• Are you committed to imaginative writing?
• Do you want to develop your creative practice and professional skills as an author or scriptwriter?
• Do you want to be part of the vibrant creative community of the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University, Belfast?
If so, the PGDip in English (Creative Writing) may be the right course for you.
The programme offers the chance to develop your creative practice in Scriptwriting (screen, stage and audio) and Prose Writing (fiction and non-fiction): you will have the chance to explore both pathways before choosing a specialism. At the same time, the programme will guide you in reading extensively, enriching your own work through engagement with the wide world of literary and dramatic traditions and techniques.
This programme invites you to challenge yourself as a writer, to seek the unexpected, the complex and the ambitious in your work, to resist clichés and received ideas, and to work towards originality of voice and theme.
You will learn to explore many different types of writing, to entertain new ideas, to read adventurously and to respond with rigour and generosity to the work of your fellow writers. You will develop your practice as an independent writer and a self-reflective lifelong learner, and build your understanding of the marketplace for literature and drama.
Studying in the state-of-the-art learning environment of the Seamus Heaney Centre, you will be taught by acclaimed novelists, playwrights and screenwriters, learn from visiting authors, publishers, editors and agents, and contribute to the rich tradition of literary creativity at Queen's University, Belfast.
Queen's is ranked 2nd in the UK for Creative Writing in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.
English - Creative Writing highlights
Student Experience
• As a student on the MA in Creative Writing you will take part in a demanding and rewarding programme of literary and creative exploration, reading and writing intensively, and challenging yourself to extend your knowledge and practice as a writer.
• As well as taking part in workshops and seminars, you will have access to visiting authors, publishers, editors and agents. You will have a wide range of opportunities to present your work in print and performance.
Your learning environment, the Seamus Heaney centre, is a public literary hub for Belfast and beyond, where you will have the chance to contribute to many readings, performances, public events and writing groups.
Internationally Renowned Experts
• The PGDip in Creative Writing is taught by award-winning writers who will work with you closely and guide you in developing your voice.
• You’ll learn from an experienced, accomplished team including the screenwriters Aislinn Clarke and Tim Loane, the playwrights Jimmy McAleavey and Michael West, and the fiction and non-fiction writers Garrett Carr, Sam Thompson, Dawn Watson and Tara West.
• You will also have the opportunity to engage with a fantastic array of well-known guest writers and visiting fellows: writers involved with the Seamus Heaney Centre in recent years have included Anna Burns, Marian Keyes, Roddy Doyle, Jed Mercurio, Kae Tempest, Tim Wheeler, Enda Walsh, Oliver Jeffers, Lisa McGee, Stacey Gregg, Jan Carson, Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson.
World Class Facilities
• The Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s is an internationally-recognised hub of excellence for literature and imaginative writing, and a central part of Northern Ireland's thriving literary community.
Student Testimonials
The PG Diploma Creative Writing at QUB is an excellent course. After having been through it I can say my prose writing skills, my script writing skills and my overall writing awareness have all improved radically. The lecturers each bring their own unique expertise to the workshops, which thoroughly and practically cover the nuts and bolts of writing for stage, screen, radio and prose. There is also a great love of literature and language to encounter on this course, and the opportunity to commune with other writers, garner feedback, and to learn to give and receive critique. Overall a great experience." -Colin Reid
Students may enrol for Full-Time study (1 year) or Part-Time study (2 or 3 years). Part-Time students complete one or two modules per semester. Full-Time students complete three modules per semester.
The Pg Dip is awarded to students who successfully complete six taught modules (120 CATS points).
Exit qualification: students may exit with a Postgraduate Certificate by successfully completing 60 CATS points from taught modules.
Compulsory Modules
Semester 1
(1) Craft and Technique (ENG7093)
(20 CATS)
• Learn to read as a writer, expanding your creative toolkit by exploring a wide range of set texts including novels, plays and screenplays.
• Weekly two-hour seminar.
• Assessment by creative piece (2500-3000 words) and commentary (1000 words).
(2) Script Workshop 1 (ENG7097)
(20 CATS)
• Learn dramatic writing for stage, screen and/or radio through friendly, rigorous discussion and sharing of work in a small-group workshop format.
• Weekly two-hour workshop.
• Assessment by creative piece (3500-4000 words).
(3) Prose Workshop 1 (ENG7292)
(20 CATS)
• Develop your fiction and/or non-fiction prose writing through friendly, rigorous discussion and sharing of work in a small-group workshop format.
• Weekly two-hour workshop.
• Assessment by creative piece (3500-4000 words).
• Build on Script Workshop 1 and develop your dramatic writing to the next stage.
• Weekly two-hour workshop.
• Assessment by creative piece (3500-4000 words).
Prose Workshop 2 (ENG7294)
(20 CATS; optional)
• Build on Prose Workshop 1 and develop your fiction or non-fiction prose to the next stage.
