phd in creative writing europe

King's College London

Creative writing research phd.

Key information

The PhD in Creative Writing at King’s is a practice-led course, incorporating taught elements and aspects of professional development. It is designed to cater for talented, committed writers who are looking to complete a book-length creative work for publication and sustain a long-term career in writing.

Key Benefits

Our unique programme offers students:

• a varied, structured framework for the development of their creative work, with regular feedback from experienced author-lecturers in the department through supervision and workshops
• purposeful engagement with professionals from the publishing and performance industries throughout the course, building potential routes to publication
• valuable teaching experience in creative writing at HE-level through our Graduate Teaching Assistantship scheme
• practical experience in public engagement, through curating and chairing public literary events at King’s
• a community of fellow writers and collaborative projects

English Department

We have over 100 doctoral students from all over the world working on a wide range of projects. Together with our community of postdoctoral fellows, our early career researchers both organise and participate in our thriving seminar and conference culture.

The English department is home to award-winning novelists, poets, essayists, biographers, non-fiction authors, and literary critics, who supervise creative projects at doctoral level within their specialisms.

Works by our staff have won or been shortlisted for a number of literary accolades, including: the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize, the Man Booker Prize, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, the Costa First Novel Award, the Costa Poetry Award, the Somerset Maugham Award, the Commonwealth Book Prize, the Biographers’ Club / Slightly Foxed First Biography Prize, the U.S. National Book Critics Circle Award, the CWA Gold Dagger Award, the European Union Prize for Literature, the RSL Encore Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award, the E.M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Letters, le Prix du Roman Fnac, le Prix du Roman Etranger, the Kiriyama Prize, the Republic of Consciousness Prize, the Royal Society of Literature’s Encore Award, and the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature. Many of the creative writing staff are Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature.

Their most recent publications are:

Benjamin Wood

The Young Accomplice (Penguin Viking, 2022) – fiction

A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better (Scribner, 2018) – fiction

Edmund Gordon

The Invention of Angela Carter (Chatto & Windus, 2016) – creative non-fiction

Loop of Jade (Chatto & Windus, 2015) – poetry

Anthony Joseph

Sonnets for Albert (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022) – poetry

The Frequency of Magic (Peepal Tree Press, 2019) – fiction

Lara Feigel

The Group (John Murray Press, 2020) – fiction

Free Woman: Life, Liberation and Doris Lessing (Bloomsbury, 2018) – creative non-fiction

Homing: On Pigeons, Dwellings, and Why We Return (John Murray Press, 2019) – creative non-fiction

Daughters of the Labyrinth (Corsair, 2021) – fiction

Beethoven Variations: Poems on a Life (Chatto & Windus, 2020) – poetry

Emerald (Chatto & Windus, 2018) – poetry

Andrew O'Hagan

Mayflies (Faber & Faber, 2020) – fiction

The Secret Life: Three True Stories (Faber & Faber, 2017) – creative non-fiction

*may vary according to research leave and availability.

King's Alumni

The list of King’s alumni not only features many acclaimed contemporary authors—Michael Morpurgo, Alain de Botton, Hanif Kureishi, Marina Lewycka, Susan Hill, Lawrence Norfolk, Ross Raisin, Alexander Masters, Anita Brookner, and Helen Cresswell—it also includes major figures in literature, such as Maureen Duffy, Arthur C Clarke, Thomas Hardy, Christopher Isherwood, BS Johnson, John Keats, W. Somerset Maugham, and Virginia Woolf.

Course Detail

Our postgraduate writing students are given a supportive environment in which to enhance their technique, to explore the depths of their ideas, to sustain their creative motivation, and to prepare them for the demands of the writer’s life beyond the College.

At King's we know that writing well requires self-discipline and an ability to work productively in isolation; but we also appreciate that postgraduate writers thrive when they are part of a community of fellow authors, an environment of constructive criticism and shared endeavour.

That is why we offer our PhD students the guidance of knowledgeable and experienced practitioners. They will have frequent opportunities to interact and collaborate with peers and forge lasting connections within London’s writing industry.

Students will be expected to attend the quarterly Thesis Workshop, and also to take an active part in curating literary events at King’s, including the Poetry And… quarterly reading series. They will be invited to apply for positions teaching undergraduate creative writing modules as part of the Department’s Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) scheme.

After three years (full-time) or six years (part-time), students are expected to submit either:

• a novel or short story collection
• a poetry collection
• a full-length work of creative non-fiction

In addition, they are also required to submit an essay (up to 15,000 words) that examines their practical approach to the conception, development, and revision of their project, and which explores how their creative work was informed by research (archival, book-based, or experiential).

