Award Courses
MSt in Creative Writing
Course status:
Closed
Duration:
2 years, part-time
Study format:
In person, Oxford
Level:
Postgraduate
The University of Oxford’s Master of Studies (MSt) in Creative Writing is a distinctive two-year, part-time programme that combines intensive teaching, genre specialisation, and a rich balance of critical and creative practice.
Designed for contemporary writers, the course takes a cross-cultural and cross-genre approach, reflecting the realities of writing within a global literary landscape. Students are encouraged to develop their voice and craft while engaging with a diverse international community of writers and ideas.
The programme is structured around an immersive learning model, including five residential teaching periods, two guided retreats, and a professional placement. This placement – one of the course’s defining features – offers one to two weeks of hands-on experience in a real-world writing environment. Students may work with literary agencies, publishing houses, journals, theatre companies, or screen production organisations.
Previous placement hosts have included leading names such as Macmillan, the Poetry Society, Random House, the BBC, the Literary Review, and Carcanet, providing valuable insight into the professional landscape of writing and publishing.
KEY INFORMATION
Applications for 2027 entry will open in autumn 2026.
The course is structured over two years, with a balance of exploration and specialisation.
In the first year, students work across three core genres: prose (fiction and narrative non-fiction), poetry, and drama. Alongside creative practice, there is a strong emphasis on critical reading and analysis, closely linked to the craft of writing in each genre. Students are expected to engage fully with all three areas, often working outside their previous experience. This approach encourages experimentation and helps writers discover how different forms can shape and strengthen their individual voice.
Assignments in Year 1 focus on producing new work through a range of exercises and set tasks, which take priority over existing projects. While students may continue to develop longer-term pieces, the primary aim is to build skills through exploration and practice across genres.
In the second year, students specialise in one genre, allowing for more focused creative and critical development. Teaching continues to integrate critical perspectives, tailored to each student’s interests and chosen field.
Specialisation options include:
- The novel
- Short fiction
- Poetry
- Radio drama
- TV drama
- Screenwriting
- Stage drama
- Narrative non-fiction
Year 2 provides the opportunity to concentrate in depth on a substantial piece of work, either developing new writing or, in consultation with a supervisor, refining an existing project.
We welcome applications from writers of all backgrounds, experiences, and stages of life. Our cohorts bring together a diverse and dynamic mix of voices – individuals with varied academic, professional, and creative journeys, united by a shared commitment to serious literary practice.
This programme is designed for dedicated writers who are already actively engaged in reading and writing, and who are ready to develop their craft at an advanced level. While prior publication is not required, applicants should be able to demonstrate a sustained commitment to their work and a clear ambition to grow as both creative and critical practitioners.
The MSt offers a rigorous and intellectually stimulating environment, best suited to those prepared to challenge themselves, experiment across forms, and contribute meaningfully to a vibrant community of writers.
The residences offer an intensive workshop and seminar-based forum for the exchange of ideas and opening up of creative and critical frameworks within which to develop writerly and analytical skills. There is a strong element of one-to-one tutorial teaching. Tutorials take place within residences and retreats, and relate to the on-going work produced for the course.
The research placement, a distinguishing feature of the course, provides between one and two weeks’ in-house experience of writing in the real world.
Year 1
Residence 1: September
Residence 2: January
Residence 3: April
Guided retreat: June
Year 2
Residence 1: October
Residence 2: March
Residence 3: July
Oxford College affiliation
As a matriculated postgraduate degree student, you will become a member of one of the University’s multidisciplinary colleges, enabling you to encounter new perspectives in your field or learn more about many other subjects from fellow college members.
The collegiate system makes studying at Oxford a truly special experience. Oxford colleges are friendly and diverse communities, where you could find yourself absorbed in fascinating conversations with students and academics from a variety of disciplines at college seminars, dinners, and informal occasions.
For a list of colleges that accept students on the MSt in Creative Writing, please see the ‘college preference’ tab on the Graduate Admissions course page.
To find out more about Oxford University colleges, please consult the University’s Graduate Admissions website.
Course Director: Clare Morgan, MA, MPhil, DPhil, FRSA
Clare Morgan is a fiction writer, literary critic, and founder of the MSt in Creative Writing.
Course delivery team
Mary Jean Chan, MA, MPhil, PhD
Mary Jean Chan is a prize-winning poet and Departmental Lecturer in Poetry at Oxford Lifelong Learning.
Kate Longworth, DPhil
Kate Longworth is a Departmental Lecturer in Drama at Oxford Lifelong Learning and works in the field of modern literary and intellectual history, with a particular focus on English theatre and drama.
Barney Norris
Barney Norris is a Departmental Lecturer in Fiction at Oxford Lifelong Learning and an award-winning playwright and novelist.
The MSt is assessed by coursework. In the first year, four assignments (two creative, two critical), one creative writing portfolio and one critical essay are submitted. Work is set during each residence and handed in for assessment before the next meeting. Feedback on work submitted is given during tutorials within the residence or retreat. In the second year, submissions comprise one research placement report, one extended critical essay, and a final project – a substantial body of creative work in the genre of choice.
You will be set specific creative and critical work to be completed between residences and handed in to set deadlines. Creative submissions in the first year must be in more than one genre. In the second year, submitted work focuses around the genre of your choice.
Degree-level qualifications
As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
- a first-class or upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a related field.
For applicants with a bachelor’s degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.6 out of 4.0.
If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.
Other qualifications and skills
Assessors are looking for writers with a proven record of commitment to their craft, whose work demonstrates significant creative promise. You should be a keen reader, and bring an open-minded, questioning approach to both reading and writing. You will not necessarily have yet achieved publication, but you will have written regularly and read widely over a sustained period. You will be keen to dedicate time and energy and staying-power to harnessing your talent, enlarging your skills, and aiming your writerly production at consistently professional standards. It is likely you will have a first degree, or equivalent, although in some cases other evidence of suitability may be acceptable.
Applicants do not need to be previously published, but the MSt is unlikely to be suitable for those who are just starting out on their writerly and critical development.
English language proficiency
This course requires proficiency in English at the University’s higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. Further information on English language requirements can be found here.
Please visit the MSt in Creative Writing course page on the University of Oxford Graduate Admissions website for details of course fees and costs.
Please see our funding page for help and information with regard to funding postgraduate studies. We further recommend that applicants search for funding opportunities via the online Fees, Funding and Scholarship search tool.
In order to be considered for many scholarships, applicants are required to apply by the January deadline. However, applicants should note that some scholarships require additional application materials and may have different deadlines, so applicants should make sure they check the application process for each scholarship carefully.
Applications for this course should be made via the University of Oxford Graduate Admissions website. This website provides information on fees and entry requirements, along with help on preparing and submitting your application.
Application deadlines
12:00 midday UK time on:
- Stage 1: Friday 14 November 2025 (Applications more likely to receive earlier decisions)
- Stage 2: Wednesday 28 January 2026 (Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships)
- Stage 3: Tuesday 3 March 2026
When to apply
Early application for the programme is strongly advised. After the March deadline, the course will only stay open for that year’s entry if places are still available.
Remember that it can take a number of weeks to obtain all of the documents you need and to prepare a competitive application. You should also allow your referees plenty of time to submit your references. We therefore recommend you apply as soon as possible.
Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process within six weeks of the application deadline.
