a memoir and critical dissertation on familial transgression in contemporary creative non-fiction" 2021–present Director of Studies: Dr Miriam Darlington Olivia Templeton – PhD Creative Writing "The Amateur Detective: a novel and a critical dissertation on gender, class and websleuths in contemporary crime fiction" 2021–present Director of Studies: Dr David Sergeant Tracey Guiry – PhD Creative Writing "Time-travellers and Storytellers: Dementia in Children’s Literature" Awarded 2021 Director of Studies: Professor Angela Smith Sam Kemp – PhD Creative Writing "A Book of Poems, and a Dissertation on Contemporary Radical Landscape Poetry" Awarded 2021 Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Chris Savery – PhD Creative Writing "1588: A playscript, and critical dissertation on contemporary historical verse plays" 2020–present Director of Studies: Dr Peter Hinds Jamie Edgecombe – PhD Creative Writing "Bone Painting, a novel, and a Dissertation on Ekphrastic Possibilities in Modern Japanese Fiction" Awarded 2020 Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu
Peter Hitchens – PhD Creative Writing "Daniel: A novel and critical dissertation on boyhood and the care system in contemporary fiction" 2019–present Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Ivan Pope – PhD Creative Writing "My Auschwitz State of Mind: a memoir with dissertation on the production of a text from fragments" 2019–present (viva pending) Director of Studies: Dr Phil Smith Ellie Walsh – PhD Creative Writing "Birds with Wolf Hearts, a Collection of Poetry, and a Critical Introduction to Contemporary Nepalese Women's Poetry" Awarded 2019 Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Kate Glew – PhD Creative Writing (Doctoral Teaching Assistant) "The Smithfield Heretics" 2018–present Director of Studies: Professor Angela Smith Eloise Wales – PhD Creative Writing "Travel Writing around Islands, and a Dissertation on Writing the Anthropocene" 2016–present Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Helen Chamberlain – PhD Creative Writing "Three Novellas, and a Dissertation on Early Modern American Fiction" 2015–present Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Tom Vowler – PhD Creative Writing "That Dark Remembered Day: A Novel, and Dissertation on Trauma in Contemporary Fiction" Awarded 2016 Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Peter Gillies – PhD Creative Writing "Poems to the Sea and Painterly Poetics: Charles Olson, Robert Creeley, and Cole Swensen" Awarded 2016 Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Jonathan Wooding – PhD Creative Writing "An Atheist’s Prayer-Book: A Book of Poetry and a Critical Study on Geoffrey Hill and Religious Influence" Awarded 2015 Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Nicola Johnson – PhD Creative Writing "Earhart County, a Novel, and a Dissertation on ‘The Making of a Wondertale’." Awarded 2012 Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Maria Capelo – PhD Creative Writing "All Over the Place: A Novel, Followed by Critical Commentary on my Creative Work and Paul Auster’s Fiction" Awarded 2011 Director of Studies: Professor Anthony Caleshu Lucy Durneen – PhD Creative Writing "Everything Beautiful is Far Away, a novel with a critical dissertation" Awarded 2011 Director of Studies: Professor Angela Smith
Academic staff

Professor Anthony Caleshu
Associate head of school research, knowledge exchange, enterprise.

Dr Rachel Christofides
Associate professor of english (education).

Dr Miriam Darlington
Lecturer in english and creative writing.

Dr Peter Hinds
Associate professor in english.

Dr Bonnie Latimer
Associate dean for education and student experience.

Professor Dafydd Moore
Senior deputy vice-chancellor.

Dr Kathryn Napier Gray
Associate professor (reader) in early american literature.

Dr David Sergeant
Associate professor of twentieth and twenty-first century literature.

Professor Angela Smith
Professor of modern literature.

Dr Arun Sood
Lecturer in english, arts, humanities and business postgraduate research degrees.
As a research degree student within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business, you will become part of a scholarly community that proudly includes a wide range of approaches and disciplines.

Plymouth's creative writing experience
New to creative writing or looking to expand your talents?
No matter the level of study you want to pursue – undergraduate, masters, PhD – the creative writing experience at Plymouth allows you to explore every possible aspect of writing.
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Research degrees – money matters
Find out more about how to pay your tuition fees, studentships and student loans for postgraduate research students.