• Weekly two-hour workshop.
• Assessment by creative piece (3500-4000 words).
Professional Practice (ENG7988)
(20 CATS; optional)
• Gain a highly rigorous grounding in character-centred structure, and learn to plan your creative work and present it to industry gatekeepers using documents such as the synopsis, outline and cover letter.
• Classes include visits from literary agents, producers and development executives.
• Weekly two-hour seminar.
• Assessment by portfolio (3500-4000 words).
Exploring Literary Practice (ENG7295)
(20 CATS; optional)
• Expand your horizons as a writer by experimenting with a wide range of genres across fiction, non-fiction and/or scriptwriting.
• Dive deeply into your interests by reading widely, engaging critically with contemporary texts, and addressing creative and critical issues from a practitioner’s point of view.
• Weekly two-hour seminar.
• Assessment by portfolio (3500-4000 words).
Course Details
The following lists are indicative of the sort of modules that are likely to run.
6 (hours maximum) 6 hours per week during semester (Full Time); 2-4 hours per week during semester (Part Time).
Teaching Times
Teaching typically takes place on weekday mornings and afternoons. Optional visits and seminars with staff, Heaney Centre fellows or other guests, may take place on weekends or evenings..
Learning and Teaching
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Your learning and teaching will take place within the close-knit community of the Seamus Heaney Centre. You will get to know your tutors and fellow students well, in classes and through the many other events and activities at the Centre, and you will support their learning, just as they will support yours.
Assessment
Assessments associated with the course are outlined below:
The information below is intended as an example only, featuring module details for the current year of study (2024/25). Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes – revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year.
Students will write creative pieces in either Prose Fiction or Scriptwriting with a greater word count than Semester 1 and demonstrating a development of their skills as the MA progresses. These pieces will be workshopped in class, with students developing their skills in practical criticism and feedback. Lecturers will facilitate the development of students’ skills by both commenting on students’ work and teaching best practice.
The class is split into two wings: Prose Fiction and Scriptwriting. Students are asked to attend both but choose which form to be assessed early in the semester.
Learning Outcomes
Students should further develop their craft in both Prose Fiction and Scriptwriting and begin to specialise in the form that best reflects their skills.
Students should deepen their knowledge and understanding of both classic and contemporary works and begin to understand where their own work sits within tradition and innovation.
Students should further develop their skills in analysing and commenting on the developing work of others, applying that analysis also to their own work.
Skills
Students will acquire and develop creativity in the writing of new work.
They will acquire the discipline and self-motivation to meet deadlines.
They will acquire and put into practice new skills associated with presenting themselves and their work in a professional context.
Students will learn associated skills of analysing the strengths and weaknesses of their own work and that of others.
They will also acquire and put into practice skills of commenting on others’ work in a way that is simultaneously constructive and rigorous.
They will acquire skills that will enhance their employability as writers, in creativity, self-motivation, self-discipline and professionalism.
Students will create original work expressed in summary form and learn to present this work, with attractive and impactful brevity, to the industry professionals who are the gatekeepers of their future careers. This will include learning to write treatments, outlines, synopses, pitch documents, agent packages and publisher packages. Lecturers will teach exemplars and feedback on evolving student work. The module will culminate in presentations to, and feedback from, industry professionals such as agents, publishers, producers and literary managers.
Learning Outcomes
Students should acquire practical knowledge associated with creating professional documents that are crucial in offering their work to their chosen creative industry (prose fiction or scriptwriting). Students should acquire the knowledge and understanding associated with writing and rewriting these documents while engaging in the guided creative practice of writing synopses, outlines and treatments for new, original work.
Skills
Students will acquire and develop creativity in the planning and plotting of new work, including exemplifying narrative structure, tension and clarity, and prioritising the experience of the busy professional reader.
They will acquire the discipline and self-motivation to meet deadlines.
They will acquire and put into practice new skills associated with presenting themselves and their work in a professional context and using professional templates, acquiring and utilising arts of persuasion. These will include skills of effective compression in writing, rhetorical analysis of their own work, and expressing contemporary knowledge of their form.
Students will learn associated skills of analysing and presenting the strengths of their own work in the context of current trends, interests and preoccupations within their chosen creative industry. They should also learn skills of self-presentation, including arguing for their strengths in promotion of their work.
They will acquire confidence and professionalism in presenting verbal pitches to industry professionals.
This is a Special Topic module offered by a visiting Fulbright Distinguished Scholar in Creative Writing. The contents of the module, which will change on an annual basis, depending on the area of creative writing expertise of the Visiting Scholar, will provide an opportunity for students to work on a specific aspect of creative writing. The specific module content will be announced as early as possible each academic year. Students who sign up for this module will, as normal, have the right to switch to another module if the content does not suit their academic plans.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students will have examined an aspect of creative writing and will have written extensively in the appropriate form or genre. Objectivity about their own creative practice will have been further fostered by the writing of a self-reflexive commentary to accompany their final submission. Students should have come some way towards developing their own creative voice.
