Master of Creative Writing
Elevate your writing to a professional level. Enrich your writing with academic perspectives.
About the Course
The Master of Creative Writing is designed to extend and challenge emerging writers to hone their craft in a small community of writers. The focus is on developing your creativity and writing skills, and to provide expert training if you are aiming for professional publication. You are encouraged to experiment, hone your craft and to develop a technical vocabulary for critiquing your own work and the work of others. Specialist units in the degree engage with novel and short story writing, creative nonfiction (such as memoir, writing about place, personal essay), poetry, writing for young adults and manuscript development.
Course Entry Requirements
- AQF level 8 bachelor honours or graduate diploma qualification in a related field or recognised equivalent, or
- Meet two of the following three criteria:
- AQF level 7 bachelor's qualification in a related field or recognised equivalent
- Approved work experience, professional certification or other recognised prior learning
- AQF level 7 bachelor's qualification or recognised equivalent with a WAM of 65
The required standard of English for this program is:
Academic IELTS of 7 overall (with minimum 6.5 in each band) or equivalent.
All applicants to coursework programs at Macquarie University are required to provide evidence of proficiency in English.
For more information on accepted equivalents, please see English Language Requirements.
Course Structure
Recommended study pattern
Completion of 8 subjects
Essential subjects:
- ENGX8010 Creative Writing Seminar: Narrative Fundamentals
- ENGX8015 Writing Creative Non-Fiction - An Introduction
- ENGX8022 Short Form Writing - Short story, Novella, Poetry Cycle
- ENGX8075 Professional Contexts of Literary and Feature Writing
Award requirements
The Master of Creative Writing is a postgraduate coursework degree consisting of a minimum of 80 credit points.
Choose your subjects
Electives
Elective Subjects: (40 credit points)
Complete 4 subjects from the following options:
- ENGX8011 Word Essentials: Prose and Poetry
- ENGX8017 Writing the Past, Building New Worlds: Fiction and Non-Fiction
- ENGX8026 Developing the Novel or Novella
- ENGX8036 Manuscript Project
- ENGX8030 Digital Creative Writing: Interactive Prose and Poetry
- ENGX8090 Research for Creative Writing
On successful completion, students will be able to:
- Apply advanced skills in creative writing to research, write, and edit works of creative writing across a range of narrative and poetry-based genres.
- Develop digital and print-based editing, creative writing and production skills.
- Show an advanced capacity to read and analyse language, narrative and poetry, and other literary genres as creative writing practitioners.
- Demonstrate the capacity to think creatively, critically and imaginatively to research, evaluate and present complex ideas, concepts, problems and processes through creative writing.
- Identify, analyse and create written works that engage with relevant social, cultural, global and ethical issues.
- Have the capacity to work independently and autonomously as well as demonstrating skills in reciprocity, responsibility and collaboration within groups.
- Gain knowledge of and develop skill readiness for professional publication opportunities, and careers in the Arts and Communication industries.
