Program Overview
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sustainable-energy-systems-management-msc sustainable-energy-systems-management-pgdip systemic-practice-family-therapy-msc systemic-practice-family-therapy-pgcert systemic-practice-family-therapy-pgdip systemic-psychotherapy-msc teaching-english-speakers-other-languages-applied-linguistics-msc translation-ma violence-terrorism-security-ma violence-terrorism-security-pgdip youth-justice-msc youth-justice-pgdip zero-carbon-engineering-pgcert Share Facebook Linkedin Email Undergraduate 2025 MA | Postgraduate Taught English - Creative Writing Apply now Register Interest Entry year Academic Year 2026/27 Entry requirements 2.2 Attendance 3 years (Part-time) 1 year (Full-time) Places available 30 (Part Time) 30 (Full Time) Overview Course content Modules Entry requirements Careers Fees and funding Apply • Are you committed to imaginative writing? • Do you want to develop your creative practice and professional skills as an author or scriptwriter? • Do you want to be part of the vibrant creative community of the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University, Belfast? If so, the MA in English (Creative Writing) may be the course for you. The programme offers the chance to develop your creative practice in Scriptwriting (screen, stage and audio) and Prose Writing (fiction and non-fiction): you will have the chance to explore both pathways before choosing a specialism. At the same time, the programme will guide you in reading extensively, enriching your own work through engagement with the wide world of literary and dramatic traditions and techniques. This programme invites you to challenge yourself as a writer, to seek the unexpected, the complex and the ambitious in your work, to resist clichés and received ideas, and to work towards originality of voice and theme. You will learn to explore many different types of writing, to entertain new ideas, to read adventurously and to respond with rigour and generosity to the work of your fellow writers.
Key Program Features
English - Creative Writing highlights
World Class Facilities
The Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s is an internationally-recognised hub of excellence for literature and imaginative writing, and a central part of Northern Ireland's thriving literary community.
Internationally Renowned Experts
• The MA in Creative Writing is taught by award-winning writers who will work with you closely and guide you in developing your voice. • You’ll learn from an experienced, accomplished team including the screenwriters Aislinn Clarke and Tim Loane, the playwrights Jimmy McAleavey and Michael West, and the fiction and non-fiction writers Garrett Carr, Sam Thompson, Dawn Watson and Tara West. • You will also have the opportunity to engage with a fantastic array of well-known guest writers and visiting fellows: writers involved with the Seamus Heaney Centre in recent years have included Anna Burns, Marian Keyes, Roddy Doyle, Jed Mercurio, Kae Tempest, Tim Wheeler, Enda Walsh, Oliver Jeffers, Lisa McGee, Stacey Gregg, Jan Carson, Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson.
Student Experience
• As a student on the MA in Creative Writing you will take part in a demanding and rewarding programme of literary and creative exploration, reading and writing intensively, and challenging yourself to extend your knowledge and practice as a writer. • As well as taking part in workshops and seminars, you will have access to visiting authors, publishers, editors and agents. You will have a wide range of opportunities to present your work in print and performance. • Your learning environment, the Seamus Heaney centre, is a public literary hub for Belfast and beyond, where you will have the chance to contribute to many readings, performances, public events and writing groups.
My tutors challenged me and treated me more as a peer than a student. The encouragement I received made me want to succeed. I’d recommend the Creative Writing MA to anyone interested in learning about the craft of writing. It was one of the most important years of my life. Brendan McLoughlin
Career Opportunities
Career Prospects
Introduction
• Graduates from the MA and PGDip in Creative Writing have gone on to work in a wide range of professions including publishing, journalism, public relations, teaching, advertising, the Civil Service, business, industry and the media. • Many graduates have established an ongoing creative practice. Prize-winning authors Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses, and Michael Magee, author of Close to Home, were both Creative Writing students at the Seamus Heaney Centre. • Some students choose to continue their studies to PhD level on a chosen, specialised topic in Creative Writing. Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with business experts helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally. Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with business experts helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally. http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/
Program Curriculum
Course Structure
Students may enrol for Full-Time study (1 year) or Part-Time study (2 or 3 years). Part-Time students complete one or two modules per semester. Full-Time students complete three modules per semester. The MA is awarded to students who successfully complete six taught modules (120 CATS points) and a 13,000-13,500 word prose or script dissertation (60 CATS points). Exit qualifications are available: students may exit with a Postgraduate Diploma by successfully completing 120 CATS points from taught modules or a Postgraduate Certificate by successfully completing 60 CATS points from taught modules.