The University of Manchester PhD Research Projects
We have 265 the university of manchester phd research projects.
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The University of Manchester
PhD Research Projects
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Early life perturbations and neurological disorders in later life
Phd research project.
PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.
Self-Funded PhD Students Only
This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.
(WIS) The interplay between the intratumoural microbiome, the type of cancer inflammation and the response to immunotherapy
Funded phd project (students worldwide).
This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.
Adaptive Infrastructure Planning – Application to UK multi-sector water systems
Funded phd project (uk students only).
This research project has funding attached. It is only available to UK citizens or those who have been resident in the UK for a period of 3 years or more. Some projects, which are funded by charities or by the universities themselves may have more stringent restrictions.
Measuring the elastic properties of single-crystal and composite materials
[uom / iisc joint award] development of advanced bone biomaterials using cell-derived extracellular matrix and bioactive glasses., competition funded phd project (students worldwide).
This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be successful. Unsuccessful projects may still go ahead as self-funded opportunities. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but potential funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.
[UoM / IISc Joint Award] Model-based Systems Engineering in the Industrial Metaverse
[uom / iisc joint award] deep learning assisted image enhancement and analysis to accelerate energy decarbonisation in the subsurface, [uom / iisc joint award] bio-inspired multi-robot coordination in a dynamic unstructured environment, [uom / iisc joint award] 3d printed bone scaffolds based on collagen and hydroxyapatite by powder bed printing, [uom / iisc joint award] aqueous hydroxyapatite coatings for next generation 3d metal implants, greencdt the impact of polyacrylamide radiolytic and microbial degradation products on the interim and long term storage of radwaste, developing and applying new computational methods to improve the understanding of the reactivity and properties of boron-containing molecules, an ex-vivo human tissue ex-plant model to enable investigations into breast cancer prevention, radar tomography (rt) for medical applications, an evaluation of the role of excipients on the stability of lipid nanoparticles-based vaccines..
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MSt in Creative Writing
- Entry requirements
- Funding and Costs
College preference
- How to Apply

