Creative Writing at St Andrews
Introduction and Staff
St Andrews School of English offers courses in Creative Writing taught by some of the most highly regarded poets and novelists in the UK. The School, which enjoys a 5* rating, has developed a full range of courses at Undergraduate, MLitt and PhD level. In fact, St Andrews was the first Scottish University to offer degrees in Creative Writing. All tutors are professional writers of international reputation. Inklight is a new creative writing web project that is run by the students in the School of English.
We specialise in Poetry (taught by Robert Crawford, Kathleen Jamie and Don Paterson), Short Fiction and the novel (taught by John Burnside and Meaghan Delahunt).
Additional advice and support is available from Sara Lodge (speech writing) and Susan Sellers (contemporary fiction). The School's Honorary Professors include Kay Redfield Jamison, Paul Muldoon, and Marina Warner.
Undergraduate Courses in Creative Writing
Our popular Undergraduate Module in Creative Writing, the only such module in Scotland, can be taken by Honours students in English (and occasionally other disciplines) as part of their degree programme. Undergraduates keen to attempt a longer piece of creative work may take the Dissertation (Creative Writing Option). We also offer a module in Speeches and Speechwriting. An undergraduate short story competition called The Dan Hemingway Prize is held every year.
MLitt in Creative Writing
We offer a full-time, taught MLitt in Creative Writing. This is an intensive, thorough course for people with a commitment to their writing. You need not be published, far from it, but you should be ready to devote a year to developing and learning under the aegis of writers of international reputation. The MLitt is a flexible course which allows students to develop either their poetry writing, or their prose (novel and short fiction) or a combination of both. It offers both intensive teaching, with emphasis on craft and technique, plus time and space for students to develop and discuss their own work. Teaching is by weekly seminars, workshops and one-to-one meetings with the tutors. As professional writers, tutors have extensive knowledge of the publishing and literary world, broadcasting, editing, etc.. Alongside their writing modules, MLitt students take a module in Research Skills for Creative Writing, and, in the summer, prepare a Dissertation, which may be a section of a novel, some short stories or a collection of poems. The MLitt atmosphere is small and friendly, with around 20 members of the class as a whole. 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 small magazine The Red Wheelbarrow. Every year, MLitt students publish Scores, a book of their own work.
Please note that this course is extremely popular and that there are many more applicants than can be admitted. It is therefore advisable to apply for this course as early as possible.
PhD in Creative Writing
In 2003 we introduced the PhD in Creative Writing and welcomed our first students that year. So, if you are considering writing an extended work of fiction, say 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, including the StAnza Festival, student publications (such as The Red Wheelbarrow and Scores), visiting speakers and readings, etc. We have around 50 PhD students in the school, including some part-time, and the number of Creative Writers is increasing yearly. PhD students also take a dedicated module of Research Skills for Creative Writing which includes sessions on how to work with an agent, approaching different publishers, dealing with commissions and the technical aspects of book production.
The Structure of the PhD
A St Andrews Creative Writing PhD is based on both creative work and research. 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 combined total). The Creative Writing 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 a study of the evolution of a particular poetic form), or might consist of an investigation into the nature of creative writing itself, related to the work in the creative component of the degree. We are happy to consider applications which cross disciplines.
Pre-requisites for application
To study for a 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 (see above). Thereafter, subject to satisfactory progress and acceptance of your proposal by your intended supervisors, you may transfer directly to year 2 of a PhD, or if you wish begin a full 3 year PhD programme.
(N.B.: only St Andrews MLitt graduates may transfer to year 2 of a PhD.)
How to apply
- 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 indicate 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 we are, therefore, unable to offer any feedback on unsuccessful submissions.
Summer Programme
The University of St Andrews also organises a Creative Writing Summer Programme to which many School of English creative writers contribute masterclasses.
