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Mphil/phd creative writing, course information.

English and Creative Writing

3-4 years full-time or 4-6 years part-time

Course overview

The inter-relationship between theory, scholarship and the creative process is key to the Goldsmiths MPhil/PhD Creative Writing.

Programme content

• You'll be expected to combine your own creative writing – whether poetry, fiction or life writing – with research into the genre or area of literature in which you are working, to gain insight into its history and development, and to engage with relevant contemporary debates.
• This might be genre in the more traditional sense, for example satire, fictional autobiography, verse drama, or particular traditions to which you feel your work relates, for example projective verse, postmodernist fiction, or Caribbean poetics.
• This element of the PhD – the critical commentary – will constitute around 30% of the final work; the major part – 70% – will be a creative work of publishable standard: a novel, memoir, book of poems or collection of stories, for example.
• Assessment is by thesis and viva voce.
• North American applicants especially should note that the British system does not include preparatory taught classes or examinations as part of the MPhil/PhD programme, except for an initial course in research methods.
• Find out more about  research degrees at Goldsmiths . 

Goldsmiths creative writing students and alumni

Former and current PhD students include the following published writers and poets: 

• 2019 Booker Prize-winning   Bernardine Evaristo , whose Jerwood Fiction Uncovered -winning book Mr Loverman was written, in part, at Goldsmiths
• Season Butler
• Benjamin Woolley
• Linda Buckley-Archer
• Wendy Jones
• Justin Hill 
• Sophie Ward
• Francis Gilbert  
• Emma Darwin
• Virginia Peters
• Thomas Sykes
• Aoife Mannix
• Katrina Naomi
• Kate Miller  (winner of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry Prize) 
• Kathryn Maris
• Jack Underwood
• Abigail Parry
• Matthew Gregory
• Jenny Lewis

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Stephen Knight .

Entry requirements

You should normally hold a first or upper second class BA Honours degree and have either a good MA in Creative Writing or a track record of relevant publications with a reputable company.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification ) of 7.0 with a 7.0 in writing and no element lower than 6.5 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study .

Fees, funding & scholarships

Annual tuition fees.

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

• Home - full-time: £4786
• Home - part-time: £2393
• International - full-time: £17690

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office , who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment .

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page .

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities . If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

AHRC studentships

The  Department of English and Creating Writing  sometimes offers fee waivers for this programme.

How to apply

You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.

If you are interested in applying to the PhD Creative Writing programme, please send your academic CV, along with a sample of your writing (approx 3,000 words) to   graduateschool (@gold.ac.uk) . These will then be seen by the programme convenor, who will be able to advise on supervisor availability in the department, and whether you should submit a formal application via the 'Apply Now' link at the top of this page.

Before submitting your application you'll need to have: 

• Details of  your education history , including the dates of all exams/assessments
• The  email address of your referee  who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference
• Contact details of a second referee
• A  personal statement – t his can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online

           Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement

• If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory)
• Details of your  research proposal

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

Before you apply for a research programme, we advise you to get in touch with the programme contact, listed above. It may also be possible to arrange an advisory meeting.

Before you start at Goldsmiths, the actual topic of your research has to be agreed with your proposed supervisor, who will be a member of staff active in your general field of research. The choice of topic may be influenced by the current research in the department or the requirements of an external funding body. 

If you wish to study on a part-time basis, you should also indicate how many hours a week you intend to devote to research, whether this will be at evenings or weekends, and for how many hours each day.

Research proposals

Along with your application and academic reference, you should also upload a research proposal at the point of application. 

This should be in the form of a statement of the proposed area of research and should include: 

• delineation of the research topic
• why it has been chosen
• an initial hypothesis (if applicable)
• a brief list of major secondary sources

How detailed a research proposal are we looking for on the application form?   Obviously what you put on the form and exactly what you end up researching may be rather different, but in order to judge whether or not to offer you a place, the Department needs to know whether you have the broad outlines of a viable project. This means:

• a project that is both worthwhile and interesting, but not over-ambitious
• a project that can realistically be achieved within the confines of PhD on a full-time (4 years typically) or part-time (6 years maximum) basis
• we need to be sure that you have thought about it carefully and are fully committed to the research
• we need to be sure that you understand what is involved in doing a PhD
• your research proposal should give us enough information to be able to interview you (if you are in the UK) or reach a decision as to whether to admit you if you are not based in the UK

When to apply  

We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September. 

We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place conditional on you achieving a particular qualification.  

If you're applying for external funding from one of the Research Councils, make sure you submit your application by the deadline they've specified. 

Selection process 

If your degree is in an unrelated field, you may be considered subject to a qualifying interview and/or submission of sample essays.

Find out more about applying .

Department of English and Creative Writing have a wide range of research specialisms; find out more about our staff and their research interests .

You'll develop transferable skills, including:

• enhanced communication and discussion skills in written and oral contexts
• the ability to analyse and evaluate different textual materials
• the ability to organise information
• the ability to assimilate and evaluate competing arguments
• Public relations
• Advertising
• The civil service

Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths .

Research training programme

Training in research methods and skills is provided both by the department and Goldsmiths' Graduate School. This begins with an intensive week-long induction in the first week of enrolment and continues later in the first term with a series of seminars focussing on the specific challenges of literary and linguistic research projects. The department will also inform you about any research training seminars or study-days offered elsewhere in the University of London (for exmaple, by the Institute of English Studies or the Institute of Modern Languages Research, School of Advanced Study) or beyond, such as at the British Library. The specific training requirements of your project will be assessed, and guidance provided on specialist seminars and conferences to attend, which can be supported where possible by assistance from departmental funds.

Similar programmes

MA Creative & Life Writing

Have you got a story to tell? Or poems that you want to shape into a collection? This Masters degree will help you develop your creative writing practice. You’ll experiment with a wide variety of forms to help you discover your preferred mode of writing.

MA Literary Studies

This unique and intellectually rigorous Masters programme gives you the opportunity to develop the study of literature at an advanced level from a variety of perspectives.

MPhil/PhD English, Comparative Literature or Linguistics

We offer MPhil and PhD research programmes in English (including American Studies), Comparative Literature or Linguistics for full or part-time study.

MPhil/PhD Literary & Critical Theory

Explore critical theory in its historical and contemporary modalities on the Goldsmiths MPhil/PhD in Literary and Critical Theory.

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Creative Writing

Application options include:

Course Overview

This MA Creative Writing gives you the chance to better understand the craft of writing and gain valuable constructive criticism from other writers and experts who are as serious about developing your work as you are. It is ideal if you want to develop your practice as a writer and work toward publication and/or sustaining a career in the industry.

Why choose this course?

• Our MA is highly respected nationally and internationally and we have a growing list of published and prizewinning authors whose work started life in our seminars, recently including Abi Daré, JJ Bola, Lily Dunn, Annalie Grainger, Louise Hare, Sally Hinchcliffe, Vanessa Onwuemezi, Melody Razak and Saba Sams.
• You will study the art of writing with a faculty of acclaimed authors, which include Julia Bell, Luke Williams and David Eldridge, to name a few.
• You will benefit from the experience and expertise of a team who have been running this creative writing course for almost 20 years enabling diverse cohorts of students to develop as writers across genres and to support their careers.

What you will learn

On this MA Creative Writing you will deepen your knowledge of reading and writing and the possibilities of literature across all forms and genres, as well as developing critical and professional skills relevant to the workplace.

You will take core modules which focus your attention on the fundamentals of writing and then choose option modules which give you the opportunity to diversify your practice and experiment in more specialist areas and concerns including:

• writing for video gaming
• screenwriting
• playwrighting
• memoir writing
• creative non-fiction
• genre fiction.

How you will learn

In workshops, tutorials and supervisions you will benefit from close and attentive readings of your work. In lectures and seminars, we consider issues of craft, expression and meaning within the context of how you see the world, how we theorise writing and contextualise our work within broader traditions. You will build on existing skills and develop new techniques and approaches to writing under the tutelage of published authors who are experts in your specialism.

Entry to the course is based on the submission of a portfolio of creative work, and candidates whose work shows promise will be invited for interview.

Discover the career opportunities available by taking Creative Writing (MA).

Key information and modules

Creative writing ma: 1 year full-time, on campus, starting october 2024.

Central London

Creative Writing MA: 2 years part-time, on campus, starting October 2024

Creative writing: january start ma: 2 years part-time, on campus, starting january 2025, pathways for creative writing (ma).

This course has additional Pathways to offer you the chance to specialise depending on your interests and career goals.

• Creative Writing and Contemporary Studies (MA)

Find another course:

• Birkbeck was ranked 2nd in the UK for its English Language and Literature research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
• We have close links between the MA and the Centre for Conte mporary Literature at Birkbeck, which runs a wide variety of talks and conferences in this field. In addition to working with the established and award-winning writers who teach the degree, you will have contact with industry professionals, such as publishers and literary agents, who offer a series of platform discussions in the summer term.
• The Mechanics' Institute Review, MIROnline , is a forum for the most exciting new writing in short fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction selected from students on this course and beyond. It runs regular live literature events and offers you publishing and editing opportunities.
• Birkbeck is located in the heart of literary London, in Bloomsbury, WC1. You could be studying in a building that was once home to Virginia Woolf and frequented by members of the Bloomsbury Group. The building houses our own creative hub which includes the Peltz Gallery , the Gordon Square Cinema and a theatre and performance space .
• We have a range of scholarships available to enable talented students on low incomes to study with us, such as the Sophie Warne Fellowship . Once you have secured a place on the course you will be invited to apply for these awards. We offer a number of bursaries for postgraduate students .

Birkbeck makes all reasonable efforts to deliver educational services, modules and programmes of study as described on our website. In the event that there are material changes to our offering (for example, due to matters beyond our control), we will update applicant and student facing information as quickly as possible and offer alternatives to applicants, offer-holders and current students.

Most of our courses are taught in the evenings, however some of our courses offer a daytime timetable. Where there is an option to attend daytime teaching sessions, this is stated in the Key Information section under Attendance.

Entry Requirements

A second-class honours degree (2:2 or above, though this requirement may be waived if you can demonstrate exceptional talent), a personal statement (to be submitted with your application form) and a portfolio of prose writing of no more than 3000 words.

Your portfolio should be a section of a novel with a synopsis, a couple of short stories or a combination of the two. Please note that poetry, children’s fiction, journalism, screen- or playwriting are not appropriate submissions for this MA. Students are selected on the basis of their portfolio and statement, an interview (selected candidates only) and their degree.

