Course summary

Be both a creative writer and a publisher. Customise your studies and prepare yourself for work in these increasingly entwined growth industries. Whether you want to join the traditional publishing industry, establish your own small press or set up a single-author imprint for your own novels, this Masters degree will help you meet your ambitions. Taught in Cambridge, our MA is the only Creative Writing and Publishing course in the East of England and has been taken by many successful published writers. It offers you an opportunity to develop your fiction writing in a supportive environment, while gaining key insights into publishing practice and international and digital rights. Our fully customisable postgraduate course reflects the reality that authors are no longer insulated from business concerns. Even the biggest publishers expect authors to build their own platforms and audiences, manage their own social media and interpret sales. As a student on ARU’s MA Creative Writing and Publishing you’ll benefit from our wide-ranging industry connections, as well as talks, workshops and masterclasses featuring publishers and established fiction writers. You’ll also be able to attend our publishing short courses for free. You can also attend events organised by our Cambridge Writing Centre, including guest talks and live lit jams, where you can showcase your own creative writing and make new contacts in the industry. In our Creative Writing workshops, you’ll get feedback on your writing from other students as well as from our experienced teaching team, including specialist lecturers and our Royal Literary Fund Fellows. This will give you a unique perspective on how your work is read by different audiences. Offered full- or part-time, this Masters course in Cambridge is a great way to study a subject you love and prepare for your future career. Teaching times 2023-24 (subject to change for 2024-5): Monday 6-8pm, Thursday 6-8pm. Careers Our Masters degree in Creative Writing and Publishing will prepare you for employment in whichever aspect of the writing and publishing industries most interests you. You’ll develop transferable academic and professional skills, including self-reflection, critical analysis and working to briefs and deadlines. You’ll also gain the research skills needed to produce creative work, professional publishing documents and critical writing. MA Creative Writing graduates with successful writing careers include Costa Short Story Award winner Caroline Ward Vine, Guinevere Glasfurd, Penny Hancock and Natalya Anderson. Our publishing graduates also have a track record of success, with most now in careers at companies such as Bloomsbury, Wiley Capstone, Pearson, Cambridge University Press and Macmillan. Graduation doesn’t have to be the end of your time with us. You could choose to continue your academic career with a research programme at ARU such as our PhD Creative Writing or PhD Publishing. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and save £400 on your fees. If you studied for the Postgraduate Certificate initially, you can choose to complete further modules and top-up to a full Masters degree.