Course summary
At the heart of the Manchester Writing School are our masters programmes in Creative Writing, available to study on campus in Manchester, City of Literature, or from anywhere in the world as part of our dynamic international online distance learning community. On our Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programme, you will explore and practice techniques and styles of modern and contemporary writing and apply these through the development of your own complete book or script. You will specialise in one of the following routes: Novel (including Short Fiction), Poetry, Writing for Children & Young Adults, Scriptwriting (for stage, screen or radio) or Creative Non-Fiction. MFA students undertake all elements of our MA Creative Writing programme. You will also take an additional module introducing you to professionals from the publishing, literary and arts industries, which may include literary agents, publishers, broadcasters, producers, directors and arts practitioners, plus a module where you will be coached through the development and completion of a full-length book or script under the sustained guidance of one of our distinguished, practising writers. The MFA is available to complete in two years full-time or three years part-time. The novel and poetry routes are available to study on campus (full-time or part-time) or online (part-time only). The writing for children and creative non-fiction routes are online (part-time) only. The scriptwriting route is available to study on campus only. We have intakes to the programme in September and January each year. Applications are also welcome from those already holding an MA in Creative Writing (180 credits) from Manchester Metropolitan or other universities who would like to top-up to an MFA by taking an additional 120 credits (including the Manuscript module). Features and Benefits
- More than 100 students and graduates have published first books and had work produced, and many more have achieved publication in journals and magazines, won writing awards and prizes, set up small presses and anthologies, and found roles in the publishing industry.
- Live online teaching - the course can be completed entirely online, with core Workshop and Reading module teaching for distance learning students via weekly online classes in Microsoft Teams, and some option modules also available online (availability varies each year).
- Option modules - all students take a 30 credit option module and can choose from a range of creative writing modules, or modules from our MA English Studies and MA Publishing courses.
- Full-length manuscript - MFA students submit a full-length manuscript: a completed novel or short story collection, poetry collection, book for children or young adults, feature-length script or book of creative non-fiction, completed over a full year with one-to-one input from a dedicated Manuscript Mentor. Manuscript students also attend The Industry - a semester of weekly seminars with guests from the publishing, literary and cultural industries introducing career opportunities for creative writers.
- Academic expertise - taught by high-profile writers and critics under the direction of Professor Carol Ann Duffy DBE.
- Home to Manchester Poetry Library - Manchester Poetry Library is the North West's first public poetry library and holds over 12,000 books and recordings that can be explored through the online catalogue, in person and through the annual programme of events.
- Manchester City of Literature - Manchester has been designated an international UNESCO City of Literature in recognition of its thriving live literature scene.
- Research power - English at Manchester Met was ranked 8th out of 92 UK universities for the power of our research and students can access world-leading expertise and an exciting collection of community-facing projects, events and activities through our research groups, with strengths in poetry, place writing, game studies and more.
Entry requirements
Application is by submission of an online form including a personal statement, and a sample of your own creative work. Your application should be tailored to one of our specialist routes: Novel, Poetry, Writing for Children & YA, Scriptwriting or Creative Non-Fiction. You can apply online here: mmu.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/postgraduate-taught-course. Please indicate at the top of your personal statement which specialist route you are applying for. You should use the rest of the statement to tell us a bit about yourself, give a good overview of your reading and writing interests, and a sense of what has led you to apply for our course and any ideas you have for what you’d like to write with us. Personal statements should be approximately 500 words long. For the creative sample, applicants to the Novel, Children's & YA and Creative Non-Fiction routes should submit up to 2,000 words of prose; poetry applicants should submit up to 15 poems; and scriptwriting applicants should submit up to 15 minutes running time of script. The work submitted can be a complete piece, or an extract, or a number of extracts from a longer work or works, but must all be within the chosen specialist route. We have intakes into the programme in September and January each year. For application deadlines, and links to apply, please see the 'How to Apply section'. In each application assessed we will be looking for evidence of: - A very high standard of written English - Control of form, style and technique - Substantial reading of contemporary work within the relevant field - Commitment to the craft of writing and willingness to engage with the editorial process of receiving feedback and redrafting work-in-progress - Experience of the development of writing skills through workshops, supervision, mentoring or previous study Applicants whose first language is not English are required to produce evidence of English Language proficiency. Overseas applicants will require IELTS with an overall score of 6.5, with no sub-component below 5.5, or an equivalent accepted English qualification.
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 further information: https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/
Provider information
Manchester Metropolitan University
All Saints Building
All Saints
Manchester
M15 6BH