Portfolio guidelines:

• Submit application.
• Wait up to 48 hours.
• Submit writing portfolio (Word or PDF) by logging into your MyBirkbeck profile, then going to the ‘Manage my application’ link and attaching the document.

Applications are reviewed on their individual merits, and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.

On your application form, please list all your relevant qualifications and experience, including those you expect to achieve.

Apply now  to secure your place. The earlier you apply, the sooner your application can be considered and you can enrol. You do not need to have completed your current qualification to start your application.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this programme is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement,  we offer pre-sessional English courses and foundation programmes  to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our  English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country .

Visa and funding requirements

If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

• Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
• Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

International students who require a Student visa should apply for our full-time courses as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol as a student on Birkbeck's part-time courses (with the exception of some modules).

For full information, read our visa information for international students page .

Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country .

Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

Credits and accredited prior learning (APL)

If you have studied at university, you may have accumulated credits through the modules you studied. It may be possible to transfer these credits from your previous study to Birkbeck or another institution.

Creative Writing MA: 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time, on campus, starting in academic year 2024-25

Academic year 2024–25, starting october 2024.

Part-time home students: £5,400 per year Full-time home students: £10,800 per year Part-time international students : £9,915 per year Full-time international students: £19,830 per year

Creative Writing: January start MA: 2 years part-time, on campus, starting in academic year 2024-25

Academic year 2024–25, starting january 2025.

Part-time home students: £5,400 per year Part-time international students : £9,915 per year

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the College Fees Policy .

If you’ve studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a discount on the tuition fee of this course.

Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at Birkbeck.

International scholarships

We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. Discover if you are eligible for a scholarship .

At Birkbeck, most of our courses are taught in the evening and all of our teaching is designed to support students who are juggling evening study with work and other commitments. We actively encourage innovative and engaging ways of teaching, to ensure our students have the best learning experience.

Teaching may include formal lectures, seminars, and practical classes and tutorials. Formal lectures are used in most degree programmes to give an overview of a particular field of study. They aim to provide the stimulus and the starting point for deeper exploration of the subject during your own personal reading. Seminars give you the chance to explore a specific aspect of your subject in depth and to discuss and exchange ideas with fellow students. They typically require preparatory study.

In addition, you will have access to pastoral support via a named Personal Tutor.

Methods of teaching on this course

Teaching is seminar-based. Each session is generally two hours, and there are further regular one-to-one tutorials throughout the year.

Key teaching staff on this course

Staff who may teach on this MA include successful, published authors and practitioners such as:

• David Eldridge
• Richard Hamblyn
• Jonathan Kemp
• Luke Williams

Teaching hours

Our evening hours are normally between 6pm and 9pm (6-7.30pm and 7.30-9pm). Some programmes also offer teaching during the day and this will be clearly signposted to you where it is available.

On our taught courses, you will have scheduled teaching and study sessions each year. Scheduled teaching sessions may include lectures, seminars, workshops or laboratory work. Depending on the modules you take, you may also have additional scheduled academic activities, such as tutorials, dissertation supervision, practical classes, visits and field trips. On our taught courses, the actual amount of time you spend in the classroom and in contact with your lecturers will depend on your course, the option modules you select and when you undertake your final-year project (if applicable).

Alongside your contact hours, you will also undertake assessment activities and independent learning outside of class. The amount of time you need to allocate to study both for taught sessions (this might include online sessions and/or in-person sessions) and personal study will depend on how much you are studying during the year and whether you are studying full time or part time.

Birkbeck’s courses are made up of modules and allocated ‘credit’. One credit is equivalent to ten hours of learning time. Modules are usually in 15, 30 or 60 credit units. A 15-credit module will mean around 150 hours of learning, including taught sessions and independent study or group work. This is spread out over the whole period of that module and includes the time you spend on any assessments, including in examinations, preparing and writing assessments or engaged in practical work as well as any study support sessions to help you in your learning.

On our distance-learning and blended-learning courses, discussion, collaboration and interaction with your lecturers and fellow students is encouraged and enabled through various learning technologies.

Timetables are usually available from September onwards and you can access your personalised timetable via your My Birkbeck Profile online (if you have been invited to enrol).

Indicative class size

Class sizes vary, depending on your course, the module you are undertaking, and the method of teaching. For example, lectures are presented to larger groups, whereas seminars usually consist of small, interactive groups led by a tutor.

Independent learning

On our taught courses, much of your time outside of class will be spent on self-directed, independent learning, including preparing for classes and following up afterwards. This will usually include, but is not limited to, reading books and journal articles, undertaking research, working on coursework and assignments, and preparing for presentations and assessments.

Independent learning is absolutely vital to your success as a student. Everyone is different, and the study time required varies topic by topic, but, as a guide, expect to schedule up to five hours of self-study for each hour of teaching.

Study skills and additional support

Birkbeck offers study and learning support to undergraduate and postgraduate students to help them succeed. Our Learning Development Service can help you in the following areas:

• academic skills (including planning your workload, research, writing, exam preparation and writing a dissertation)
• written English (including structure, punctuation and grammar)
• numerical skills (basic mathematics and statistics).

Our Disability and Dyslexia Service can support you if you have additional learning needs resulting from a disability or from dyslexia.

Our Counselling Service can support you if you are struggling with emotional or psychological difficulties during your studies.

Our Mental Health Advisory Service can support you if you are experiencing short- or long-term mental health difficulties during your studies.

Assessment is an integral part of your university studies and usually consists of a combination of coursework and examinations, although this will vary from course to course - on some of our courses, assessment is entirely by coursework. The methods of assessment on this course are specified below under 'Methods of assessment on this course'. You will need to allow time to complete coursework and prepare for exams.

Where a course has unseen written examinations, these may be held termly, but, on the majority of our courses, exams are usually taken in the Summer term, during May to June. Exams may be held at other times of the year as well. In most cases, exams are held during the day on a weekday - if you have daytime commitments, you will need to make arrangements for daytime attendance - but some exams are held in the evening. Exam timetables are published online.

Find out more about assessment at Birkbeck, including guidance on assessment, feedback and our assessment offences policy.

Methods of assessment on this course

Four short creative pieces with critical essays (67%). A dissertation (15,000 words) in one of the following genres: a novella, novel or collection of short stories, with a preface of 3000 words (33%).

Careers and employability

On successfully graduating from this MA Creative Writing, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

• strong creative and critical skills
• a sophisticated use of written and spoken English
• an advanced ability in engaging with ideas and developing your own opinions and arguments
• facility and precision in the use of analytical tools
• strong skills and initiative in collecting and organising complex materials and writing up clear, well-presented reports or fluent critical arguments
• adaptability, resilience and initiative.

Graduates can pursue career paths in areas such as:

• copywriting
• narrative design

Birkbeck Creative Writing graduates include:

• Niki Aguirre
• Sarah Alexander
• Laura Allsop
• Iphgenia Baal
• Phoebe Blatton
• Mary Lynn Bracht
• Nicole Burstein
• Tray Butler
• Melissa De Villiers
• Liz Fremantle
• AJ Grainger
• Jules Grant
• Emma Henderson
• Sally Hinchcliffe
• Heidi James
• Keith Jarrett
• Olya Knezevic
• Matthew Loukes
• Fiona Melrose
• Suzanne O'Sullivan
• Victoria Richards
• Nadim Safdar
• Karin Salvalaggio
• David Savill
• Stefanie Seddon
• Luke Tredget.

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

You apply directly to Birkbeck for this course, using the online application link.

You will need to prove your identity when you apply - read more about suitable forms of identification .

When to apply

You are strongly advised to apply now, to ensure there are still places on your chosen course and to give you enough time to complete the admissions process, to arrange funding and to enrol.

You don't need to complete your current programme of study before you apply - Birkbeck can offer you a place that is conditional on your results.

You will also receive information about subject-specific induction sessions over the summer.

Help and advice with your application

Get all the information you need about the application, admission and enrolment process at Birkbeck.

Our online personal statement tool will guide you through every step of writing the personal statement part of your application.

Apply for your course

Apply for your course using the apply now button in the key information section .

Course structure

Course structure listing, course structure and modules for creative writing ma: 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time, on campus, starting october 2024.

You must complete modules worth a total of 180 credits, consisting of:

• two compulsory modules (30 credits each)
• two option modules (30 credits each)
• a 15,000-word dissertation (60 credits).

Compulsory modules

• Creative Non-Fiction
• Writing and Reading Seminar

Option modules

• Contemporary Writing 2: Genre
• Introduction to Playwriting
• Introduction to Screenwriting
• Poetry Workshop
• Writing The Self
• Writing Workshop

MA Creative Writing Dissertation

• Dissertation MA Creative Writing

Course structure and modules for Creative Writing: January start MA: 2 years part-time, on campus, starting January 2025

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Creative Writing PhD

Course detail, entry requirements.

• Fees & funding
• Study & career progression

A PhD in Creative Writing gives you the opportunity to develop an original piece of writing (for example a novel, play, screenplay, radio drama) and an accompanying thesis, in which you connect this creative work to relevant theoretical, critical and historical thinking. Together, these assessed elements lead to the award of the prestigious PhD in Creative Writing.

Working collaboratively, we aim to help you craft your work to the highest possible standard as well as facilitate your engagement with the professional world. All writers are encouraged to develop their skills in the broadest way possible. This means participating in writing exercises across a spectrum including reviews and blogs.

Our academics are often consulted by publishers about book proposals and manuscripts. ee a list of potential PhD supervisors and read about their expertise, in the 'Supervisors' section lower down the page. 

Find out more about the full range of  PhD study    opportunities   in the School of Film, Media and Design.

Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

Why study Creative Writing with us?

What our students say…

UWL has truly state-of-the-art facilities. I feel like I'm learning something new every day.

Research Centres

We have seven Research Centres, staffed by experts with an enviable record of publications, conferences, media and public engagement work.

World-leading Research

The University of West London has been recognised by the Government's Research Excellence Framework (REF) for its exceptional research work.

You will be supervised by active researchers/writers with considerable experience of publication, editing, and working with other writers. Our academics are widely published on topics as varied as Jane Austen, Rambo, and literary adaptations.

About PhD study

This course is available for you to study either on a full-time or part-time basis and you have the flexibility to switch should you need to.

A PhD is founded on independent research.  You will undertake a systematic and in-depth exploration of your chosen topic to produce a substantial body of knowledge and make an original and important contribution to the subject area.  