• How to apply
• Fees or Funding

Many of our incoming students apply for AHRC funding via the London Arts and Humanities Partnership. Please see their website ( www.lahp.ac.uk ) for more detail of deadlines, application procedure and awards available. Also the ‘Student Funding’ section of the Prospectus will give you more information on other scholarships available from King’s.

UK Tuition Fees 2023/24

Full time tuition fees:

£5,820 per year (MPhil/PhD, Creative Writing)

Part time tuition fees:

£2,910 per year (MPhil/PhD, Creative Writing)

International Tuition Fees 2023/24

£22,900 per year (MPhil/PhD, Creative Writing)

£11,450 per year (MPhil/PhD, Creative Writing)

UK Tuition Fees 2024/25

£6,168 per year (MPhil/PhD, Creative Writing)

£3,084 per year (MPhil/PhD, Creative Writing)

International Tuition Fees 2024/25

£24,786 per year (MPhil/PhD, Creative Writing)

£12,393 per year (MPhil/PhD, Creative Writing)

These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

• Study environment

Base campus

Strand Campus

Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.

PhD in Creative Writing students are taught through one-to-one sessions with an appointed supervisor in their chosen specialism (fiction, creative non-fiction, or poetry) as well as through quarterly thesis workshops. They are also appointed a second supervisor whose role is to offer an additional perspective on the work being produced.

We place great emphasis on pastoral care and are a friendly and welcoming department in the heart of London. Our home in the Virginia Woolf Building offers many spaces for postgraduate students to work and socialise. Studying in London means students have access to a huge range of libraries from the Maughan Library at King’s to the Senate House Library at the University of London and the British Library.

Our PhD Creative Writing students are taught exclusively by practicing, published writers of international reputation. These include:

Benjamin Wood (Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing)

Supervises projects in fiction.

Edmund Gordon (Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing)

Supervises projects in fiction and creative non-fiction.

Sarah Howe (Lecturer in Poetry)

Supervises projects in poetry.

Anthony Joseph (Lecturer in Creative Writing)

Supervises projects in poetry and fiction.

Jon Day (Senior Lecturer in English)

Supervises projects in creative non-fiction and fiction

Lara Feigel (Professor of Modern Literature)

Supervises projects in creative non-fiction and fiction.

Ruth Padel (Professor Emerita of Poetry)

Andrew O’Hagan (Visiting Professor)

*Teaching staff may vary according to research leave and availability.

Our programme also incorporates the following taught components:

Thesis Workshop

A termly writing seminar for the discussion and appraisal of works-in-progress. These are taught on a rotational basis by all members of the creative writing staff, so that students get the benefit of hearing a range of voices and opinions on their work throughout the course.

The Writing Life

A suite of exclusive guest talks and masterclasses from leading authors, publishers, and editors, in which students receive guidance from people working at the top level of the writing industry and learn about the various demands of maintaining a career as a writer.

Recent speakers have included Amit Chaudhuri, Chris Power, Rebecca Watson, Mendez, Frances Leviston, Joanna Biggs, Joe Dunthorne, Francesca Wade, Kishani Widyaratna, Jacques Testard and Leo Robson.

Other elements of professional development are included in the degree:

Agents-in-Residence

Candidates in fiction or creative-nonfiction will meet and discuss their work in one-to-one sessions with invited literary agents, who are appointed to yearly residencies. These sessions offer writers a different overview of the development of their project: not solely from the standpoint of authorial technique, but with a view towards the positioning of their writing within a competitive and selective industry. Poetry candidates will meet and discuss their work with invited editors from internationally recognised poetry journals and presses.

Undergraduate Teaching

Through our Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) training scheme, our PhD students can apply to lead undergraduate creative writing workshops in fiction, creative non-fiction, and/or poetry, enabling them to acquire valuable HE-level teaching experience that will benefit them long after graduation.

Reading Series

Our students are required to participate in the curation of literary events at King’s. They are also responsible for curating Poetry And… , a quarterly reading in which leading poets illuminate the powerful connections between poetry and other disciplines. Students will develop skills in public engagement by chairing discussions and may also perform excerpts of their own writing.

