university of liverpool phd creative writing

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Creative Writing PhD University of Liverpool

Course options

Qualification.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

University of Liverpool

Full time: 2-4 years. Applications are open all year round.

TUITION FEES
ENTRY REQUIREMENT
UNIVERSITY INFO

Course summary

The School of English has an outstanding international reputation. Students will benefit from this strong research-led teaching covering a wide and continuous range of writing which equips students with the critical and communication skills and the capacity for adaptable intelligence which are in demand in all areas of modern life.

Engagement with media has allowed our researchers to be at the forefront of developing a rich cultural agenda at national and international levels, opening access to literature to a diverse audience. This has resulted in four staff members succeeding in the New Generation Thinkers scheme. We also actively support impact in terms of reaching the general reader, through the publication of research in various, high-profile formats. The impact of such intervention into the nation’s cultural life creates new and evolving long-term contexts for thinking, understanding, writing and imagining.

Many of the Centre’s members specialize in Contemporary Literature that overlaps with science fiction, climate change, visual arts, comics and graphic novels, travel and nature writing as well as psychogeography and the urban environment. Putting gender and race at the forefront, Anglophone and postcolonial writing as well as the fostering of genuinely innovative interdisciplinary creative writing projects which have application and potential impact (e.g. Mental health, environment), is central to the way the Centre aims to diversify and expand the reading, writing and teaching of literature in the UK. Currently the Literature and Science Hub, formerly the Centre for Poetry and Science, established 2007, sits under the wing of the Centre.

Tuition fees

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£ 21,850 per year

Tuition fees shown are for indicative purposes and may vary. Please check with the institution for most up to date details.

University information

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Campus address.

University of Liverpool, The Foundation Building, 765 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZX, England

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Creative Writing

Entry requirements.

For full entry requirement details, please see the course page on the University website.

Months of entry

Course content.

Research themes

Our research themes are:

Citizenship and Identity
Poetry and Diversity
Literature and the Visual Arts.

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

Campus-based learning is available for this qualification

Course contact details

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Course type

Qualification, university name, phd degrees in creative writing.

50 degrees at 42 universities in the UK.

Customise your search

Select the start date, qualification, and how you want to study

About Postgraduate Creative Writing

Creative writing extends beyond the boundaries of normal professional journalism or academic forms of literature. It is often associated with fiction and poetry, but primarily emphasises narrative craft, character development, and the use of traditional literary forms.

A PhD level exploration of creative writing is a three-year full-time programme, where candidates delve into the complexities of literary expression, developing their own research and create projects with the goal of making an original contribution to the field.

There are more than fifty creative writing PhD programmes in the UK, and these give candidates a platform to fully immerse themselves in their ideas and take their work to the next level.

What to expect

A PhD in creative writing offers the time and space to develop personal creative methods, combined with advanced workshops, critical seminars, and guest lectures from working authors. Under an academic mentor's supervision, candidates typically work towards completing a novel, poetry collection or screenplay.

Postgraduate programmes such as these often foster a supportive community of writers and scholars, and collaboration with peers is encouraged. Graduates can expect to emerge as confident and aspirational authors, with a developed style and professional aspiration, prepared for careers in writing, publishing, academia, or other creative industries. The degree provides a pathway for making significant contributions to the world of literature through original and innovative creative works.

Related subjects:

PhD Creative Writing
PhD Biography Writing
PhD Broadcasting Studies
PhD Communication Design
PhD Communication Skills
PhD Communication Studies
PhD Communications and Media
PhD Digital Arts
PhD Digital Media
PhD Film Special Effects
PhD Film Studies
PhD Film and Television Production
PhD Film and Video Production
PhD Media Production
PhD Media Studies
PhD Multimedia
PhD Photography
PhD Play Writing
PhD Television Programme Production
PhD Television Studies
PhD Television and Radio Production
PhD Visual Communication
PhD Writing

Course title (A-Z)
Course title (Z-A)
Price: high - low
Price: low - high

University of Hull

About our programmes English at Hull is friendly, inclusive and supportive, and characterised by the internationally excellent research Read more...

3 years Full time degree: £4,712 per year (UK)
5 years Part time degree: £2,356 per year (UK)

English and Creative Writing PhD

University of gloucestershire.

What is History, Religion, Philosophy and Politics A research degree in the Humanities offers a multitude of opportunities, depending on Read more...

4 years Full time degree: £5,100 per year (UK)
6 years Part time degree: £3,400 per year (UK)

PhD in Creative Writing and English Literature

Manchester metropolitan university.

RESEARCH CULTURE We are a leading centre for the study of literature and culture. We host a large and vibrant community of renowned Read more...

3 years Full time degree: £4,850 per year (UK)
6 years Part time degree

PhD English and Creative Writing

University of roehampton.

Research conducted in the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences covers a wide range of diverse and innovative arts practices, Read more...

4 years Full time degree: £4,711 per year (UK)
7 years Part time degree: £2,356 per year (UK)

PhD Postgraduate Research in Creative Writing

University of east anglia uea.

We are a top tier, research-led university and are committed to making a substantial impact on the global challenges facing society. Our Read more...

6 years Part time degree: £2,356 per year (UK)

Creative and Critical Writing PhD

Bangor university.

If you take this Creative and Critical Writing PhD or MPhil course you will experience One-to-one teaching and supervision by Read more...

2 years Full time degree: £4,712 per year (UK)

Creative Writing PhD

Bath spa university.

The PhD in Creative Writing combines a proposed manuscript (e.g. novel, short story collection, poems, playscript, narrative non-fiction, Read more...

24 months Full time degree: £7,325 per year (UK)

Aberystwyth University

PhD Creative Writing The English Department provides an excellent environment for postgraduate study, research, and creative work. The Read more...

PhD Theatre Studies (Playwriting)

University of essex.

Theatre and Drama in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies is led by a vibrant group of playwrights and theatre Read more...

4 years Full time degree: £9,375 per year (UK)

English PhD,MPhil - Life Writing

University of leicester.

English at Leicester All research areas within English are offered as Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - campus based full-time and Read more...

4 years Distance without attendance degree: £5,913 per year (UK)
3 years Full time degree: £4,786 per year (UK)
6 years Part time degree: £2,393 per year (UK)

Creative Writing MPhil, PhD

Newcastle university.

Our MPhil, PhD in Creative Writing offers you the opportunity to develop a substantial, original piece of creative work and a related Read more...

36 months Full time degree: £4,712 per year (UK)
72 months Part time degree: £2,356 per year (UK)

University of Nottingham

Nottingham is a fantastic place to study creative writing. From readings to workshops, to guest lectures, we have a wide range of literary Read more...

48 months Online/Distance degree: £5,100 per year (UK)
96 months Online/Distance degree

University of Plymouth

Plymouth’s PhD in Creative Writing is one of the longest running in the UK, going back to the late 1990s. Our MA, and PhD students have had Read more...

3 years Full time degree: £4,500 per year (UK)
4 years Part time degree: £3,030 per year (UK)

PhD/ MPhil/ MRes Creative Writing

University of strathclyde.

As well as the popular MLitt in Creative Writing, we also offer a research-led Creative Writing route, which may suit those who wish to Read more...

University of Surrey

Why choose this programme We belong to the interdisciplinary School of Literature and Languages, which has research-active staff in Read more...

4 years Full time degree: £4,712 per year (UK)
8 years Part time degree: £2,356 per year (UK)

Text, Practice and Research - PhD

University of kent.

This programme addresses one of our main aims at Kent, which is to enable research students to take risks and use cross-disciplinary Read more...

Brunel University London

Research profile From modernist and post-war women's writing to Caribbean and migrant fiction, our research interests span a wide range of Read more...

3 years Full time degree

PhD Creative Practice, History and Theory

University of central lancashire.

Creative Practices Research in Arts, Culture and Heritage bring together creative practitioners and those who write about creative Read more...

3 years Full time degree: £5,000 per year (UK)
6 years Part time degree: £2,500 per year (UK)

Anglia Ruskin University

This course is in the School of Creative Industries. PhD research programmes will allow you to explore your own interests in creative Read more...

2.5 years Full time degree: £4,712 per year (UK)
3 years Part time degree: £2,356 per year (UK)
3.5 years Part time degree: £2,356 per year (UK)

University of West London

A PhD in Creative Writing gives you the opportunity to develop an original piece of writing (for example a novel, play, screenplay, radio Read more...

4 years Full time degree: £3,995 per year (UK)
6 years Part time degree: £2,000 per year (UK)

1-20 of 50 courses

Course type:

Distance learning PhD
Full time PhD
Part time PhD

Qualification:

Universities:.

Cardiff University
University of Suffolk
University of Portsmouth
University of Buckingham
University of Sussex
The University of Edinburgh
University of Aberdeen
King's College London, University of London
University of Lincoln
University of Birmingham
Keele University
University of Manchester
University of York
University of Liverpool
Lancaster University
Swansea University
University of Hertfordshire
University of Bristol
Leeds Beckett University
Goldsmiths, University of London

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university of liverpool phd creative writing

Do you need additional support with academic writing? Book a FREE one to one appointment with a friendly Writing@Liverpool tutor for additional support in:

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To get the most out of your appointment, think about what you want to discuss in advance of the meeting. All tutors are trained to help anyone with their academic writing, but if you prefer to see someone from a subject area similar to your own, you can filter by faculty and then see which school each of our tutors are from.

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Ellen - Psychology

Hi, I'm Ellen, a 3rd year PhD student in the School of Psychology. I completed my undergraduate and master's degrees here at Liverpool as well, as well as published my own research during this time. My research involves looking at mindfulness-based interventions for people experiencing psychosis, using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods. Alongside research, I also teach on a number of psychology modules including clinical psychology, research methods, and statistics, meaning I know exactly what is expected for your module coursework.

I can help you with writing scientific reports, critical analysis, and formulating arguments with evidence. If you also want help on presentation-type coursework, such as oral presentations or posters, I can help with that too. I am also experienced in APA 7th style referencing for psychology, and can help you to do it easily.

Paige - Psychology

Hello! I'm Paige Monaghan. As a current PhD candidate in Psychology with a focus on missing children investigations, I bring a unique blend of academic and practical insights. I hold an undergraduate degree in English Literature and two Master's degrees—one in Psychology and another in Investigative and Forensic Psychology. Additionally, I'm training as a cold case investigator, specifically for long-term missing individuals. My passion lies in guiding students to unlock their writing potential. I'm here to assist you with a wide range of writing concerns, including but not limited to: structuring essays effectively, qualitative and quantitative writing, deciphering essay questions to truly grasp what is expected, conducting critical analysis, crafting literature reviews, perfecting grammar, syntax, and referencing.

While I have a strong background in essay and report writing in Psychology, I welcome students from all disciplines and am committed to providing you with the tools to enhance the quality of your written work.

Sufyan - Biology

I am a 3rd year PhD student at the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool. My PhD is in Cancer Biology, and have completed an MRes and a BSc in Cancer Biology and Genetics, at the University of Manchester. I will help you with improving your confidence in academic writing and developing skills such as planning your essay, structuring paragraphs and help you to be more critical of your writing. I am also experienced in Harvard referencing style, along with other referencing styles, and I can help you enhance your referencing skills.

Elle - Classics and Ancient History

I am a fourth year PhD candidate in Classics and Ancient History. Prior to my PhD, I studied for an MA in Classics and a BA in Egyptology and Classical Studies at the University of Liverpool. I can help you with essay writing planning, referencing, critical skills and learning from feedback. I also teach on Greek and Roman history modules within the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology but can help with any subjects, especially learning from feedback.

Robert - Arts and Humanities

I am a 4th-Year PhD student researching in Music and Egyptology with an interest in literature, languages and alternative frameworks of thinking.  I can help with a range of academic writing concerns in Arts and Humanities subjects, such as assessment planning, structuring arguments, dealing with problem questions and referencing.  I am happy to tailor a tutorial to respond to the assessment needs you identify for your work, including addressing pre-identified priorities or, if you're unsure, working together to identify any academic writing concerns.

Gladys - Geography

Hey, my name is Gladys and I am researching socio-economic inequality in cities using spatial data analysis and statistics. I have a first class undergraduate degree in BA Geography and an MSc in Geographic Data Science from the University of Liverpool.

I can help you to plan assignments and learn from your feedback, as well as improve your writing style, critical thinking, referencing and essay presentation skills.

My background in Human Geography means I can help with more traditional, theoretical essay writing, as well as reports and policy briefs. I am also knowledgeable on scientific writing and have taught on GIS and Quantitative Analysis modules up to Masters level.

Isobel - Engineering

I am PhD student in the School of Engineering. My work focuses on inclusive design and human-centred design for oral healthcare systems. I am available for meetings across all subjects and disciplines and can help with any aspect of academic writing.

Blessing - Management

Hi, I am Blessing, a PhD student at the Management School and my research is focused on leadership and digitalisation within the public sector. I can offer support to help you build confidence in critical analysis, engaging with literature, structuring your arguments and referencing. I am also happy to help with understanding essay/report questions and reviewing feedback from previously submitted work to highlight the learning points. The nature of my research causes me to engage with multiple disciplines so I am available to support all subjects and disciplines.

Jaydon - Law

I am currently studying for my PhD in Law, researching the EU's legal role in the regulation of alcohol brand marketing to reduce disease burdens. Prior to my PhD, I obtained by LLB and LLM here in Liverpool, and I have also completed the Legal Practice Course. My current research focuses on EU law, public health, and consumer protection and therefore, I have experience in legal referencing (OSCOLA). However, I can offer sessions across numerous subjects and disciplines. I can help you with your critical writing, planning and structure, locating resources, as well as referencing for your essays, coursework, dissertations, and reports.

Jenna - Sociology

I'm Jenna, I'm a second year Sociology PhD researcher and Graduate Teaching Fellow in the School of Law and Social Justice. I teach on first and second year Criminology and  Sociology modules. I can help with Harvard referencing, structuring essays and reports, and responding to assignment feedback. I am available for meetings across Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology. 

Hi, I am Jess Randall, I am studying a PhD in Law and I'm in my second year. I teach on Equity and Contract Law. I can help with an array of issues or questions relating to assessment writing from structuring answers, dealing with problem questions and referencing. I have experience in essay writing and report writing. My referencing style is Oscola but I can help with other styles. I look forward to reading your work!

Lisa - Management

I am a final year PhD student at the Management School studying human resource management and good work in small businesses. I earned my MSc HRM with distinction from the Management School and am an associate member of the CIPD. That said, my first love was the humanities! I finished my BA Humanities as a part-time student at University of Maryland Global Campus while working in the public sector.