The support provided by your supervisory team will be vital to your student experience and scholarly advancement.  You and your supervisors will have regular one-to-one meetings which will provide you with opportunities to develop your research topic and discuss your progress.

Our research record

View our  academic journal 'New Vistas'   to see the work of students and academics who are making an impact both locally and globally through their research findings.

Based in the heart of Ealing, west London, you can make use of the excellent transport links to travel to the the capital or further afield - ideal for attending research meetings and networking events.

Got a question?

If you would like guidance or more information about studying for a research degree, you can contact  Professor Jeremy Strong .

To enable you to enhance your professional profile, we support you throughout your research degree by:

• providing research seminars
• organising doctoral events and activities
• facilitating networking and collaboration opportunities
• encouraging and supporting publication and dissemination of your research
• offering opportunities to gain teaching expertise and experience.

We provide structured research training, expert supervision, and an environment where you can discuss your research with other PhD students and researchers.

We run seminars in research methods from the Graduate Centre, as well as an ongoing series of events and activities organised by Schools and Colleges. Specialist help with academic English for students for whom English is not their first language is available.

Our facilities include a fully equipped TV Studio containing a lighting grid with DMX lighting control, green and white screens, Ross Crossover Vision Mixer for live editing and audio and video recorder / playback devices.

Media Resource Centre

Our Media Resource Centre is available to all London School of Film Media and Design students for free. We hold a variety of cameras, lights, sound equipment and recording devices. Students can also loan equipment demonstrated in class.

The Paul Hamlyn Library

The Paul Hamlyn Library provides an extensive range of books, journals and digital resources, PC and Mac workstations and a variety of study spaces. Find out more about what the  Paul Hamlyn Library has to offer .

We contribute to national and international initiatives and promote collaboration and networking opportunities. We also encourage and support you to publish and disseminate your research in academic journals and via presenting papers at conferences.

We run an annual conference for doctoral students, where you are encouraged to present a paper about your research. As well as being an opportunity to discuss your work with other students, the conference is a chance to gain valuable experience in presenting your research and participating in open discussions with academic peers.

You will also find other opportunities such as postgraduate student seminars and forums within your specific subject area.

Once you start a PhD course at UWL, you become part of our research community. You will have access to a postgraduate common room, located at our Ealing campus on St Mary’s Road, where you will meet fellow researchers from other subject disciplines offering scope for collaborations or simply to discuss ideas, allowing you to be part of a vibrant research environment.

• Requirements: UK
• Requirements: International

The minimum entry requirements for a research degree are:

• a good first degree (First Class or Upper Second Class), or equivalent qualification in a relevant field
• a Masters Degree (MA, MSc, MBA or MRes) with Merit, or equivalent postgraduate or research experience.

We look for students with:

• a passion for their chosen subject.

You will also have a well thought through and persuasive proposal.

• Competence in written and spoken English is a pre-requisite for entrance to this programme. An IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of 6.5 (with no element under 6.0).

Fees & funding

• Funding: UK
• Funding: International

The fee above is the cost per year of your course.

If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year. If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and you will need to pay the full fee upfront.

Government regulation does affect tuition fees and the fees listed for courses starting in the 2025/26 academic year are subject to change.

If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

Funding for postgraduate students usually comes from one or more of a range of key sources:

• research councils
• charities and trust funds, including those funded by the UK government
• higher Education institutions
• overseas governments (international students only)
• professional and career development loans
• self-funding (including family funds).

Find out more about funding opportunities. Examples of most of these types of funding are included on the postgraduate studentships website , (with the exception of funding you may be able to obtain from your employer and self-funding).

Bursaries and scholarships

We offer generous bursaries and scholarships to make sure your aspirations are your only limit. See our PhD scholarships , scholarships and bursaries .

For any overseas students, your first port of call should be grant-awarding bodies in your own country (eg The Ministry / Department of Education) and your local (or nearest) office of the British Council.

The British Council manage a small number of international studentship grants in some countries and should be able to tell you what other awards may be available to you - they also produce the Sources of funding for international students guide.

Supervisors

Professor jeremy strong.

Dr Jonathon Crewe

Study & career progression

Studying for a PhD enables you to develop an area of specialism that will give you an edge whether you are planning to work in industry or to develop expertise to teach in academia.

Graduates of the PhD: Creative Writing will be highly accomplished writers, fluent and capable in what is – perhaps – the ultimate transferable skill. It will help position you for a  career in the many branches of the thriving media and cultural industries – nationally and internationally - as well as for academic careers in teaching and research

How to apply

• How to apply: UK
• How to apply: International

To apply for one of our research courses, click the green 'apply now' link shown below to complete an online application form. You will need to attach the following documentation to your online application form:

• research proposal outline (5000 words maximum)
• transcript of your highest qualification.

The research proposal outline, or statement of research interests, enables us to assess your suitability for higher degree work including:

• viability of the topic as a research study
• the most appropriate supervisor(s) to be appointed.

Click here  for more information on applying for a PhD.

Apply for this course

Next steps after making your application.

We aim to make a decision on your application as quickly as we can. If we need any more information about your qualifications, we will be in touch.

In the meantime, come and visit us and find out more about what studying at UWL is like. Sign up for an  open day  or join a campus tour .

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Any questions about a course or studying at UWL? We're here to help - call us on 0800 036 8888 (option 2, Monday – Friday 10am-4pm) or email us on [email protected].

To apply for one of our research courses, click the green 'apply now' link shown below to complete an online application form.  You will need to attach the following documentation to your online application form:

• research proposal outline

Related courses

Phd english literature.

PhD Film Studies

PhD Psychology

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Creative Writing PhD (On-Campus or by Distance Learning)

Annual tuition fee 2024 entry: UK: £4,786 full-time, £2,393 part-time International: £21,840 full-time; £10,920 part-time (distance learning only) More detail .

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Work with our team of award-winning authors to develop your creative practice and its critique. Creative Writing at Birmingham is part of the Department of Film and Creative Writing, and is closely aligned to the Departments of English Literature and English Language and Applied Linguistics, allowing you to benefit from our breadth of expertise.

This practice-based PhD will support you in the development of a long-form piece of creative writing, or a sequence of related works. You will also identify critical concerns and interests related to your creative practice, situating your work within a wider literary context. The final submission is divided between the creative piece and a related critical document.

Your PhD submission will usually entail:

For prose : a creative document of either long-form prose/a novel, or a collection of short-form prose/stories supported by a critical paper. The total word count will be between 80,000 and 100,000 words, though the weighting between the two elements will vary slightly. A novel, for example, usually between 60,000 to 80,000 words. The critical paper can therefore be between 20,000 to 40,000 words. 

For poetry : a creative document of collected poems or a single work of poetry supported by a critical thesis (usually 20,000-50,000 words)

For scriptwriting (film or live performance) : a single project or a collection of multiple shorts, which should be of comparable length and commitment as the prose element, again with an accompanying critical element between 20,000 to 40,000 words.

Other creative formats (for example a script for a graphic novel) will follow the above model/weightings.

The creative document will be an original work of significant, publishable quality which demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of craft, genre, and form. The critical document will present a structured and developed argument that demonstrates an awareness of literary  context, and discuss - where relevant - critical and creative processes.

AHRC funding for PhD students

The University of Birmingham is part of the Midlands4Cities Doctoral Training Partnership (M4C), offering Arts and Humanities Research Council PhD studentships for campus-based programmes. These include a number of Collaborative Doctoral Award opportunities. Each studentship includes research fees, a substantial maintenance grant and additional research training support. Applications are open until 12:00 (noon), 13 January 2021.

Find out more

Scholarships for 2024 entry

The University of Birmingham is proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate programmes. With a scholarship pot worth over £2 million, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps.

Each scholarship has its own specific deadlines and eligibility criteria. Please familiarise yourself with the information on individual scholarship webpages prior to submitting an application.

Explore our scholarships

Virtual Open Day: Postgraduate opportunities in Creative Writing - 7 March 2020, 14:00-15:00

Join us online to watch a range of staff and student videos, and take part in our online chat where Dr Daniel Vyleta will be answering your questions about postgraduate study.

Find out more and register

You can study our Creative Writing PhD full-time or part-time, on campus or by distance learning. The College of Arts and Law is experienced in delivering high-quality distance learning to students all over the world. Find out more on our  distance learning website .

At Birmingham, Postgraduate Taught and Postgraduate Research students also have the opportunity to learn graduate academic languages free of charge, to support your studies.

• Graduate School Language Skills

I’ve enjoyed studying at the University of Birmingham’s state of the art green campus with its spacious library and welcoming multicultural environment. The close interaction between students and supervisors has kept my research progress on track and constantly improving. Hui-Han

Why study this course?

• Work with published writers: You will be working with published writers in a thriving research-active environment across a range of disciplines, including poetry; short-story; novel writing; and screen-writing
• Develop your craft: We also encourage new and diverse forms of writing and aim to develop craft, including research and editing skills, to support your creative project. The course team are experienced in helping you to theorise your approaches to your writing and research processes.
• Creative community: You will work alongside a community of writers and scholars, which includes active researchers in all areas and disciplines. There are a number of presentations and events staged by the School and by the Creative Writing team, alongside a vibrant arts and writing community in Birmingham and the West Midlands. We encourage our students, at all levels, to be active within the community and to participate in readings, festivals, and events, both regionally and nationally.
• Preparation for teaching: The research degree is of value for writers who wish to engage with research in academia, for preparation for teaching in Higher Education, and offers dedicated time and support to complete a significant creative project.
• World-leading research: The University of Birmingham is ranked equal 10th in the UK amongst Russell Group universities in the Research Excellence Framework exercise 2021 according to Times Higher Education

The postgraduate experience

The College of Arts and Law offers excellent support to its postgraduates, from libraries and research spaces, to careers support and funding opportunities. Learn more about your postgraduate experience .

We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2024 entry are as follows:

• UK: £4,786 full-time; £2,393 part-time *
• International: £21,840 full-time; £10,920 part-time (distance learning only)

The same fees apply to both campus-based and distance learning study. The distance learning programme also includes one fully-funded visit to campus in the first year of study.

The above fees quoted are for one year only; for those studying over two or more years, tuition fees will also be payable in subsequent years of your programme.

* For UK postgraduate research students the University fee level is set at Research Council rates and as such is subject to change. The final fee will be announced by Research Councils UK in spring 2024.