Postgraduate Training

There is a range of induction events and training provided for students by the Centre for Doctoral Studies, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the English Department. A significant number of our students are AHRC-funded through the London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) which also provides doctoral training to all students. All students take the ‘Doctoral Seminar’ in their first year. This is a series of informal, staff-led seminars on research skills in which students can share and gain feedback on their own work. We run a series of ‘Skills Lunches’, which are informal lunch meetings with staff, covering specific topics, including Upgrading, Attending Conferences, Applying for Funding and Post-Doctoral Awards, etc. Topics for these sessions are generally suggested by the students themselves, so are particularly responsive to student needs. We have an Early Career Staff Mentor who runs more formal workshops of varying kinds, particularly connected to career development and the professions.

Through our Graduate Teaching Assistantship Scheme, doctoral students can apply to teach in the department (usually in their second year of study) and are trained and supported as they do so.

• Entry requirements

Find a supervisor

Search through a list of available supervisors.

Find out more about our King's accommodation

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Learning in London

King's is right in the heart of the capital.

Best Universities for Creative Writing in Europe

Updated: February 29, 2024

• Art & Design
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Mathematics

Below is a list of best universities in Europe ranked based on their research performance in Creative Writing. A graph of 1.17M citations received by 136K academic papers made by 486 universities in Europe was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

1. University of Oxford

For Creative Writing

2. University College London

3. University of Cambridge

4. King's College London

5. University of Manchester

6. University of Edinburgh

7. University of Exeter

8. University of Sheffield

9. University of Birmingham

10. University of Nottingham

11. University of Leeds

12. University of Bristol

13. Lancaster University

14. Durham University

15. University of York

16. University of Warwick

17. University of Glasgow

18. University of Amsterdam

19. Cardiff University

20. University of Sussex

21. University of London

22. London School of Economics and Political Science

23. Catholic University of Leuven

24. Aarhus University

25. University of Southampton

26. Queen Mary University of London

27. University of Oslo

28. University of St Andrews

29. Lund University

30. Royal Holloway, University of London

31. University of Liverpool

32. University of Helsinki

33. Newcastle University

34. University of Copenhagen

35. Umea University

36. Loughborough University

37. University of Leicester

38. Radboud University

39. Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin

40. University College Dublin

41. University of East Anglia

42. University of Kent

43. Stockholm University

44. Utrecht University

45. University of Reading

46. University of Gothenburg

47. Goldsmiths, University of London

48. Birkbeck, University of London

49. Leiden University

50. Queen's University Belfast

51. Complutense University of Madrid

52. Free University of Berlin

53. Keele University

54. University of Strathclyde

55. Manchester Metropolitan University

56. Free University Amsterdam

57. University of Tampere

58. University of Aberdeen

59. Ulster University

60. Aalborg University

61. University of Bergen

62. University of Warsaw

63. University of Bath

64. University of Groningen

65. Sapienza University of Rome

66. University of Liege

67. Northumbria University

68. University of Southern Denmark

69. University of Lisbon

70. University of Jyvaskyla

71. Autonomous University of Barcelona

72. University of Portsmouth

73. University of Surrey

74. University of Vienna

75. University of Stirling

76. University of Padua

77. Brunel University London

78. Linkoping University

79. University of Granada

80. University of Turin

81. University of Hull

82. Norwegian University of Science and Technology

83. Adam Mickiewicz University

84. Nottingham Trent University

85. Teesside University

86. Ghent University

87. University of Minho

88. Maastricht University

89. Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main

90. University of Florence

91. University of Milan

92. De Montfort University

93. SOAS, University of London

94. Uppsala University

95. Bournemouth University

96. Oxford Brookes University

97. University of Bologna

98. University of the West of England

99. University of Plymouth

100. University of Essex

Art & Design subfields in Europe

• Schools & departments

Creative Writing PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Creative Writing

Postgraduate Virtual Open Days

Join us online on 12 to 14 November where you can learn more about postgraduate study through webinars, live panel sessions, and one-to-one chat.

Find out more and register

Research profile

The PhD in Creative Writing offers committed and talented writers the opportunity to study Creative Writing at the highest level.

Supported by an expert supervisory team, you will work independently towards the production of a substantial, publishable piece of creative writing, accompanied by a sustained exercise in critical study.

The academic staff you will be working with are all active researchers or authors, including well-published and prize-winning writers of poetry, prose, fiction and drama. They include:

• Dr Jane Alexander - Fiction
• Dr Lynda Clark - Fiction
• Dr Patrick Errington - Poetry
• Dr Miriam Gamble - Poetry
• Dr Alan Gillis - Poetry
• Nicola McCartney - Drama
• Dr Jane McKie - Poetry
• Dr Allyson Stack - Fiction
• Kim Sherwood - Fiction
• Alice Thompson - Fiction

Find out more about the programme and our team

Programme structure

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses.