I am an experienced teacher, researcher, and peer reviewer for academic journals and can help with all aspects of academic writing. I specialise in qualitative analysis but am familiar with quantitative work as well. I’d like to help you polish your writing so you can really show off how hard you’ve worked and how much you’ve learned!

Sarah - Law

I am currently a second year PhD student in Law, researching the regulation of healthcare professionals. In addition to my PhD studies, I teach Tort Law to undergraduate students at the University of Liverpool. I have experience in legal referencing (OSCOLA) and in using the Harvard referencing system. I am available for meetings across all subjects and disciplines.

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Ph.D. Creative Writing

Ph.d. in creative writing.

A rigorous program that combines creative writing and literary studies, the Ph.D. in Creative Writing prepares graduates for both scholarly and creative publication and teaching. With faculty guidance, students admitted to the Ph.D. program may tailor their programs to their goals and interests.

The creative writing faculty at KU has been widely published and anthologized, winning both critical and popular acclaim. Faculty awards include such distinctions as the Nebula Award, Hugo Award, Osborn Award, Shelley Memorial Award, Gertrude Stein Award, the Kenyon Review Prize, the Kentucky Center Gold Medallion, and the Pushcart Prize.

Regarding admission to both our doctoral and MFA creative writing programs, we will prioritize applicants who are interested in engaging with multiple faculty members to practice writing across genres and forms, from speculative fiction and realism to poetry and playwriting/screenwriting, etc.

The University of Kansas' Graduate Program in Creative Writing also offers an M.F.A degree .

Opportunities

A GTA appointment includes a tuition waiver for ten semesters plus a competitive stipend. In the first year, GTA appointees teach English 101 (first year composition) and English 102 (a required reading and writing course). Creative Writing Ph.D. students may have the opportunity to teach an introductory course in creative writing after passing the doctoral examination, and opportunities are available for a limited number of advanced GTAs to teach in the summer.

Department Resources

Graduate Admissions
Graduate Contacts
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

Affiliated Programs

LandLocked Literary Magazine
The Project on the History of Black Writing
Center for the Study of Science Fiction
Ad-Hoc African/Americanists and Affiliates

Degree Requirements

At least 24 hours of credit in appropriate formal graduate courses beyond the M.A. or M.F.A. At least 15 hours (in addition to ENGL 800 if not taken for the M.A.) of this course work must be taken from among courses offered by the Department of English at the 700-level and above. English 997 and 999 credits cannot be included among the 24 hours. Students may petition to take up to 6 hours outside the Department.
ENGL 800: Methods, Theory, and Professionalism (counts toward the 24 required credit hours).
The ENGL 801/ENGL 802 pedagogy sequence (counts toward the 24 required credit hours).
Two seminars (courses numbered 900 or above) offered by the Department of English at the University of Kansas, beyond the M.A. or M.F.A. ENGL 998 does not fulfill this requirement.
ENGL 999, Dissertation (at least 12 hours).

If the M.A. or M.F.A. was completed in KU’s Department of English, a doctoral student may petition the DGS to have up to 12 hours of the coursework taken in the English Department reduced toward the Ph.D.

For Doctoral students, the university requires completion of a course in responsible scholarship . For the English department, this would be ENGL 800, 780, or the equivalent). In addition, the Department requires reading knowledge of one approved foreign language: Old English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Greek, Latin, or Hebrew. Upon successful petition, a candidate may substitute reading knowledge of another language or research skill that is studied at the University or is demonstrably appropriate to the candidate’s program of study.

Doctoral students must fulfill the requirement before they take their doctoral examination, or be enrolled in a reading course the same semester as the exam. Students are permitted three attempts at passing each foreign language or research skill. Three methods of demonstrating reading knowledge for all approved languages except Old English are acceptable:

Presenting 16 hours, four semesters, or the equivalent of undergraduate credit, earned with an average of C or better.
Passing a graduate reading course at the University of Kansas or peer institution (e.g., French 100, German 100, etc.) with a grade of C or higher. In the past, some of these reading courses have been given by correspondence; check with the Division of Continuing Education for availability.
Passing a translation examination given by a designated member of the English Department faculty or by the appropriate foreign language department at KU. The exam is graded pass/fail and requires the student to translate as much as possible of a representative text in the foreign language in a one-hour period, using a bilingual dictionary.
Passing a translation examination given by the appropriate foreign language department at the M.A.-granting institution. Successful completion must be reflected either on the M.A. transcript or by a letter from the degree-granting department.

To fulfill the language requirement using Old English, students must successfully complete ENGL 710 (Introduction to Old English) and ENGL 712 (Beowulf).

Post-Coursework Ph.D. students must submit, with their committee chair(s), an annual review form to the DGS and Graduate Committee.

Doctoral students must take their doctoral examination within three semesters (excluding summers) of the end of the semester in which they took their final required course. If a student has an Incomplete, the timeline is not postponed until the Incomplete is resolved. For example, a student completing doctoral course work in Spring 2018 will need to schedule their doctoral exam no later than the end of Fall semester 2019. Delays may be granted by petition to the Graduate Director in highly unusual circumstances. Failure to take the exam within this time limit without an approved delay will result in the student’s falling out of good standing. For details on the consequences of falling out of good standing, see “Falling Out of Good Standing,” in General Department Policies and Best Practices.

A student may not take their doctoral exam until the university’s Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirement is fulfilled (ENGL 800 or equivalent and reading knowledge of one foreign language or equivalent).

Requirements for Doctoral Exams

Reading Lists:

All students are required to submit three reading lists, based on the requirements below, to their committee for approval. The doctoral exam will be held on a date at least twelve weeks after the approval from the whole committee is received. To facilitate quick committee approval, students may copy the graduate program coordinator on the email to the committee that contains the final version of the lists. Committee members may then respond to the email in lieu of signing a printed copy. Students should work with their committee chair and graduate program coordinator to schedule the exam at the same time as they finalize the lists.

During the two-hour oral examination (plus an additional 15-30 minutes for a break and committee deliberation), a student will be tested on their comprehension of a literary period or movement, including multiple genres and groups of authors within that period or movement. In addition, the student will be tested on two of the following six areas of study:

An adjacent or parallel literary period or movement,
An author or group of related authors,
Criticism and literary theory,
Composition theory, and
English language.

No title from any field list may appear on either of the other two lists. See Best Practices section for more details on these six areas. See below for a description of the Review of the Dissertation Proposal (RDP), which the candidate takes the semester after passing the doctoral exam.

While many students confer with the DGS as they begin the process of developing their lists, they are also required to submit a copy of their final exam list to the DGS. Most lists will be left intact, but the DGS might request that overly long lists be condensed, or extremely short lists be expanded.

Review of Literature

The purpose of the Review of Literature is to develop and demonstrate an advanced awareness of the critical landscape for each list. The student will write an overview of the defining attributes of the field, identifying two or three broad questions that animate scholarly discussion, while using specific noteworthy texts from their list ( but not all texts on the list ) as examples.

The review also must accomplish the following:

consider the historical context of major issues, debates, and trends that factor into the emergence of the field
offer a historical overview of scholarship in the field that connects the present to the past
note recent trends and emergent lines of inquiry
propose questions about (develop critiques of, and/or identify gaps in) the field and how they might be pursued in future study (but not actually proposing or referencing a dissertation project)

For example, for a literary period, the student might include an overview of primary formal and thematic elements, of the relationship between literary and social/historical developments, of prominent movements, (etc.), as well as of recent critical debates and topics.

For a genre list, the Review of Literature might include major theories of its constitution and significance, while outlining the evolution of these theories over time.

For a Rhetoric and Composition list, the review would give an overview of major historical developments, research, theories, methods, debates, and trends of scholarship in the field.

For an English Language Studies (ELS) list, the review would give an overview of the subfields that make up ELS, the various methodological approaches to language study, the type of sources used, and major aims and goals of ELS. The review also usually involves a focus on one subfield of particular interest to the student (such as stylistics, sociolinguistics, or World/Postcolonial Englishes).

Students are encouraged to divide reviews into smaller sections that enhance clarity and organization. Students are not expected to interact with every text on their lists.

The review of literature might be used to prepare students for identifying the most important texts in the field, along with why those texts are important to the field, for the oral exam. It is recommended for students to have completed reading the bulk of (if not all) texts on their lists before writing the ROL.

The Reviews of Literature will not be produced in an exam context, but in the manner of papers that are researched and developed in consultation with all advisors/committee members, with final drafts being distributed within a reasonable time for all members to review and approve in advance of the 3-week deadline . While the Review of Literature generally is not the focus of the oral examination, it is frequently used as a point of departure for questions and discussion during the oral examination.

Doctoral Exam Committee

Exam committees typically consist of 3 faculty members from the department—one of whom serves as the Committee Chair—plus a Graduate Studies Representative. University policy dictates the composition of exam committees . Students may petition for an exception for several committee member situations, with the exception of the Graduate Studies Representative .

If a student wants to have as a committee member a person outside the university, or a person who is not in a full-time tenure-track professorship at KU, the student must contact the Graduate Secretary as early as possible. Applications for special graduate faculty status must be reviewed by the College and Graduate Studies. Requests for exam/defense approval will not be approved unless all committee members currently hold either regular or special graduate faculty status

Remote participation of committee members via technology

Students with committee members who plan to attend the defense via remote technology must be aware of college policy on teleconferencing/remote participation of committee members .

A majority of committee members must be physically present for an examination to commence; for doctoral oral examinations this requirement is 2 of the 4 members, for master’s oral examinations the requirement is 2 of the 3 members. In addition, it is required that the student being examined, the chair of the committee, and the Graduate Studies Representative all be physically present at the examination or defense. Mediated attendance by the student, chair and Grad Studies Rep is prohibited.

The recommended time between completion of coursework and the doctoral examination is two semesters.

Final exam lists need to be approved and signed by the committee at least 12 weeks prior to the prospective exam date. This includes summers/summer semesters. The lists should then be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator. Reviews of Literature need to be approved and signed by the committee at least 3 weeks prior to the exam date. Failure to meet this deadline will result in rescheduling the exam. No further changes to lists or Reviews of Literature will be allowed after official approval. The three-week deadline is the faculty deadline--the last date for them to confirm receipt of the ROLs and confer approval--not necessarily the student deadline for submitting the documents to the faculty. Please keep that timing in mind and allow your committee adequate time to review the materials and provide feedback.

Students taking the Doctoral Exam are allowed to bring their text lists, the approved Reviews of Literature, scratch paper, a writing utensil, and notes/writing for an approximately 5-minute introductory statement to the exam. (This statement does not need to lay out ideas or any aspect of the dissertation project.)

Each portion of the oral examination must be deemed passing before the student can proceed to the Review of the Dissertation Proposal. If a majority of the committee judges that the student has not answered adequately on one of the three areas of the exam, the student must repeat that portion in a separate oral exam of one hour, to be taken as expeditiously as possible. Failure in two areas constitutes failure of the exam and requires a retake of the whole. The doctoral examining committee will render a judgment of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory on the entire examination. A student who fails the exam twice may, upon successful petition to the Graduate Committee, take it a third and final time.

Students cannot bring snacks, drinks, treats, or gifts for committee members to the exam. Professors should avoid the appearance of favoritism that may occur if they bring treats to some student exams but not others.

The doctoral oral examination has the following purposes:

To establish goals, tone, and direction for the pursuit of the Ph.D. in English for the Department and for individual programs of study;
To make clear the kinds of knowledge and skills that, in the opinion of the Department, all well-prepared holders of the degree should have attained;
To provide a means for the Department to assess each candidate’s control of such knowledge and skills in order to certify that the candidate is prepared to write a significant dissertation and enter the profession; and
To enable the Department to recommend to the candidate areas of strength or weakness that should be addressed.

In consultation with the Graduate Director, a student will ask a member of the Department’s graduate faculty (preferably their advisor) to be the chairperson of the examining committee. The choice of examination committee chair is very important, for that person’s role is to assist the candidate in designing the examination structure, preparing the Review of Literature (see below), negotiating reading lists and clarifying their purposes, and generally following procedures here outlined. The other three English Department members of the committee will be chosen in consultation with the committee chair. (At some point an additional examiner from outside the Department, who serves as the Graduate School representative, will be invited to join the committee). Any unresolved problems in negotiation between a candidate and their committee should be brought to the attention of the Graduate Director, who may choose to involve the Graduate Committee. A student may request a substitution in, or a faculty member may ask to be dismissed from, the membership of the examining committee. Such requests must be approved, in writing, by the faculty member leaving the committee and by the Graduate Director.

Reading Lists

Copies of some approved reading lists and Reviews of Literature are available from the Graduate Secretary and can be found on the U: drive if you are using a computer on campus. Despite the goal of fairness and equity, some unavoidable unevenness and disparity will appear in the length of these lists. It remains, however, the responsibility of the examining committee, and especially the student’s chair, to aim toward consonance with the most rigorous standards and expectations and to insure that areas of study are not unduly narrow.

To facilitate quick committee approval, students may copy the graduate secretary on the email to the committee that contains the final version of the lists and reviews of literature. Committee members may then respond to the email in lieu of signing a printed copy.

Comprehension of a literary period (e.g., British literature of the 18th century; Romanticism; US literature of the 19th century; Modernism) entails sufficient intellectual grasp of both the important primary works of and secondary works on the period or movement to indicate a student’s ability to teach the period or movement and undertake respectable scholarship on it.

Comprehension of an author or group of related authors (e.g., Donne, the Brontës, the Bloomsbury Group, the Black Mountain Poets) entails knowledge, both primary and secondary, of a figure or figures whose writing has generated a significant body of interrelated biographical, historical, and critical scholarship.

Comprehension of one of several genres (the short story, the lyric poem, the epistolary novel). To demonstrate comprehension of a genre, a student should possess sufficient depth and breadth of knowledge, both primary and secondary, of the genre to explain its formal characteristics and account for its historical development.

Comprehension of criticism and literary theory entails a grasp of fundamental conceptual problems inherent in a major school of literary study (e.g., historicist, psychoanalytic, feminist, poststructuralist, etc.). To demonstrate comprehension of that school of criticism and literary theory, a student should be able to discuss changes in its conventions and standards of interpretation and evaluation of literature from its beginning to the present. Students will be expected to possess sufficient depth and breadth of theoretical knowledge to bring appropriate texts and issues to bear on questions of literary study.