About the course
The MSt in Creative Writing is a two-year, part-time master's degree course offering a unique combination of high contact hours, genre specialisation, and critical and creative breadth.
The emphasis of the course is cross-cultural and cross-genre, pointing up the needs and challenges of the contemporary writer who produces their creative work in the context of a global writerly and critical community.
The MSt offers a clustered learning format of five residences, two guided retreats and one research placement over two years. The research placement, a distinguishing feature of the course, provides between one and two weeks' in-house experience of writing in the real world.
The first year concentrates equally on prose fiction, poetry, dramatic writing and narrative non-fiction. There is a significant critical reading and analysis component, which is linked to the writerly considerations explored in each of the genres. In your second year you will specialise in one of the following:
- short fiction
- radio drama
- screenwriting
- stage drama
- narrative non-fiction.
The residences in particular offer an intensive workshop- and seminar-based forum for ideas exchange and for the opening up of creative and critical frameworks within which to develop writerly and analytical skills. There is a strong element of one-to-one tutorial teaching. Tutorials take place within residences and retreats, and relate to the on-going work produced for the course.
You will be assigned a supervisor who will work closely with you throughout the development of the year two final project and extended essay. All assessed work throughout the two years of the course is subject to one-to-one feedback and discussion with a tutor. This intensive, one-to-one input, combined with the highly interactive workshop and seminar sessions, is a distinguishing feature of the course.
Supervision
The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department for Continuing Education and this role will usually be performed by the Course Director.
You will be allocated a supervisor to guide and advise you on your creative and critical work throughout the second year.
It is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Department for Continuing Education.
The MSt is assessed by coursework. In the first year, four assignments (two creative, two critical), one creative writing portfolio and one critical essay are submitted. Work is set during each residence and handed in for assessment before the next meeting. Feedback on work submitted is given during tutorials within the residence or retreat. In the second year, submissions comprise one research placement report, one extended critical essay, and a final project – a substantial body of creative work in the genre of choice.
You will be set specific creative and critical work to be completed between residences and handed in to set deadlines. Creative submissions in the first year must be in more than one genre. In the second year, submitted work focuses around the genre of your choice.
Graduate destinations
Graduate destinations have included doctoral programmes in creative writing; teaching creative writing; publishing creative work in chosen field; careers in arts/media.
Changes to this course and your supervision
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic (including Covid-19), epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.
Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.
For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.
Other courses you may wish to consider
If you're thinking about applying for this course, you may also wish to consider the courses listed below. These courses may have been suggested due to their similarity with this course, or because they are offered by the same department or faculty.
All graduate courses in the humanities offered by this department
Entry requirements for entry in 2023-24, proven and potential academic excellence, degree-level qualifications.
As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
- a first-class or upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a related field.
For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA normally sought is 3.6 out of 4.0.
If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.
GRE General Test scores
No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.
Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience
- Assessors are looking for writers with a proven record of commitment to their craft, whose work demonstrates significant creative promise. You should be a keen reader, and bring an open-minded, questioning approach to both reading and writing. You will not necessarily have yet achieved publication, but you will have written regularly and read widely over a sustained period. You will be keen to dedicate time and energy and staying-power to harnessing your talent, enlarging your skills, and aiming your writerly production at consistently professional standards. It is likely you will have a first degree, or equivalent, although in some cases other evidence of suitability may be acceptable.
- Applicants do not need to be previously published, but the MSt is unlikely to be suitable for those who are just starting out on their writerly and critical development.
English language proficiency
This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.
*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)
Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides further information about the English language test requirement .
Declaring extenuating circumstances
If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.
You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Supporting documents
You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application, including an official transcript and a CV/résumé. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Performance at interview
Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process.
For those applying by the January deadline, interviews are generally held in February and March. For March applicants, interviews are generally held in March and April.
The decision to call an applicant for interview is based on the University Admission Board's assessment of your portfolio, statement of purpose, academic and professional track record and references. Interviews will be conducted in person or by telephone. All applicants whose paper submissions indicate they are qualified for entry will generally be interviewed, either in person or by telephone/Skype. There are always two interviewers. Interviews usually last up to approximately 30 minutes and provide an opportunity for the candidate to discuss his/her application and to explore the course in more detail.
The interview is designed to ascertain, through a range of questions, the shape and emphasis of the candidate's writing and reading, and general suitability for the demands of the MSt.
How your application is assessed
Your application will be assessed purely on your proven and potential academic excellence and other entry requirements published under that heading. References and supporting documents submitted as part of your application, and your performance at interview (if interviews are held) will be considered as part of the assessment process.
An overview of the shortlisting and selection process is provided below. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about how applications are assessed .
Shortlisting and selection
Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:
- socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of the University’s pilot selection procedure and for scholarships aimed at under-represented groups ;
- country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
- protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.
Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.
Processing your data for shortlisting and selection
Information about processing special category data for the purposes of positive action and using your data to assess your eligibility for funding , can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.
Admissions panels and assessors
All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).
Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.
Other factors governing whether places can be offered
The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:
- the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
- the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
- minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.
Offer conditions for successful applications
If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our After you apply pages provide more information about offers and conditions .
In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:
Financial Declaration
If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a Financial Declaration in order to meet your financial condition of admission.
Disclosure of criminal convictions
In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any relevant, unspent criminal convictions before you can take up a place at Oxford.
The department is committed to supporting you to pursue your academic goals.
The Rewley House Continuing Education Library , one of the Bodleian Libraries, is situated in Rewley House. The department aims to support the wide variety of subjects covered by departmental courses at many academic levels. The department also has a collection of around 73,000 books together with periodicals. PCs in the library give access to the internet and the full range of electronic resources subscribed to by the University of Oxford. Wi-Fi is also available. The Jessop Reading Room adjoining the library is available for study. You will have access to the Central Bodleian and other Bodleian Libraries.