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Training and support

We encourage you to share your research and learn from the work of others through a programme of seminars and visiting speakers.

We have an in-house Writer-in-Residence, annual writing prizes, and a range of opportunities to learn from experts in the publishing industry.

We also offer access to opportunities provided by the Sottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities.

Our postgraduate journal, Forum, is a valuable conduit for research findings and provides an opportunity to gain editorial experience.

• Forum: postgraduate journal of culture and the arts

A UNESCO World City of Literature, Edinburgh is a remarkable place to study, write, publish, discuss and perform prose, poetry and drama.

Take a PhD with us and you will be based in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) in the historic centre of this world-leading festival city.

Our buildings are close to:

• National Library of Scotland (where collections include the Bute Collection of early modern English drama and the John Murray Archive)
• Edinburgh Central Library
• Scottish Poetry Library
• Scottish Storytelling Centre
• Writers’ Museum
• Traverse Theatre

We have strong links with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which annually welcomes around 1,000 authors to our literary city.

There are lots of opportunities to write and share your work, from Forum to The Selkie, which was founded by Creative Writing students in 2018 to showcase work by people who self-identify as underrepresented.

Around the city, you’ll find library readings and bookshop launches, spoken word gigs, cabaret nights and poetry slams, including events run by celebrated publishing outlets, from Canongate and Polygon│Birlinn to Luath Press, 404 Ink, Taproot Press and Mariscat.

You will have access to the University’s many literary treasures, which include:

• William Drummond library
• Lewis Grassic Gibbon library
• Hugh MacDiarmid library
• Norman MacCaig library
• W.H. Auden collection
• Corson collection
• works by and about Sir Walter Scott
• Ramage collection of poetry pamphlets

The Centre for Research Collections also holds a truly exceptional collection of early Shakespeare quartos and other early modern printed plays. These have been put together by the 19th century Shakespearean scholar James Halliwell-Phillipps, the correspondence of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle (the focus of one of the major editorial projects in Victorian studies of the last half-century), and the extensive Laing collection of medieval and early modern manuscripts.

You will also have access to letters and papers by - and relating to - authors including:

• Christopher Isherwood
• Rudyard Kipling
• John Middleton Murry
• Walter de la Mare
• George Mackay Brown
• Compton Mackenzie

Many of the University's Special Collections are digitised and available online from our excellent Resource Centre, Computing Labs, and dedicated PhD study space in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC).

Look inside the PhD study space in LLC

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK masters degree, or its international equivalent, in creative writing, normally with distinction.

We may also consider your application if you have equivalent qualifications or experience. For additional information please refer to the pre-application guidance in the 'How to apply' section.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 65 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT : 8 overall with at least 7 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Scholarships and funding.

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

borrowing money

taking out a loan

family support

personal savings

income from work

employer sponsorship

• scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Featured funding

There are a number of scholarship schemes available to eligible candidates on this PhD programme, including awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Please be advised that many scholarships have more than one application stage, and early deadlines.

• Find out more about scholarships in literatures, languages and cultures

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
• Contact: [email protected]
• School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
• 50 George Square
• Central Campus
• Programme: Creative Writing
• School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

PhD Creative Writing - 3 Years (Full-time)

Phd creative writing - 6 years (part-time), application deadlines.

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process. There are two windows (Application Rounds) for applying to Creative Writing; we will let you know the outcome of your application at the end of the Round you apply in.

• How to apply

You must submit two references with your application.

• Pre-application guidance

Before you formally apply for this PhD, you should look at the pre-application information and guidance on the programme website.

This will help you decide if this programme is right for you, and help us gain a clearer picture of what you hope to achieve.

The guidance details the writing samples you should send us as part of your application (either fiction or poetry, along with a shorter sample of your academic writing).

It will also give you practical advice for writing your project summary – one of the most important parts of your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

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Creative Writing PhD

Course detail, entry requirements.

• Fees & funding
• Study & career progression

A PhD in Creative Writing gives you the opportunity to develop an original piece of writing (for example a novel, play, screenplay, radio drama) and an accompanying thesis, in which you connect this creative work to relevant theoretical, critical and historical thinking. Together, these assessed elements lead to the award of the prestigious PhD in Creative Writing.

Working collaboratively, we aim to help you craft your work to the highest possible standard as well as facilitate your engagement with the professional world. All writers are encouraged to develop their skills in the broadest way possible. This means participating in writing exercises across a spectrum including reviews and blogs.