Eligibility for UK or international fees can be verified with Admissions. Learn more about fees for international students .

Paying your fees

Tuition fees can either be paid in full or by instalments. Learn more about postgraduate tuition fees and funding .

How To Apply

A strong application should include:

• A detailed description of the creative project (about two pages, with references, where possible, to other supporting texts)
• A description of the likely critical enquiry (which outlines the links between your creative project and the critical enquiry which will inform the development of the creative project).
• Examples of creative work (please include examples which are within your discipline, so if you want to write poetry, please include poems, if you want to write a novel, then a section of a novel, etc.,.)
• A brief statement explaining why you are interested in undertaking research with us at Birmingham. Many projects are achievable without needing a PhD, so it is helpful to see why you are interested in working within academia. It is also useful to see how this new project develops from previous projects, or relates to other creative and critical enquiries. This can be speculative.
• A decision on whether the period of study is to be full- or part-time (it is possible to adjust this once you are undertaking the research degree). If you are interested in Distance Learning, and if your application is successful, you will be asked to complete a form in which you provide details about your access to other resources and online support. Your supervisor will help you complete this prior to your being officially accepted.

Please note: The PhD is a demanding and rewarding period of advanced creative and academic independent study. It is also a terminal degree, and we require that applicants have either successfully completed a Creative Writing MA, or can demonstrate experience within their discipline. Unlike the MA, the PhD does not typically include group workshops and seminars. A strong application will demonstrate your current ability and experience within your creative discipline (so if you wish to write a film script, but have written novels, you would need some evidence of ability and knowledge in writing for film).

This is a popular course and there is a limited supervisor capacity to support doctoral research students. Our ability to support your research proposal may be dependent on the availability of a supervisor in your area of interest.

Application deadlines

Postgraduate research can start at any time during the year, but it is important to allow time for us to review your application and communicate a decision. If you wish to start in September 2024, we would recommend that you aim to submit your application and supporting documents by 1 June 2024.

If the programme has a Distance learning option then students will usually attend a residential visit in September or January, and those students wishing to attend the September residential are also encouraged to apply by 1 June 2024. The visit will take place at the end of September/beginning of October and you will receive further details once you have accepted your offer.

Six steps to apply for our Postgraduate Research courses

Do you have an idea for an interesting research project? You can follow our six easy steps to apply to study for our postgraduate research courses . These include guidance on identifying funding opportunities and writing your research proposal .

Please also see our additional guidance for  applicants to the PhD Distance Learning study mode .

Please note: While our PhD programmes are normally studied in three years full-time or six years part-time, and Masters-level research programmes one year full-time or two years part-time, many programmes have a longer length listed in course or funding applications. This is because the course length is defined as the maximum period of registration, which includes a period of supervised study plus a thesis awaited period. The maximum period of registration for a full-time PhD is four years (three years supervision plus one year thesis awaited). For a full-time Masters-level research programme, it is two years (one year supervision plus one year thesis awaited). For part-time programmes, the periods are double the full-time equivalent.

Making your application

• How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate research programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the research programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page . Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Our Standard Requirements

The creative and critical elements will entail considered independent research and development. For this reason, we can only consider applications from applicants who have successfully completed an MA in Creative Writing, or candidates who can demonstrate composite professional experience (which includes publishing). This should be clearly demonstrated in your application. For the PhD, you must demonstrate how the research project relates to your current creative practice.

Please note: check the staff profiles prior to application to make sure that your proposal is within an area that we can support. We will be unable to support a research project which falls too far outside of our own field of research and teaching.

For the application we require:

• a detailed outline describing the planned creative project
• an outline of the potential critical enquiry and how it relates to the creative project (this can be less detailed than the description of the creative project)
• a statement about your reasons for considering a research degree
• examples of creative work
• a short resume or CV
• two references from people who are familiar with both your creative and critical abilities

The application will be reviewed by the department in several stages. If there is an interested and available supervisor we will ask you form an interview, which can happen online.

International students

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries - use our handy guide below to see what qualifications we accept from your country.

English language requirements: standard language requirements apply for this course - IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band. If you are made an offer of a place to study and you do not meet the language requirement, you have the option to enrol on our  English for Academic Purposes Presessional Course  - if you successfully complete the course, you will be able to fulfil the language requirement without retaking a language qualification.

International Requirements

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 14/20 from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Argentinian university, with a promedio of at least 7.5, may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent

Applicants who hold a Masters degree will be considered for admission to PhD study.

Holders of a good four-year Diplomstudium/Magister or a Masters degree from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5 will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a good 5-year Specialist Diploma or 4-year Bachelor degree from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan, with a minimum GPA of 4/5 or 80% will be considered for entry to postgraduate taught programmes at the University of Birmingham.

For postgraduate research programmes applicants should have a good 5-year Specialist Diploma (completed after 1991), with a minimum grade point average of 4/5 or 80%, from a recognised higher education institution or a Masters or “Magistr Diplomu” or “Kandidat Nauk” from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0-3.3/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold a Masters degree from the University of Botswana with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (70%/B/'very good') will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Please note 4-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a Diploma of Higher Education. 5-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a British Bachelor (Ordinary) degree.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

A Licenciatura or Bacharelado degree from a recognised Brazilian university:

• A grade of 7.5/10 for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement
• A grade of 6.5/10for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement

Holders of a good Bachelors degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good post-2001 Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a minimum average of 14 out of 20 (or 70%) on a 4-year Licence, Bachelor degree or Diplôme d'Etudes Superieures de Commerce (DESC) or Diplôme d'Ingénieur or a Maîtrise will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Holders of a bachelor degree with honours from a recognised Canadian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A GPA of 3.0/4, 7.0/9 or 75% is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1.

Holders of the Licenciado or equivalent Professional Title from a recognised Chilean university will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD study will preferably hold a Magister degree or equivalent.

Students with a bachelor’s degree (4 years minimum) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. However please note that we will only consider students who meet the entry guidance below.  Please note: for the subject areas below we use the Shanghai Ranking 2022 (full table)  ,  Shanghai Ranking 2023 (full table) , and Shanghai Ranking of Chinese Art Universities 2023 .

需要具备学士学位（4年制）的申请人可申请研究生课程。请根据所申请的课程查看相应的入学要求。 请注意，中国院校名单参考 软科中国大学排名2022（总榜） ，  软科中国大学排名2023（总榜） ，以及 软科中国艺术类高校名单2023 。  

Business School    - MSc programmes (excluding MBA)  

商学院硕士课程（MBA除外）入学要求

School of Computer Science – all MSc programmes 计算机学院硕士课程入学要求

College of Social Sciences – courses listed below 社会科学 学院部分硕士课程入学要求 MA Education  (including all pathways) MSc TESOL Education MSc Public Management MA Global Public Policy MA Social Policy MA Sociology Department of Political Science and International Studies  全部硕士课程 International Development Department  全部硕士课程

  All other programmes (including MBA)   所有其他 硕士课程（包括 MBA）入学要求

Please note:

• Borderline cases: We may consider students with lower average score (within 5%) on a case-by-case basis if you have a relevant degree and very excellent grades in relevant subjects and/or relevant work experience. 如申请人均分低于相应录取要求（5%以内），但具有出色学术背景，优异的专业成绩，以及（或）相关的工作经验，部分课程将有可能单独酌情考虑。
• Please contact the China Recruitment Team for any questions on the above entry requirements. 如果您对录取要求有疑问，请联系伯明翰大学中国办公室   [email protected]

Holders of the Licenciado/Professional Title from a recognised Colombian university will be considered for our Postgraduate Diploma and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent.

Holders of a good bachelor degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Bacclaureus (Bachelors) from a recognised Croatian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 4.0 out of 5.0, vrlo dobar ‘very good’, or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree(from the University of the West Indies or the University of Technology) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A Class II Upper Division degree is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1. For further details on particular institutions please refer to the list below.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Masters degree or Mphil from the University of the West Indies.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, or a GPA of 3 out of 4, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalár from a recognised Czech Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, velmi dobre ‘very good’ (post-2004) or 2, velmi dobre ‘good’ (pre-2004), or a good post-2002 Magistr (Masters), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum overall grade of 7-10 out of 12 (or 8 out of 13) or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters/ Magisterkonfereus/Magister Artium degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Ecuadorian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 70% or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Magister/Masterado or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Licenciado with excellent grades can be considered.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 75% from a recognised institution. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bakalaurusekraad from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 4/5 or B, or a good one- or two-year Magistrikraad from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with very good grades (grade B, 3.5/4 GPA or 85%) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

Holders of a good Kandidaatti / Kandidat (old system), a professional title such as Ekonomi, Diplomi-insinööri, Arkkitehti, Lisensiaatti (in Medicine, Dentistry and Vetinary Medicine), or a Maisteri / Magister (new system), Lisensiaatti / Licenciat, Oikeustieteen Kandidaatti / Juris Kandidat (new system) or Proviisori / Provisor from a recognised Finnish Higher Education institution, with a minimum overall grade of 2/3 or 4/5, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters/Maîtrise with a minimum overall grade of 13 out of 20, or a Magistère / Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies / Diplôme d'Etudes Supérieures Specialisées / Mastère Specialis, from a recognised French university or Grande École to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Magister Artium, a Diplom or an Erstes Staatsexamen from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5, or a good two-year Lizentiat / Aufbaustudium / Zweites Staatsexamen or a Masters degree from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good four-year Ptychio (Bachelor degree) with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10, from a recognised Greek university (AEI), and will usually be required to have completed a good Metaptychiako Diploma Eidikefsis (Masters degree) from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

4-year Licenciado is deemed equivalent to a UK bachelors degree. A score of 75 or higher from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) can be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 60 is comparable to a UK 2.2.  Private universities have a higher pass mark, so 80 or higher should be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 70 is comparable to a UK 2.2

The Hong Kong Bachelor degree is considered comparable to British Bachelor degree standard. Students with bachelor degrees awarded by universities in Hong Kong may be considered for entry to one of our postgraduate degree programmes.

Students with Masters degrees may be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Alapfokozat / Alapképzés or Egyetemi Oklevel from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 3.5, or a good Mesterfokozat (Masters degree) or Egyetemi Doktor (university doctorate), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a 60% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of the 4 year Sarjana (S1) from a recognised Indonesian institution will be considered for postgraduate study. Entry requirements vary with a minimum requirement of a GPA of 2.8.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution, with 100 out of 110 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students who hold the Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies, Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Students with a Bachelor degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for entry to a postgraduate Masters degree provided they achieve a sufficiently high overall score in their first (Bachelor) degree. A GPA of 3.0/4.0 or a B average from a good Japanese university is usually considered equivalent to a UK 2:1.