The department's Graduate School provides a stimulating and enriching learning and research environment for the department's graduate students, fostering intellectual and social interaction between graduates of different disciplines and professions from the UK and around the globe. The Graduate School will help you make the most of the wealth of resources and opportunities available, paying particular regard to the support and guidance needed if you are following a part-time graduate programme. The department’s graduate community comprises over 600 members following taught programmes and more than 70 undertaking doctoral research.
The department provides various IT facilities , including the Student Computing Facility which provides individual PCs for your use. Many of the department's courses are delivered through blended learning or have a website to support face-to-face study. In most cases, online support is delivered through a virtual learning environment.
Depending on the programme you are taking with the department, you may require accommodation at some point in your student career. Rewley House is ideally located in central Oxford; the city's historic sites, colleges, museums, shops and restaurants are only a few minutes’ walk away. The department has 35 en-suite study bedrooms, all with high quality amenities, including internet access.
The Rewley House dining room has seating for up to 132 people. A full meal service is available daily. The department operates a Common Room with bar for students.
The University expects to be able to offer around 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2023-24. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships , if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.
For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.
Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:
Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.
Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the department's website.
Annual fees for entry in 2023-24
Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.
Information about course fees
Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .
Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.
Where can I find further information about fees?
The Fees and Funding section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility and your length of fee liability .
Additional information
This course has residential sessions (residences and retreats) in Oxford. You will need to meet your travel costs in attending these sessions. The tuition fee includes the cost of board and lodging during the residences and retreats (eg for a four day residence, three nights accommodation will be provided). Further, as part of your course requirements, you will need to complete a research placement in the second year. For this placement you will need to meet your travel and accommodation costs, and any other incidental expenses. You may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses. Further information about departmental funding can be found on the department's website. Please check with your specific college for bursary or other funding possibilities.
Living costs
In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.
For the 2023-24 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,290 and £1,840 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2023-24, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of 5% or more each year – although this rate may vary significantly depending on how the national economic situation develops. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.
If you are studying part-time your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you must still ensure that you will have sufficient funding to meet these costs for the duration of your course.
All graduate students at Oxford belong to a department or faculty and a college or hall (except those taking non-matriculated courses). If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. The Colleges section of this website provides information about the college system at Oxford , as well as factors you may wish to consider when deciding whether to express a college preference . Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 45 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as Permanent Private Halls (PPHs).
For some courses, the department or faculty may have provided some additional advice below to help you to decide. Whatever you decide, it won’t affect how the academic department assesses your application and whether they decide to make you an offer. If your department makes you an offer of a place, you’re guaranteed a place at one of our colleges.
The following colleges accept students on the MSt in Creative Writing:
- Blackfriars
- Brasenose College
- Harris Manchester College
- Keble College
- Kellogg College
- Oriel College
- Regent's Park College
- St Catherine's College
- Somerville College
- Wadham College
- Wycliffe Hall
Before you apply
Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines in our Application Guide. If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under a December or January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance .
Application fee waivers
An application fee of £75 is payable per course application. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:
- applicants from low-income countries;
- refugees and displaced persons;
- UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and
- applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.
You are encouraged to check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver before you apply.
Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?
You do not need to make contact with the department before you apply but you are encouraged to visit the relevant departmental webpages to read any further information about your chosen course.
If you have any questions about the course, these should be directed to the course administrator via the contact details provided on this page.
Completing your application
You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents . If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.
Referees: Three overall, academic and/or professional
Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.
Your references will support your commitment to creative writing and suitability to pursue a course of this nature at graduate level. Both professional and academic references are acceptable.
Official transcript(s)
Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.
More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.
A CV/résumé is compulsory for all applications. Most applicants choose to submit a document of one to two pages highlighting their academic and writerly achievements and any relevant professional experience.
Statement of purpose: A maximum of 750 words
The statement of purpose should contain sufficient detail to allow it to be assessed against the indicated criteria.
Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at Oxford, your relevant experience and education, and the specific areas that interest you and/or in which you intend to specialise.
If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.
This will be assessed for:
- your reasons for applying
- evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
- the ability to present a reasoned case in English
- commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course
- capacity for sustained and intense work
- reasoning ability and quality of written expression
- capacity to address issues of writerly and critical significance.
Written work: A maximum of 2,000 words of prose fiction or narrative non-fiction or 10 short poems or 15 minutes of dramatic writing (stage, screen, radio or TV)
Your portfolio of creative writing for assessment can be in any of the four genres, or in more than one. It should be clearly indicative of your ability in creative writing.
This will be assessed for excellence in creative writing.
Start or continue your application
You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please refer to the requirements above and consult our Application Guide for advice . You'll find the answers to most common queries in our FAQs.
Application Guide Apply
ADMISSION STATUS
Open - applications are still being accepted
Up to a week's notice of closure will be provided on this page - no other notification will be given
12:00 midday UK time on:
Friday 20 January 2023 Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships
Wednesday 1 March 2023 Applications may remain open after this deadline if places are still available - see below
A later deadline shown under 'Admission status' If places are still available, applications may be accepted after 1 March . The 'Admissions status' (above) will provide notice of any later deadline.
*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2020-21 to 2022-23)
Further information and enquiries
This course is offered by the Department for Continuing Education
- Course page and blog on department website
- Funding information from the department
- Academic staff
- Departmental research
- Continuing Education Graduate School
- Postgraduate applicant privacy policy
Course-related enquiries
Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page
✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 280145
Application-process enquiries
See the application guide
Visa eligibility for part-time study
We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study on this course. Part-time students may be able to attend on a visitor visa for short blocks of time only (and leave after each visit) and will need to remain based outside the UK.
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PhD Creative Writing University of Manchester