Comprehension of composition theory entails an intellectual grasp of fundamental concepts, issues, and theories pertaining to the study of writing. To demonstrate comprehension of composition theory, students should be able to discuss traditional and current issues from a variety of perspectives, as well as the field’s historical development from classical rhetoric to the present.

Comprehension of the broad field of English language studies entails a grasp of the field’s theoretical concepts and current issues, as well as a familiarity with significant works within given subareas. Such subareas will normally involve formal structures (syntax, etc.) and history of the English language, along with other subareas such as social linguistics, discourse analysis, lexicography, etc. Areas of emphasis and specific sets of topics will be arranged through consultation with relevant faculty.

Ph.D. candidates must be continuously enrolled in Dissertation hours each Fall and Spring semester from the time they pass the doctoral examination until successful completion of the final oral examination (defense of dissertation).

Students enroll for a minimum of 6 hours each Fall and Spring semester until the total of post-doctoral exam Dissertation hours is 18. One hour each semester must be ENGL 999. In order to more quickly reach the 18-hour minimum, and to be sooner eligible for GRAships, it is highly recommended that students enroll in 9 hours of Dissertation in the Spring and Fall semesters.
Once a student has accumulated 18 post-doctoral exam hours, each subsequent enrollment will be for a number of hours agreed upon as appropriate between the student and their advisor, the minimal enrollment each semester being 1 hour of ENGL 999.
A student must be enrolled in at least one hour of credit at KU during the semester they graduate. Although doctoral students must be enrolled in ENGL 999 while working on their dissertations, per current CLAS regulations, there is no absolute minimum number of ENGL 999 hours required for graduation.
Students who live and work outside the Lawrence area may, under current University regulations, have their fees assessed at the Field Work rate, which is somewhat lower than the on-campus rate. Students must petition the College Office of Graduate Affairs before campus fees will be waived.

Please also refer to the COGA policy on post-exam enrollment or the Graduate School’s policy .

As soon as possible following successful completion of the doctoral exam, the candidate should establish their three-person core dissertation committee, and then expeditiously proceed to the preparation of a dissertation proposal. Within the semester following completion of the doctoral exam , the student will present to their core dissertation committee a written narrative of approximately 10-15 pages , not including bibliography, of the dissertation proposal. While the exam schedule is always contingent on student progress, in the first two weeks of the semester in which they intend to take the review , students will work with their committee chair and the graduate program coordinator to schedule the 90-minute RDP. Copies of this proposal must be submitted to the members of the dissertation committee and Graduate Program Coordinator no later than three weeks prior to the scheduled examination date.

In the proposal, students will be expected to define: the guiding question or set of questions; a basic thesis (or hypothesis); how the works to be studied or the creative writing produced relate to that (hypo)thesis; the theoretical/methodological model to be followed; the overall formal divisions of the dissertation; and how the study will be situated in the context of prior scholarship (i.e., its importance to the field). The narrative section should be followed by a bibliography demonstrating that the candidate is conversant with the basic theoretical and critical works pertinent to the study. For creative writing students, the proposal may serve as a draft of the critical introduction to the creative dissertation. Students are expected to consult with their projected dissertation committee concerning the preparation of the proposal.

The review will focus on the proposal, although it could also entail determining whether or not the candidate’s knowledge of the field is adequate to begin the composition process. The examination will be graded pass/fail. If it is failed, the committee will suggest areas of weakness to be addressed by the candidate, who will rewrite the proposal and retake the review by the end of the following semester . If the candidate abandons the entire dissertation project for another, a new RDP will be taken. (For such a step to be taken, the change would need to be drastic, such as a move to a new field or topic. A change in thesis or the addition or subtraction of one or even several works to be examined would not necessitate a new proposal and defense.) If the student fails to complete the Review of the Dissertation Proposal within a year of the completion of the doctoral exams, they will have fallen out of departmental good standing. For details on the consequences of falling out of good standing, see “Falling Out of Good Standing,” in General Department Policies and Best Practices.

After passing the Review of the Dissertation Proposal, the student should forward one signed copy of the proposal to the Graduate Program Coordinator. The RDP may last no longer than 90 minutes.

Students cannot bring snacks, drinks, treats, or gifts for committee members to the review. Professors should avoid the appearance of favoritism that may occur if they bring treats to some student exams but not others.

The Graduate Catalog states that the doctoral candidate “must present a dissertation showing the planning, conduct and results of original research, and scholarly creativity.” While most Ph.D. candidates in the Department of English write dissertations of a traditional, research-oriented nature, a creative writing candidate may elect to do a creative-writing dissertation involving fiction, poetry, drama or nonfiction prose. Such a dissertation must also contain a substantial section of scholarly research related to the creative writing. The precise nature of the scholarly research component should be determined by the candidate in consultation with the dissertation committee and the Graduate Director. Candidates wishing to undertake such a dissertation must complete all Departmental requirements demanded for the research-oriented Ph.D. degree.

Scholarly Research Component (SRC)

The Scholarly Research Component (SRC) of the creative-writing dissertation is a separate section of the dissertation than the creative work. It involves substantial research and is written in the style of academic prose. It should be 15-20 pages and should cite at least 20 sources, some of which should be primary texts, and many of which should be from the peer-reviewed secondary literature. The topic must relate, in some way, to the topic, themes, ideas, or style of the creative portion of the dissertation; this relation should be stated in the Dissertation Proposal, which should include a section describing the student’s plans for the SRC. The SRC may be based on a seminar paper or other work the student has completed prior to the dissertation; but the research should be augmented, and the writing revised, per these guidelines. The SRC is a part of the dissertation, and as such will be included in the dissertation defense.

The SRC may take two general forms:

1.) An article, publishable in a peer-reviewed journal or collection, on a specific topic related to an author, movement, theoretical issue, taxonomic issue, etc. that has bearing on the creative portion. The quality of this article should be high enough that the manuscript could be submitted to a peer-reviewed publication, with a plausible chance of acceptance.

2.) A survey . This survey may take several different forms:

A survey of a particular aspect of the genre of the creative portion of the dissertation (stylistic, national, historical, etc.)
An introduction to the creative portion of the dissertation that explores the influences on, and the theoretical or philosophical foundations or implications of the creative work
An exploration of a particular technical problem or craft issue that is salient in the creative portion of the dissertation
If the creative portion of the dissertation includes the results of research (e.g., historical novel, documentary poetry, research-based creative nonfiction), a descriptive overview of the research undertaken already for the dissertation itself
A combination of the above, with the prior approval of the student’s dissertation director.

The dissertation committee will consist of at least four members—two “core” English faculty members, a third faculty member (usually from English), and one faculty member from a different department who serves as the Graduate Studies representative. The committee may include (with the Graduate Director’s approval) members from other departments and, with the approval of the University’s Graduate Council, members from outside the University. If a student wants to have a committee member from outside the university, or a person who is not in a full-time tenure-track professorship at KU, the student must contact the Graduate Secretary as early as possible. Applications for special graduate faculty status must be reviewed by the College and the Office of Graduate Studies. Requests for defense approval will not be approved unless all committee members currently hold either regular or special graduate faculty status.

The candidate’s preferences as to the membership of the dissertation committee will be carefully considered; the final decision, however, rests with the Department and with the Office of Graduate Studies. All dissertation committees must get approval from the Director of Graduate Studies before scheduling the final oral exam (defense). Furthermore, any changes in the make-up of the dissertation committee from the Review of the Dissertation Proposal committee must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Once the dissertation proposal has passed and the writing of the dissertation begins, membership of the dissertation committee should remain constant. However, under extraordinary circumstances, a student may request a substitution in, or a faculty member may ask to be dismissed from, the membership of the dissertation committee. Such requests must be approved, in writing, by the faculty member leaving the committee and by the Graduate Director.

If a student does not make progress during the dissertation-writing stage, and accumulates more than one “Limited Progress” and/or “No Progress” grade on their transcript, they will fall out of good standing in the department. For details on the consequences of falling out of good standing, see “Falling Out of Good Standing,” in General Department Policies and Best Practices

Final Oral Exam (Dissertation Defense)

When the dissertation has been tentatively accepted by the dissertation committee (not including the Graduate Studies Representative), the final oral examination will be held, on the recommendation of the Department. While the exam schedule is always contingent on student progress, in the first two weeks of the semester in which they intend to defend the dissertation, students should work with their committee chair and graduate program coordinator to schedule it.

Although the dissertation committee is responsible for certification of the candidate, any member of the graduate faculty may be present at the examination and participate in the questioning, and one examiner—the Graduate Studies Representative—must be from outside the Department. The Graduate Secretary can help students locate an appropriate Grad Studies Rep. The examination normally lasts no more than two hours. It is the obligation of the candidate to advise the Graduate Director that they plan to take the oral examination; this must be done at least one month before the date proposed for the examination.

At least three calendar weeks prior to the defense date, the student will submit the final draft of the dissertation to all the committee members (including the GSR) and inform the Graduate Program Coordinator. Failure to meet this deadline will necessitate rescheduling the defense. The final oral examination for the Ph.D. in English is, essentially, a defense of the dissertation. When it is passed, the dissertation itself is graded by the dissertation director, in consultation with the student’s committee; the student’s performance in the final examination (defense) is graded by the entire five-person committee

Students cannot bring snacks, drinks, treats, or gifts for committee members to the defense. Professors should avoid the appearance of favoritism that may occur if they bring treats to some student defenses but not others

These sets of attributes are adapted from the Graduate Learner Outcomes that are a part of our Assessment portfolio. “Honors” should only be given to dissertations that are rated “Outstanding” in all or most of the following categories:

Significant and innovative plot/structure/idea/focus. The writer clearly places plot/structure/idea/focus in context.
Thorough knowledge of literary traditions. Clear/flexible vision of the creative work produced in relation to those literary traditions.
Introduction/Afterword is clear, concise, and insightful. A detailed discussion of the implications of the project and future writing projects exists.
The creative dissertation reveals the doctoral candidate’s comprehensive understanding of poetics and/or aesthetic approach. The application of the aesthetic approach is innovative and convincing.
The creative dissertation represents original and sophisticated creative work.
The creative dissertation demonstrates thematic and/or aesthetic unity.

After much discussion about whether the “honors” designation assigned after the dissertation defense should be for the written product only, for the defense/discussion only, for both together, weighted equally, or eradicated altogether, the department voted to accept the Graduate Committee recommendation that “honors” only apply to the written dissertation. "Honors" will be given to dissertations that are rated "Outstanding" in all or most of the categories on the dissertation rubric.

Normally, the dissertation will present the results of the writer’s own research, carried on under the direction of the dissertation committee. This means that the candidate should be in regular contact with all members of the committee during the dissertation research and writing process, providing multiple drafts of chapters, or sections of chapters, according to the arrangements made between the student and each faculty member. Though accepted primarily for its scholarly merit rather than for its rhetorical qualities, the dissertation must be stylistically competent. The Department has accepted the MLA Handbook as the authority in matters of style. The writer may wish to consult also the Chicago Manual of Style and Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Dissertations, Theses, and Term Papers .

Naturally, both the student and the dissertation committee have responsibilities and obligations to each other concerning the submitting and returning of materials. The student should plan on working steadily on the dissertation; if they do so, they should expect from the dissertation committee a reasonably quick reading and assessment of material submitted.

Students preparing their dissertation should be showing chapters to their committee members as they go along, for feedback and revision suggestions. They should also meet periodically with committee members to assess their progress. Prior to scheduling a defense, the student is encouraged to ask committee members whether they feel that the student is ready to defend the dissertation. Ideally, the student should hold the defense only when they have consulted with committee members sufficiently to feel confident that they have revised the dissertation successfully to meet the expectations of all committee members.

Students should expect that they will need to revise each chapter at least once. This means that all chapters (including introduction and conclusion) are shown to committee members once, revised, then shown to committee members again in revised form to assess whether further revisions are needed, prior to the submitting of the final dissertation as a whole. It is not unusual for further revisions to be required and necessary after the second draft of a chapter; students should not therefore simply assume that a second draft is necessarily “final” and passing work.

If a substantial amount of work still needs to be completed or revised at the point that the dissertation defense is scheduled, such a defense date should be regarded as tentative, pending the successful completion, revision, and receipt of feedback on all work. Several weeks prior to the defense, students should consult closely with their dissertation director and committee members about whether the dissertation as a whole is in a final and defensible stage. A project is ready for defense when it is coherent, cohesive, well researched, engages in sophisticated analysis (in its entirety or in the critical introduction of creative dissertations), and makes a significant contribution to the field. In other words, it passes each of the categories laid out in the Dissertation Rubric.

If the dissertation has not clearly reached a final stage, the student and dissertation director are advised to reschedule the defense.

Prior Publication of the Doctoral Dissertation

Portions of the material written by the doctoral candidate may appear in article form before completion of the dissertation. Prior publication does not ensure the acceptance of the dissertation by the dissertation committee. Final acceptance of the dissertation is subject to the approval of the dissertation committee. Previously published material by other authors included in the dissertation must be properly documented.

Each student beyond the master’s degree should confer regularly with the Graduate Director regarding their progress toward the doctoral examination and the doctorate.

Doctoral students may take graduate courses outside the English Department if, in their opinion and that of the Graduate Director, acting on behalf of the Graduate Committee, those courses will be of value to them. Their taking such courses will not, of course, absolve them of the responsibility for meeting all the normal departmental and Graduate School requirements.

Doctoral students in creative writing are strongly encouraged to take formal literature classes in addition to forms classes. Formal literature classes, by providing training in literary analysis, theory, and/or literary history, will help to prepare students for doctoral exams (and future teaching at the college level).

FALL SEMESTER

GTAs take 2 courses (801 + one), teach 2 courses; GRAs take 3 courses.
Visit assigned advisor once a month to update on progress & perceptions. 1st-year advisors can assist with selecting classes for the Spring semester, solidifying and articulating a field of specialization, advice about publishing, conferences, professionalization issues, etc.

SPRING SEMESTER

GTAs take 2 courses (780/800/880 + one), teach 2 courses. GTAs also take ENGL 802 for 1 credit hour. GRAs take 3 courses.
Visit assigned advisor or DGS once during the semester; discuss best advisor choices for Year 2.

SUMMER SEMESTER

Enroll in Summer Institute if topic and/or methodology matches interests.
Consider conferences suited to your field and schedule; choose a local one for attendance in Year 2 and draft an Abstract for a conference paper (preferably with ideas/materials/ writing drawn from a seminar paper). Even if abstract is not accepted, you can attend the conference without the pressure of presenting.
Attend at least one conference to familiarize yourself with procedure, network with other grad students and scholars in your field, AND/OR present a paper.

