Course summary

Study at a specialist college with the assurance of a university qualification. Develop your passions and reach your potential in a small, welcoming environment within a community of like-minded people. Benefit from the unique setting and history of the College. The house, its archive and extensive grounds offer opportunities to explore site-specific works, while historic connections to literary and publishing experimentation provide a stimulating environment for study. Why choose West Dean? 94% of students studying at the College* felt the programme had enhanced their skills and abilities (*2019 student survey) A rich arts environment and a focus on craft skills with vocational application. Be inspired by the unique historic character and beautiful South Downs setting. Located close to Chichester and the South Coast, with easy access to London. The Course This programme is for you if you are already a committed writer looking to complete the first draft of a novel. You are keen to further develop your writing and research skills and learn about the publishing process and the role of the professional author in today's publishing environment. Learn from professional authors with extensive creative writing teaching experience and visiting industry professionals. Workshops include experimental collaboration with artists working in other disciplines at West Dean. Intensive study blocks foster an immersive atelier-style experience within the College's School of Creative Arts and allows for self-determination in independent practice. What to expect Explore literary fiction in its varied forms Develop your writing, editing and critical skills Complete a first draft of up to 60,000 words in year one Redraft the first chapter of your novel for publication in a specially produced anthology Gain hands-on experience of the publishing process Learn how to build your author profile Learning environment Attend 12 three-day intensive blocks of workshops, lectures and tutorials (over two years) High tutor: student ratio Intensive workshops Creative interdisciplinary environment Guest lectures from publishing industry professionals Teaching You are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and supervised practicals. In addition, you have personal tutorials with your subject tutor. You typically have around 17-18 contact hours per study block, typically consisting of: 5-6 hours of lectures 4 hours of seminars 8 hours of supervised practicals 30 mins of one-to-one meetings/tutorials Independent learning When not attending lectures, seminars and workshop or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve: Reading journal articles and books Working on individual and group projects Undertaking research in the library Preparing coursework assignments and presentations. Overall workload 10% of your time is spent in scheduled teaching and learning activity Scheduled teaching and learning: 171 hours Independent learning: 1629 hours