Online info session: Diploma in Creative Writing

During this 45-minute session, Course Director Dr John Ballam will introduce the Diploma in Creative Writing and give you an insight into studying the subject at Oxford.

You’ll find out:

• who the course is designed for
• what you’ll study and how the programme is taught
• how the in-person and online options work
• what to expect from assessment
• what it’s like to study at Oxford as a part-time undergraduate student

The session will finish with a live Q&A, giving you the chance to put your questions directly to the Course Director.

Dr John Ballam

Course Director

Dr John Ballam is the Course Director of our part-time Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing at Oxford Lifelong Learning. Dr Ballam has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Bristol. He is the author of two collections of poems, six stage plays, four screenplays, two novels (one of which includes 72 short stories) and numerous reviews, articles and academic works.

Since 2004, he has taught English Literature and Creative Writing at over half of the colleges at the University of Oxford. He has been Course Director of the Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing since 2008.

This free information session will take place online via Zoom.

Book your place, and we’ll send you joining instructions ahead of the session.

If you have any issues, you can get in touch with our team at undergraduate@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Over two years of part-time study, the Diploma gives you the space, structure and expert guidance to grow as a writer. You’ll explore prose, poetry, drama and analytical reading, with the opportunity to specialise in the genre that excites you most.

You can choose between two pathways:

• In person in Oxford – weekend seminars, one-to-one tutorials, and lively group discussions in the city’s rich literary setting.
• Online with a summer school in Oxford – the same structure and support, delivered through interactive media that connect you with tutors and peers around the world.

Whichever option you take, you’ll benefit from small class sizes, close attention to your work, and the unique opportunity to share your writing with a supportive, skilled peer group. You’ll receive fresh perspectives on your drafts while developing confidence in your own individual voice.

Many students publish during or after the course, and a number go on to further study – including Oxford’s own Master’s in Creative Writing.