Students with a Masters degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for PhD study. A high overall grade will be necessary to be considered.

Students who have completed their Specialist Diploma Мамаң дипломы/Диплом специалиста) or "Magistr" (Магистр дипломы/Диплом магистра) degree (completed after 1991) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of 2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate Masters degrees and, occasionally, directly for PhD degrees.  Holders of a Bachelor "Bakalavr" degree (Бакалавр дипломы/Диплом бакалавра) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of  2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, may also be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/50

Holders of a good Postgraduate Diploma (professional programme) from a recognised university or institution of Higher Education, with a minimum overall grade of 7.5 out of 10, or a post-2000 Magistrs, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a score of 16/20 or 80% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Libya will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 70% for 2:1 equivalency or 65% for 2:2 equivalency. Alternatively students will require a minimum of 3.0/4.0 or BB to be considered.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magistras from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, or a good post-2001 Magistras, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, or a Diplôme d'Études Supérieures Spécialisées (comparable to a UK PGDip) or Masters degree from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (70-74% or A or Marginal Distinction from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 60-69% or B or Bare Distinction/Credit is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Malaysian institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum of 3.0) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from the University of Malta with a minimum grade of 2:1 (Hons), and/or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (Honours) from a recognised institution (including the University of Mauritius) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2:1).

Students who hold the Licenciado/Professional Titulo from a recognised Mexican university with a promedio of at least 8 will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Students who have completed a Maestria from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree, licence or Maîtrise and a Masters degree, with a score of 14/20 or 70% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Students with a good four year honours degree from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. PhD applications will be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Doctoraal from a recognised Dutch university with a minimum overall grade of 7 out of 10, and/or a good Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (minimum 4 years and/or level 400) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of B/Very Good or 1.6-2.5 for a 2.1 equivalency, and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters, Mastergrad, Magister. Artium, Sivilingeniør, Candidatus realium or Candidatus philologiae degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with a CGPA of 3.0/4 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in the Palestinian Territories will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3/4 or 80% for 2:1 equivalency or a GPA of 2.5/4 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.    

Holders of the Título de Licenciado /Título de (4-6 years) or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Paraguayan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 4/5 or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  The Título Intermedio is a 2-3 year degree and is equivalent to a HNC, it is not suitable for postgraduate entry but holders of this award could be considered for second year undergraduate entry or pre-Masters.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría / Magister or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Título/Grado de Licenciado/a with excellent grades can be considered.

Holders of the Licenciado, with at least 13/20 may be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent. The Grado de Bachiller is equivalent to an ordinary degree, so grades of 15+/20 are required.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría or equivalent qualification.

Holders of a good pre-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4 out of 5, dobry ‘good’, and/or a good Swiadectwo Ukonczenia Studiów Podyplomowych (Certificate of Postgraduate Study) or post-2001 Magister from a recognised Polish university with a minimum overall grade of 4.5/4+ out of 5, dobry plus 'better than good', will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Licenciado from a recognised university, or a Diploma de Estudos Superiores Especializados (DESE) from a recognised Polytechnic Institution, with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, and/or a good Mestrado / Mestre (Masters) from a recognised university, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Romanian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10, and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree/Diploma de Master/Diploma de Studii Academice Postuniversitare (Postgraduate Diploma - Academic Studies) or Diploma de Studii Postuniversitare de Specializare (Postgraduate Diploma - Specialised Studies) to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Диплом Специалиста (Specialist Diploma) or Диплом Магистра (Magistr) degree from recognised universities in Russia (minimum GPA of 4.0) will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes/PhD study.

Students who hold a 4-year Bachelor degree with at least 16/20 or 70% will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies,Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. A score of 14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2

Students who hold a Bachelor (Honours) degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (or a score of 60-69% or B+) from a well ranked institution will be considered for most our Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees with a 2:1 requirement.

Students holding a good Bachelors Honours degree will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good three-year Bakalár or pre-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, Vel’mi dobrý ‘very good’, and/or a good Inžinier or a post-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Diploma o pridobljeni univerzitetni izobrazbi (Bachelors degree), Diplomant (Professionally oriented first degree), Univerzitetni diplomant (Academically oriented first degree) or Visoko Obrazovanja (until 1999) from a recognised Slovenian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8.0 out of 10, and/or a good Diploma specializacija (Postgraduate Diploma) or Magister (Masters) will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor Honours degree (also known as Baccalaureus Honores / Baccalaureus Cum Honoribus) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (70%) or a distinction (75%).

Holders of a Masters degree will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelor degree from a recognised South Korean institution (usually with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average 3.0/4.0 or 3.2/4.5) will be considered for Masters programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 7 out of 10 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and will usually be required to have completed a Masters degree, with 60-74% or a CGPA 3.30/4.0 or higher for 2:1 equivalency from a recognised institution to be considered for entry. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Kandidatexamen (Bachelors degree) or Yrkesexamen (Professional Bachelors degree) from a recognised Swedish Higher Education institution with the majority of subjects with a grade of VG (Val godkänd), and/or a good Magisterexamen (Masters degree), International Masters degree or Licentiatexamen (comparable to a UK Mphil), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good "PostGraduate Certificate" or "PostGraduate Diploma" or a Masters degree from a recognised Swiss higher education institution (with a minimum GPA of 5/6 or 8/10 or 2/5 (gut-bien-bene/good) for a 2.1 equivalence) may be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0, 3.5/5 or 75% from a recognised institution to be considered. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Bachelor degree (from 75% to 85% depending upon the university in Taiwan) from a recognised institution will be considered for postgraduate Masters study. Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for entry to our postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree or Mphil from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Students with a Bachelors degree from the following universities may be considered for entry to postgraduate programmes:

• Ateneo de Manila University - Quezon City
• De La Salle University - Manila
• University of Santo Tomas
• University of the Philippines - Diliman

Students from all other institutions with a Bachelors and a Masters degree or relevant work experience may be considered for postgraduate programmes.

Grading Schemes

1-5 where 1 is the highest 2.1 = 1.75 2.2 = 2.25 

Out of 4.0 where 4 is the highest 2.1 = 3.0 2.2 = 2.5

Letter grades and percentages 2.1 = B / 3.00 / 83% 2.2 = C+ / 2.5 / 77%

Holders of a postdoctoral qualification from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.  Students may be considered for PhD study if they have a Masters from one of the above listed universities.

Holders of a Lisans Diplomasi with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0 from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a Yuksek Diplomasi from a recognised university will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (2.1) or GPA of 3.5/5.0

Applicants for postgraduate research programmes should hold a good Bachelors degree / Диплом бакалавра (Dyplom Bakalavra), Диплом спеціаліста (Specialist Diploma) or a Dyplom Magistra from a recognised Ukrainian higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 4.0/5.0, 3.5/4, 8/12 or 80% or higher for 2:1 equivalence and will usually be required to have completed a good Masters degree to be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes. Applicants with lower grades than this may be considered on an individual basis.

The University will consider students who hold an Honours degree from a recognised institution in the USA with a GPA of:

• 2.8 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement 
• 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement 

Please note that some subjects which are studied at postgraduate level in the USA, eg. Medicine and Law, are traditionally studied at undergraduate level in the UK.

Holders of the Magistr Diplomi (Master's degree) or Diplomi (Specialist Diploma), awarded by prestigious universities, who have attained high grades in their studies will be considered for postgraduate study.  Holders of the Fanlari Nomzodi (Candidate of Science), where appropriate, will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of the Licenciatura/Título or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Venezuelan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Scales of 1-5, 1-10 and 1-20 are used, an overall score of 70% or equivalent can be considered equivalent to a UK 2.1.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Maestria or equivalent qualification

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Vietnamese institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum GPA of 7.0 and above) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.  Holders of a Masters degree (thac si) will be considered for entry to PhD programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0 or a mark of 2.0/2.5 (A) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a good Bachelor Honours degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

The Department is home to a number of award-winning writers and our research into the aesthetic, historical and theoretical contexts of literature is complemented by our strong traditions in creative practice as research.

Please contact a staff member working in your area of interest in the first instance: Find a supervisor in Creative Writing .

The University of Birmingham is the top choice for the UK's major employers searching for graduate recruits, according to The Graduate Market 2024 report .

Your degree will provide excellent preparation for your future career, but this can also be enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University and the College of Arts and Law.

The University's Careers Network  provides expert guidance and activities especially for postgraduates, which will help you achieve your career goals. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated  careers and employability team  who offer tailored advice and a programme of College-specific careers events.

You will be encouraged to make the most of your postgraduate experience and will have the opportunity to:

• Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique, whether you are looking for a career inside or outside of academia
• Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations
• Attend an annual programme of careers fairs, skills workshops and conferences, including bespoke events for postgraduates in the College of Arts and Law
• Take part in a range of activities to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to potential employers and enhance your CV

What’s more, you will be able to access our full range of careers support for up to 2 years after graduation.

Over the past five years, more than 96% of Creative Writing postgraduates were in work and/or further study six months after graduation. Postgraduates in the Department of Film and Creative Writing develop a range of skills including: the ability to lead and participate in discussions; critical thinking, and an appreciation of different theoretical contexts; the ability to develop opinions and new ideas; and an aptitude for thinking and working creatively with others. While some graduates go on to careers in related industries - such as writing, media and television - others have used their transferable skills to pursue roles such as advertising, teaching, and in the heritage and cultural sectors.

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Goldsmiths, university of london: creative writing.

The inter-relationship between theory, scholarship and the creative process is key to the Goldsmiths MPhil/PhD in Creative Writing.

You'll be expected to combine your own creative writing – whether poetry, fiction or life writing – with research into the genre or area of literature in which you are working, to gain insight into its history and development, and to engage with relevant contemporary debates.

This might be genre in the more traditional sense, for example satire, fictional autobiography, verse drama, or particular traditions to which you feel your work relates, for example projective verse, postmodernist fiction, or Caribbean poetics.

This element of the PhD – the critical commentary – will constitute around 30% of the final work; the major part – 70% – will be a creative work of publishable standard: a novel, memoir, book of poems or collection of stories, for example.

