University of St Andrews
Creative Writing

MLitt in Creative Writing: fiction

The MLitt in Creative Writing (fiction) is a full-time taught programme, and an intensive, thorough course for people with a serious commitment to writing fiction. Teaching consists of one weekly academic seminar, one weekly writing seminar (in which students, led by the tutor, discuss their own work), and one-to-one tutorials by appointment. MLitt students also take a dedicated module of Research Skills for Creative Writing, which includes practical sessions on literary journalism, how to work with an agent, approach a publisher and deal with commissioned work, as well as seminars on technical aspects of book production and practical advice on making a living as a writer. Students are assessed on both essays and creative work, and in the summer prepare a Dissertation, which consists of a section of a novel, or some short fiction.

The programme introduces students to the central concerns and practices in the writing of fiction, both in short story and novel form, as well as exploring the wider field of prose writing, with particular attention paid to the literary essay, the relationship between 'fact' and 'fiction', and key questions about history, politics and the writer's art. Study is made of style and structuring techniques in particular, looking at character, voice, the sense of place and the novel of ideas. There is a strong focus on the individual creative process, and working towards establishing an efficient and rewarding working practice, tailored to the needs of the individual writer. We also expect students to gain proficiency in carrying out sustained pieces of literary research and critical writing. We host several lively electronic discussion forums, to which students are strongly encouraged to participate.

Students have many opportunities to get involved in literary (and other) activities, both in the School and in the wider University or town community. The School hosts an active programme of visiting speakers and readings. St Andrews is the venue for the annual StAnza Poetry Festival, and students publish their own magazine, The Red Wheelbarrow (follow the links on the 'Media' page).

MLitt in Creative Writing: poetry

The MLitt in Creative Writing (poetry) is a full-time taught programme, and an intensive, thorough course for people with a serious commitment to writing poetry. Teaching consists of fortnightly one-to-one tutorials, a weekly two-hour writing seminar (in which students, led by the tutor, discuss their own work), and a weekly two-hour technical seminar. MLitt students also take a dedicated module of Research Skills for Creative Writing, which includes practical sessions on literary journalism, how to find and work with an agent, approach a publisher and deal with commissioned work, as well as seminars on technical aspects of book production and practical advice on making a living as a writer. Students are assessed on both essays and creative work, and in the summer prepare a Dissertation, which consists of a short collection of poems.

In the programme, students will gain a wide-ranging knowledge of the techniques used in twentieth century and contemporary poetry from the UK, Ireland and USA, through a close reading of selected poems; they will learn the ability to put these techniques into practice, and so develop and strengthen their own work. There is a strong focus on the individual creative process, and on establishing an efficient and rewarding working practice, tailored to the needs of the individual writer. We also expect students to gain proficiency in carrying out sustained pieces of literary research and critical writing. We host several lively electronic discussion forums, to which students are strongly encouraged to participate.

Students have many opportunities to get involved in literary (and other) activities, both in the School and in the wider University or town community. The School hosts an active programme of visiting speakers and readings. St Andrews is the venue for the annual StAnza Poetry Festival, and students publish their own magazine, The Red Wheelbarrow (follow the links on the 'Media' page).

If you are considering writing an extended work of fiction (a novel, or a collection of short stories) or a collection of poems, we can offer three-year PhD supervision, superb resources and the opportunity to enjoy the active social and literary atmosphere at St Andrews. The Creative Writing PhD consists of two equal components: creative, and academic research into an area related or complementary to your creative work. We expect our CW PhDs to produce research to the same standard as full academic PhDs; the programme is suitable only for students capable of original academic research, as well as creative work of a high standard.

A PhD thesis will consist of both a piece of academic research of approximately 40,000 words, and a piece of creative writing of similar length (80,000 words maximum in combined total). The latter may be a collection of short stories, an extract from a novel, or a selection of poetry. In the case of poetry, a collection of around 30 to 40 pages is required. The research project may be related either to some aspect of the creative work (e.g. research into the historical or cultural material which informs the composition of a novel, or the discussion of an aspect of technique or ars poetica), or might consist of an investigation into the nature of creative writing itself – where a student might take, for example, a literary critical, historical, linguistic, or cognitive scientific approach. We are happy to consider applications which cross disciplines.