Our academics are often consulted by publishers about book proposals and manuscripts. ee a list of potential PhD supervisors and read about their expertise, in the 'Supervisors' section lower down the page. 

Find out more about the full range of  PhD study    opportunities   in the School of Film, Media and Design.

Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

Why study Creative Writing with us?

What our students say…

UWL has truly state-of-the-art facilities. I feel like I'm learning something new every day.

Research Centres

We have seven Research Centres, staffed by experts with an enviable record of publications, conferences, media and public engagement work.

World-leading Research

The University of West London has been recognised by the Government's Research Excellence Framework (REF) for its exceptional research work.

You will be supervised by active researchers/writers with considerable experience of publication, editing, and working with other writers. Our academics are widely published on topics as varied as Jane Austen, Rambo, and literary adaptations.

About PhD study

This course is available for you to study either on a full-time or part-time basis and you have the flexibility to switch should you need to.

A PhD is founded on independent research.  You will undertake a systematic and in-depth exploration of your chosen topic to produce a substantial body of knowledge and make an original and important contribution to the subject area.  

The support provided by your supervisory team will be vital to your student experience and scholarly advancement.  You and your supervisors will have regular one-to-one meetings which will provide you with opportunities to develop your research topic and discuss your progress.

Our research record

View our  academic journal 'New Vistas'   to see the work of students and academics who are making an impact both locally and globally through their research findings.

Based in the heart of Ealing, west London, you can make use of the excellent transport links to travel to the the capital or further afield - ideal for attending research meetings and networking events.

Got a question?

If you would like guidance or more information about studying for a research degree, you can contact  Professor Jeremy Strong .

To enable you to enhance your professional profile, we support you throughout your research degree by:

• providing research seminars
• organising doctoral events and activities
• facilitating networking and collaboration opportunities
• encouraging and supporting publication and dissemination of your research
• offering opportunities to gain teaching expertise and experience.

We provide structured research training, expert supervision, and an environment where you can discuss your research with other PhD students and researchers.

We run seminars in research methods from the Graduate Centre, as well as an ongoing series of events and activities organised by Schools and Colleges. Specialist help with academic English for students for whom English is not their first language is available.

Our facilities include a fully equipped TV Studio containing a lighting grid with DMX lighting control, green and white screens, Ross Crossover Vision Mixer for live editing and audio and video recorder / playback devices.

Media Resource Centre

Our Media Resource Centre is available to all London School of Film Media and Design students for free. We hold a variety of cameras, lights, sound equipment and recording devices. Students can also loan equipment demonstrated in class.

The Paul Hamlyn Library

The Paul Hamlyn Library provides an extensive range of books, journals and digital resources, PC and Mac workstations and a variety of study spaces. Find out more about what the  Paul Hamlyn Library has to offer .

We contribute to national and international initiatives and promote collaboration and networking opportunities. We also encourage and support you to publish and disseminate your research in academic journals and via presenting papers at conferences.

We run an annual conference for doctoral students, where you are encouraged to present a paper about your research. As well as being an opportunity to discuss your work with other students, the conference is a chance to gain valuable experience in presenting your research and participating in open discussions with academic peers.

You will also find other opportunities such as postgraduate student seminars and forums within your specific subject area.

Once you start a PhD course at UWL, you become part of our research community. You will have access to a postgraduate common room, located at our Ealing campus on St Mary’s Road, where you will meet fellow researchers from other subject disciplines offering scope for collaborations or simply to discuss ideas, allowing you to be part of a vibrant research environment.

• Requirements: UK
• Requirements: International

The minimum entry requirements for a research degree are:

• a good first degree (First Class or Upper Second Class), or equivalent qualification in a relevant field
• a Masters Degree (MA, MSc, MBA or MRes) with Merit, or equivalent postgraduate or research experience.

We look for students with:

• a passion for their chosen subject.

You will also have a well thought through and persuasive proposal.

• Competence in written and spoken English is a pre-requisite for entrance to this programme. An IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of 6.5 (with no element under 6.0).

Fees & funding

• Funding: UK
• Funding: International

Please note:

• Fees for the 2026/27 academic year and onwards may be subject to Government regulation and change.
• Tuition fees are charged for each year of your course. If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year.
• If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and you will need to pay the full fee upfront.
• If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

Funding for postgraduate students usually comes from one or more of a range of key sources:

• research councils
• charities and trust funds, including those funded by the UK government
• higher Education institutions
• overseas governments (international students only)
• professional and career development loans
• self-funding (including family funds).