Goldsmiths creative writing students and alumni Former and current PhD students include the following published writers and poets:

2019 Booker Prize-winning Bernardine Evaristo, whose Jerwood Fiction Uncovered-winning book Mr Loverman was written, in part, at Goldsmiths Season Butler Tom Lee Benjamin Woolley Linda Buckley-Archer Wendy Jones Justin Hill Sophie Ward Francis Gilbert Emma Darwin Virginia Peters Thomas Sykes Aoife Mannix Katrina Naomi Kate Miller (winner of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry Prize) Kathryn Maris Jack Underwood Abigail Parry Matthew Gregory Jenny Lewis

Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

Full-time, 4 years starts sep 2024.

Part-Time, 6 years starts Sep 2024

Master of philosophy - mphil, full-time, 3 years starts sep 2024.

Part-Time, 4 years starts Sep 2024

An incubator for ideas

Creativity has always been the hallmark of Goldsmiths. Academic excellence and imaginative course content combine to make a place where creative minds can thrive and ideas are allowed to grow.

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Creative writing and practice-based phd, site search.

The Department of English supports a significant body of postgraduate students developing Practice-based PhDs, in which a component part of the research involves producing a body of creative work.

We have students developing novels, poetry collections, plays and creative work involving experimental poetic practices across disciplines and through a wide range of media. This creative component is coupled with the submission of a written critical component.

The relationship between the creative and critical work varies depending on the specific project, but can involve writing a critical reflection on the creative work and process of generating it; critically engaging with the work of related writers or artists; forwarding practical and/or theoretical lines of inquiry initiated by the creative practice, and so forth. 

The department welcomes applications for Practice-based PhDs from persons interested in pursuing this mode of research.

Applying for a practice-based PhD

We welcome applications from students who have or are about to obtain an MA or MFA in a related discipline. We also expect students to have achieved at least a 2:1 or equivalent in their first degree. 

We accept applications from non-standard applicants who can demonstrate experience and aptitude, including persons from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and creative practitioners who may not have had a traditional academic career.

Overseas applicants should have a degree of equivalent standard and must possess an excellent level of competence in spoken and written English. (Required IELTS scores are 7 overall with 7 in writing, and no remaining subscore to be below 5.5 if the applicant requires a student visa.)

Students are initially registered for an MPhil degree and transfer to PhD on satisfactory completion of the upgrade process. Full-time PhD students are expected to complete their degree in three years (with a fourth and final year for writing up).

Contacting supervisors

We recommend that you consult the  Creative Writing and Practice-based Research page  and look through the research profiles of our academic staff involved in supervision. It is worth determining whether your research interests resonate with any of the specific areas of interests outlined and, if so, to emphasise this in your application.

You may consider sending a preliminary research proposal to a potential supervisor ahead of completing your formal application. In addition to this preliminary proposal, you may also choose to send your writing sample. Sending out material in this manner will offer you a sense of whether your proposed area of research matches the specific expertise and interests of any potential supervisor(s) with whom you might like to work. Alternatively, should you decide to go straight into the formal application procedure, your proposal will be circulated to all potential supervisors for consideration. 

Writing a research proposal

Although there is no set model for how to put together your research proposal, the following is a basic outline of what you might include:

• Synopsis of both creative and critical components;
• Research questions and contribution to knowledge; 
• Background to research, including key literature;
• How the proposal relates to this context;
• Methods and approaches used (for both creative and critical components);
• Draft timetable;
• Indicative bibliography

Funding opportunities/TECHNE

Those intending to study for a PhD in the Department of English are able to apply for Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) studentships and for College Studentships. Please visit our  TECHNE Applications and Funding page for more information on how to apply. College studentships are offered to unsuccessful TECHNE applicants before other applicants are considered. Funding for non-EU overseas students is limited to a very small number of fee waivers allocated by the Faculty.

Further information

Please direct any further enquiries about Postgraduate Research in the Department of English to Professor Deana Rankin ( English Postgraduate Research Lead ).

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Creative Writing Research PhD

King's college london, university of london, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Creative Writing

Course type

The PhD in Creative Writing at King’s is a practice-led course, incorporating taught elements and aspects of professional development. It is designed to cater for talented, committed writers who are looking to complete a book-length creative work for publication and sustain a long-term career in writing.

Key Benefits:

Our unique programme offers students:

• a varied, structured framework for the development of their creative work, with regular feedback from experienced author-lecturers in the department through supervision and workshops
• purposeful engagement with professionals from the publishing and performance industries throughout the course, building potential routes to publication
• valuable teaching experience in creative writing at HE-level through our Graduate Teaching Assistantship scheme
• practical experience in public engagement, through curating and chairing public literary events at King’s
• a community of fellow writers and collaborative projects.

Description:

The course provides a supportive environment in which to enhance your creative writing technique, to explore the depths of your ideas, to sustain your creative motivation, and to prepare you for the demands of the writer’s life beyond university.

At King's we know that writing well requires self-discipline and an ability to work productively in isolation; but we also appreciate that postgraduate writers thrive when they are part of a community of fellow authors, an environment of constructive criticism and shared endeavour. We offer our PhD students the guidance of knowledgeable and experienced practitioners, as well as give them frequent opportunities to interact and collaborate with peers, to forge lasting connections within London’s writing industry, to develop their editorial skills and teaching experience.

PhD students are expected to attend the quarterly Thesis Workshop, and also to take an active part in curating literary events at King's, including an annual public lecture by a high-profile author and the "Poetry And..." quarterly reading series.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

Admission to the PhD in Creative Writing at King’s is based primarily on the quality of the applicant’s creative writing sample and the viability of the project proposal. All applicants for the PhD in Creative Writing at King’s should hold a Bachelor's degree with first class honours in a related subject area or an MA or MFA in Creative Writing with a Pass. So as not to disadvantage talented applicants from non-traditional academic backgrounds, we may also admit on the basis of the demonstrable quality of an applicant’s writing sample and/or project proposal (subject to successful interview with the candidate). These candidates will be expected to possess an undergraduate qualification.

MA Scriptwriting

Bournemouth university, ma creative writing and publishing, ma creative writing prose fiction, university of east anglia uea, ma creative writing poetry, ma creative writing scriptwriting.

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What do you want to do?

Find out about the research we do in creative writing.

• Creative Writing PhD

Find a supervisor

Mode of study

3 years full-time

6 years part-time

International   £21,260

UK   £4,786

Entry requirements

Research profile.

From modernist and post-war women's writing to Caribbean and migrant fiction, our research interests span a wide range of areas aimed at understanding how literature affects wider society. We have a strong focus on maximizing both socio-cultural and academic impact of our work.

Creative Writing at Brunel is a leader in the field, which has for many years now ranked in the top 10% of Creative Writing degrees in the UK. We have some of Britain’s most celebrated, talented, original, and experienced writers actively publishing in the industry today, including Will Self, Bernardine Evaristo, Christopher Fox, Geoff King, Fiona Templeton and many more, having published over 80 powerfully diverse books between them and written for all the national newspapers. Our particular areas of strength include modern and contemporary literature, Shakespeare, Renaissance studies, Victorian literature and culture, and world literature in English.

Find out about the exciting research we do in this area. Browse profiles of our experts, discover the research groups and their inspirational research activities you too could be part of. We’ve also made available extensive reading materials published by our academics and PhD students.  

Learn more about research in this area.

The writers at Brunel are all actively publishing and specialists in many areas of writing including:

• all aspects of modern literary fiction
• all aspects of contemporary commercial fiction
• poetry, including for performance
• women's and multicultural writing
• horror and thriller writing
• all aspects of fantasy fiction
• post-colonial fiction
• children's/ YA fiction
• non-fiction
• screenwriting
• screen adaptation
• comedy writing
• writing for radio
• writing for opera
• autobiographical writing
• female genital mutilation in Africa and the UK
• the Fusion of creative writing and dramatherapy
• creative writing for therapeutic purposes
• the fusion of creative writing and dramatherapy

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour .

Our researchers create knowledge and advance understanding, and equip versatile doctoral researchers with the confidence to apply what they have learnt for the benefit of society. Find out more about working with the Supervisory Team .

You are welcome to approach your potential supervisor directly to discuss your research interests. Search for expert supervisors for your chosen field of research.

While we welcome applications from student with a clear direction for their research, we can also provide you with some ideas. Search for PhD topics for your chosen field of research.

Research journey

This course can be studied 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time, starting in January. Or this course can be studied 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time, starting in October. Or this course can be studied 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time, starting in April.

Find out about what progress might look like at each stage of study here:  Research degree progress structure.

Research support

Excellent research support and training

The Graduate School provides a range of personal, professional and career development opportunities. This includes workshops, online training, coaching and events, to enable you to enhance your professional profile, refine your skills, and plan your next career steps as part of the Researcher Development Programme . The researcher development programme (RDP) offers workshops and seminars in a range of areas including progression, research management, research dissemination, and careers and personal development. You will also be offered a number of online, self-study courses on BBL, including Research Integrity, Research Skills Toolkit, Research Methods in Literature Review and Principles of Research Methods.

Library services

Brunel's Library is open 24 hours a day, has 400,000 books and 250,000 ebooks, and an annual budget of almost £2m. Subject information Specialists train students in the latest technology, digital literacy, and digital dissemination of scholarly outputs. As well as the physical resources available in the Library, we also provide access to a wealth of electronic resources. These include databases, journals and e-books. Access to these resources has been bought by the Library through subscription and is limited to current staff and students.

Dedicated research support staff provide guidance and training on open access, research data management, copyright and other research integrity issues.

Find out more: Brunel Library

Careers and your future

You will receive tailored careers support during your PhD and for up to three years after you complete your research at Brunel. We encourage you to actively engage in career planning and managing your personal development right from the start of your research, even (or perhaps especially) if you don't yet have a career path in mind. Our careers provision includes online information and advice, one-to-one consultations and a range of events and workshops. The Professional Development Centre runs a varied programme of careers events throughout the academic year. These include industry insight sessions, recruitment fairs, employer pop-ups and skills workshops.

In addition, where available, you may be able to undertake some paid work as we recognise that teaching and learning support duties represent an important professional and career development opportunity.

Find out more.

UK entry requirements

2024/5 entry.

The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (1st or 2:1).

An interview will be required as part of the admissions process and will be conducted by at least two academic staff members remotely via MS Teams, Zoom, or face to face.