FALL SEMESTER

Take 2 courses, teach 2 courses.
Visit advisor in person at least once during the semester.

WINTER BREAK

Begin revising one of your seminar papers/independent study projects/creative pieces for submission to a journal; research the journals most suited to placement of your piece.
Begin thinking about fields and texts for comprehensive examinations.
Choose an advisor to supervise you through the doctoral examination process.
Visit assigned 1st-year advisor in person at least once during the semester (at least to formally request doctoral exam supervision OR to notify that you are changing advisors).
Summer teaching, if eligible.
Continue revising paper/creative writing for submission to a journal.
Begin reading for comprehensive exams.
Attend one conference and present a paper. Apply for one-time funding for out-of-state travel from Graduate Studies .
Teach 2 courses; take 997 (exam prep).
Finalize comps list by end of September; begin drafting rationales.
Circulate the draft of your article/creative piece to your advisor, other faculty in the field, and/or advanced grad students in the field for suggestions.
Revise article/creative piece with feedback from readers.
Teach 2 courses; take 997 or 999 (dissertation hours). Enroll in 999 if you plan to take your comps this semester, even if you don’t take them until the last day of classes.
Take comps sometime between January and May.
Summer teaching, if available.
Submit article/creative work for publication.
Continuous enrollment after completing doctoral exam (full policy on p. 20)
Research deadlines for grant applications—note deadlines come early in the year.
Attend one conference and present a paper.
Teach 2 courses, take 999.
Compose dissertation proposal by November.
Schedule Review of Dissertation Proposal (RDP—formerly DPR).
Apply for at least one grant or fellowship, such as a departmental-level GRAship or dissertation fellowship. (Winning a full-year, non-teaching fellowship can cut down your years-to-degree to 5 ½, or even 5 years.)
Conduct research for and draft at least 1 dissertation chapter.
Conduct research and complete a draft of at least 1 dissertation chapter.
Revise & resubmit journal article, if necessary.
Attend 1st round of job market meetings with Job Placement Advisor (JPA) to start drafting materials and thinking about the process.
Research and complete a draft of at least 1 dissertation chapter, if teaching (1-2 chapters if not).
Visit dissertation chair and committee members in person at least once during the semester.
Research and complete a draft of at least 1 dissertation chapter (1-2 chapters if not teaching).
Apply for a departmental grant or fellowship, or, if already held, try applying for one from outside the department, such as those offered by KU’s Hall Center for the Humanities or the Office of Graduate Studies. For a monthly list of funding opportunities , visit the Graduate Studies website.
Research and complete a draft of at least 1 dissertation chapter.
Attend job market meetings with JPA in earnest.
Apply for external grants, research fellowships, postdoctoral positions with fall deadlines (previous fellowship applications, your dissertation proposal, and subsequent writing should provide a frame so that much of the application can be filled out with the “cut & paste” function).
Research and complete a draft of at least 1 dissertation chapter (1-2 if not teaching).
Visit dissertation chair and committee members in person at least once during the semester.
Polish dissertation chapters.
Apply for grants and fellowships with spring deadlines.
Defend dissertation.

Creative Writing Faculty

Associate Professor

Professor of English & Environmental Studies

Assistant Professor

Graduate Student Handbook

Centre for New and International Writing

Studying creative writing at undergraduate level.

Working on Ellipses the student literary magazine

A rich literary past

Liverpool has long been a centre of artistic and literary activity. Whether writing purely critically, or in critical/ creative mode, studying for a degree in the Department of English at Liverpool will bring you into contact with a range of writers of national and international reputation.

Either as an undergraduate or as part of our vibrant postgraduate community you will have the opportunity to write and think alongside writers and critics in a vibrant city with an impressive range of cultural institutions all within a short walking distance.

Undergraduate courses

Creative Writing can currently be studied at undergraduate level in the second year of your degree (Creativity) and in your third year (Creative Writing: Prose, and Creative Writing: Poetry).

Creative Writing at Liverpool does not sit as a separate pathway, but works in dialogue with your critical writing in English: we do not think that learning to write can be separated from developing the critical and close reading skills which you use to read literary texts.

Royal Literary Fund Fellow

Students are additionally supported by the Royal Literary Fund Fellow, currently playwright and poet Lizzie Nunnery , who offers one-to-one surgeries for any students of the University interested in developing their writing.

Department of English and Related Literature

PhD in English with Creative Writing

Join a thriving community of researchers to develop a substantial research project alongside an original piece of creative writing.

Join a passionate and intellectual research community to explore literature across all periods and genres.

Your research

Our PhD in English with Creative Writing encourages distinctive approaches to practice-based literary research. This route allows you to develop a substantial research project, which incorporates an original work of creative writing (in prose, poetry, or other forms). As part of a thriving community of postgraduate researchers and writers, you'll be supported by world-leading experts with a wide range of global and historical specialisms, and given access to unique resources including our letterpress printing studio and Writer in Residence.

Under the guidance of your supervisor, you will complete a critical research component of 30-40,000 words and a creative component written to its natural length (eg a book-length work of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction). A typical semester will involve a great deal of independent research, punctuated by meetings with your supervisor who will be able to suggest direction and address concerns throughout the writing process. You will be encouraged to undertake periods of research at archives and potentially internationally, depending on your research.

Throughout your degree, you will have the opportunity to attend a wide range of research training sessions in order to learn archival and research skills, as well as a range of research and creative seminars organised by the research schools and our distinguished Writers at York series. This brings speakers from around the world for research talks, author conversations, and networking.

Applicants for the PhD in English with Creative Writing should submit a research proposal for their overall research project, along with samples of creative and critical writing, demonstrating a suitable ability in each, as part of the application. Proposals should include plans for a critical research component of 30-40,000 words and a creative component written to its natural length (eg a book-length work of poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction), while demonstrating a clear relationship between the two.

Students embarking on a PhD programme are initially enrolled provisionally for this qualification until they pass their progression review at the end of their first full year of study.

[email protected] +44 (0) 1904 323366

World-leading research

We're a top ten research department according to the Times Higher Education’s ranking of the latest REF results (2021).

35th in the world

for English Language and Literature in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2023.

Committed to equality

We're proud to hold an Athena Swan Bronze award in recognition of the work we do to support gender equality in English.

Writers at York series

We host a series of hugely successful seminars, open to everyone, where a stellar cast of world-famous contemporary writers deliver readings and workshops.

Explore funding for postgraduate researchers in the Department of English and Related Literature.

Supervision

Explore the expertise of our staff and identify a potential supervisor.

Research student training

You'll receive training in research methods and skills appropriate to the stage you've reached and the nature of your work. In addition to regular supervisory meetings to discuss planning, researching and writing the thesis, we offer sessions on bibliographic and archival resources (digital, print and manuscript). You'll receive guidance in applying to and presenting at professional conferences, preparing and submitting material for publication and applying for jobs. We meet other training needs in handling research data, various modern languages, palaeography and bibliography. Classical and medieval Latin are also available.

We offer training in teaching skills if you wish to pursue teaching posts following your degree. This includes sessions on the delivery and content of seminars and workshops to undergraduates, a structured shadowing programme, teaching inductions and comprehensive guidance and resources for our graduate teaching assistants. Our teacher training is directed by a dedicated member of staff.

You'll also benefit from the rich array of research and training sessions at the Humanities Research Centre .

Course location

This course is run by the Department of English and Related Literature.

You'll be based on Campus West , though your research may take you further afield.

We also have a distance learning option available for this course.

Entry requirements

For doctoral research, you should hold or be predicted to achieve a first-class or high upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualification) and a Masters degree with distinction.

The undergraduate and Masters degrees should be in literature and/or creative writing, or in a related subject that is related to the proposed research project.

Other relevant experience and expertise may also be considered:

Evidence of training in research techniques may be an advantage.
It would be expected that postgraduate applicants would be familiar with the recent published work of their proposed supervisor.
Publications are not required and the Department of English and Related Literature does not expect applicants to have been published before they start their research degrees.

Supervisors interview you to ensure a good supervisory match and to help with funding applications.

The core deciding factor for admission is the quality of the research proposal, though your whole academic profile will be taken into account. We are committed to ensuring that no prospective or existing student is treated less favourably. See our admissions policy for more information.

Apply for the PhD in English with Creative Writing

Have a look at the supporting documents you may need for your application.

Before applying, we advise you to identify potential supervisors in the department. Preliminary enquiries are welcomed and should be made as early as possible. However, a scattershot approach – emailing all staff members regardless of the relationship between their research interests and yours – is unlikely to produce positive results.

If it's not clear which member of staff is appropriate, you should email the Graduate Chair .

Students embarking on a PhD programme are initially enrolled provisionally for that qualification. Confirmation of PhD registration is dependent upon the submission of a satisfactory proposal that meets the standards required for the degree, usually in the second year of study.

Find out more about how to apply .

English language requirements

You'll need to provide evidence of your proficiency in English if it's not your first language.

Check your English language requirements

Research proposal

In order to apply for a PhD, we ask that you submit a research proposal as part of your application.

When making your application, you're advised to make your research proposals as specific and clear as possible. Please indicate the member(s) of staff that you'd wish to work with

You’ll need to provide a summary of between 250 and 350 words in length of your research proposal and a longer version of around 800 words (limit of 1000). The proposal for the MA in English (by research) should be 400–500 words.

Your research proposal should:

Identify the precise topic of your topic and communicate the main aim of your research.
Provide a rigorous and thorough description of your proposed research, including the contributions you will make to current scholarly conversations and debates. Creative Writing proposals should include plans for a critical research and a creative component.
Describe any previous work you have done in this area, with reference to relevant literature you have read so far.
Communicate the central sources that the project will address and engage.
Offer an outline of the argument’s main claims and contributions. Give a clear indication of the authors and texts that your project will address.
Include the academic factors, such as university facilities, libraries resources, centres, other resources, and / or staff, which have specifically led you to apply to York.

What we look for:

How you place your topic in conversation with the scholarly landscape: what has been accomplished and what you plan to achieve. This is your chance to show that you have a good understanding of the relevant work on your topic and that you have identified a new way or research question to approach the topic.
Your voice as a scholar and critical thinker. In clean, clear prose, show those who will assess your application how your proposal demonstrates your original thinking and the potential of your research.
Your fit with York, including the reasons for working with your supervisor and relevant research schools and centres.
Above all, remember that there isn’t one uniform way to structure and arrange your research proposal, and that your approach will necessarily reflect your chosen topic.

Careers and skills

You'll receive support in applying to and presenting at professional conferences, preparing and submitting material for publication and applying for jobs.
You'll benefit from training in handling research data, various modern languages, palaeography and bibliography. Classical and medieval Latin are also available. The Humanities Research Centre also offers a rich array of valuable training sessions.
We also offer training in teaching skills if you wish to pursue a teaching post following your degree. This includes sessions on the delivery and content of seminars and workshops to undergraduates, a structured shadowing programme, teaching inductions and comprehensive guidance and resources for our graduate teaching assistants.
You'll have the opportunity to further your training by taking courses accredited by Advance HE: York Learning and Teaching Award (YLTA) and the York Professional and Academic Development scheme (YPAD) .

Find out more about careers

Discover York

We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to deluxe.

Discover more about our researchers, facilities and why York is the perfect choice for your research degree.

Graduate Research School

Connect with researchers across all disciplines to get the most out of your research project.

Find a supervisor

Explore our staff expertise

Find out all you need to know about applying to York

Find funding to support your studies

Schools & departments

Creative Writing PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Creative Writing

Upcoming Introduction to Postgraduate Study and Research events

Join us online on the 19th June or 26th June to learn more about studying and researching at Edinburgh.

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Research profile

The PhD in Creative Writing offers committed and talented writers the opportunity to study Creative Writing at the highest level.

Supported by an expert supervisory team you will work independently towards the production of a substantial, publishable piece of creative writing, accompanied by a sustained exercise in critical study.

The academic staff you will be working with are all active researchers or authors, including well-published and prize-winning writers of poetry, prose, fiction and drama. They include:

Dr Jane Alexander - Fiction
Dr Lynda Clark - Fiction
Dr Patrick Errington - Poetry
Dr Miriam Gamble - Poetry
Dr Alan Gillis - Poetry
Nicola McCartney - Drama
Dr Jane McKie - Poetry
Dr Allyson Stack - Fiction
Kim Sherwood - Fiction
Alice Thompson - Fiction

Find out more about the programme and our team

Training and support

We encourage you to share your research and learn from the work of others through a programme of seminars and visiting speakers.

We have an in-house Writer-in-Residence, annual writing prizes, and a range of opportunities to learn from experts in the publishing industry.

We also offer access to opportunities provided by the Sottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities.

Our postgraduate journal, Forum, is a valuable conduit for research findings and provides an opportunity to gain editorial experience.

Forum: postgraduate journal of culture and the arts

A UNESCO World City of Literature, Edinburgh is a remarkable place to study, write, publish, discuss and perform prose, poetry and drama.

Take a PhD with us and you will be based in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) in the historic centre of this world-leading festival city.

Our buildings are close to:

National Library of Scotland (where collections include the Bute Collection of early modern English drama and the John Murray Archive)
Edinburgh Central Library
Scottish Poetry Library
Scottish Storytelling Centre
Writers’ Museum
Traverse Theatre

We have strong links with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which annually welcomes around 1,000 authors to our literary city.

There are lots of opportunities to write and share your work, from Forum to The Selkie, which was founded by Creative Writing students in 2018 to showcase work by people who self-identify as underrepresented.

Around the city, you’ll find library readings and bookshop launches, spoken word gigs, cabaret nights and poetry slams, including events run by celebrated publishing outlets, from Canongate and Polygon / Birlinn to Luath Press, 404 Ink, Taproot Press and Mariscat.

You will have access to the University’s many literary treasures, which include:

William Drummond library
Lewis Grassic Gibbon library
Hugh MacDiarmid library
Norman MacCaig library
W.H. Auden collection
Corson collection
works by and about Sir Walter Scott
Ramage collection of poetry pamphlets

The Centre for Research Collections also holds a truly exceptional collection of early Shakespeare quartos and other early modern printed plays. These have been put together by the 19th century Shakespearean James Halliwell-Phillipps, the correspondence of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle (the focus of one of the major editorial projects in Victorian studies of the last half-century), and the extensive Laing collection of medieval and early modern manuscripts.

You will also have access to letters and papers by - and relating to - authors including:

Christopher Isherwood
Rudyard Kipling
John Middleton Murry
Walter de la Mare
George Mackay Brown
Compton Mackenzie

Many of the University's Special Collections are digitised and available online from our excellent Resource Centre, Computing Labs, and dedicated PhD study space in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC).