Course options
Qualification.
PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy
The University of Manchester
- TUITION FEES
- ENTRY REQUIREMENT
- UNIVERSITY INFO
Course summary
Programme description
Our PhD Creative Writing programme gives you the opportunity to work on a significant piece of creative writing while developing your research skills.
You will benefit from creative supervision by an experienced poet or fiction writer and draw on the range of expertise within the University to find a supervisor for your critical element.
There are two elements to the programme. The first is a creative element that can be a novel or a collection of short stories of up to 100,000 words, or a book-length collection of poetry of up to 60 poems.
The PhD also has a critical element, which is a piece of literary or cultural criticism of 30,000 to 50,000 words maximum.
Teaching and learning
The PhD will require you to develop your research skills and, to this end, you will be able to undertake a research skills audit and attend seminars and workshops on research methods in the first year.
In this way, you will participate in training seminars across the field of arts, languages and cultures, which will develop useful research, teaching and IT skills.
You will also attend seminars in relation to publication, authors' rights etc, which will be particularly useful to students of creative writing.
Specialised research training, and a wider postgraduate research culture within which your work will develop, is given through a programme of writing workshop masterclasses in which students take it in turns to have their writing workshopped by the other Creative Writing PhD students, supervisors and visiting writers from outside the institution.
Coursework and assessment
The PhD will normally consist of an extended and original piece of creative work and a shorter piece of literary or cultural criticism on a related subject.
The creative element could be a novel, a collection of poems, or collection of short stories. For fiction writers, the word length of this section will normally be around 80,000 words (there is a maximum word length of 100,000 words).
Career opportunities
Completing a doctoral programme in the Department of English, American Studies and Creative Writing at the University of Manchester opens up a number of different career paths:
Former doctoral students have secured academic positions, both nationally and internationally, teaching and researching at Royal Holloway University of London, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Bangor, Liverpool Hope University, Instabul Sehir University, Salford University, Birmingham City University, Cardiff University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Leeds, the University of Sheffield, the University of Kent, and the University of Amsterdam.
Tuition fees
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- Vatican City
- Western Samoa
£ 20,500 per year
Tuition fees shown are for indicative purposes and may vary. Please check with the institution for most up to date details.
University information
University of manchester, university league table, campus address.
The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, England
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Our PhD Creative Writing programme gives you the opportunity to work on a significant piece of creative writing while developing your research skills.
Our PhD Creative Writing programme gives you the opportunity to work on a
Our Creative Writing PhD is a practice based programme taught by teams of published creative writers and highly regarded literary scholars.
Here, in the Department of English, we provide doctoral supervision on a range of place-related creative, critical, and creative-critical projects.
If you are a graduate student, you are eligible as long as you will not have a ... 1 Fulbright/Manchester Metropolitan University Award in Creative Writing
The PhD also has a critical element, roughly 30,000 to 50,000 words of research on a related subject useful to the writing of the creative element or to seeing
Doctoral Creative Writing projects include collections of poetry ... He won the Manchester Metropolitan University Novella Prize for The Art of Kozu (the
FindAPhD. Search Funded PhD Research Projects in creative writing at The University of Manchester.
About the course · Supervision. The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department for Continuing Education and this
Find course details for PhD Creative Writing at University of Manchester including subject rankings, tuition fees and key entry requirements.