Course details

Summary

The Master of Creative Writing is the centerpiece of AUT's Centre for Creative Writing. Sitting with the New Zealand Society of Authors on AUT's City Campus, the Centre offers one of the most open and exciting learning environments around for participants to pursue their ideas and turn them into reality. As with similar programmes worldwide, we recognise that almost any category of writing can be creative writing. Biography, travel writing, children's stories, narrative journalism, even academic writing all have creative components.

The focus of the programme is not only on the canonical genres of fiction, poetry and drama - students will also study the full range of contemporary popular genres. Master of Creative Writing students participate in 24 master classes with some of the most accomplished tertiary-based creative writing teachers in the country.

As a one-year "research masters", our programme also includes components of peer review, guidance from experienced members of Faculty to help in your exegesis, and input from industry bodies, including publishers.

Career opportunities

• Communications professional
• Creative industries
• Media and new media
• Professional writing
• Publishing.

Structure and content

This postgraduate degree is a one year full time research degree providing candidates with the opportunity to work on a project of your own choice under mentorship by an established creative writing practitioner.

The aim of the degree is to provide a supportive, dynamic environment where candidates can develop creative works in a variety of genres and media.

Emphasis is on narrative, although by negotiation with the Chair and mentor(s), candidates may perform in a variety of written genres as well as multimedia works, such as:

• Screenplays
• Storyboards
• Graphic novels
• Web-based creative

Entry criteria

• Applicants must have completed a three year bachelors degree, plus one year additional study or equivalent. As an applicant, you are also required to submit an entry portfolio and produce a proposal for the creative work you will be developing throughout the year.
• Portfolio of creative work
• Interview may be required

English Language requirements:

Minimum IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 overall with all bands 6.0 or higher; TOEFL iBT score of 90; Certificate in English for Academic Study (CertEAS) with A grade; GIE with B+ grade; CAE minimum overall score of 176; PTE minimum overall score of 58.