Look inside the PhD study space in LLC

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK masters degree, or its international equivalent, in creative writing, normally with distinction.

We may also consider your application if you have equivalent qualifications or experience. For additional information please refer to the pre-application guidance in the 'How to apply' section.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

Entry requirements by country
English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 62 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Read our general information on tuition fees and studying costs:

Scholarships and funding

Featured funding.

There are a number of scholarship schemes available to eligible candidates on this PhD programme, including awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Please be advised that many scholarships have more than one application stage, and early deadlines.

Find out more about scholarships in literatures, languages and cultures

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

Search for funding

Further information

Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
Contact: [email protected]
School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
50 George Square
Central Campus
Programme: Creative Writing
School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This programme is not currently accepting applications. Applications for the next intake usually open in October.

Start date: September

Awards: PhD (36 mth FT, 72 mth PT)

Application deadlines

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2024/25:

How to apply
Pre-application guidance

Before you formally apply for this PhD, you should look at the pre-application information and guidance on the programme website.

This will help you decide if this programme is right for you, and help us gain a clearer picture of what you hope to achieve.

The guidance details the writing samples you should send us as part of your application (either fiction or poetry, along with a shorter sample of your academic writing).

It will also give you practical advice for writing your project summary – one of the most important parts of your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

PhD in Creative Writing

Program overview.

The PhD in Creative Writing and Literature is a four-year course of study. Following two years of course work that includes workshop, forms classes, pedagogical training, and literature, students take exams in two areas, one that examines texts through the lens of craft and another that examines them through the lens of literary history and theory. Recent examples of the genre area include Comic Fiction, History of the Love Lyric, and Fantasy; recent examples of the scholarly area include History of the Novel, 20th Century American Poetry, and Modern & Contemporary British Fiction. In the first two years, students take three courses per semester; the teaching load throughout the program is one class per semester. Every PhD student has the opportunity to teach creative writing, with many also teaching literature classes. Most students are funded by teaching, with two or three at a time funded by editorial work at The Cincinnati Review or Acre Books, and others funded in their dissertation year by college- or university-level fellowships. Fifth-year support, while not guaranteed, has generally been available to interested students in the form of student lecturerships, which carry a 2-2 load. The Creative Writing PhD at the University of Cincinnati has maintained over the last decade more than a 75% placement rate into full-time academic jobs for its doctoral graduates. Two-thirds of these positions are tenure-track.

Application Information

Exam Areas and Committee
Doctoral Candidacy Form
Foreign Language
Exam Procedures
Dissertations
Applying for Fifth-Year Funding
Working for The Cincinnati Review
Teaching Opportunities
All Creative Writing Graduate Courses
Archive of Technique & Form Courses

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English at Leicester

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Application process
Resources and facilities

PhD in Creative Writing

Pursuing a PhD in Creative Writing at Leicester means becoming part of an exciting and dynamic research and creative environment.

The PhD programme helps give structure to your creative project, and invites you to ask searching questions about your practice, to reflect on the process of producing creative work, and so to write a long critical-reflective essay (usually 15-20,000 words) to accompany the creative work. The creative body of work normally makes up 70% of the PhD, and the reflective thesis 30%.

At its broadest, the emphasis is on trying to comprehend the practice of creation itself - surely one of the most fascinating subjects imaginable.

Creative Writing doctorates lead to a variety of potential career paths. These include novelist, poet, playwright or screenwriter, of course, but there are many related industries that Creative Writing research degree graduates nationally have gone on to work in, including (but not limited to):

TV storyline writing
Video game creation
TV and film production
Working as a literary agent
Teaching or lecturing
Working as a professional stand-up comedian
Post-doctoral academic research
Public relations
Advertising & marketing
Political research & speech writing
Arts management
Content provision
Tweet writing
Web editing
Franchise creation
Branding consultancy
Literary and other arts events management
Intellectual property advising

Application information

It is a good idea to make informal enquiries to the lecturer you believe might be interested in supervising your PhD, prior to making a formal application.

List of English at Leicester staff
Recent creative publications by students and staff

You should have a strong creative and academic track record - entry requirements are an MA or similar in Creative Writing and some prior publication history.

Otherwise, you should have compelling evidence of advanced writing experience, and an awareness of the technical and reflective elements of creative writing practice in an academic environment.

Your application should consist of a persuasive outline for a creative project: a body of poetry, a novel, a work of creative non-fiction, a graphic novel or a substantial film script. This should be accompanied by a theoretical and canonical series of questions that you believe will prove relevant as the creative work progresses.

You should be conscious of the fact that the critical element of a creative PhD is not separate literary critical study - although it may involve such. It is involved in the deeper comprehension of the creative process itself through an articulation of creative practice. As such it may involve historical, ethnographic, practice-based philosophical, social scientific and other theoretical models.

Places on the PhD are awarded on the basis of the quality of the creative sample submitted and the originality of the proposal.

Audio clip: Gwynne Harries discusses his Creative PhD

Listen to PhD student Gwynne Harries discuss his Creative PhD in Welsh Poetic Forms in English Verse.

Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature

Get a ph.d. in creative writing and literature.

Admission to the creative writing program is extremely competitive, with up to 20 new students across the two genres selected each year from the hundreds of applications received from around the world. The curriculum for Ph.D. students emphasizes creative writing and literary study. The city of Houston offers a vibrant, multi-cultural backdrop for studying creative writing at the University of Houston. With a dynamic visual and performing arts scene, the Houston metropolitan area supplies a wealth of aesthetic materials.

Overview of Admissions Requirements

Minimum requirements for admission.

M.A. in English or M.F.A. in Creative Writing
3.5 GPA in graduate studies

Application Deadline

The admissions deadline for our Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature is January 15.

For more admissions information, visit the How to Apply web page for our Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature.

History of the Creative Writing Program

Over the years many more internationally acclaimed writers have made the Program their home, including Mary Gaitskill, Richard Howard, Howard Moss, Linda Gregg, Adam Zagajewski, Daniel Stern, David Wojahn, Edward Hirsch, Alan Hollinghurst, Mark Strand, David Wagoner, Philip Levine, Charles Wright, Claudia Rankine, Kimiko Hahn, Mark Doty and Ruben Martinez.

Current faculty includes Erin Belieu, Robert Boswell, Audrey Colombe, Chitra Divakaruni, Nick Flynn, francine j. harris, Antonya Nelson, Alex Parsons, Kevin Prufer, Brenda Peynado, Martha Serpas, Roberto Tejada, and Peter Turchi.

Quick Links

Program Breakdown & Degree Requirements

Graduate Curricular Specializations

Financial Aid

How to Apply

Inprint Student Writing Awards

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The Purdue On-Campus Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement. The Purdue Writing Lab serves the Purdue, West Lafayette, campus and coordinates with local literacy initiatives. The Purdue OWL offers global support through online reference materials and services.

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Creative and critical writing ma.

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Course details

Entry requirements: 2:1 degree (or equivalent)
Full-time: 12 months
Part-time: 24 months
Apply by: 30 August 2024
International deadline: 12 July 2024
Starts: 23 September 2024

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A Master of Arts (MA) is a master’s degree awarded for a postgraduate programme in the arts.

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Course overview

Liverpool offers a stimulating environment to study Creative and Critical Writing thanks to our unique placement module at one of our partner institutions and our exicting programme of events. You will develop your skills and knowledge through a combination of creative engagement with prose and drama.

Introduction

The programme offers a unique placement module through which you will have the opportunity to gain practical experience as a writer in residence at one of the University of Liverpool’s partner institutions in the city. As a writer in residence in locations such as museums and galleries, you will be able to develop professional skills through activities such as writing in response to exhibitions, or running creative writing workshops.

Assessment will take the form of a portfolio consisting of creative work and reflections on the experience and requirements of the writer-in-residence role. Through core modules on contemporary prose and drama/screenwriting, you will develop your writing ability and professional awareness (i.e. submitting to agents, editorial pitches).

Liverpool offers a stimulating environment in which to study Creative and Critical Writing, thanks to its lively events calendar:

Including the Liverpool Literary Festival and literary events through the Centre for New and International Writing
The University’s connections to local literary partners such as the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse
The presence of three AHRC/BBC New Generation Thinkers in the Department of English alone
Masterclasses with visiting writers such as the Hope Street Writer in Residence.

What you'll learn

How critically-informed creative practice engages with a global society, social justice, political and environmental issues and human rights
How creative and critical forms can complement one another
A greater theoretical understanding of matters pertaining to socially-engaged writing
How to develop your own distinctive approach to creative practice
How to enhance and refine your creative writing
An awareness of appropriate industry areas, gaining skills and confidence in approaching key figures such as agents and editors.

Course content

Discover what you'll learn, what you'll study, and how you'll be taught and assessed.

Studying this course part-time

International students may be able to study this course on a part-time basis but this is dependent on visa regulations. Please visit the Government website for more information about student visas .

If you're able to study part-time, you'll study the same modules as the full-time master's degree over a longer period, usually 24 months. You can make studying work for you by arranging your personal schedule around lectures and seminars which take place during the day. After you complete all the taught modules, you will complete your final dissertation or project and will celebrate your achievements at graduation the following term.

Studying part-time means you can study alongside work or any other life commitments. You will study the same modules as the full-time master's degree over a longer period, usually 24 months. You can make studying work for you by arranging your personal schedule around lectures and seminars which take place during the day. After you complete all the taught modules, you will complete your final dissertation or project and will celebrate your achievements at graduation the following term.

Semester one

You will take four compulsory modules in creative writing, and a mandatory dissertation. Your remaining credits will be made up of four optional modules, which may include an optional work experience placement.

Compulsory modules

Credits: 15 / semester: semester 1.

What role does the written word play in society? How can we use writing to voice opinions, shape debates and engage socially? On this module, you will develop your creative and critical skills, considering how they can blend in producing socially-engaged writing. With a focus on textual practice, you will study techniques and approaches related to a range of genres, including poetry, drama, fiction and non-fiction. Workshops will see discussions on texts tackling concepts such as race, gender, climate and class. Through digital technologies, new media and ideas of transextuality, you will think about how different platforms shape the ways in which we can produce socially-engaged texts. From questioning the ethics of lyric poetry to using archival material from the university’s Science Fiction Special Collection to imagine futures in response to contemporary issues, this module will explore textual practice as a vehicle for social justice.

On Creative Writing Workshop I, you will develop your creative practice through detailed discussion of form, style and technique. Through small-group workshops, this module will give you the support to explore the opportunities available to you as a creative writer, building your own distinctive work. In workshops, you will learn to read as writers, learning from examples from a range of writers alongside identifying and communicating the strengths and weaknesses of your own work, as well as the work of your peers. On the module, you will be encouraged to read widely according to your creative interests and discuss briefly in each workshop what you have learned from these texts. Assessment will take the form of a creative portfolio (either 3000 words prose, 4-6 poems or 10-15 pages of drama) and a 1000 word reading-log, reflecting on how your reading has influenced your writing.

Optional modules

How (and why) do we point at a story and say, “This is science fiction”, and what does such a gesture reveal about the genre and our own attitudes to its concerns? In this module, we will explore the territories that Science Fiction ranges over, historically and conceptually. From “A Planet Called Science Fiction” (weeks 1-4), which examines the space that science fiction marks out for itself, we will move into the complicated relationship that Science Fiction has with fantasy, and analyse the ways in which it has been sub-divided into various effects and sub-genres in “Travels in Genre Space” (week 5-8). The final section of the module, “Re-drawing the Genre Map” (weeks 9-12), explores the burgeoning field of sf production, its relevance to society, and the ways in which its tropes and techniques relate to other “fantastic” modes of literary production, alongside recent controversies in the field.

This module encourages students to read widely across the late 19th, 20th and 21st centuries with the specific angle of ‘crisis’. Topics may include literary responses to political, social, psychological, theological or climate crisis, aesthetic responses to moral or societal panic, war and migration/trauma, as well as any links between identity and crisis in literature and the visual (photography, film, fine art). Authors may include: Bessie Head; Jean-Paul Sartre; Virginia Woolf; Sarah Kane; Danez Smith; Solmaz Sharif among others. We will consider how the framing of crisis as a moment or event shapes how we think about chronologies of literary response and its social uses. The module will be delivered via six fortnightly seminars.

Science Fiction texts are, for all their presentations of alternative worlds, deeply embedded in the cultures that produce them. Using examples from the Science Fiction Foundation Collection and science fiction archives in the University Library, this module introduces students to skills of archival research alongside providing the knowledge required to understand how modern Science Fiction developed as a unique interaction of authors, editors, and readers. Alongside this, students will read selected sf texts that consider or reflect upon the notion of the archive and/or which reveal themselves to be “archival” texts through their relationship to their contemporary period. Although texts may vary year-by-year, indicative authors include Margaret Atwood, Alastair Reynolds, Olaf Stapledon, and John Wyndham.

The aim of this module is to read Shakespeare’s plays and poetry in company with others’ works and writings, and thereby to consider a ‘comparative’ approach to reading and interpreting Shakespeare both within and beyond his own time, and against eighteenth-century ideas of him as the great English poet of ‘Nature’, ‘Nation’, and ‘Genius’. Particular attention will be paid to Shakespeare’s contemporaries – for example Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson – as well as to his Restoration and eighteenth-century adapters and ‘improvers’, critics and performers, such as Colley Cibber and David Garrick. Material studied may include Shakespeare’s critics: Jonson to Johnson; Shakespeare and Marlowe; Shakespeare, and Milton; Hamlet and its ‘ghosts’; Richard III – sources and adaptation; and collaborative dramas in which Shakespeare is a co-author, such as All is True and Sir Thomas More.

This module encourages students to engage with literary modernism in a range of contexts, from the cities in which it was made to the periodicals in which it was published and the theories that contributed to its development. As well as analysing the formal innovations of modernist literature, students will explore connections between writers, texts, works of visual art, geographic locations and mass culture, to understand modernism as a global network of people, objects, places and ideas. Conceptions of modernity will be studied, including approaches to the past and tradition, and ideas around novelty and fashion. Authors may include: T.S. Eliot, Hope Mirrlees, Virginia Woolf, Jean Rhys, Mina Loy, Djuna Barnes, Jean Toomer and Nancy Cunard.

