Creative Writing

This exciting new course offers an opportunity for early-career and emerging writers to spend a year working with professional writers in a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment to develop their work and to foster connections with the wider literary community.



The DCU MA in Creative Writing offers intensive, hands-on courses in the writing of drama, poetry, screenwriting and prose fiction, as well as tailored courses in critical reading and creative practice.



Programme Aims and Objectives

Our aim is to introduce students to a comprehensive range of creative writing techniques in the forms of drama, fiction, poetry and screenwriting. It is our belief that serious writers will benefit from this exposure to each creative discipline, no matter what the main interest of the student might be, as many aspects of writing technique (for example, imagery, rhythm, narrative structure, voice/language register, the use of rhetorical tropes) are applicable across multiple forms and genres and not specific to one form or genre. Students will engage with seminal texts from Irish and global literature and workshop their work in progress, learning how to deliver and accept constructive feedback on their work, and developing a wide technical vocabulary that will enrich their understanding of their own work and of the work of others. Students who may be interested in pursuing more specialised genres such as life-writing, children’s literature or fantasy would also gain significantly from this pedagogical approach and will have the opportunity to create within their chosen form in the Writing Project. Our hope is that all students will bring the knowledge gained from each distinct seminar into their final piece of creative work/portfolio.



Programme Structure

This is both a full and part-time MA/Level 9 award in Creative Writing. The MA comprises 1 core 30 credit module “Reading like a writer” which runs over both the first and second semesters. Students then have the option to choose three of four 10 credit modules on Fiction, Drama, Poetry and Screenwriting. There is also a 30 credit writing project. Full time students complete all of their credits in one year.

Programme Academic Structure for 2023 - 2024, Master of Arts in Creative Writing

This information is provisional & subject to change.



Full-time Programme Structure

Year 1 Core Modules:

Code Title Credit Semester Exam % CA % Resit Category

EL533 Reading like a Writer: Craft and Creativity 30 Year long 0 100 1

EL535 Writing Project 30 Autumn Semester 0 100 2



Year 1 Optional Modules -

Code Title Credit Semester Exam % CA % Resit Category

EL530 Poetry Seminar 10 Semester 2 0 100 1

EL531 Fiction Seminar 10 Semester 1 0 100 1

EL532 Drama Seminar 10 Semester 1 0 100 1

EL536 Screen Writing 10 Semester 2 0 100 1



Part-time Programme Structure

Year 1 Optional Modules,

Code Title Credit Semester Exam % CA % Resit Category

EL530 Poetry Seminar 10 Semester 2 0 100 1

EL531 Fiction Seminar 10 Semester 1 0 100 1

EL532 Drama Seminar 10 Semester 1 0 100 1

EL536 Screen Writing 10 Semester 2 0 100 1



Year 2 Core Modules:

Code Title Credit Semester Exam % CA % Resit Category

EL533 Reading like a Writer: Craft and Creativity 30 Year long 0 100 1

EL535 Writing Project 30 Autumn Semester 0 100 2

Requirements

For admission to the MA in Creative Writing, successful applicants will have -

• A degree at the level of an Irish or UK Honours undergraduate degree (H2.2 or above) or equivalent, in a Humanities discipline but holders of other degrees or appropriate professional experience should provide information in their personal statement.

• Applicants with appropriate combinations of professional qualifications and experience may also be considered. This includes discipline-specific knowledge and know-how; transferable skills; basic research competency; personal effectiveness.

• International candidates who are non-native speakers of English must satisfy the University of their competency in the English language.



Due to the specialist nature of this programme, additional criteria may be used to assess suitability to undertake this programme.

Application Deadlines

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the programme is full or until the following dates:



Closing date for non EU applicants is 1st July 2024

Closing date for EU applicants is 31st July 2024

Note applicants who require a study visa for the purposes of studying at DCU, are advised to apply as early as possible.



All entry requirements should be met before the commencement of the programme.



Application Queries

For EU applicant queries, please visit https://www.dcu.ie/registry/eu-postgraduate-taught-admissions or email postgraduateadmissions@dcu.ie



For non EU applicant queries, please visit https://www.dcu.ie/registry/international-admissions-undergraduate-and-postgraduate or email internationaladmissions@dcu.ie



To apply for this programme:

All Applicants must apply through DCU's Student Application Portal - view Application Weblink above

Provide Academic Transcripts for each and every year of study with English translation, if applicable.

Provide an example of writing, creative or otherwise, on a topic/theme of your choice maximum 3,000 words prose / 15 pages drama (correctly formatted) / 12 pages of poems.

If applicable, provide evidence of competence in the English language as per DCU entry requirements. Please see link http://www.dcu.ie/registry/english.shtml



Please note if you are a non EU student and require a study visa, you are not eligible to apply for part-time programmes as study visas are only granted for full-time programmes.

1 year full-time or 2 years part-time.

The programme commences in September 2024

Careers

• Journalism (online, radio & print)

• Arts administration

• Publishing

• Directing & producing in theatre, film, radio, television

• Librarian & bookselling

• Advertising

• Education/Teaching

• Web content creators/managers.

• The Theatre sector/ Playwrights/ Literary managers/ Dramaturges