Overview
On this Masters course, you’ll learn to produce fine, nuanced writing and a body of work in either poetry, fiction or creative non-fiction. We combine intensive writers’ workshops, technique-focused classes and one-to-one tuition by distinguished writers, along with fascinating and useful visits from authors, agents and publishers to help you on your creative journey. You'll be taught by acclaimed writers Lorna Gibb, Kevin MacNeil and Natalia Liebnitz.
The course is designed to develop your writing talent. It allows you to intensively focus on a project while engaging with a range of genres and working practices that draw upon our rich expertise in contemporary literature, publishing, film, media and journalism. You’ll also develop skills in listening, editing and peer feedback.
Our course is open to all, whether you’re already well established in your career, starting out on your creative journey or want to take our MLitt Creative Writing later in life to enhance your skills and explore new creative prospects.
There are opportunities for collaboration and to take part in publications with the Stirling Art Collection and the Publishing Annual Anthology Showcase.
If you’re interested in studying a module from this course, the Postgraduate Certificate or the Postgraduate Diploma then please email Graduate Admissions to discuss your course of study.
Entry requirements
A minimum of a second-class honours degree (2:1 preferred) in a relevant subject or equivalent is required. If you don’t have these formal qualifications, but have significant relevant work and life experience, we still encourage you to apply.
We require a sample of creative work as one of the academic requirements for entry. Here are our guidelines for what you need to submit.
Creative work guidelines
If you are choosing to study prose, we require up to ten pages (fiction or creative nonfiction). For poetry, we are looking for approximately eight poems. You can also send us half prose and half poetry as your sample.
Our tutors specialise in literary fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and scriptwriting, and we welcome applicants who share those interests. Journalistic, professional and children’s writing are not taught on the course – so writing in these forms should not be included in your writing sample.
The personal statement is an opportunity for you to share your background, experiences and, crucially, the types of contemporary literature that you like to read and which you aspire to write.
These are some of the things we’re looking for you to demonstrate in the writing sample, across both prose and poetry. The list is not exhaustive or prescriptive, and should be used as a guide rather than a checklist.
Prose
- A degree of consistency and persuasiveness of setting, character and point-of-view (in creative fiction) and subject matter, theme and tone (creative non-fiction)
- Evidence of essential aspects of technique and form such as narrative point-of-view, dialogue, physical description and narrative time
- Clear and fluent expression, avoiding predictable, clichéd or expositional language
- Good editing and presentation skills, including a command of spelling, grammar and punctuation
Poetry
- A good command of register and tone
- A willingness to engage with aspects of technique and form such as metre, rhyme, imagery, metaphor and simile (although not all of these need to be present)
- Expression that is lucid and focused, without reliance on abstractions
- Clear evidence of editing and presentation skills, including a command of spelling and punctuation.
Other routes of entry
If you don't currently meet our academic requirements, INTO University of Stirling offers a variety of preparation programmes that can earn you the qualifications and skills you need to progress onto some of our courses. Explore INTO University of Stirling to see the pathway and pre-masters routes available.
International entry requirements
If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.
- Pearson Test of English (Academic) 60 overall with a minimum of 59 in each sub-skill.
- IBT TOEFL 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.
See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO University of Stirling offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.
Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses.
Course details
Our aim as you study the MLitt Creative Writing is to provide a supportive environment for you to develop your writing, allowing you the time and space to fine-tune your creative skills and make connections with your fellow writers and the wider literary landscape of Scotland.
Modules
The module information below provides an example of the types of course module you may study. The details listed are for the academic year that starts in September 2024. Modules and start dates are regularly reviewed and may be subject to change in future years.
Course Details
You’ll take part in intensive writers’ workshops, technique-focused modules and have one-to-one tuition by the distinguished writers on staff. There’s also intriguing visits from authors, book agents, publishers, poets and others involved in the literary world.
Workshops, seminars and guest lectures are held on campus. Throughout the course, we encourage our students to embrace the wider literary life by attending – even organising – events, readings, festivals and libraries.