On this module, we will explore the strange, the uncanny and the supernatural in Victorian literature. We will examine the range and variety of Victorian Gothic writing: its hauntings, supernatural terrors and sensational stories. We will consider the literary, cultural and technological contexts of Victorian Gothic, including its relationship to realist literature, to shifting beliefs about religion, nature and the human, and to new and emerging technologies. We will also explore current critical debates in Gothic studies and introduce key theoretical approaches to the genre. Expect lots of discussion of the fears and thrills that kept Victorian readers awake at night.

Victorian literature and culture revived, reconstructed, and reimagined the Middle Ages. The nineteenth century’s fascination with days of yore saw a new word – “medieval” – invented to reflect the upsurge of interest in, and romanticisation of, the Middle Ages in art, architecture, literature, philosophy, politics, and religion. This module interrogates the ways in which the Victorians made the medieval through their literature and material culture. Students will encounter a variety of texts and objects of the Victorian revivals (medieval, Gothic and classical), through archives, art collections, digital resources, and architecture unique to the city of Liverpool. Attention will be given to the profound implications of the Victorian medieval revival on shaping ideas of England and Englishness locally and globally, past and present, showing students how they are still Victorians today.

How do editions of the literary works read and study come into being? What’s involved in their production? What textual complexities and difficulties might they obscure? And how far can or should an editor go in resolving these complexities and difficulties? The aim of this module is to show how your critical understanding and interpretation of Renaissance and eighteenth-century literary works can be enhanced by unlocking key aspects of their remarkable life and history on the page, from early printed forms through to present-day editions. Working with an expert team of tutors with current experience in the scholarly editing of early modern texts, Editing the Early Modern introduces you to key debates in textual theory, examines the specific editorial, challenges raised by works of Renaissance and eighteenth-century writes, and asks you to produce (and defend) your own scholarly edition of a passage from an early modern text. In this way, the module introduces you to the practice of scholarly editing, historical trends and current debates in editing and textual theory, as well as early modern printing practices and book history.

Semester two

Credits: 15 / semester: semester 2.

What is a voice? What does it mean to write for or with a voice? How can we use our voice to engage with concepts of social justice? On this module you will consider approaches to crafting voices through writing in range of genres, including poetry, drama, fiction and non-fiction. You will explore what it means to use voice(s) to produce socially-engaged work and how different literary and performative modes can use voice. In seminars, you will discuss the work of dramatists, poets, fiction writers and theorists, considering how creative and critical voices can combine to produce different modes of writing. You will consider how different media and spaces – such as performance spaces and podcasts – can be used to disseminate writing, thinking about the interactions between page and voice, and between creative and critical approaches. Working with your tutors, you will produce socially-engaged writing intended for performance, exploring various opportunities on offer for poetry, drama and prose.

On Creative Writing Workshop II, you will continue to develop your creative practice through detailed discussion of form, style and technique, building on the work undertaken in Creative Writing Workshop I. Through small-group workshops, this module will give you the support to explore further opportunities available to you as a creative writer, developing your writing with a view towards your Dissertation. In workshops, you will continue to become increasingly adept at identifying and communicating the strengths and weaknesses of your own work, as well as the work of your peers. You will enhance your awareness of contemporary literature and develop your professional skills by researching key industry figures/institutions appropriate to your writing. Assessment will take the form of a creative portfolio (either 3000 words prose, 4-6 poems or 10-15 pages of drama) and a mock 1000 word pitch to an industry figure (i.e. agent, commissioning editor, producer, etc.).

The philosopher Rosi Braidotti tells us that science fiction unfolds social imaginaries that reveal to us our potential to metamorphose, to mutate to become posthuman, while Donna Haraway urges us to embrace our cyborg identities. Such new materialist thinking shapes this module. To borrow from Karen Barad, what we’re interested in here is how ‘matter itself is diffracted’; how are different kinds of bodies – human and non-human, gendered, raced, classed, aged, prosthetic, engineered, planetary – materialized and sedimented according to the various spaces in which they find themselves. These spaces can be bewilderingly diverse in science fiction: from the hyper-urban to the rural, from the aquatic to the aerial, from high to zero gravity, from confined spacecraft quarters to the hostile expanses of desert planets. We’ll explore representations of gender, race and religion, with particular attention to the ways in which bodies become vulnerable or empowered, protected or miscegenated. And we’ll also address the ethical and practical concerns of exploration, immigration, colonization and cultural imperialism, all the while with an eye to theories of embodiment that take us far beyond binary thought into new forms of becoming.

This module explores the literary and cultural frameworks within which scientific knowledge and practice was produced, narrated, and communicated during the Renaissance and long eighteenth century. Reading science as performance, and theatre as experiment, the module will locate plays alongside alchemical and natural philosophical ideas and writings, in order to think through the issues both literature and science raise about secrecy and public demonstration, curiosity and observation, audience, and space. The module will also pay attention to how emerging ways of knowing and seeing influenced poetic and prose accounts of body and mind, discovery and imagination, and nature and self, and how writers were inspired by or set themselves against different narratives of nature, from simple conceits to grand visions of the cosmos.

Reading was woven into the fabric of the Victorian world. Thanks to urban living, cheaper printing, and vastly increased rates of literacy, Victorian society was one of the first societies where you might not have known your neighbours very well, but in which you were surrounded by vast swathes of paper and print – a forest of words. This module not only aims to investigate how the Victorians thought about reading – what they read, how they read it, and how reading itself was thought about and portrayed in literature; but also how we read the Victorians today – who reads them, how and where they are read, how that reading is perceived and constructed, and what insights and benefits our reading of the Victorians in the contemporary moment might gift to us.

This module focuses on theories of the body in contemporary critical thought and in modern and contemporary literature using relevant theory to support readings of a range of literary texts. We will study politically informed theories such as critical race studies, feminist, queer and disability studies and topics such as the maternal body, the body in pain and the ageing body. In all these cases the body emerges as a concept marked by internal division in terms of sex, gender, age, size, and race. We will study bodies as organisms and bodies as social phenomena, exploring the tension between the body’s material manifestations and its sites of immateriality such as the mind, spirit, psyche and affect.

This module asks students to consider the question ‘What is the Contemporary?’. How can literature help us to understand our sense of ‘the now’ and locate us in the present? And what does it have to tell us about our past and our future? These enquiries take in a series of literary and critical positions on matters of ‘the present’ and ‘contemporariness’ as explored through literature and theory. Over a series of seminars, students will be required to conceptualise and understand the different ways that we can understand the idea of the contemporary, contemporaneousness as a historical term and as a term of theoretical discourse.

This module examines the literary representation of murder and other serious crimes in the Victorian period. Students will examine the interrelation of different genres in the period (such as court and newspaper reports, essays and the novel). The module considers these topics in relation to wider cultural and intellectual developments such as evolving ideas about psychology and forensic evidence, and in particular how such matters may be reproduced in literature so as to allow the reader a window into the world of crime. Students will be encouraged to consider the significance of genre when thinking about Victorian representations of murder and to engage with a wider range of primary sources. They will develop appropriate research methods and understanding of theoretical perspectives, and combine these with detailed textual analysis in the development their critical reading and writing skills.

This module is an opportunity for you to undertake a placement in a setting which matches your writing and possible career/industry interests, develop materials and/or undertake tasks within a practical or vocational context, apply creative and/or academic knowledge from your degree, and develop your personal and employability skills within a working environment.

At the end of the sixteenth century, England was making its first attempts to build a tradition as a nation of travellers and unsuccessfully attempting to establish colonies in north America. By the end of the Eighteenth century the European Grand Tour was a standard part of a British aristocratic education, and the British Empire was a global force actively participating in the international slave trade. This module looks at both literary and non-literary records of and responses to: the relationship between the ‘old world’ or the Mediterranean and the ‘new world’ of the Americas; the encounter with unfamiliar people and lands; the rise of and debate about the international slave trade, from the perspective of both the enslaver and the enslaved; the literary and cultural importance of these developments for the city of Liverpool.

Final project

During the summer you will complete a dissertation.

Credits: 60 / Semester: whole session

At the end of your MA in Creative and Critical Writing, you will submit a significant portfolio of writing in the form of either 14,000-15,000 words of prose, 70-80 pages of drama or 20-25 pages of poetry. Over the course of four one-to-one meetings with your supervisor, you will develop plans for a substantial piece of writing that will demonstrate your originality as a creative writer. This module is a culmination of previous modules studied on the MA, in which you will bring to bear the skills, knowledge and confidence you have developed over the course of the Master’s programme.

How you'll learn

Teaching is delivered through a combination of seminars and tutorials held on campus. Depending on which module options are taken, there may be lectures and separate seminar sessions scheduled, but all classes will take place on campus in person. Class sizes for Masters programmes in the Department of English tend to be small, and a typical class in English will include between 8-10 students.

How you're assessed

Students will for the most part be assessed by a combination of formative and summative coursework. This will take a number of different forms, including essays, essay plans, research proposals, and a dissertation. In addition, students will be assessed by presentations in certain modules. Other assessment formats may apply also depending on the options modules taken.

Liverpool Hallmarks

We have a distinctive approach to education, the Liverpool Curriculum Framework, which focuses on research-connected teaching, active learning, and authentic assessment to ensure our students graduate as digitally fluent and confident global citizens.

Learn more about our Liverpool hallmarks.

Our curriculum

The Liverpool Curriculum framework sets out our distinctive approach to education. Our teaching staff support our students to develop academic knowledge, skills, and understanding alongside our graduate attributes :

Digital fluency
Global citizenship

Our curriculum is characterised by the three Liverpool Hallmarks :

Research-connected teaching
Active learning
Authentic assessment

All this is underpinned by our core value of inclusivity and commitment to providing a curriculum that is accessible to all students.

Your experience

The Department of English is based in the School of the Arts. We are committed to small group teaching, which encourages a more rewarding learning experience, where ideas are shared and explored with your peers and supervisors. You will be part of a genuine international postgraduate community. You will be able to participate in our lively research culture through attending regular seminars and lectures by guest speakers as well as our own staff and students.

Explore where you'll study

MA Creative and Critical Writing

Dr Daniel O’Connor, programme lead, introduces the MA in Creative and Critical Writing.

Virtual tour

Supporting your learning.

From arrival to alumni, we’re with you all the way:

Careers and employability support , including help with career planning, understanding the job market and strengthening your networking skills
A dedicated student services team can help you get assistance with your studies, help with health and wellbeing, and access to financial advice
Confidential counselling and support to help students with personal problems affecting their studies and general wellbeing
Support for students with differing needs from the Disability advice and guidance team . They can identify and recommend appropriate support provisions for you.

An exciting place to study English

The Department of English is in the top 100 English Language and Literature departments in the world according to QS Top Universities rankings
We are internationally renowned for advancing the study of language, literature, and creative writing and have a strong research ethos
Our programmes offer opportunities to study creative writing and literature from a wide range of periods, as well as a range of approaches to understanding the way in which the English language works
We have a reputation for radical thinking, as exemplified by our success rate in the BBC and Arts and Humanities Council’s ‘New Generation Thinkers’ scheme. In total, five members our academic staff have been selected since the scheme was established in 2010
We are committed to small group teaching. This encourages a more rewarding learning experience, where ideas are shared and explored with peers and tutors
Ranked 10th in sector for research impact classified as outstanding (4*) (REF 2021)
We are host to Europe’s largest collection of science fiction materials which includes the John Wyndham Archive and home to the annual Liverpool Literary Festival.

Chat with our students

Want to find out more about student life? Chat with our student ambassadors and ask any questions you have.

Match with an ambassador

Careers and employability

The course emphasises both creative and critical practice, so graduates will be able to demonstrate a broad range of skills to potential employers. The placement module will offer employability skills and career opportunities through professional experience as a writer in residence embedded in a partner institution.

There will also be opportunities for you to gain employability skills in the running of literary events through the Centre for New and International Writing and the Liverpool Literary Festival, in addition to honing performance skills through the annual student showcase.

Career support from day one to graduation and beyond

Career planning.

Our Careers Studio and career coaches can provide tailored support for your future plans.

From education to employment

Employability in your curriculum for a successful transition

Networking events

Make meaningful connections with like-minded professionals

Our campus Career Studio is a space for students and graduates to drop into and talk to a career coach. Career coaches are highly trained to help no matter what stage you are at in your career planning. You can access support to find and apply for full-time and part-time roles, placements, internships and graduate schemes. You will also find the help you need if you have a start-up idea or want to create a business plan. You can explore the world of work, prepare for job interviews, and access careers events and workshops. The Career Studio is open Monday to Friday from 10am-5pm, simply drop in at a time that works for you.

We develop our programmes with employers in mind. You will be supported to enhance your long-term employment prospects as you learn. We do this by exposing you to professionals, a variety of sectors and supporting you to work collaboratively with others to develop transferable skills. You are equipped with a clearer view of what to focus on in your area of interest, and to reflect on your studies. Our digital employability tools give you a tech-enhanced curriculum experience and make it easy for you to prepare for the world of work. You can use tools like the Handshake platform to connect with employers and message the Career Studio 24/7.

You can start building good professional networks by attending events and employability activities. Our events are designed to develop your skills and expose you to many different employers, as well as to help you make contacts in your field. We help you improve your confidence when speaking to employers and give you access to unique opportunities. Our networking events also boost your understanding of the competencies and skills that employers are looking for in their recruitment process, giving you a competitive edge.

Your future

This course will allows you to develop your writing, research and creative thinking skills. You’ll also gain skills that are useful in a range of other careers such as:

Copywriting
Creative director
Editorial roles

Fees and funding

Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.

Tuition fees

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching and assessment, operating facilities such as libraries, IT equipment, and access to academic and personal support.

You can pay your tuition fees in instalments .
All or part of your tuition fees can be funded by external sponsorship .
International applicants who accept an offer of a place will need to pay a tuition fee deposit .

If you're a UK national, or have settled status in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Loan worth up to £12,167 to help with course fees and living costs. Learn more about paying for your studies. .

Additional costs

We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any course-related costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.

Find out more about the additional study costs that may apply to this course.

Additional study costs

Find out more about additional study costs.

Scholarships and bursaries

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries that could help pay your tuition and living expenses.

Select your country or region for more scholarships and bursaries.

