Creative Writing

UCD offers two graduate courses in creative writing, an MA and MFA. The MA programme includes workshops, seminars and supervision meetings, providing committed students with the support they need to produce a major piece of writing by the end of the course.



The MA in Creative Writing builds on the well established commitment of the UCD School of English, Drama and Film to fostering and supporting new writing. The university has long been associated with some of Ireland’s greatest writers, including James Joyce, Flann O’Brien, Mary Lavin, Anthony Cronin, John McGahern, Neil Jordan, Conor McPherson, Marina Carr, Colm Tóibín, Emma Donoghue, Maeve Binchy and many others. The Booker Prize winning novelist Anne Enright is Professor of Creative Writing, and among the teaching staff are novelist Sarah Moss, poet Ian Davidson, poet and novelist Paul Perry, novelist and playwright Declan Hughes, life writer and critic Catherine Morris and novelist Paula McGrath.



The MA programme:



Provides opportunities to explore and develop your own creative writing skills supervised by experienced published staff of international reputation.



Actively fosters the development of students' capacity to edit their own work.



Ensures that the art of writing is informed by contemporary theory and practice.



Offers courses incorporating the manuscripts of works of leading writers held in Special Collections and courses which explore material in the National Folklore Collection in UCD, one of the richest archives of oral tradition in the world.



What Will I Learn?

-Have a solid working knowledge of genres and forms.

-Have created a substantial piece of writing, a solid basis from which to continue towards the completion of a full work, whether that be a collection of short stories, a novel or a collection of poetry.

-Have developed a positive sense of themselves as writers, with an active role to play in the literary/artistic culture wherever they should find themselves.

-Have learned to read like writers, to recognise the challenges facing authors at various stages in the creation of a piece of fiction and to critically assess the extent to which these challenge have been met.

-On successful completion of the programme, students will have a thorough understanding of how to meet many of the challenges confronted in the construction of a piece of fiction; character, voice, place etc.

-Participated in a weekly visiting writer’s programme, contributed to an anthology and attended a selection of the literary events and festivals for which the city is renowned.

Module/ Trimester/ Credits

Stage 1 Core Modules

CRWT40010 Craft and Composition Autumn 10

CRWT40200 Writing Poetry Autumn 10

CRWT40250 Life Writing Autumn 10

CRWT40030 CHAPTER ONE: BEGINNING A NOVEL Spring 10

CRWT40310 Research for Writers Spring 10

CRWT40180 Writing Project Summer 30



Stage 1 Options - B)1 of:

Option modules

CRWT40160 The Craft of Contemporary Poetry Spring 10

CRWT40220 Creative Reading Spring 10

The entry requirement for the MA programme is a BA Hons English or equivalent (NFQ Level 8), and/or proven commitment to and experience in the field of creative writing; a portfolio (a 3,000 word sample of prose or 6 poems, or a combination of prose and poetry) of recent creative work; a personal statement of reasons for taking the course and references. Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate English language proficiency of IELTS 7.5 (no band less than 7.0 in each element), or equivalent.



These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes.



You may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as UCD recognises formal, informal, and/or experiential learning. RPL may be awarded to gain Admission and/or credit exemptions on a programme. Please visit the UCD Registry RPL web page for further information. Any exceptions are also listed on this webpage.

https://tinyurl.com/2ae2ffax

90

1 year full-time.

Delivery: On Campus

MA Creative Writing (Z012) Full Time

EU fee per year - € 7920

nonEU fee per year - € 19900


***Fees are subject to change


Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.

Z012 - Creative Writing Master of Arts Full-Time

Commencing September 2025

Graduate Taught