Find out more about funding opportunities. Examples of most of these types of funding are included on the postgraduate studentships website , (with the exception of funding you may be able to obtain from your employer and self-funding).

Bursaries and scholarships

We offer generous bursaries and scholarships to make sure your aspirations are your only limit. See our PhD scholarships , scholarships and bursaries .

For any overseas students, your first port of call should be grant-awarding bodies in your own country (eg The Ministry / Department of Education) and your local (or nearest) office of the British Council.

The British Council manage a small number of international studentship grants in some countries and should be able to tell you what other awards may be available to you - they also produce the Sources of funding for international students guide.

Supervisors

Professor jeremy strong.

Dr Jonathon Crewe

Study & career progression

Studying for a PhD enables you to develop an area of specialism that will give you an edge whether you are planning to work in industry or to develop expertise to teach in academia.

Graduates of the PhD: Creative Writing will be highly accomplished writers, fluent and capable in what is – perhaps – the ultimate transferable skill. It will help position you for a  career in the many branches of the thriving media and cultural industries – nationally and internationally - as well as for academic careers in teaching and research

How to apply

• How to apply: UK
• How to apply: International

To apply for one of our research courses, click the green 'apply now' link shown below to complete an online application form. You will need to attach the following documentation to your online application form:

• research proposal outline (5000 words maximum)
• transcript of your highest qualification.

The research proposal outline, or statement of research interests, enables us to assess your suitability for higher degree work including:

• viability of the topic as a research study
• the most appropriate supervisor(s) to be appointed.

Learn more about applying for a PhD.

Apply for this course

Next steps after making your application.

We aim to make a decision on your application as quickly as we can. If we need any more information about your qualifications, we will be in touch.

In the meantime, come and visit us and find out more about what studying at UWL is like. Sign up for an  open day  or join a campus tour .

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To apply for one of our research courses, click the green 'apply now' link shown below to complete an online application form.  You will need to attach the following documentation to your online application form:

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MPhil/PhD Creative Writing

Content navigation menu, why study mphil/phd creative writing at goldsmiths.

The inter-relationship between theory, scholarship and the creative process is key to the Goldsmiths MPhil/PhD Creative Writing.

• Combine your own creative writing – whether poetry, fiction or life writing – with research into the genre or area of literature in which you are working, to gain insight into its history and development, and to engage with relevant contemporary debates. This might be genre in the more traditional sense, for example satire, fictional autobiography, verse drama, or particular traditions to which you feel your work relates, for example projective verse, postmodernist fiction, or Caribbean poetics.
• The Department of English and Creative Writing  at Goldsmiths comprises leading scholars and creative writers. 
• Beyond this original research into the literature, cultures and languages of the past and present, a substantial number of our academic staff produce the literature of the future, as creative writers.
• Research students benefit directly from this intellectual and creative culture, as well as from proximity to the British Library and the University of London Library, and from other research resources, such as the University of London's School of Advanced Studies and the specialised seminars and training opportunities provided there, to which our academic staff also contribute.
• The Department is home to the  Goldsmiths Prize , established in 2013 to celebrate the qualities of creative daring associated with the College.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Stephen Knight .

3-4 years full-time or 4-6 years part-time

Entry requirements

You should normally hold a first or upper-second class BA Honours degree and have either a good MA in Creative Writing or a track record of relevant publications with a reputable company.

Home - full-time: £4786 Home - part-time: £2393 International - full-time: £17690

English and Creative Writing

Goldsmiths creative writing students and alumni

Former and current PhD students include the following published writers and poets: 

• Booker Prize winning   Bernardine Evaristo , whose Jerwood Fiction Uncovered-winning book 'Mr Loverman' was written, in part, at Goldsmiths
• Season Butler
• Benjamin Woolley
• Linda Buckley-Archer
• Wendy Jones
• Justin Hill 
• Sophie Ward
• Francis Gilbert  
• Emma Darwin
• Virginia Peters
• Thomas Sykes
• Aoife Mannix
• Katrina Naomi
• Kate Miller  (winner of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry Prize) 
• Kathryn Maris
• Jack Underwood
• Abigail Parry
• Matthew Gregory
• Jenny Lewis

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about  the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or  equivalent English language qualification ) of  7.0 with a 7.0 in writing and no element lower than 6.5  to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of  courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study .

How to apply

Apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.

