Intro

At Brighton, we encourage writing that helps readers and writers to understand, shape and connect with the world beyond the classroom. Working with professional writers, you will develop your skills to produce and share stories in a variety of genres.

Through creative workshops, you will partner with supportive lecturers and interdisciplinary postgraduate groups to develop advanced theories and practices that relate to the creative writing process. Both people with and without experience of creative writing should consider applying for this course, which aims to prepare you for a career as a freelancer or portfolio worker.

We have fantastic links with local publishers, writers and creative companies and offer a unique salon series where industry experts offer practical advice and insights. In semester two, you will apply your writing and creative practice in a workplace scenario, while being encouraged to work on your own interests and passions.

If you want to share your work, you have the opportunity to do so through our established student-led anthologies and open mic nights, which form part of Brighton's thriving creative scene.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2–6 years

Find out about postgraduate events

Apply online

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Apply now for your place

Course content

Why study with us?

  • Chance to develop as a portfolio writer and creative practitioner – somebody who can apply good writing to real-world scenarios and work to specific briefs
  • A transformative experience that goes beyond looking to get your first novel published, so you can explore copywriting and publishing while nurturing your passion for storytelling
  • Guest lectures from publishers and professional writers. Guest writers have included John Mccullough, Eleanor Knight, Errina Mettler, Emma Donoghue and Tanaka Mhishi
  • Links with local publishers, writers and creative companies, with placements available across Brighton
  • Theatre visits, open mic nights and exciting events, including a short story slam at Brighton festival
  • Online journal and in-house creative anthology for you to share your work with other students and the wider community
Falmer campus main entrance sign

Areas of study

You will be able to tailor your MA studies to reflect an interest in writing practice, literary theory, community engagement or any combination of these.

We identify the range of modules as intrinsic to catering to diverse creative and intellectual needs and understand that triggers for writing and creative practice can stem from a wide range of places and fields of study.

We have specific modules dedicated to engaging students with the wider Brighton community and local creative industries where they will become a writer in residence and work to link their individual creative practice with a professional scenario.

You will be able to identify teaching and learning opportunities that inspire your creative work and apply this to your professional, academic and personal development and planning.

Students on beanbags

Syllabus

Core modules

  • Practising Rhetoric
  • Narrative: The art and design of storytelling
  • Communities of Practice
  • The Process of Publishing
  • Dissertation

Option modules

  • Prose Fiction
  • Poetry Theory and Practice
  • Screenwriting
  • Twenty-first Century Literature
  • Narratives of (Un)Belonging: Writing Black British Culture
  • Performing Gender
  • Auto/Biographical Research Practices

You can also choose option modules from across our humanities and arts subjects.

Students on the grass at Falmer campus

Meet the team

Jess Moriarty 

Jess Moriarty researches in the field of pedagogy in writing practice, especially in auto-ethnographical academic writing and in creative writing with undergraduates.

She graduated from the University of Sussex with a Creative Writing MA in 2002 and joined the University of Brighton soon after. Jess won a Teaching Excellence award for her workshops with undergraduates, in which she aims to ignite inspiration and motivation with the writing process.

Jess is the co-founder of Work Write Live, which provides a range of writing short courses and volunteering opportunities for students across arts and humanities courses to develop the vocational and academic skills they are acquiring on their degree programme. She has been interviewed by the Times Higher Educational Supplement about her workshops and won an Innovation Award for her retreats, where participants are encouraged to develop confidence with writing and speaking. Under the banner of Work Write Live, students are able to run open mic evenings, produce creative writing anthologies and organise an end-of-year graduate show.

Jess's doctorate looked at how to make academic writing more personal and creative and included a play based on her autobiographical and researched experiences with academic life. Her work looks at cross-disciplinary practice, community engagement and linking creative processes with the employability agenda.

Meet the rest of the course team

Jess Moriarty profile picture

Listen to a podcast with course leader Dr Jess Moriarty where she discusses the role of fiction in self-expression and personal wellbeing, a previous 'Big Read' book and sharing a moment with her former student and honorary graduate Munroe Bergdorf.

