Creative Writing MFA

Birkbeck, University of London

Our MFA (Master of Fine Art) in Creative Writing offers you the opportunity to write a full-length work of fiction or non-fiction to a standard where it may be offered to literary agents.

The course is initially taught through small, dynamic workshops and seminars. But the core of the MFA is a one-to-one mentoring relationship with a regularly published and produced award-winning writer. Together, these will help you strengthen and professionalise your identity as an author. A session of feedback from a London-based literary agent will also be offered.

As part of a small, supportive group of writers, you will regularly present work for critique by your peers, and develop a critical and cultural awareness of other writers' work. You will then develop your awareness of the contemporary writing scene through a series of seminars and lectures.

In addition, novelists, editors and agents will be invited in to speak. In the past we have welcomed: Sophie Mackintosh, Polly Samson, Rachel Cusk, Deborah Levy and Louise Doughty; Jamie Byng of Canongate, Francesca Main of Picador, Hannah Griffiths of Faber, Richard Beswick of Little, Brown; and agents from Aitken Alexander, AP Watt, Curtis Brown and Janklow and Nesbit.

TEACHING

Teaching may include formal lectures, seminars, and practical classes and tutorials. Formal lectures are used in most degree programmes to give an overview of a particular field of study. They aim to provide the stimulus and the starting point for deeper exploration of the subject during your own personal reading. Seminars give you the chance to explore a specific aspect of your subject in depth and to discuss and exchange ideas with fellow students. They typically require preparatory study.

ASSESSMENT

Assessment is an integral part of your university studies and usually consists of a combination of coursework and examinations, although this will vary from course to course - on some of our courses, assessment is entirely by coursework. The methods of assessment on this course are specified below under 'Methods of assessment on this course'. You will need to allow time to complete coursework and prepare for exams.