Applicants will be required to submit a personal statement ; a research statement, and a writing sample . Your writing sample should be no more than 4,000 words. You may submit any piece (or pieces) of creative writing from your portfolio, however, you may like to consider sharing work in the genre proposed for your PhD topic to assist staff with assessing your application.

Please contact your proposed supervisor, where possible, to receive feedback and guidance on your research statement before submitting it. Learn how to prepare a research statement here .

EU and International entry requirements

If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by  UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list . This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

English language requirements

• IELTS: 7 (min 6 in all areas)
• Pearson: 64 (59 in all subscores)
• BrunELT : 68% (58% in all areas)
• TOEFL: 98 overall (min 20) 

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our  English Language Requirements  page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our  Brunel Language Centre .

Please check our Admissions  pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

Fees and funding

International.

£21,260 full-time

£10,630 part-time

£4,786 full-time

£2,393 part-time

Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.

Some courses incur  additional course related costs . You can also check our  on-campus accommodation costs  for more information on living expenses.

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. Recently the UK Government made available the Doctoral Student Loans of up to £25,000 for UK and EU students and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.

Scholarships and bursaries

• Brunel Graduate Discount

King's College London

English research mphil/phd.

Key information

Joint PhDs available: Exciting opportunities to gain a joint PhD with Hong Kong University (HKU), the National University of Singapore (NUS) or Humboldt University in Berlin.

King’s is one of the oldest English departments in the country and is home to a lively and supportive group of academics and students engaged in the exploration of literary cultures from the 7th to the 21st centuries. Academics in the department have cross-period interests in visual and material cultures; literature, medicine and science; gender and sexuality; colonial, postcolonial and transnational cultures; creative writing, life writing and performance; text, history, politics.

All members of staff are actively involved in research: most have gained an international reputation for the quality of their scholarship and are frequently called on to contribute their specialist knowledge to newspapers and other media. Staff in the department regularly attract large-scale research grants from the European Research Council, Wellcome Trust, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Leverhulme Trust.

PhD students are at the heart of our Department and its research culture. We have over 100 doctoral students from all over the world working on a wide range of projects. Many are AHRC-funded and some are working on collaborative doctoral projects with our cultural partner institutions. Together with our community of postdoctoral fellows, our early career researchers both organise and participate in our thriving seminar and conference culture.

Research at the Department has been recognised in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, with 90 per cent overall rating for either ‘world leading’ (4*) or ‘internationally excellent’ (3*) research and 100 per cent at 4* and 3* for research environment. Current number of academic staff : 57 Current number of research students : 122

Recent publications:

• Clare Birchall, Radical Secrecy: The Ends of Transparency in Datafied America
• Adelene Buckland, Victorian Material Culture: Raw Materials
• Jon Day, Novel Sensations: Modernist Fiction and the Problem of Qualia
• Lara Feigel, Look! We Have Come Through! Living With D.H. Lawrence
• Carl Kears, MS Junius 11 and its Poetry
• Lucy Munro, Shakespeare in the Theatre: The King's Men
• Luke Roberts, Glacial Decoys
• Edward Sugden, Crossings in Nineteenth-Century American Culture: Junctures of Time, Space, Self and Politics
• Benjamin Wood , The Young Accomplice: A Novel

Current and recent research projects:

• India and the Indian Ocean in the Early Decolonial Period: Archipelagic Imaginaries, 1950s-1970s
• REDACT: Researching Europe, Digitalisation, and Conspiracy Theories (ESRC funded)
• Stories from Rwanda: Agency, Editing and New Audiences (AHRC funded)
• The Automation Imaginary, from 1822 to the Present (Leverhulme Trust funded)
• Underwater Lives: Humans, Species, Oceans (Leverhulme Trust funded)

Current doctoral projects:

• Elite Female Servants in Early Modern English Drama: Gender, Race and Status in Service
• Branding Bondage: Racialised Slavery in the Mediterranean on the Early Modern English Stage (1560 - 1640)
• The Myths I Became
• The New Carthaginians / The Codex of Basquiat: Writing through his Paintings as an African Diasporic Poet
• Pretending and Performing Gypsy Identity in Early Modern England
• Enacting Scripts of Mourning: Mourning Rituals in the Performing Arts in the Interwar Period, 1918-1939
• Modernist Up-topias: Imaginations of Height and Flight In Literature, Film, and Culture
• 'Dark Practices and Cunning Devices': The Materiality of Secrecy and Written Cultures of Security in Elizabethan England
• Women, Archaeology and the Provincial Press
• Changing Emotions in Early Modern Drama: Individual Agency and Social Frameworks

Joint PhDs available: Exciting opportunities to gain a joint PhD with either the National University of Singapore or Hong Kong University or Humboldt.

• How to apply
• Fees or Funding

UK Tuition Fees 2023/24

Full time tuition fees:

£5,820 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research)

£5,820 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research with Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin/University of Hong Kong/National University of Singapore)

Part time tuition fees:

£2,910 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research)

£2,910 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research with Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin)

International Tuition Fees 2023/24

£22,900 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research)

£22,900 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research with Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin/University of Hong Kong/National University of Singapore)

£11,450 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research)

£11,450 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research with Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin)

UK Tuition Fees 2024/25

£6,168 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research)

£6,168 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research with Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin/University of Hong Kong/National University of Singapore)

£3,084 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research)

£3,084 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research with Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin)

International Tuition Fees 2024/25

£24,786 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research)

£24,786 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research with Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin/University of Hong Kong/National University of Singapore)

£12,393 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research)

£12,393 per year (MPhil/PhD, English Research with Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin)

These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

Study environment

Base campus

Strand Campus

Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.

We place great emphasis on pastoral care and are a friendly and welcoming department. Our home in the new Virginia Woolf Building offers many spaces for postgraduate students to work and socialise. Studying in London means students have access to a huge range of libraries from the Maughan Library at King’s to the Senate House Library at the University of London and the British Library. In addition, archives and special collections abound: for instance The Women’s Library at LSE.

The department hosts a number of vibrant research seminars series and symposia open to all graduate students. In addition, there is a student-led graduate seminar series called ‘The Abstract’  and an online journal which allow students to present, discuss and publish their work. We also organise an annual graduate conference attended by students and staff in the department which provides a friendly and supportive forum in which research students can give papers on their work. Students are encouraged to organise their own events, with Departmental and College support.

Postgraduate training

There is a range of induction events and training provided for students by the Graduate School, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the English Department.

A significant number of our students are AHRC-funded through the London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) which also provides doctoral training to all students. All students take the ‘Doctoral Seminar’ in their first year. This is a series of informal, staff-led seminars on research skills in which students can share and gain feedback on their own work.

We run a series of ‘Skills Lunches’, which are informal lunch meetings with staff, covering specific topics, including Upgrading, Attending Conferences, Applying for Funding and Post-Doctoral Awards, etc. Topics for these sessions are generally suggested by the students themselves, so are particularly responsive to student needs.

We have an Early Career Staff Mentor who runs more formal workshops of varying kinds, particularly connected to career development and the professions (for example, ‘Applying for Jobs’ and ‘How to Write an Academic CV’). Furthermore, individual research groups within the department also provide various forms of trainings, including ‘Work in Progress’ sessions, in which students raise research/methodology questions related to their own projects. Through our Graduate Teaching Assistantship Scheme, doctoral students are given the opportunity to teach in the department (usually in their second year of study) and are trained and supported as they do so.

• Entry requirements

Accommodation

Discover your accommodation options and explore our residences.

Connect with a King’s Advisor

Want to know more about studying at King's? We're here to help.

Learning in London

King's is right in the heart of the capital.

PhD/MPhil Culture and Creative Industries

Postgraduate research degree

The Centre for Cultural and the Creative industries has a long history of internationally renowned research and scholarship, and is one of the world’s oldest places of specialisation in this field.

Research centres and groups

• Culture and the Creative Industries

Key information

Culture and Creative Industries Postgraduate research degrees PhD/MPhil course Overview

As a researcher for the Cultural and the Creative Industries PhD/MPhil programme, you will join a diverse, highly specialised international research community. Encompassing sociology, geography, economic development, cultural studies and policy development

Areas of expertise include:

• Challenges to Identity, Place, and Practices
• Heritage and the urban organization of culture
• In/equalities and labour conditions in the cultural industries
• Mediated identity, consumption and intimacy
• Lack of diversity in the creative economy, and its representations
• Creative Economy policy for cities, and (world) regions

We have close links with national and international agencies including the UN. This will give you a unique insight into how our research translates into solid outcomes.

You may also have the opportunity to be involved with projects being carried out by scholars working with these organisations.

The Programme

The PhD at City is designed to assist you with your research project and give you transferable skills for the years after you finish. The PhD programme is structured as follows: Year 1 - Student’s work with their supervisors to develop the literature review in their specific area. They will outline their methodology and plan for the thesis. They participate in peer seminars and research events in the department. Year 2 - In order to progress from MPhil to PhD students present an upgrade paper. They will outline their review of the literature, their methodology and gives an indication of the overall shape of the thesis.* Year 3 - The formal requirements in third year are focused around the writing up and submission of the thesis. Year 4 - The fourth year of a PhD is only used as a writing up year.

* Students on graduate research programmes are initially registered for an MPhil award. Promotion to registration to PhD is not automatic, but contingent on the satisfactory outcome of a review process.

The PhD programme concludes with the candidate submitting their research in the form of a PhD thesis. Then attending a viva voce examination with two examiners, at least one of whom will be external to City.

Candidates are required to demonstrate the following:

• understanding of previous research literature and current academic and professional thinking
• the ability to undertake sustained, high level research and master the theoretical (and where appropriate, practical) aspects of the subject areas relevant to the research field
• the ability to communicate the subject matter of the research field, and the conclusions of the particular research project, in the accepted academic form of a research thesis.

The research thesis/dissertation must contribute to the advancement of knowledge and the understanding of the subject.

An MPhil thesis should demonstrate evidence of systematic study. It should be either a record of original work or a critical exposition of existing knowledge. A PhD thesis should similarly demonstrate evidence of systematic study and in addition make a new contribution to the subject.

Please visit the Essential Information section of the Doctoral College page.

Requirements

Entry requirements.

Candidates should normally have or be expecting an upper second or first class degree in any related discipline. We also expect a Master's degree or equivalent with the dissertation component marked at Distinction level (70+).

However, we also welcome applications from mature students with substantial research experience. Candidates can be considered for a PhD by Prior Publication.