Student views 

Louise Clement

"The part-time route in the Creative Writing MA has been inspiring and practical. The course has offered guidance, direction and a vital opportunity for critiquing both my writing and writing practice.

"In attending various workshops and events, I’ve begun to feel part of a community of writers. I have felt continually supported by the expert advice from the university and encouraged to develop as an independent professional creative practitioner. The result of this creative validation has been to propel my own practice in poetry filmmaking, setting up a writers’ collective and a collaboration that has led to an event in the Brighton Fringe.

"While my focus has always been poetry, through my learning on the modules I have begun new practices in graphics, audio and film, which have come to be essential to my own creative expression."

Louise Clement profile picture

Dawn Hart

"Early in 2018 I undertook my writers residency as part of my MA in creative writing. The challenge was to become embedded in a community to both stimulate writing and creativity in place as well as to be inspired to write something amazing myself.

"Community is a multi-faceted term and can become a rabbit hole of discussion about communities of place, communities of interest and communities of purpose. I stepped back and followed my own interest in liminal spaces – the spaces in between where there is a sense of unpredictability and increased possibility.

"This led me to negotiating and becoming a writer in residence at Oval tube station in south London. I embarked without fixed expectations – more a sense of curiosity. I spent many hours sitting in the tube station, observing the ebb and flow of people. It was at Oval where the famous Thought of the day board was initiated, and the station staff have a strong pride in their station. They were endlessly interested and welcoming of my presence.

"I devised a project called Return Journey as a means of encouraging members of the public to engage and reflect. I designed a large mock rail ticket and asked people to record their answers to the question, If you could return to any tube station, at any point in your past, where would you go, when and why? Through this I collected stories which collectively are micro tales of human love. Transport for London are currently designing these into large posters, which they will display at the station.

"I then wrote a collection of prose, reflections and poems entitled Fieldnotes at Oval Tube, in which I explored how people behave in this liminal space and how our minds can be expanded. This experience stimulated rather than satiated my fascination with liminal spaces. So when I saw the website for The Liminal Residency I was spurred on to apply for a place on one of their writers residencies. I was interviewed, accepted and consequently spent an intense weekend with five other writers at Heathrow Airport.

"Our collective writing in response is now published in an anthology and can be found on www.liminalresidency.co.uk."

How this course is delivered

How will my course be taught?
For the academic year that starts in September 2022 we’re planning for all students to be taught face-to-face on campus, enhanced by some online learning.

Students who started their course with us in 2021 are on campus for some face-to-face learning including tutorials, workshops, laboratory classes and studio sessions. They are also taking part in off-campus learning activities such as placements, field trips and study visits. And all of our campus facilities – libraries, learning spaces, restaurants, gyms and more are open.

Like all universities we are following government guidance and we are monitoring the pandemic very closely. Should Public Health advise it we have robust plans in place for additional safety measures to be introduced to enable everyone to continue learning on campus, and, as a last resort, for students to continue their learning remotely.

We will update you regularly on our teaching plans for the next academic year as you progress your application with us.

When does my course start?
The 2022 academic year begins on Monday 26 September 2022. Teaching for most courses starts the following week.

Many education courses, some health science courses including Medicine, and some postgraduate business courses have an earlier start date. Check your offer letter for the start date of your course.

Our latest news

Creative Writing graduate Joseph Lee talks about his studies and life after Uni

Creative Writing graduate Joseph Lee talks about his studies and life after Uni

I graduated from my full time MA study in Creative Writing in 2021, with a high distinction.
Read work by the University of Brighton’s talented writers

Read work by the University of Brighton’s talented writers

Check out PierreView, a blog dedicated to work by Creative Writing MA students.
English @ Brighton on Instagram

English @ Brighton on Instagram

If you’re a Brighton student, or are thinking about choosing one of our English courses, check out the Instagram account.
Creative Writing MA grad launches Brighton Aids Memorial Exhibition

Creative Writing MA grad launches Brighton Aids Memorial Exhibition

While studying Creative Writing at the University of Brighton, Harry Hillery worked with the Terrence Higgins Trust as part of the Communities of Practice module, where they became artist-in-residence and started archiving stories.