Postgraduate Global Advancement Scholarship

If you’re an international student starting this course with us from September 2024, you could be eligible to receive a discount of £5,000 off your master’s tuition fees, if you haven’t studied with us before.

archaeology-ma

archaeology-msc

archives-and-records-management-marm

archives-and-records-management-digital-pathway-marm

archives-and-records-management-international-pathway-marmi

art-philosophy-and-cultural-institutions-ma

bioinformatics-msc

chinese-english-translation-and-interpreting-ma

classics-and-ancient-history-ma

creative-and-critical-writing-ma

data-science-for-economics-msc

economic-policy-and-data-analytics-msc

egyptology-ma

english-language-ma

english-literature-ma

english-literature-modern-and-contemporary-literature-ma

english-literature-renaissance-and-eighteenth-century-literature-ma

english-literature-science-fiction-studies-ma

english-literature-victorian-literature-ma

environment-and-climate-change-msc

environmental-sciences-msc

financial-mathematics-msc

geographic-data-science-msc

global-healthcare-ethics-msc

health-cultures-and-societies-ma

health-data-science-msc

history-cultural-history-ma

history-eighteenth-century-worlds-ma

history-medieval-and-renaissance-studies-ma

history-twentieth-century-history-ma

housing-and-community-planning-ma

infection-and-immunity-msc

international-business-and-commercial-law-llm

international-human-rights-law-llm

international-relations-and-security-ma

international-slavery-studies-ma

investigative-and-forensic-psychology-msc

law-medicine-and-healthcare-llm

mathematical-sciences-msc

media-and-politics-ma

media-culture-and-everyday-life-ma

digital-media-data-and-society-ma

microelectronic-systems-msc-eng

microelectronic-systems-with-a-year-in-industry-msc-eng

money-and-banking-msc

music-and-audiovisual-media-ma

music-industry-studies-ma

music-management-ma

palaeoanthropology-msc

palliative-and-end-of-life-care-msc

performance-mmus

pharmacology-and-toxicology-msc

philosophy-ma

political-science-and-international-relations-ma

product-design-and-management-msc-eng

research-methods-in-psychology-msc

screen-studies-ma

social-research-methods-ma

sustainable-heritage-management-ma

telecommunications-and-wireless-systems-msc-eng

telecommunications-and-wireless-systems-with-a-year-in-industry-msc-eng

town-and-regional-planning-ma

town-and-regional-planning-mcd

urban-design-and-planning-mcd

translation-ma

digital-chemistry-msc

Graduate Loyalty Advancement Scholarship

Home and international students

If you’re a University of Liverpool graduate starting this master’s degree with us from September 2024, you could be eligible to receive a loyalty discount of up to £2,500 off your master’s tuition fees.

energy-and-power-systems-msc-eng

energy-and-power-systems-with-a-year-in-industry-msc-eng

master-of-public-health-mph

strategic-communication-msc

accounting-and-finance-msc

adult-nursing-with-registered-nurse-status

advanced-aerospace-engineering-msc-eng

advanced-biological-sciences-mres

advanced-computer-science-msc

advanced-computer-science-with-a-year-in-industry-msc

advanced-manufacturing-systems-and-technology-msc-eng

advanced-marketing-msc

advanced-mechanical-engineering-msc-eng

advanced-practice-in-healthcare-msc

applied-linguistics-and-teaching-english-to-speakers-of-other-languages-ma

archaeology-mres

architecture-ma

archives-mres

basque-studies-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

big-data-and-high-performance-computing-msc

big-data-and-high-performance-computing-with-a-year-in-industry-msc

biomedical-engineering-msc-eng

biomedical-engineering-healthcare-msc-eng

biomedical-engineering-with-management-msc-eng

biomedical-engineering-with-management-healthcare-msc-eng

biomedical-sciences-and-translational-medicine-mres

biotechnology-msc

building-information-modelling-and-digital-transformation-msc

business-analytics-and-big-data-msc

cancer-biology-and-therapy-msc

catalan-studies-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

chinese-studies-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

classics-and-ancient-history-mres

climate-resilience-and-environmental-sustainability-in-architecture-msc

clinical-sciences-mres

communication-and-media-mres

computer-science-msc

criminological-research-mres

data-science-and-artificial-intelligence-msc

data-science-and-artificial-intelligence-with-a-year-in-industry-msc

data-science-and-communication-msc

diagnostic-radiography-pre-registration-msc

digital-marketing-and-analytics-msc

economics-msc

egyptology-mres

emerging-infections-and-pandemics

english-mres

entrepreneurship-and-innovation-management-msc

environmental-assessment-and-management-msc

film-studies-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

finance-msc

finance-and-investment-management-msc

financial-technology-msc

french-studies-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

german-studies-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

hispanic-studies-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

history-mres

human-resource-management-msc

international-business-msc

international-relations-and-security-mres

irish-studies-mres

italian-studies-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

law-general-llm

management-mres

marketing-msc

master-in-management-mim

master-of-business-administration-football-industries-mba

master-of-business-administration-mba

mechanical-engineering-design-with-management-msc-eng

mechanical-engineering-with-management-msc-eng

mental-health-nursing-with-registered-nurse-status-msc

modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

nursing-msc

occupational-therapy-pre-registration-msc

occupational-and-organisational-psychology-msc

operations-and-supply-chain-management-msc

organisational-psychology-msc

orthoptics-pre-registration-msc

paediatric-dentistry-ddsc

palaeoanthropology-mres

philosophy-mres

physiotherapy-pre-registration-msc

portuguese-studies-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

project-management-msc

psychology-conversion-msc

radiometrics-instrumentation-and-modelling-msc

radiotherapy-msc

researching-crisis-and-change-in-human-geography-ma

social-research-mres

sociolinguistics-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

spanish-studies-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

sports-business-and-management-msc

sustainable-civil-and-structural-engineering-msc-eng

teaching-english-to-speakers-of-other-languages-tesol-ma

theoretical-computer-science-msc

theoretical-computer-science-with-a-year-in-industry-msc

therapeutic-radiography-and-oncology-pre-registration-msc

translation-studies-modern-languages-and-cultures-mres

ai-for-digital-business

film-studies-ma

ANID Chile Scholarship

If you’re a Chilean student joining a master’s degree, you could be eligible to apply for a 20% discount on your tuition fees with an ANID Chile Scholarship.

Chevening Scholarships

If you’re an international student from an eligible country, joining a one-year master’s course, you could apply to have your master’s fees paid, up to a maximum of £18,000, and receive additional help with living costs.

CONACYT Award

If you’re a Mexican student joining a master’s degree, you could be eligible to apply for a 30% discount on your tuition fees with a CONACYT Award.

FIDERH Award

If you’re a Mexican student joining a master’s degree and you’re in receipt of a FIDERH graduate loan, you could benefit from a 20% discount on your tuition fees with a FIDERH Award.

Fulbright Scholarship

If you’re a USA student joining a master’s degree, you can apply to be considered for a tuition fee discount of £20,000 with a Fulright Scholarship. One Fulbright Scholarship for master’s study is available in each academic year.

FUNED Awards

If you’re a Mexican student joining a master’s degree and you’re in receipt of a FUNED loan, you can apply to be considered for a 20% tuition fee discount. A total of up to ten awards will be available to master’s and PhD students per academic year.

Graduate Association Hong Kong & Tung Postgraduate Scholarships

If you’re a master’s student from Hong Kong or the People’s Republic of China who can demonstrate academic excellence, you may be eligible to apply for a scholarship worth up to £10,000 in partnership with the Tung Foundation.

HRH Princess Sirindhorn University of Liverpool Scholarship (Thailand)

If you’re a student from Thailand joining a one-year master’s degree, you might be eligible to apply to have your tuition fees paid in full and receive help with living costs. One award is available and only students who are new to the University will be considered.

JuventudEsGto Scholarship

If you’re a resident of the state of Guanajuato in Mexico joining a master’s degree, you could be eligible for a 10% discount on your tuition fees with a JuventudEsGto Scholarship.

Marshall Scholarship

If you’re a USA student joining an eligible master’s with us, you could apply to be considered for a Marshall Scholarship. If your application is successful, your master’s tuition fees will be paid in full. One Marshall Scholarship for master’s study is available in each academic year.

Postgraduate Opportunity Bursary

Home students

If you’re a UK University of Liverpool graduate joining a master’s degree with us, you could be eligible to receive £3,000 off your tuition fees. You must have graduated in the last two years and received a widening access scholarship during your undergraduate studies.

The Aziz Foundation Scholarship

If you’re a British Muslim, active within a Muslim community and dedicated to bringing positive change to society, you could apply to potentially have the full cost of your master’s tuition fees covered by an Aziz Foundation Scholarship.

philosophy-public-policy-ma

Turkish Ministry of Education Scholarship

If you’re a Turkish student joining a master’s degree, you could be eligible to apply for a 20% discount on your tuition fees with a Turkish Ministry of Education Scholarship.

Humanitarian Scholarships for Master’s Programmes

Do you have recognised status as a refugee or person with humanitarian protection outside the UK? Or are you a Ukrainian who’s sought temporary protection in the EU? You could be eligible to apply for the full payment of your master’s fees and additional financial support.

University of Liverpool International College Excellence Scholarship

Completed a Pre-Master’s at University of Liverpool International College (UoLIC)? We’re offering a £5,000 fee discount off the first year of master’s study to some of the highest achieving students joining one of our non-clinical master’s courses from UoLIC.

University of Liverpool International College Impact Progression Scholarships

If you’re a University of Liverpool International College student awarded a Kaplan Impact Scholarship, we’ll also consider you for an Impact Progression Scholarship. If selected, you’ll receive a fee discount worth £3,000 off the first year of your master’s course.

Vice-Chancellor’s International Attainment Scholarship for Mainland China

Are you a high-achieving graduate from the People’s Republic of China with a degree from a Chinese university? You could be eligible to apply for a £5,000 fee discount if you’re joining an eligible master’s course. Up to 15 eligible students will receive this scholarship.

Entry requirements

The qualifications and exam results you'll need to apply for this course.

English language requirements

You'll need to demonstrate competence in the use of English language, unless you’re from a majority English speaking country .

We accept a variety of international language tests and country-specific qualifications .

You'll need to demonstrate competence in the use of English language, unless you’re from a majority English speaking country.

We accept a variety of international language tests and country-specific qualifications.

International applicants who do not meet the minimum required standard of English language can complete one of our Pre-Sessional English courses to achieve the required level.

You'll need to demonstrate competence in the use of English language, unless you’re from a majority English speaking country

PRE-SESSIONAL ENGLISH

Do you need to complete a Pre-Sessional English course to meet the English language requirements for this course?

The length of Pre-Sessional English course you’ll need to take depends on your current level of English language ability.

Find out the length of Pre-Sessional English course you may require for this degree.

Pre-sessional English

If you don’t meet our English language requirements, we can use your most recent IELTS score, or the equivalent score in selected other English language tests , to determine the length of Pre-Sessional English course you require.

Use the table below to check the course length you're likely to require for your current English language ability and see whether the course is available on campus or online.

If you’ve completed an alternative English language test to IELTS, we may be able to use this to assess your English language ability and determine the Pre-Sessional English course length you require.

Please see our guide to Pre-Sessional English entry requirements for IELTS 6.5, with no component below 6.0, for further details.

About our entry requirements

Our entry requirements may change from time to time both according to national application trends and the availability of places at Liverpool for particular courses. We review our requirements before the start of the new application cycle each year and publish any changes on our website so that applicants are aware of our typical entry requirements before they submit their application.

We believe in treating applicants as individuals, and in making offers that are appropriate to their personal circumstances and background. Therefore the offer any individual applicant receives may differ slightly from the typical offer quoted on the website.

More about life in Liverpool

Discover more about the city and University.

Why Liverpool?

Liverpool bursts with diversity and creativity which makes it ideal for you to undertake your postgraduate studies and access various opportunities for you and your family.

Accommodation

To fully immerse yourself in the university experience living in halls will keep you close to campus where you can always meet new people. Find your home away from home.

Fees and Finance

Discover what expenses are covered by the cost of your tuition fees and other finance-related information you may need regarding your studies at Liverpool.

Have a question about this course or studying with us? Our dedicated enquiries team can help.

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Phone: +44 (0) 151 794 5927
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Last updated 5 March 2024 / See what's changed / Programme terms and conditions

Changes to Creative and Critical Writing MA

See what updates we've made to this course since it was published. We document changes to information such as course content, entry requirements and how you'll be taught.

New course pages launched.

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing The Write Stuff for Writers

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Why Choose Liberty’s MFA in Creative Writing?

Our online MFA in Creative Writing is mainly offered in an 8-week course format, and our tuition rate for graduate programs hasn’t increased in 9 years. Through our program, you can study the writing process and develop your creative skills through workshops with experienced writing professionals. With our flexible format, you can grow in your creative writing while continuing to do what is important to you.

As a terminal degree, the online MFA in Creative Writing can also help you pursue opportunities to teach writing at the K-12 or college level. You will gain comprehensive and in-depth exposure to writing, literature, publishing, and many other professional writing skills that you can pass on to students. Partner with the Liberty family and learn under faculty who have spent years in the field you love. Your career in professional writing starts here.

What Will You Study in Our MFA in Creative Writing?

The MFA in Creative Writing program is designed to help you become an excellent creative writer across the genres of creative fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, and poetry. You can learn how to produce aesthetically and culturally engaged creative works while gaining professional knowledge and practice. You will also study foundational contemporary literature so that you have a background in studying important works to draw on for your writing.

To help you in your professional writing, you will also study many essential skills in editing, layout, and the business of publishing so that you can best position yourself for success in the market. Through your creative writing courses and workshops, you can develop your craft so that you will be ready for your thesis project.

Here are a few examples of the skills Liberty’s MFA in Creative Writing can help you master:

Marketing your projects and pursuing new writing opportunities
Organizing writing and adapting it to different types of writing
Tailoring writing to specific audiences and markets
Understanding what makes art effective, compelling, and impactful
Writing compelling stories that engage readers

Potential Career Opportunities

Book and magazine writer
Business communications specialist
Creative writing instructor
Publications editor
Screenwriter
Website copy editor and writer
Writing manager

Featured Courses

ENGL 600 – Editing, Layout, and Publishing
ENGL 601 – Writing as Cultural Engagement
ENGL 603 – Literary Theory and Practice
WRIT 610 – Writing Fiction

Degree Information

This program falls under the College of Arts and Sciences .
View the Graduate Arts and Sciences Course Guides (login required).
Download and review the Graduate Manual for MFA .

Degree Completion Plan (PDF)

Not sure what to choose?

Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.

Tuition & Aid

Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.

All Tuition & Fees

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Financial Aid Forms & Eligibility

Scholarship Opportunities

Admission Information for the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Admission requirements.

A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required) .
Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form .
Creative Writing Sample – A creative writing sample of one creative writing work of at least 2,500 words or a culmination of creative writing samples totaling 2,500 words.*
Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy .

*A sample of one or more poems totaling a minimum of 750 words may also be submitted. Song lyrics are not accepted at this time as writing samples.

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application .
Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.

Dual Enrollment

Please see the Online Dual Enrollment page for information about starting graduate courses while finishing your bachelor’s degree.

Transcript Policies

Unofficial college transcript policy.

Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:

Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
Cumulative GPA
A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
Degree and date conferred (if applicable)

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to [email protected] .

If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

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Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses
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8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

*Not applicable to certificates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an mfa in creative writing.

A Master of Fine Arts degree, or MFA, is a terminal degree in an artistic craft that demonstrates that you have achieved the highest level of training and skill in your discipline. Like a doctorate, an MFA often allows you to teach courses at the graduate level while also providing many opportunities for scholarship and leadership in education. If you want to grow your creative writing skills to become the best writer you can be, then the Master of Fine Arts can help you get there.

How will students work towards developing their writing skills?

With creative writing workshops and a thesis project, you will receive support and guidance to help you become the best writer you can be.

How long will it take to complete the MFA in Creative Writing?

You can complete the MFA in Creative Writing in just 48 credit hours!

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Creative Writing Blog

Celebrating the spring 2024 mfa graduates.

May 10, 2024

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2024 Doti Awards Honor Graduate Students in Education and English The annual award acknowledges outstanding academic accomplishment, scholarly and creative work and service by graduating master's and doctoral students.

Chapman University has announced the recipients of the 2024 James L. Doti Outstanding Graduate Awards, the university’s highest honor for graduate students.

This year’s honorees are Katelyn Kitchens, a doctoral candidate in education , and Audrey Fong, a candidate for a dual Master of Arts in English and Master of Fine Arts in creative writing .

The Doti Awards are bestowed annually to an outstanding graduating master’s and doctoral student with a distinguished record of academic accomplishment, scholarly/creative activity and/or service. The award recipients’ names are permanently inscribed on the Doti Award trophy, which incorporates artist Nick Hernandez’s sculpture Emergence, on display in Argyros Forum. The recipients receive a desk-size copy of the trophy with a cash award of $1,000 and are recognized at their college’s commencement ceremony.

Katelyn Kitchens, Ph.D. Education, Attallah College of Educational Studies

Attallah’s faculty say Kitchens is a brilliant and exceptionally outstanding doctoral student. The faculty describes them as a highly ethical, committed and intellectually rigorous scholar-activist and teacher.

Kitchens successfully defended their Ph.D. dissertation in March 2024 on “New Ways of Being White: White Families Striving to Cultivate Antiracist Familial Cultures,” an expansive work based on a critical ethnographic study of white families committed to raising anti-racist children. The work is important, theoretically grounded and methodologically rigorous. Their chosen dissertation topic reflects their long-standing commitment to anti-racism. As a white person, Kitchens has personal experience with whiteness studies and engaging with others in anti-racist work.

Within the doctoral program, they developed a strong foundation in the theories that frame their work, including Marxist humanism, critical pedagogies and theories of whiteness. Kitchens also has strong instincts toward decolonizing and humanizing praxis. They are well recognized among faculty and peers as highly ethical and collaborative and evidence a commitment to the growth and learning of all those around them. Kitchens is especially committed to equity for racialized students and to the preservation and restoration of the cultural strengths, epistemologies and resources of historically oppressed communities.

These strengths, along with their excellent writing skills, have led to a significant record of emerging scholarship, research and teaching pursuits. Currently, Kitchens is co-authoring several research manuscripts. Kitchens has already published an impressive six publications (one is in press) and is planning a book based on their dissertation. Their scholarship is highly collaborative with Indigenous colleagues and other people of color, evidencing allyship with these communities. Kitchens’ numerous presentations at conferences and community settings exemplify a keen awareness and commitment to engage with the community beyond the academy.

Kitchens is also a gifted educator of children and adults. They have taught numerous courses in higher education, and faculty are certain that this has included challenging coursework, high expectations and humanizing pedagogy. A faculty mentor shared that conversations with Kitchens revealed their tremendous love and empathy for all peoples.

It’s notable that in a world where Indigenous communities are often wary of the dominant group, Kitchens has been invited to teach and work at an Indigenous tribal school. They recognize and value the opportunity that has been given to them and are continuously reflecting on their responsibility as a white person to that community and its peoples. Kitchens’ previous work in Montessori schools has also provided important insights into humanizing, democratic and life-giving pedagogies that inform their development. Furthermore, Kitchens has a strong social justice background. They served on the Montessori for Social Justice Board of Directors for five years.

At Chapman, Kitchens has been an active member of the Paulo Freire Democratic Project, supported guest talks and co-led teach-ins during the Black Lives Matter protests. Attallah faculty believe Kitchens is an outstanding student with a brilliant future ahead.

Audrey Fong, MA/MFA English and Creative Writing, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Wilkinson’s faculty say Fong’s academic excellence and professional leadership are exceptional. She has used the dual program to set her own ambitious professional path. Importantly, Fong has used her own ongoing learning growth to contribute to the university and to the larger literary culture. She is the only graduate student who has taught Asian American Studies at Chapman University, and she’s also a graduate student instructor in English. She continues to open students to new ideas and texts and also works with Stephanie Takaragawa, associate professor of sociology, across disciplines on a variety of projects and programming.

Fong’s creative and scholarly achievements are unusually strong for a graduate student. She has presented at the Asian American Studies Conference and the College English Association Conference, in addition to others. She will present again this spring at the Asian American Studies Conference and is making a name for herself in that field. She also has a chapter forthcoming in an anthology about food and memory, an essay published in the literary journal South Dakota Review, and she’s placed several interviews with Asian American writers in Adroit Journal.

This important cultural work and her entrepreneurial spirit led Fong to found her own journal, Soapberry Review. Anna Leahy, director of the MFA in creative writing program, shared that she is awestruck by Fong’s ability to launch this project while excelling at all the other work we expect of graduate students and instructors. This project focuses on reviews of books and interviews with Asian American writers, filling a void in literary culture rather than replicating existing projects. Fong has encouraged other MFA students and alumni to read Asian American books and submit reviews for publication at Soapberry Review.

Faculty point to Fong’s mature understanding of a scholar-writer’s practice. She has a keen ability to turn conference presentations into journal publications, a professional practice that few graduate students in the humanities recognize and embrace. Also, she turns practical experience — the marketing internship with Red Hen Press and the social media work at UCI — into original intellectual and cultural production. She recognizes that her accomplishments as a scholar-writer have the power to change culture.

To continue honing her craft, Fong is entering the Ph.D. program at the University of Southern California, another program that combines creative writing and literature. Wilkinson’s faculty is convinced that will lead to even more achievement.

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Catching Up with Ph.D. Candidate Natalie Vaughan-Wynn

Since joining the University of Washington Ph.D. in Geography program in autumn 2020, Natalie Vaughan-Wynn has been deeply involved in research, writing, teaching and collaborations across campus. One of Natalie's doctoral supervisory committee co-chairs (along with Professor Sarah Elwood), Professor Vicky Lawson describes Natalie as "a remarkable, caring and creative scholar and a wonderful human. She is conducting deeply ethical research that foregrounds relations of respect and co-creation with native thinkers/activists and that centers crucial questions about the entanglements of federal food policy and ancestral foodways. Furthermore, both Natalie's research and teaching center questions of food sovereignty in the US. It is a real joy to work with Natalie and to learn from her wisdom, ethics and politics." These commitments have contributed to many accomplishments along the way, and this spring Natalie reflects on these and other achievements just over the horizon. Along with sharing details about publishing an article, helping to organize a symposium, presenting at a conference, and more, here Natalie also offers advice to undergraduates who may be interested graduate school or food geographies.

On co-authoring " Digital food apartheid: The uneven food geographies of Seattle in the era of Amazon " with Professor Jin-Kyu Jung in Environment and Planning F

This paper, published in March 2024, "begins by tracing our food system through the lens of racial capitalism so we can see long-standing entanglements between food, race, and capitalism with newer, digitally mediated food geographies. We see this operationalized in contemporary U.S. government food assistance programs by examining the food stamp program’s evolution from paper (coupons) to plastic (EBT cards) and then to the COVID-era implementation of the Online Grocery Purchase Program (OPP). Theorizing these programs in conversation with Black Digital Geographies scholarship is what I term ‘digital food apartheid,’ a separating apparatus that produces inequalities concerning food that are mediated by, reified through, or materialized from data or digital infrastructure." For more about this research, check out UW Bothell News!

MAPPING A DIGITAL DIVIDE IN FOOD ACCESS

On bringing the Living Breath of wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ” Indigenous Foods Symposium (May 3-4, 2024) to life

Last year, Natalie attended as a guest and "was blown away by the knowledge and commitment of those who were both engaged in research and accountable to their communities." Now on the planning committee for the event, Natalie comments "Living Breath is a reminder that - though the entanglements between 'the academy' and Indigenous peoples is historied and complex - those of us here who are attentive to these complexities can carve out space that aligns with our commitments as co-learners with our communities… the idea of research with, by, and for, rather than on/about/without. I was already connected to many in attendance, but wanted to deepen that connection. This is what led me to join; I voiced my interest, connections, and capacity to the existing core committee, all of whom I deeply admire, and was welcomed with open arms."

The symposium planning committee " is composed of Indigenous women who represent interdisciplinary academic fields of study and philanthropy in the Northwest Coast; women who are committed to Indigenous food sovereignty and environmental justice, and whose lived and scholarly experiences, personal passions, and academic research are firmly grounded in their homelands and communities." Natalie's participation is described in the following bio :

"Natalie Vaughan-Wynn (Fort Peck Assiniboine Sioux Registered Descendant) is a Ph.D. Candidate in the University of Washington’s Geography Department and is working toward her Certificate in American Indian and Indigenous Studies. Her educational path entails a G.E.D., attending the same college with her mom at the same time, and a graduate degree in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University.

Work centered on food justice and sovereignty over the last 15 years has brought her to West Africa, where she worked with the Indigenous Hausa people to facilitate village-to-village agricultural knowledge sharing, to Oxfam, as part of a farmworkers’ rights campaign, and to a research institute engaged in international conversations around food and hunger.

Specific ways that food is part of her life include Big Leaf Maple sugaring, foraging and fishing with her husband and son, and frequently shared meals with friends and family."

On preparing a presentation for the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Conference (June 5-8, 2024)

For this conference, Natalie's project "examines the recent expansion of the legal mechanism known as '638' authority through which Tribal Nations may assert greater self-determination over food-related programs. Six years of legislative advocacy by the Native Farm Bill Coalition has created a pathway within the 2018 Farm Bill for Nations to contract with the USDA to self-administer programs, including the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), a commodity food program relied on by 92,000 Native households. FDPIR 'commods' typically include shelf-stable, preservative-heavy, transportation-tolerant foods destined for (often) rural reservation distribution sites. Currently, 15 pilot programs are reconfiguring FDPIR to suit their specific contexts through inclusion of traditional foods, procurement from Tribal producers and more. Through visits, interviews, and archival research, I add to the growing work that describes how, despite innumerable disruptions to Native foodways, Tribal expressions of food sovereignty can be leveraged through, and outside of, entanglements with federal policy."

Natalie notes that attending the conference "will be especially meaningful to me because one of my mom’s cousins is a former NAISA President. My academic journey, which has felt circuitous at times, feels like it is coming full circle. Of course I’m looking forward to hearing from those engaged with Indigenous-oriented research from all over the world, but I’m also looking forward to the little things, like seeing everyone’s dress and the food (maybe those things aren’t so little after all…). Though we have Sami family friends and an open invitation to join the reindeer herding that happens every summer, we’ve yet to make this happen. I’ve seen the midnight sun (my husband grew up in Alaska) but I have never been as far north as the Arctic Circle… Norway is a first for me!"

Reflections on teaching experience & professional development

"Of the 14 quarters I’ve taught or TA’d so far, half have been through the Program for Writing Across Campus . Megan Callow , the current director of this program, has become a phenomenal mentor of mine. This work, along with my job as a Graduate Peer Tutor in the Odegaard Writing and Research Center (OWRC) and my participation in a Graduate Research Cluster focused on Indigenous Writing Praxis, have given me so many opportunities in terms of professional development. Even more important, the relationships built in these spaces have opened doors for interdisciplinary collaborations. For example, I was first connected to English Ph.D. Candidate and current Humanities Washington Fellow Taiko Aoki-Marcial by Mandy Macklin , the OWRC Director. Taiko and I developed a workshop for the OWRC around decolonial writing strategies for tutors. This evolved into a workshop that we are facilitating for faculty at South, Central, and North Seattle Community College [in May 2024]."

Advice for Future Graduate Students

"I think any advice I have for potential graduate students is the same that I have for life in general. The first bit is from my Mom. She really hammered home the idea that time goes by whether you’re simply working or working towards something. The second is a Hausa proverb. I actually included this in my grad school application and it still rings true for me. It translates to “good relationships depend on feet.” Literally in Hausaland it is customary to begin the day by visiting neighbors. Here, I adapt this wisdom (so, no knocking on doors at 6 a.m.) and instead think of its essence as the idea that regular energy expenditure, even if quotidian, is required in order to be in relation."

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Creative Writing PhD
Emma Hayward - Creative Writing PhD student. 100%. of research environment was classified as 'world leading' (4*) or 'internationally excellent' (3*) in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2021) ... University of Liverpool Liverpool L69 3BX Liverpool city centre campus map; Find us +44 (0)151 794 2000; All contact details; Call us;
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In the Creative Writing programme from University of Liverpool, we aim to foster and develop strategic partnerships, particularly with local and national cultural organisations, to reach those who can benefit from our research. Features . The School of English has an outstanding international reputation.
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Allyson McNitt, PhD, is an editor for Army University Press. She received her BA in English and creative writing from the University of Kansas, her MA in English from Emporia State University, and her PhD in medieval studies (British and French literature, history, and gender studies) from the University of Oklahoma.
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University of West London

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University Library

Writing@Liverpool Tutors

Ellen - Psychology

Paige - Psychology

Sufyan - Biology

Elle - Classics and Ancient History

Robert - Arts and Humanities

Gladys - Geography

Isobel - Engineering

Blessing - Management

Jaydon - Law

Jenna - Sociology

Lisa - Management

Sarah - Law

What is Writing @ Liverpool?

Ph.D. Creative Writing

Opportunities

Department Resources

Affiliated Programs

Degree Requirements

Requirements for Doctoral Exams

Doctoral Exam Committee

Creative Writing Faculty

Graduate Student Handbook

Centre for New and International Writing

A rich literary past