We also expect:

• A mature and independent attitude to research
• Adherence to the values of the Student Contract
• Commitment to taking part in a community of scholars
• An open attitude to the development of your own research
• Generous and constructive criticism of the work of others presented in seminars
• An understanding of the National Qualifications Frameworks
• Willingness to present working papers in School of Communication & Creativity Seminars and national and international conferences.

English requirements

Under City regulations research theses must be submitted in English. Candidates whose first language is not English will be required to show evidence of a high standard of written and spoken fluency.

Examples of this include a degree from a British university or a minimum overall score of 7.5 and no less than 7.0 in any of the subtests (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) administered by the British Council. For further information about IELTS, please see their website .

For more information see our main entry requirements page.

Visa requirements

If you are not from the European Economic Area / Switzerland and you are coming to study in the UK, you may need to apply for a visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study.

The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course. There are different rules for:

• Students on courses of more than six months
• Students on courses of less than six months
• Students on a pre-sessional English language course.

For more information see our main Visa page .

Fees and funding

Full-time Home/UK: £5,110 per year

Part-time Home/UK: £2,560 per year

Full-time International: £13,630 per year

Part-time International: £6,810 per year

Fees for doctoral candidates are charged annually and cover registration, supervision and examination.

Fees are subject to review each year and may vary during your period of registration. Where applicable, fees for City's programmes will be subject to inflationary increases in each academic year of study commencing in September . Our policy for these increases is set out in our terms and conditions of study .

You pay the above fees (which usually increase each year in line with inflation) annually until you are ready to go into 'writing up' status. Whereby you are no longer researching your research topic and are solely writing up your thesis for examination.

You will not be required to pay further tuition fees. You will however be charged the writing-up fee of £300 which will cover you for the duration of the writing-up period (a maximum of 12 months for full-time and 18 months for part-time students). If a student fails to submit their thesis within the maximum writing-up period, they will be reverted to full registration (full-time or part-time depending on their status before moving to writing up). They will then be required to pay the full fees.

Students will only be expected to pay for the time taken to complete the thesis. Once the thesis has been submitted the remaining proportional fees will be refunded to the student.

Fees are payable upon registration. Details of payment methods for tuition fees can be found on the Post Graduate Fees section of the website .

Support for PhD study

Prospective students are encouraged to explore doctoral Grants and funding opportunities such as:

• Research Council studentship awards , if available.

Our bursaries are non-repayable sums of money granted by the University, usually based on need.

Our loans are repayable sums of money granted by the University or other body.

Our scholarships are when the University pays towards your Study fees. You may also be eligible for further funding.

Postgraduate Doctoral Loans

The Government has introduced a new Postgraduate Doctoral Loans scheme which can provide a loan of up to £25,000.

This will be over three years to support study for a doctoral degree.

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study. It can be used alongside any other forms of support you may be able to receive.

For more information, please see our Postgraduate Doctoral Loans page .

Additional expenses

Some of our degrees may involve additional expenses which are not covered by your tuition fees. Find out more about additional expenses .

Academic support

City has a well-established structure and processes to support your research .

Supervision

Research students are normally appointed a supervisory team consisting of at least two supervisors. One of these will be designated as the first point of contact with responsibility for ensuring effective supervision is provided.

PhD Supervisor

CCI allows students - in consultation with their supervisor - to create a unique programme of study tailored to their needs within a broader framework of expectations. These cover: theory, history, methods/philosophy and substantive, detailed methods, as well as writing and presentation workshops.

The supervisor offers advice, and guides the student to successful and timely completion of the thesis. This is likely to be more prescriptive and directive in the early part of the PhD career. The guidance will become more advisory and dialogical in latter stages.

For more information, please see the visit the City Doctoral College .

Research Environment

The Culture and Creative Industries PhD programme offers the support and resources you need to complete your doctorate. This includes:

• Tailor-made supervision by our nationally- and internationally-renowned staff
• Research training within the Department
• Use of a specialist reference archive of more than 6,000 items unique to City. Also access to libraries and major London collections such as the British Library and the Arts Library of the Barbican Centre
• Membership of the Department Seminar group. Who meet regularly to participate in seminars given by research students and/or invited speakers from academe and the industry
• The chance to publish your research in the Department's peer reviewed journal Culture, Criticism and Management
• The support of the School's knowledge transfer programmes to provide insight into applied research
• Working as part of a lively research community made up of students from all over the world with diverse educational and career backgrounds.

How to apply

We accept applications on an ongoing basis for entry in late September. There is no formal application deadline, but it is advisable to apply as early as possible due to the limited availability of supervisors.

Your research ideas should broadly match those of a nominated CCI staff member . You are advised to contact them ahead of your application in order to develop a potential research focus.

To apply online, you will need to submit the following supporting documents:

• A copy of your research proposal
• Copies of your degree certificates and transcripts
• Official work e-mail addresses (not private ones) for two academic referees (or one academic and one professional referee where appropriate)
• Proof of your English language proficiency (if applicable).

When this information is received the application will be assessed by the relevant academic staff. Further information or an interview may be required. The applicant will be contacted if this is the case. The outcome will be reported to the applicant as soon as is practicable.

See guidance on writing your research proposal .

• Full-time 30 th Sep 2024
• Part-time 30 th Sep 2024
• 30 th Sep 2024

For further application enquiries please contact our PGR enquiries team .

PhD projects

Beast: racial inequalities in the creative and cultural industries.

This research explores the experiences of British East Asian actors in the film and television sector in the context of growing public debates over racial discrimination, exclusion and inequalities.

Research centre: Centre for Culture and the Creative Industries

Academic: Dr Diana Yeh

Status: Completed project

View case study site

Becoming ‘East and Southeast Asian’ Race, Ethnicity and Youth Politics of Belonging in Britain

This project investigates how and why young people in British urban cities are engaging in ‘East and Southeast Asian’ racial and pan-ethnic group-making.

Mertiocracy and Critical consumption

Prof Jo Littler's current research project concerns meritocracy and social and cultural change; the output of this research is in the form of academic articles.

Status: Ongoing project

Identity, Sexuality and Culture

This project explores how young people’s aesthetic and affective labour is put to work in bars, restaurants, nightclubs, etc to create value in the service economy.

Developing new expertise on Cultural Policy Making

Jenny Mbaye and Andy Pratt have developed an online CPD programme for cultural policy makers in Asia, for UNESCO. Andy and Jenny are working with to repeat the format in other world regions.

Academics: Professor Andy Pratt and

The creative economy and transnational production chains (CICERONE project)

Our CCI staff are working on a research project funded by the EU worth £6m. This involves partners in 8 EU countries exploring the Creative industries and their global /European production networks.

Academics: Professor Andy Pratt , and

Find a supervisor

See our full list of academic staff and potential supervisors in Department of Media, Culture and Creative Industries.

Professor Andy Pratt

Professor of Cultural Economy & Director, CCCI

• Department of Media, Culture and Creative Industries

Dr Diana Yeh

Associate Dean EDI.

Senior Lecturer in Media (Education & Research)

Useful links

• Doctoral College
• School of Communication & Creativity
• Student wellbeing
• Terms and conditions

Contact details

School of communication & creativity.

[email protected]

UCL Centre for Languages & International Education (CLIE)

Writing your PhD Thesis Results and Discussion

Writing your PhD Thesis Workshops

Information on workshops for UCL PhD students and researchers who are writing up their thesis methods section.

We offer two 'Writing your PhD workshops':

Writing your PhD Thesis Methods / Methodology

Workshop overview.

This workshop is for PhD students and researchers who are writing up their thesis methods section. This workshop is particularly suitable for those PhD students with little experience of writing research in English.

* This workshop is not suitable for students embarking on the first stages of their PhD.

Workshop aims

The workshop will review essential elements of the methodology chapter and is delivered by UCL lecturers who specialise in teaching academic literacies. Participants will work with the lecturer and peers, using authentic examples and their own work to identify how to structure this chapter, how to describe the research method effectively and understand the language and style used in writing up this section.

Workshop content

During the workshop, areas to be covered may include:

• Research method 
• Participants/Materials 
• Data analysis 
• Reflexivity

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

• understand how to plan this section of your PhD 
• analyse the structure of information in methodology chapters of a PhD thesis 
• develop your writing skills through peer review and free writing

Workshop dates and times

How to register

Registration for this course is managed by UCL Doctoral Skills using inkpath. If you have not previously registered with inkpath, you will need to follow the ‘Use Single Sign-On’ button.

Register now for Writing your PhD Thesis Methods / Methodology

The workshop will review essential elements of the results and discussion chapter(s) and is delivered by UCL lecturers who specialise in teaching academic literacies. Participants will work with the lecturer and peers, using authentic examples and their own work to identify how to structure these chapters, how to describe results effectively and understand the language and style used in writing up these sections.

• Degree of commentary or analysis 
• Organisation and content of commentary/analysis 
• Caution/Hedging 
• Dealing with unexpected outcomes 
• Discussion strategies 
• Argument across disciplines

By the end of the workshop you will be able to:

• understand how to plan this (these) section(s) of your PhD
• understand how to explain your findings clearly and effectively in writing 
• to develop your writing skills through peer review and free writing

Register now for Writing your PhD Thesis Results and Discussion  

Information for both workshops

Course feedback / staff-student consultative exercise.

All students on Part-time English courses have the opportunity to give general feedback on their course to senior representatives of CLIE.

Academic support

If you have any questions about your course, please feel free to ask your tutor. Alternatively, contact the Course Coordinator, Mrs Daphne Thomas:  [email protected] .

Rights and responsibilities

CLIE seeks to ensure that all students have a positive experience in respect of courses taken here, and fully adheres to the broader rights and responsibilities policies of UCL .

As part of our responsibility, our courses will follow a logical structure consistent with delivering the content and skills practise that we advertise, but with the freedom for teachers to respond (e.g. via needs analysis at the beginning of the course) to further relevant areas of particular interest to each student group. 

Problems and complaints

If you are unhappy about any aspect of your course we would advise you in the first instance to speak to a member of staff at CLIE to see if the problem can be easily resolved within the department. For further details of our formal complaints procedure, please email the Part-time Course Coordinator or administration team at  [email protected] .

UCL Academic Communication Centre

Academic Communication support is available for Master's and undergraduate students through the UCL Academic Communication Centre . 

Useful links

The Self-Access Centre : online academic English resources, including videos, books, lectures and a language laboratory.

International Student Support : key information and advice on how best to prepare, settle in and enjoy life in the UK.

[email protected]

+44 (0)20 8138 7872