Masters

Unleash your creative and literary potential through our captivating master’s programmes in English and Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University. Our postgraduate study options will ignite your intellectual curiosity and equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in your chosen field. Part of what makes Aberystwyth special is our thriving research culture: you’ll get to join an engaging and interactive community where staff, students, and guest speakers come together to share and showcase their research. You’ll also learn alongside researchers who are recognised internationally for their contributions to knowledge and the furthering of the discipline.  

Join us as esteemed staff challenge and inspire you to push the boundaries of your imagination, honing your writing skills and nurturing your unique voice.  

  • In the annual university awards, voted for by the students, we have won almost every category going, marking our excellence in teaching and pastoral care. This year our students nominated us for “Department of the Year”, and the student-run English and Creative Society were nominated for “Society of the Year”. 
  • You’ll be taught by some of the UK’s leading scholars in Creative Writing and Literary Studies, whose nationally significant research forms the basis of our teaching. They are either qualified to PhD level or have commensurate professional experience. Our lecturers either hold or are working towards a Higher Education teaching qualification, and most academic staff also hold Fellowships with Advance HE. Staff research interests are as broad and dynamic as our curriculum, and recently the majority of our research activity was judged either internationally excellent or world-leading (REF 2021). 
     
  • The facilities here are some of the best in the UK – the National Library of Wales, next to the university, has a copy of every book published in the UK since the 1920s. We have one of the largest arts centres in the UK on campus, fantastic sporting facilities, a busy Students’ Union, and did we mention that we’re in an area of outstanding natural beauty, with the sea on our doorstep? 

Our Masters degrees are:   

This degree will help you develop your creative vision and writing abilities through a balanced programme of reading, analysis, and writing workshops. 

This degree offers you a stimulating engagement with English literature in all its depth and diversity, with the opportunity to develop expertise in several specialist areas.   

Creative Writing 

Our lecturers will introduce you to a range of contemporary writers of both prose and poetry to serve as a catalyst for your own creative growth, allowing you to develop greater confidence and maturity in your writing approach. You will also engage in discussions about technique and undertake an exploration of the wider issues related to the practice of writing, such as the significance of genre and the mechanics of publication. The scheme also includes a strong critical element, encouraging you to reflect on your own creative practice as well as that of others.  

You will receive individual tuition from the excellent Departmental staff, all of whom are published creative writers. Under their guidance, you will produce a substantial portfolio in the form of a collection of poetry or an extended piece of prose. 

Literary Studies  

Our research-led specialist option modules offer fascinating insights into the literature of specific periods, national cultures, and literary traditions. Staff research interests are diverse and continuously evolving, so you will discover a wide variety of approaches to literature and cultural history that blend advanced scholarship with critical thinking.  

By studying the latest developments in critical theory and research methodology you will cultivate the necessary skills to undertake your 15,000-word MA Dissertation, an extensive piece of critical research in your chosen field. You will also develop a host of transferable skills which you may deploy in a range of other academic or employment contexts. 

 

Guidelines for MA Writing Portfolios 

When you apply for one of our MA courses, we ask that you provide a writing portfolio. The writing portfolio should consist of:  

4,000–5,000 words of critical and/or creative prose. In cases where portfolios comprise or include poetry, 100 lines of poetry is considered equivalent to 1000 words of prose.  

The portfolio helps us to get an insight into each applicant's writing style, critical thinking abilities, and capacity to communicate effectively.