Compulsory Modules
Semester 1 (1) Craft and Technique (ENG7093) (20 CATS) • Learn to read as a writer, expanding your creative toolkit by exploring a wide range of set texts including novels, plays and screenplays. • Weekly two-hour seminar. • Assessment by creative piece (2500-3000 words) and commentary (1000 words). (2) Script Workshop 1 (ENG7097) (20 CATS) • Learn dramatic writing for stage, screen and/or radio through friendly, rigorous discussion and sharing of work in a small-group workshop format. • Weekly two-hour workshop. • Assessment by creative piece (3500-4000 words). (3) Prose Workshop 1 (ENG7292) (20 CATS) • Develop your fiction and/or non-fiction prose writing through friendly, rigorous discussion and sharing of work in a small-group workshop format. • Weekly two-hour workshop. • Assessment by creative piece (3500-4000 words). Semester 2 Script Workshop 2 (ENG7098) (20 CATS; optional) • Build on Script Workshop 1 and develop your dramatic writing to the next stage. • Weekly two-hour workshop. • Assessment by creative piece (3500-4000 words). Prose Workshop 2 (ENG7294) (20 CATS; optional) • Build on Prose Workshop 1 and develop your fiction or non-fiction prose to the next stage. • Weekly two-hour workshop. • Assessment by creative piece (3500-4000 words). Professional Practice (ENG7988) (20 CATS; optional) • Gain a highly rigorous grounding in character-centred structure, and learn to plan your creative work and present it to industry gatekeepers using documents such as the synopsis, outline and cover letter. • Classes include visits from literary agents, producers and development executives. • Weekly two-hour seminar. • Assessment by portfolio (3500-4000 words). Exploring Literary Practice (ENG7295) (20 CATS; optional) • Expand your horizons as a writer by experimenting with a wide range of genres across fiction, non-fiction and/or scriptwriting. • Dive deeply into your interests by reading widely, engaging critically with contemporary texts, and addressing creative and critical issues from a practitioner’s point of view. • Weekly two-hour seminar. • Assessment by portfolio (3500-4000 words).
Dissertation
Creative Writing Dissertation (ENG7099) (60 CATS; compulsory) • In your final MA module you will complete an extended creative piece of prose or drama. • You’ll take the lead as an independent writer, proposing and developing your project and applying the skills learned through the programme, under the guidance of an experienced supervisor. • Assessment by dissertation (13,000-13,500 words).
People teaching you Dr Sam Thompson Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, Programme Convenor SAEL Email: sam.thompson@qub.ac.uk
Admission Requirements
How to Apply
Apply using our online Queen's Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply .
Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions that apply when you accept an offer of a place at the University on a taught programme of study. Queen's University Belfast Terms and Conditions .
Tuition & Financial Information
Tuition Fee
GBP 15,200/year (international)
Tuition Fees
| Northern Ireland (NI) 1 | £7,700 |
| Republic of Ireland (ROI) 2 | £7,700 |
| England, Scotland or Wales (GB) 1 | £10,400 |
| EU Other 3 | £23,000 |
| International | £23,000 |
1 EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled status, will be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB will be charged the GB fee.
2 EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI are eligible for NI tuition fees.
3 EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.
All tuition fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless stated otherwise. Tuition fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
More information on postgraduate tuition fees .
Additional course costs
There are no specific additional course costs associated with this programme.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Financial Aid & Funding Opportunities
A range of funding options may be available to students enrolling at Queen's University Belfast. Explore all options early — many scholarships have deadlines months before programme start.
- University Scholarships: Queen's University Belfast may offer merit-based, need-based, or programme-specific scholarships for postgraduate students. Contact the international or financial aid office for current awards.
- Government Scholarships (): National governments often fund outbound and inbound student mobility. Check your home country's government scholarship schemes (e.g., national student loan bodies, ministry of education awards).
- International Scholarships: Major funders include: Commonwealth Scholarships, Fulbright (USA programmes), Chevening (UK), Erasmus+ (Europe), DAAD (Germany), Campus France, Australia Awards, and many more.
- Employer Sponsorship: Professionals returning to study may negotiate tuition sponsorship with their employer, particularly for MBA or executive programmes.
- Graduate Assistantships / Fellowships: Some universities offer funded research or teaching assistant positions that include a stipend and partial or full tuition waiver.
- External Foundations: Rotary Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation, Ford Foundation, and many discipline-specific bodies fund postgraduate study globally.
- Payment Plans: Flexible instalment plans may allow you to spread tuition payments across the academic year.
About Queen's University Belfast
Queen's University Belfast
Botswana, Botswana
Visit the university profile page to learn more about this institution.
University Profile- Start Date 2017-09-26
- Language English
- Duration 12 months
- Credits 60 ECTS / 180 credits (1-year programme)