Creative Writing MFA: Course features

If you choose to study this course, here are some of the things you can expect from the course and how it will benefit you.

• The Creative Writing MFA (Master of Fine Arts) is designed for serious writers who would like to build upon their publishing record or become a published writer.
• The course uses a practical approach to develop your writing skills. It is ideal if your writing is already of a good standard but you want to progress towards producing potentially publishable material.
• You also have the chance to learn more about professional elements of writing, such as working with agents/publishers and presenting proposals.
• You can enrol on the MFA at the beginning of your postgraduate time at Kingston or after completing an MA in Creative Writing (or related subject).
• The option modules and dissertation give you the chance to further specialise and pursue an area of interest in depth.
• You work in workshops, studying one-on-one or in small groups with experts in your chosen area. The course is taught by a combination of:
  • appointed staff - many are published authors or active researchers, which keeps your learning dynamic. Current staff include author Vesna Goldsworthy and playwright Winsome Pinnock;
  • visiting professors - such as Peter Kemp, author and literary editor of the Sunday Times, and Richard Cohen, editor;
  • writers in residence - currently Hanif Kureshi, Paul Bailey, Maggie Gee and Liz Jenson;
  • guest speakers with expertise in publishing - including copy editors, producers, literary agents, reviewers and literary editors;
  • visiting writers - such as Beryl Bainbridge, Rhidian Brook and Will Self; and
  • peer review - giving you the chance to discuss your own and other students' work in a mutually-supportive environment.
• This provides a range of different voices and styles to broaden your experience of the creative process. Find out more in the Links with business and industry section.
• The taught modules aim to prepare you for the job market. Alongside your creative writing studies, you gain skills in:
  • data collation, review and synopsis;
  • communication (oral, written and electronic);
  • time management;
  • computing; and
  • co-operation and teamwork.
• You have the chance to contribute to Pages, which includes fiction, poetry, reviews and creative non-fiction, and Ripple, a showcase for cutting-edge poetry and prose. Both are edited by postgraduate creative writing students (read more in the Events and lectures section).  
• Faber and Faber sponsors a prize for the Creative Writing MFA.
• We offer a part-time study option to help you fit your MFA around other commitments.