Creative Writing, Ph.D.

  • Application Deadline
  • 24 months
    Duration
  • English (schedule IELTS)
    Language

About

You’ll be allocated two supervisors, with additional staff members available if necessary. Our supervisors are experienced in most areas of creative writing, with a focus on the short story; engagement with science and technology (all genres); experimental poetry; and screenwriting.

They host many informal workshops and discussions for staff and postgraduate students in creative writing, as well as regular research seminars, allowing you to present your creative practice as research in a safe and supportive setting. These events, along with our online environment, will help you connect with other research students from a range of creative disciplines.

You could also benefit from financial support. We allocate a substantial sum every year towards postgraduate travel and conference expenses, as well as some bursaries.

All your subject-specific studies will be enhanced and supported by our University-wide training sessions, where you’ll gain important research expertise in areas like ethics, presentations, intellectual property and digital scholarship.

Accreditation

Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Privy Council, Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a large (uniRank enrollment range: 15,000-19,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as pre-bachelor degrees (i.e. certificates, diplomas, associate or foundation degrees), bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study.

Detailed Programme Facts

  • Programme intensity

    You can choose to do this programme part-time or full-time.

    Full-time
    • Full-time duration 24 months
    Part-time
    • Average part-time duration 36 months
    • Intensity Flexible
    • Duration description

      MPhil: 1-3 years (full-time), 2-4 years (part-time). PhD via progression from MPhil, including that period: 2-5 years (full-time), 3-6 years (part-time). PhD: 2-5 years (full-time), 3-6 years (part-time).

  • Languages
    • English
    Schedule IELTS Find English Courses
  • Delivery mode
    Blended

Programme Structure

You’ll develop your writing in a collaborative research environment with strong links to local research and creative networks, including Cambridge Literary Festival, Menagerie Theatre, Writers' Centre Norwich, CB1 Poetry, Women's Word at Lucy Cavendish College, and University of Cambridge’s Faculty of English and Department of History and Philosophy of Science.


Lecturers

Our permanent supervisory staff include published creative writers working in fiction, poetry, screenwriting and writing for performance, as well as colleagues from English Literature, Film Studies and Media Studies and Drama. Our expertise includes:

Laura Dietz, BA, MA: science and literature; evolutionary and cognitive approaches to literature; reputation and legitimacy in post-print publishing environments; the novel, especially innovative forms. Author of In the Tenth House (Crown, Random House, 2007).

Judy Forshaw, BA, MA: screenwriting; Judy wrote for television including EastEnders and Byker Grove before joining ARU. She was awarded the Impress Prize for Fiction and an Arts Council Grant to write the novel she is currently completing.

Dr Una McCormack, MA, MSc, PhD (Senior Lecturer): fanfiction; transformative works; women's science fiction. Author of Star Trek: The Fall: The Crimson Shadow (Pocket Books, 2013), Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Brinkmanship (Pocket Books, 2012) and Doctor Who: The Way through the Woods (BBC Worldwide Limited, 2011) among others.

Dr Colette Paul, MA, MLitt, PhD (Senior Lecturer): short story theory and practice; contemporary fiction, particularly Canadian literature; narratology. Author of Whoever You Choose to Love (Weidenfeld & Nicolson/Phoenix, 2004), shortlisted for the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Writers Award.

English Language Requirements

You only need to take one of these language tests:

  • Minimum required score:

    100

    The TOEFL iBT ® measures your English-language abilities in an academic setting. The test has four sections (reading, listening, speaking, and writing), each with a score range of 0-30, for a total score range of 0-120. Read more about TOEFL iBT ®.

    Schedule TOEFL®

  • Minimum required score:

    600

    The TOEFL®PBT is administered in a paper format and measures your ability to use and understand English in a classroom setting at the college or university level. It accurately measures how well you can listen, read and write in English while performing academic tasks. Read more about TOEFL®PBT.

    Schedule TOEFL®

  • Minimum required score:

    7

    The IELTS – or the International English Language Test System – tests your English-language abilities (writing, listening, speaking, and reading) on a scale of 1.00–9.00. The minimum IELTS score requirement refers to which Overall Band Score you received, which is your combined average score. Read more about IELTS.

    Schedule IELTS

    StudyPortals Tip: The UK government has confirmed new English-language testing requirements for visa and immigration purposes. Learn more

Academic Requirements

MPhil: You’ll need a Bachelor degree or equivalent with first or upper second class honours, in a related subject area.

PhD: You’ll need a Master degree or equivalent in a related subject area.

Please note we consider most candidates for PhD with progression from MPhil. If you want to apply for direct entry to the PhD route, you’ll also need to provide academic justification for this with your application.

If English is not your first language, you'll require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5, with a 7.0 in the written English component.. If you don't meet our English language requirements, we offer a range of courses which could help you achieve the level required for entry.

Tuition Fee

  • International Applies to you

    11900 GBP/year
    Tuition Fee
    Based on the original amount of 11900 GBP per year and a duration of 24 months.

  • EU/EEA Applies to you

    4195 GBP/year
    Tuition Fee
    Based on the original amount of 4195 GBP per year and a duration of 24 months.
We've labeled the tuition fee that applies to you because we think you are from and prefer over other currencies.
UK & EU students, 2017/18 (per year, part time)

  • £2,098

Living costs for Cambridge

  • 846 - 1470 GBP/month
    Living Costs

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

For advice on funding and scholarships please visit our finance pages for postgraduate students and researchers. Where available, the ARU jobs search lists research positions/scholarships.


StudyPortals Tip: Students can search online for independent or external scholarships that can help fund their studies. Check the scholarships to see whether you are eligible to apply. Many scholarships are either merit-based or needs-based.

The Global Study Awards: get funded with up to £10,000 to study abroad

Together with the ISIC Association and British Council IELTS, StudyPortals offers you the chance to receive up to £10000 to expand your horizon and study abroad. We want to ultimately encourage you to study abroad in order to experience and explore new countries, cultures and languages.

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