PhD students also take a dedicated module of Research Skills for Creative Writing, which includes practical sessions on literary journalism, how to work with an agent, approach a publisher and deal with commissioned work, as well as seminars on technical aspects of book production and practical advice on making a living as a writer.

We usually have around 50 PhD students in the school, and the number of Creative Writers is increasing yearly. We have a dedicated Postgraduate facility on North Street which provides bright and airy office space for our students, and a place to meet and exchange ideas.

To study for a Creative Writing PhD at St Andrews, you should already have gained a Distinction on a Creative Writing MLitt or Masters degree. If you have not, you must first complete the St Andrews Creative Writing MLitt. Thereafter, subject to satisfactory progress and acceptance of your proposal by your intended supervisors, you may begin the PhD programme.

You should acquaint yourself with the creative writing tutors' own writing by visiting their individual web-pages, and by reading some of their published work. This will give you some indication as to whether our MLitt will offer you an appropriate course of study and tuition.

When applying, please use our fully automated online application system. To speed up response times, we would encourage prospective students to have the additional documents available for upload in either doc or pdf format at point of application. Any documents not available at that time cannot be uploaded at a later time and must instead be sent in hard copy to Postgraduate Admissions, University of St Andrews, St Katherine's West, The Scores, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AX.

Please be aware that posting hard-copy documents to accompany an on-line application is likely to slow down the speed at which it is processed. It is best to upload all necessary documents at once if at all possible.

Please note that references will be automatically requested via email by our system. You should therefore obtain permission in advance from your referees to include their email addresses in your application, and advise them that they may upload references directly to us following an email request.

Your application should include the following documentation:

- CV/resume

- Personal statement, saying what you hope to gain from the MLitt and confirming your module choices.

- A writing sample of either original verse or prose, (approximately 10 poems or around 10-15 pages of prose).

- Academic transcripts from previous university degrees (certified copies only (including module grades where available); please do not send originals as they cannot be returned)

- Two references (directly from referees. Both may be academic references, but we will also accept one academic reference and one other from a writing professional.)

Your application will be assessed by the creative writing team and processed by the university; the Admissions Office at St Andrews will then relay a formal decision to you. The School aims to deal with complete applications within 2 weeks, but during busy times of the year there may be an unavoidable delay. We cannot, of course, begin to assess applications until they are complete. The decision of the creative writing team is final. We receive a very high volume of applications each year and regrettably we are unable to offer any feedback on unsuccessful submissions.

You should acquaint yourself with the creative writing tutors' research interests by visiting their individual web-pages, and by reading some of their published work. Then, if you believe that your interests match theirs, contact your prospective supervisor directly by e-mail, giving a brief outline of your proposal.

If your prospective supervisor thinks that your project is a viable one for the St Andrews PhD programme, he or she will advise you to contact the School of English postgraduate office from where you will receive the necessary application and information links. Please do not contact the postgraduate secretary directly for information about the programme until you have ascertained a positive statement of interest from your prospective supervisor. Please also note that the creative writing tutors cannot engage in detailed feedback during the application process: their role at this stage is simply to assess eligibility for application.

Complete the on-line application. For the PhD in Creative Writing you will need to supply a portfolio of sample work. Please supply at least 1,000 words of creative prose or ten pages of poetry, and 1, 000 words of critical prose, so that we can assess your suitability for both elements of the PhD programme. You should also supply a 500-word research proposal. This should outline your proposed genre and topic, indicate the relationship you envisage between the creative and research elements, and say why you think the St Andrews PhD programme is the right one for your project.

Your application will be assessed by the creative writing team and processed by the university; the Admissions Office at St Andrews will then relay a formal decision to you. The School aims to deal with complete applications within 2 weeks, but during busy times of the year there may be an unavoidable delay. We cannot, of course, begin to assess applications until they are complete. The decision of the creative writing team is final. We receive a very high volume of applications each year and regrettably we are unable to offer any feedback on unsuccessful submissions.