Staff have strong links to local research and creative networks, including the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival, the Annual Charles Wallace India Trust and the Booker Prize Foundation Universities Initiative, and students are encouraged to attend a wide range of literary related events.
Assessment for each module you take will vary, but may include a critical essay, a journal or a creative project.
Assessment for the workshops will depend on the literary form you’ve chosen (e.g. prose or poetry), but will be based on reading journals and/or working notebooks, book reviews and completed pieces of creative work.
The most significant piece of work in the course is the creative dissertation, due at the end of the summer. This should be approximately 15,000 words of prose, or a collection of around 15 poems. A dissertation may be a portfolio of shorter texts – stories, personal essays, poems – or part of a novel. It’s expected to be revised and polished original work, written and presented to professional standards.
If you don’t embark on the dissertation you may be awarded a Diploma. The work of the best students completing the course may be deemed worthy of an MLitt with Distinction.
Dr Lorna Gibb
This course is taught by Liam Bell Lorna Gibb, Kevin MacNeil and Natalia Liebnitz.
Fees and funding
University of Stirling alumni will automatically be awarded a fee waiver for the first year of Masters studies through our Stirling Alumni Scholarship.
Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland who hold a first-class honours degree or equivalent will automatically be awarded a £2,000 scholarship through our Postgraduate Merit Scholarship.
If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Eligible students could receive a scholarship worth between £4,000-£7,000. See our range of generous scholarships for international postgraduate students.
If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Postgraduate tuition fee loans
The full-time option for this course is eligible for a postgraduate tuition fee loan from one of the UK’s governments. See the Scholarships and funding section, below, for more details.
Additional costs
There are some instances where additional fees may apply. Depending on your chosen course, you may need to pay additional costs, for example for field trips. Learn more about additional fees.
Funding
If you have the talent, ability and drive to study with us, we want to make sure you make the most of the opportunity – regardless of your financial circumstances.
Learn more about available funding opportunities or use our scholarship finder to explore our range of scholarships.
Postgraduate tuition fee loans
Scottish students may be eligible to apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for loans of up to £11,500 to cover tuition fees and associated living costs.
English students can apply for a loan of up to £12,167 each year as part of the Postgraduate Masters Loan Scheme.
Welsh students can apply for financial support of up to £18,770 as a combination of grant and loan from Student Finance Wales.
Northern Irish students can apply for a postgraduate tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 from Student Finance NI.
International students may be able to gain additional funding from loan providers.
If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.
International (including EU) students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.
We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay
After you graduate
Our graduates leave the course with a sizeable portfolio of written work that can be used to contact publishing agents and literary magazines when seeking employment.
They also find a place for their creativity in many areas, including teaching, broadcasting, librarianship, publishing and community work. Many choose to become self-employed as writers and tutors. Some develop their interest further by studying for a PhD.
Our MLitt Creative Writing graduates are highly literate self-managers capable of realising sustained projects using their own initiative and creativity. By the end of the course, you’ll have developed skills in:
Communication and presentation
You’ll be able to articulate complex ideas and information in imaginative, comprehensible and entertaining forms. You’ll also have improved communication skills letting you present ideas in verbal and written forms to audiences in a range of situations, as well as being able to encourage, evaluate and assist with the work of others.
Self-management
You’ll be proficient in working independently, setting goals and meeting deadlines. You’ll use your creativity and imagination to meet challenges and to respond positively to change and uncertainty.
Critical engagement
You’ll gain the ability to formulate independent judgements, articulate arguments and research relevant material, presenting your findings in engaging and innovative ways.
We offer a comprehensive employability and skills programme to help you maximise your time at university and develop the attributes that employers look for. In the Faculty of Arts and Humanities we have a dedicated Employability and Skills Officer. The University of Stirling’s Careers Service also works in partnership with academic staff to ensure you get the most out of your University experience, and are ready for the employment market.
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