Read more from our blog

Careers

Our Creative Writing MA will develop your confidence with creative and critical writing and enhance your communication skills, which are highly valued in a range of professions including publishing, teaching, creative industry management, marketing, PR, journalism, health and wellbeing.

The ability to write for an audience is also fundamental for people working with social media and the web, and this course will ensure that you are able to produce writing that will be effective in these and other work-based scenarios.

Student with notes with Pink Floyd poster behind him

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2022. They should be used as a general guide. 

Degree and experience
An upper second-class undergraduate degree or equivalent in a relevant arts and humanities discipline or professional experience in a relevant field. Applicants with non-standard entry requirements will be asked to provide written evidence of their creative and reflective skills.

English language requirements
IELTS 7.0 overall, 6.5 in writing.

International students whose language skills do not match the IELTS scores set out here should consider applying for this course through our Extended Masters programme.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Fees

Course fees

UK (full-time) 7,866 GBP

International (full-time)    15,462 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Humanities and Social Science in the 2021–22 academic year are listed here.

  • For some assessments you may be required to print large format posters for presentations at a cost of £5–£10 per poster.
  • Most coursework submissions are electronic but you may wish to print notes and should budget up to £100 for printing.
  • Course books are available from the university but you may wish to budget up to £200 to buy your own copies.
  • Some courses include an optional placement module for which students will need to cover the costs of travel to and from the placement and DBS checks as required.
  • For the Humanistic Psychotherapeutic Counselling PGDip and Psychotherapeutic Psychodynamic Counselling PGDip, the following course-related costs are not included in the tuition fee:
    • Supervision fees: £1,170 for each full year. Estimated based on £45 per hour with fortnightly meetings. In some agencies, supervision will be provided at no cost. Where students have to pay, the cost will only begin when supervision begins.
    • Personal counselling/therapy: £2,000–£2,800 over the course. Estimated based on £40 per hour.
  • For a number of courses you will have the opportunity to attend field trips and off-site visits. These are optional and are not required to pass your course but under normal circumstances we would expect a budget of approximately £150 per year will cover the costs of particular trips. The amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software, however many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2022–23.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from Brighton city centre. 7,000 students are based here taking subjects including criminology, English, education, nursing and medicine, paramedic science, psychology and sociology. Brighton and Hove Albion's Amex stadium and beautiful Stanmer Park are right next door.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources and clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students. Psychology students learn in our applied cognition and flexible creative method labs.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence on site, as well as a library, restaurant, cafes, and a students' union shop and bar.

The campus sports centre has a fitness suite, activity studios and a sports hall. There is also a floodlit astroturf football pitch, netball and tennis courts.

Cycle lanes link Falmer with our other campuses and the city centre and there is a BTN BikeShare hub on site. There are regular bus services to the city centre and other campuses. Falmer train station is right next to campus and a nine minute journey to central Brighton.


Newly refurbished atrium in the Checkland Building

Accommodation

Brighton: Falmer

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students who apply by 30 June.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

  • You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
  • Falmer campus is linked to the halls on Falmer campus and at Varley Park. All halls are self-catered.
    • Paddock Field and Great Wilkins halls are on Falmer campus and offer a range of rooms
    • Varley Park offers a mix of rooms. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent.

Private renting
There's plenty of support if you opt for private renting. This is an option which offers choice and flexibility – enabling you to choose where you live and who with. Every summer we provide online events and resources, as well as other advice services, for students looking for a place to live and people to share with.

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

Students dining at Westlain

Local area

About Brighton

The University of Brighton is at the heart of our city's reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. Brighton is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year to the local economy, as much as tourism.

Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

You can also get involved with city festivals and events such as the Brighton Festival, the Fringe, Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Science Festival, the London to Brighton bike ride, and the Great Escape festival of new music to name but a few. Other annual highlights include Pride, the Brighton Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice.

You'll find living in Brighton enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Falmer campus

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Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Cricket Academy

New for September 2023, our Cricket Academy offers aspiring players the opportunity to continue their cricket development alongside studying for a degree. The programme offers a world-class training environment with the highest quality coaching.

Find out more about the Cricket Academy.

Students playing frisbee

Stay in touch

Find out about postgraduate events

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.
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