Skip navigation
Creative Writing at Lancaster University - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 20262026 - 2027
Apply

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

Why Lancaster?

  • Develop your own writing with one-to-one tutorial support from our many celebrated author-tutors.
  • Study online or join us on campus to be close to the Lake District, home of the Romantic poets, and inspiration for many writers since
  • Study on campus in the University Library’s bespoke Postgraduate Study Space
  • Benefit from our rich programme of literary events on campus, online, and in the city’s historic Castle Quarter
  • Make the most of our partnership with The Wordsworth Trust in Grasmere and Lancaster’s city-wonderful based LitFest
Our Creative Writing programme has a long and distinguished history which dates back to 1970, meaning that, in the UK, we were there at the very beginning of the discipline. And we remain at the fore with prize-winning authors as tutors, and students who go on to publish their work both while with us and after. Your project Typically, we would expect a critical writing piece around 20,000 words long and a creative writing piece of around 60-80,000 words. You can work in a traditional form such as poetry, fiction, drama, and memoir and/or a newer form such as fantasy, game writing, young adult fiction, and the graphic novel. These, though, are just examples; we’re happy to discuss other forms and projects with you. Supervision Finding the right supervisor is key to your success. We would, therefore, recommend that you already have one in mind and contact them before submitting your application. To find out more, see here. Campus and/or online Our pioneering virtual learning and research facilities mean you can study from anywhere in the world. Our campus students enjoy a lively programme of Department events, and both distance and campus students meet in termly Work in Progress sessions. If you haven’t studied a Master’s in Creative Writing at Lancaster, you’ll be able to take our Creative Writing module, Research Methods and Professional Practice. You can take this module in person or online. Events and Support We have rich literary connections with the city and nearby Lake District. Many of our special literary events, such as talks from visiting scholars and authors, take place in The Storey, Lancaster’s Victorian Art Centre or at Lancaster’s spectacular medieval Castle. The archive-rich Wordsworth Museum at Grasmere is usually the venue for our annual study retreat day, and the Department’s May Gathering, a social event, is usually held at Lancaster’s ancient Priory, as is our annual October Lecture. We seek, when possible, to offer students the opportunity to undertake limited, but paid, undergraduate teaching at some point during their programme of study. Prizes Our author-tutors have won or been listed for:
  • The Betty Trask Award, Portico Prize
  • BBC National Short Story Award
  • Waterstones’ Children’s Book Prize
  • Tir na n-Og Award
  • Carnegie Medal
  • Somerset Maugham Award
  • Whitbread Poetry Prize
  • TS Eliot Prize
  • Costa Book Award
  • Edge Hill Prize
  • Papatango Prize
  • Eric Gregory Award
  • Crashaw Prize
  • Bridport Prize
  • Pigott Poetry Prize, Desmond Elliott Prize
  • Polari First Book Prize

Assessment method

Assessment is by thesis which should be a sustained piece of creative writing of publishable standard and a substantial piece of reflective or critical writing.

Entry requirements

Masters degree or equivalent in English literature or literature in other languages, usually with an average of at least 65% for UK MAs. 2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in English Literature or related subject, for example literature in other languages. Additional Requirements: As part of your application you also need to provide: -A viable research proposal. -A portfolio of original writing (no more than 15 poems or 30 pages of prose) showing potential for publication. We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously. We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 7.0, and a minimum of 6.5 in each element of the test.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

For information about fees and funding please visit our website: www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding.
Creative Writing at Lancaster University - UCAS