If you are interested in applying to the PhD Creative Writing programme, please send your academic CV, along with a sample of your writing (approx 3,000 words) to  [email protected] . These will then be seen by the programme convenor, who will be able to advise on supervisor availability in the department, and whether you should submit a formal application.

The actual topic of your research has to be agreed with your proposed supervisor, who will be a member of staff active in your general field of research, before you start at Goldsmiths. The choice of topic may be influenced by the current research in the department or the requirements of an external funding body.

For your application you'll need to have: 

• Details of  your education history , including the dates of all exams/assessments
• The  email address of your referee  who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference
• Contact details of a second referee
• A  personal statement – t his can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online.  Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement
• If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory)
• Details of your  research proposal

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password. 

If you wish to study on a part-time basis, you should also indicate how many hours a week you intend to devote to research, whether this will be at evenings or weekends, and for how many hours each day.

Research proposals

Along with your application and academic reference, you should also upload a research proposal at the point of application. 

This should be in the form of a statement of the proposed area of research and should include: 

• Delineation of the research topic
• Why it has been chosen
• An initial hypothesis (if applicable)
• A brief list of major secondary sources

How detailed a research proposal are we looking for on the application form?   Obviously what you put on the form and exactly what you end up researching may be rather different, but in order to judge whether or not to offer you a place, the Department needs to know whether you have the broad outlines of a viable project. This means:

• A project that is both worthwhile and interesting, but not over-ambitious
• A project that can realistically be achieved within the confines of PhD on a full-time (4 years typically) or part-time (six years maximum) basis
• We need to be sure that you have thought about it carefully and are fully committed to the research
• We need to be sure that you understand what is involved in doing a PhD
• Your research proposal should give us enough information to be able to interview you (if you are in the UK) or reach a decision as to whether to admit you if you are not based in the UK

When to apply  

We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September. 

We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place conditional on you achieving a particular qualification.  

If you're applying for external funding from one of the Research Councils, make sure you submit your application by the deadline they've specified. 

Selection process 

If your degree is in an unrelated field, you may be considered subject to a qualifying interview and/or submission of sample essays.

Find out more about applying.

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees.

These are the PG fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

• Home - full-time: £4786
• Home - part-time: £2393
• International - full-time: £17690

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office , who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment .

Funding opportunities

English and creative writing mphil/phd fee waiver.

Applications are open to all students on English and Creative Writing MPhil/PhD programmes.

Use the Goldsmiths scholarships finder below to find out what other funding you may be eligible for. 

Paying your fees

Find out about paying your tuition fees .

If you are a UK student you may be eligible for a  postgraduate loan .

Meanwhile our Careers Service  can also offer advice on finding work during your studies.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our  study costs page .

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. 

Where this degree can take you

Our graduates have gone on to pursue careers in:

• Public relations
• Advertising
• The civil service
• Business/Industry

This programme will enable you to develop transferable skills, including:

• Enhanced communication and discussion skills in written and oral contexts
• The ability to analyse and evaluate different textual materials
• The ability to organise information
• The ability to assimilate and evaluate competing arguments

Find out more about  employability at Goldsmiths . 

Research training programme

Training in research methods and skills is provided both by the Department and Goldsmiths' Graduate School.

This begins with an intensive week-long induction in the first week of enrolment and continues later in the first term with a series of seminars focussing on the specific challenges of literary and linguistic research projects.

We will also inform you about any research training seminars or study-days offered elsewhere in the University of London (for exmaple, by the Institute of English Studies or the Institute of Modern Languages Research, School of Advanced Study) or beyond, such as at the British Library.

The specific training requirements of your project will be assessed, and guidance provided on specialist seminars and conferences to attend, which can be supported where possible by assistance from departmental funds.

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Creative Writing PhD

Key information, find a supervisor.

Mode of study

3 years full-time

6 years part-time

International £21,260

Entry requirements

Research profile

From modernist and post-war women's writing to Caribbean and migrant fiction, our research interests span a wide range of areas aimed at understanding how literature affects wider society. We have a strong focus on maximizing both socio-cultural and academic impact of our work.

Creative Writing at Brunel is a leader in the field, which has for many years now ranked in the top 10% of Creative Writing degrees in the UK. We have some of Britain’s most celebrated, talented, original, and experienced writers actively publishing in the industry today, including Will Self, Bernardine Evaristo, Christopher Fox, Geoff King, Fiona Templeton and many more, having published over 80 powerfully diverse books between them and written for all the national newspapers. Our particular areas of strength include modern and contemporary literature, Shakespeare, Renaissance studies, Victorian literature and culture, and world literature in English.

