A course in creative writing may be the first step towards a writing career, or a chance for more experienced writers to develop their work from a new perspective. Creative writing at Bangor University offers a range of opportunities for postgraduate study in a dynamic critical and creative environment. Bangor University has significant experience in this discipline and a flourishing postgraduate community.

Our MA in Creative Writing is taught by staff who are both published writers and practising academics thoroughly experienced in the challenges of university research.

What will you study on this course?

The MA in Creative Writing consists of two parts. Part One must be successfully completed before proceeding to the second part, the dissertation.

Part One:

For the first part of the MA, four modules are taught in small groups or through individual supervision. Modules followed comprise three compulsory modules and a fourth module chosen from a list of available options.

Compulsory Modules:

• Creative Writing: Poetry (30 credits): A series of group seminars invites students to experiment with a range of approaches to poetry, from the use of traditional forms to innovative techniques for exploring language. Participants read and discuss contemporary poetry, and develop a portfolio of their own work with individual supervision.

• Creative Writing: Prose (30 credits): Taught initially by seminar, followed by individual supervision, this module presents advanced fiction writing techniques, focusing on how character, plot, setting, tone and style contribute to compelling narrative, and on how conventions of genre may be challenged. Assessment is by a portfolio of fiction.

• Introduction to Literary Theory, Scholarship and Research (30 credits): This module offers the opportunity to study alongside MA students in the subject area, and to share ideas about authorship, the history of the book, and some key contemporary perspectives on the relationship between literature and the culture in which it is produced. For writers, this module offers a valuable insight into how your creative work relates to its wider context.

Optional Modules may include:

• Advanced Writing Portfolio (30 credits): An opportunity to work on an individual or group basis with a member of staff on an agreed Creative Writing project.

• Open Essay/Portfolio (30 credits): A supervised essay on a topic/theme of the student’s own choice.

• Transcreative Writing (30 credits): This module is taught in conjunction with our Modern Languages and Cultures department (no foreign language skills required).

Modules may also be taken from any part of the MA English Literature programme and may include: Welsh Literature in English; Revolution & Modernity; Material Texts & Editing; Gender & Devotion in Early Modern Literature; Myth & the Early Modern Writer; Medieval Arthur; Post-Medieval Arthur; Understanding the Middle Ages; Manuscript & Printed Books.

Part Two:

The second part of the MA is the Dissertation, which is a chance to develop a longer piece of creative writing (20,000 words) in consultation with a supervisor. It will involve a series of one-to-one supervisory meetings during the summer, once Part 1 has been completed successfully.

An MA in Creative Writing may lead to a career as a novelist, poet or playwright. Planning and developing a substantial writing project is a good preparation for future funded or commissioned writing, as well as for an academic career in practice-based research. This course also offers a range of skills that can be applied in other contexts, for example editing, publishing, journalism and arts administration. The ability to use language fluently and persuasively is essential for success in almost any field, and the flexibility of working across genres in this course offers an excellent grounding in creative language use.

We offer an engaging and supportive environment for postgraduate study. Our academic staff include some of the world’s foremost authorities on Arthurian Literature, Herbert, early modern literature, the history of the book Welsh writing in English.