MA Creative Writing

at University College Cork

Students take 90 credits in total.
 

Part I (50 credits)
 

Core Module

• EN6036 The Business of Writing (10 credits)
   

Elective Modules
 

Choose 40 credits from the following:

• EN6031 Poetry I (10 credits)
• EN6032 Fiction Workshop: Serving the Idea (10 credits)
• EN6033 Writing the Self: Fiction & non-Fiction (10 credits)
• EN6042 Creative Writing Workshop (5 credits)
• EN6056 Reading the Novel Creatively (5 credits)
• EN6057 Writing for Other Media (5 credits) 
• EN6060 Poetry II: Mythology & Contemporary Poetry (10 credits)
• EN6061 Poetry Workshop (5 credits)
   

In order to ensure coherence and a good workload balance over the course of the programme, students will select their modules in consultation with the programme coordinator and other members of the Board of Studies as appropriate. Not all modules may be available every year.
 

Part II

• EN6040 Dissertation in Creative Writing (40 credits)

Applications will be considered from graduates of all disciplines. Applicants will normally have a Second Class Honours Grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or above, in any discipline. For North American students a cumulative GPA of 3.2 is normally expected. Applicants with relevant writing or arts experience (eg. working in publishing, journalism or arts administration) are also invited to apply.
 

All applicants will be asked to submit a short piece of creative writing (of 1000 words (any genre). This piece of creative writing will be used by the teaching team to evaluate each applicant's suitability. Further examples of the applicant's work may be requested.
 

Minimum Requirements and Accepted English Language Tests & Examinations The minimum English language entry requirements for admission onto a postgraduate programme at UCC are outlined below. These requirements are for postgraduate applicants whose first language is not English. If Gaeilge (Irish) is your first language these requirements do not apply to you.There are a small number of programmes with a higher minimum English language entry requirement and we list these below under Programmes with a Higher Minimum English Language Requirement.IELTS*  
 

• 6.5 Overall
• 6.0 Individual Skills (academic version)
   

TOEFL iBT  

• 90 Overall
• Listening 20
• Reading 19
• Speaking 21
• Writing 20

The EU fee for this course is €7,330; €3,700 (Year 1 Part-time); €3,700 (Year 2 Part-time).
 

The Non-EU fee for this course is €16,400.
 

Deposits

If your course required a deposit, that figure will be deducted from your second semester fee payment in January.
 

EU student fee payment

Fees for EU students are payable in two equal instalments. First payment at registration in August and the second in January.
 

International student fee payment

International Students can pay in two equal instalments once they have paid the appropriate deposit. The initial payment is due on registration and the balance usually by the end of January.

This MA will provide an excellent foundation for a variety of writing and publishing careers, including authorship across a range of forms and styles, journalism, teaching, publishing, and arts administration.
 

The design of the MA fosters contacts with agents, publishers, and the professional world of the creative industries; it also produces well-crafted writing in one (or more) of the forms of creative writing.
 

Students experiment with, engage with, and reflect on a diversity of writing practices and establish an awareness of the role of technique and craft in their own work. They also learn how to interact with peers on an editorial level, and to understand the importance of editing and revision in the process of writing. Developing appropriate research methods and recording processes of self-reflection are also key components of the MA, encouraging students to reflect upon and discuss the conceptual challenges of the creative process, key contexts, and practical concerns. Finally, the MA fosters in its students an understanding of the practical constraints and professional opportunities of life as a writer, and a lifelong relationship with the written word.