Creative Writing

MA Students 

  • Coursework Requirement: 3 Courses or 9 AUS 
  •  Submit a Thesis before graduation.
  • Students on scholarship will usually submit their thesis one year before the maximum period of candidature. 

A MA candidate is required to complete three courses approved by his/her supervisor, to attend all designated events, and to submit a dissertation of between 30,000-35,000 words. 

(Specialisation in Creative Writing) 

Final submissions will include a minimum of 23,000 words of prose (or agreed equivalent in poetry or script), a minimum of 7,000 words of exegesis, and a list of works cited. Submissions for projects in other genres should be discussed with the creative writing coordinator.  

See also – Master of Arts in Creative Writing and Publishing (Coursework programme)

PhD Students 

  • Coursework Requirement: 6 Courses or 18 AUs 
  • Submit a Thesis before graduation 
  • Students on scholarship will usually submit their thesis one year before the maximum period of candidature. 

A PhD candidate is required to complete six courses approved by his/her supervisor, to attend all designated events, to pass a confirmation exercise (at a stage between 1 and 2 years of beginning research), to submit a dissertation of between 75,000-85,000 words and to take part in an oral defence. 

(Specialisation in Creative Writing) 

For fiction projects, final submissions will include 55,000–65,000 words of fiction, 19,000–21,000 words of exegesis, and a list of works cited. 

For poetry projects, final submissions will include 22,000–26,000 words of poetry, 19,000–21,000 words of exegesis, and a list of works cited. 

For scriptwriting projects, final submissions will include a script of 44,000–52,000 words, 19,000-21,000 words of exegesis, and a list of works cited. 

Submissions for projects in other genres should be discussed with the creative writing coordinator. 


HL7101 Graduate Seminar in the History of Literary Theory

HL7101 is an introduction to the main trends of critical literary theory, with an emphasis on major schools of thought in twentieth- and twenty-first century literary criticism and theory, ranging from Russian formalism to recent developments in disability studies and ecocriticism. We consider developments and interconnections between various schools of thought, including Marxism and new historicism, poststructuralism and narrative theory, feminism and queer theory, aesthetic and cognitive approaches, and so on. In this course, we specifically consider critical literary theory as a toolbox of methods and approaches that allow us to enrich our reading and interpretation of literary texts in a range of mediums and genres.​

HL7201 Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Directed Study


In this course students will have the opportunity to engage in independent research related to their proposed dissertation/thesis and to produce an appropriate example of written work arising from this. The content and requirements of each Directed Study module are to be determined by the student in conjunction with the appointed supervisor/ thesis committee and the Head of Division.

HL7202 Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Special Topic​


The course will vary greatly according to the instructor’s research interests, but might consist of an in-depth study of a single author, genre or theme. Every time it is offered, the module will be tailor-made to the specific interests of the individual staff teaching and / or students who enroll for it. The specific topic offered for any semester will be clearly signaled in advance.

The course will comprise the study of both published writers and students in the class. Students will be expected to contribute to weekly workshops. In a supportive and critical environment, students will critique one-another’s work and discuss the progress of their writing projects, as well as their developing working practices.

HL7203 Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Forms of Narrative


The Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Forms of Narrative is designed to develop students awareness of, and technical facility with the employment of varying forms of narrative in literature, in addition to developing a contextual awareness of their own creative work in relation to past and contemporary literature and theory.

HL7204 Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Voice


The Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Voice is designed to develop students’ awareness of, and technical facility with the employment of speech-like forms in literature, in addition to developing a contextual awareness of their own creative work in relation to past and contemporary literature and theory. 

HL7205 Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Place and Time


The Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Place and Time is designed to develop students’ technical facility with setting, world-building and temporality, and to develop their awareness of how their creative work is situated in contemporary geographies of literature and theory.

HL7206 Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Literary Production


The Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Literary Production is designed to give students experience with the practices of writing with audience in mind and with engaging in the processes of literary production.