Students experience and discuss the different demands of the various literary genres to which they are committed. The class focuses on particular contemporary texts and genres and the tutors invite appropriate creative and critical exercises in response.
Learning Outcomes
To promote a sense of the relation between Creative Writing and critical reading and of the characteristics and demands of different genres.
Skills
The ability to link critical reading to creative writing in the forms of various exercises.
A two hour weekly workshop on writing for stage, screen and radio, to which students bring their work to be discussed with the module convenor and other students. A range of appropriate exercises then culminates in students' final projects.
Learning Outcomes
To provide a thorough grounding in the craft of writing for stage, screen and radio, through a focused approach to issues such as characterisation, story structure and dramatic language.
Skills
Students will bring their work to sessions and participate in discussions about their own and other students' work, in other words, they will move from the private experience of writing on their own to the more public experience of a workshop situation; an exercise that will help prepare them for the collaborative experience of working with actors, directors,etc. This transition from the private to the public is a key part of the scriptwriting process, and one that needs to be carefully managed.
To promote writing of fictions by the students, to encourage self-criticism and revision, to create a dialogue among them about fiction-writing and each other's work.
Skills
Development of creative-writing skills in the genre of fiction.
Normally a strong 2.2 Honours degree or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University in any discipline.
Exceptions may be made in the case of applicants with a strong track record of publication, production, prize-winning or relevant professional experience.
Applicants must submit a sample of original written work which will be assessed to determine if an offer of admission can be made.
Guidance on your writing sample:
• The sample should be 1800-2200 words of prose fiction OR 10-15 pages of dramatic script.
• Writing samples that exceed the length limit will not be considered.
• The sample can be an extract from a longer piece.
• There are no restrictions on style or genre, but we are looking for work that shows ambition, originality and imaginative engagement with the possibilities of language, storytelling and literary/dramatic form.
• Choose a sample that you feel shows both your potential and your proficiency as a writer – in short, work that shows your writing at its best.
Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible and ideally no later than 15th August 2025 for courses which commence in late September. In the event that any programme receives a high number of applications, the University reserves the right to close the application portal prior to the deadline stated on course finder. Notifications to this effect will appear on the application portal against the programme application page.
The University's Recognition of Prior Learning Policy provides guidance on the assessment of experiential learning (RPEL). Please visit the link below for more information. http://go.qub.ac.uk/RPLpolicyQUB
International Students
Our country/region pages include information on entry requirements, tuition fees, scholarships, student profiles, upcoming events and contacts for your country/region. Use the dropdown list below for specific information for your country/region.
English Language Requirements
Evidence of an IELTS* score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required.
*Taken within the last 2 years.
International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, Queen's University Belfast International Study Centre offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.
Academic English: an intensive English language and study skills course for successful university study at degree level
Pre-sessional English: a short intensive academic English course for students starting a degree programme at Queen's University Belfast and who need to improve their English.
• Graduates from the MA and PGDip in Creative Writing have gone on to work in a wide range of professions including publishing, journalism, public relations, teaching, advertising, the Civil Service, business, industry and the media.
• Many graduates have established an ongoing creative practice. Prize-winning authors Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses, and Michael Magee, author of Close to Home, were both Creative Writing students at the Seamus Heaney Centre.
• Some students choose to continue their studies to PhD level on a chosen, specialised topic in Creative Writing.
Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with business experts helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally. http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/
Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.
1EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled status, will be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB will be charged the GB fee.
2 EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI are eligible for NI tuition fees.
3 EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.
All tuition fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless stated otherwise. Tuition fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
There are no specific additional course costs associated with this programme.
All Students
Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees, which students will need to consider when planning their studies.
Students can borrow books and access online learning resources from any Queen's library. If students wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow them from the University Library, prices per text can range from £30 to £100. Students should also budget between £30 to £75 per year for photocopying, memory sticks and printing charges.
Students undertaking a period of work placement or study abroad, as either a compulsory or optional part of their programme, should be aware that they will have to fund additional travel and living costs.
If a programme includes a major project or dissertation, there may be costs associated with transport, accommodation and/or materials. The amount will depend on the project chosen. There may also be additional costs for printing and binding.
Students may wish to consider purchasing an electronic device; costs will vary depending on the specification of the model chosen.
There are also additional charges for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
How do I fund my study?
The Department for the Economy will provide a tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 per NI / EU student for postgraduate study. Tuition fee loan information.
A postgraduate loans system in the UK offers government-backed student loans of up to £11,836 for taught and research Masters courses in all subject areas (excluding Initial Teacher Education/PGCE, where undergraduate student finance is available). Criteria, eligibility, repayment and application information are available on the UK government website.