Find out about the exciting research we do in this area. Browse profiles of our experts, discover the research groups and their inspirational research activities you too could be part of. We’ve also made available extensive reading materials published by our academics and PhD students.  

Learn more about research in this area.

The writers at Brunel are all actively publishing and specialists in many areas of writing including:

• all aspects of modern literary fiction
• all aspects of contemporary commercial fiction
• poetry, including for performance
• women's and multicultural writing
• horror and thriller writing
• all aspects of fantasy fiction
• post-colonial fiction
• children's/ YA fiction
• non-fiction
• screenwriting
• screen adaptation
• comedy writing
• writing for radio
• writing for opera
• autobiographical writing
• female genital mutilation in Africa and the UK
• the Fusion of creative writing and dramatherapy
• creative writing for therapeutic purposes
• the fusion of creative writing and dramatherapy

Browse the work of subject-relevant research groups

Our researchers create knowledge and advance understanding, and equip versatile doctoral researchers with the confidence to apply what they have learnt for the benefit of society. Find out more about working with the Supervisory Team .

You are welcome to approach your potential supervisor directly to discuss your research interests. Search for expert supervisors for your chosen field of research.

While we welcome applications from students with a clear direction for their research, we can also provide you with some ideas. Search for PhD topics for your chosen field of research.

Research journey

This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.

Find out about what progress might look like at each stage of study here:  Research degree progress structure.

Research support

Excellent research support and training

The Graduate School provides a range of personal, professional and career development opportunities. This includes workshops, online training, coaching and events, to enable you to enhance your professional profile, refine your skills, and plan your next career steps as part of the Researcher Development Programme . The researcher development programme (RDP) offers workshops and seminars in a range of areas including progression, research management, research dissemination, and careers and personal development. You will also be offered a number of online, self-study courses on BBL, including Research Integrity, Research Skills Toolkit, Research Methods in Literature Review and Principles of Research Methods.

Library services

Brunel's Library is open 24 hours a day, has 400,000 books and 250,000 ebooks, and an annual budget of almost £2m. Subject information Specialists train students in the latest technology, digital literacy, and digital dissemination of scholarly outputs. As well as the physical resources available in the Library, we also provide access to a wealth of electronic resources. These include databases, journals and e-books. Access to these resources has been bought by the Library through subscription and is limited to current staff and students.

Dedicated research support staff provide guidance and training on open access, research data management, copyright and other research integrity issues.

Find out more: Brunel Library

Careers and your future

You will receive tailored careers support during your PhD and for up to three years after you complete your research at Brunel. We encourage you to actively engage in career planning and managing your personal development right from the start of your research, even (or perhaps especially) if you don't yet have a career path in mind. Our careers provision includes online information and advice, one-to-one consultations and a range of events and workshops. The Professional Development Centre runs a varied programme of careers events throughout the academic year. These include industry insight sessions, recruitment fairs, employer pop-ups and skills workshops.

In addition, where available, you may be able to undertake some paid work as we recognise that teaching and learning support duties represent an important professional and career development opportunity.

Find out more.

UK entry requirements

2024/5 entry.

The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (1st or 2:1).

An interview will be required as part of the admissions process and will be conducted by at least two academic staff members remotely via MS Teams, Zoom, or face to face.

Applicants will be required to submit a personal statement ; a research statement, and a writing sample . Your writing sample should be no more than 4,000 words. You may submit any piece (or pieces) of creative writing from your portfolio, however, you may like to consider sharing work in the genre proposed for your PhD topic to assist staff with assessing your application.

Please contact your proposed supervisor, where possible, to receive feedback and guidance on your research statement before submitting it. Learn how to prepare a research statement here .

EU and International entry requirements

English language requirements.

• IELTS: 7 (min 6 in all areas)
• Pearson: 64 (59 in all subscores)
• BrunELT : 68% (58% in all areas)
• TOEFL: 98 overall (min 20) 

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our  English Language Requirements  page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our  Brunel Language Centre .

Please check our Admissions  pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

Fees and funding

International.

£21,260 full-time

£10,630 part-time

£4,786 full-time

£2,393 part-time

Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.

Some courses incur  additional course related costs . You can also check our  on-campus accommodation costs  for more information on living expenses.

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. Recently the UK Government made available the Doctoral Student Loans of up to £25,000 for UK and EU students and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.

PhD studentships

• Studentships in Arts & Social Sciences via the TECHNE2 Doctoral Training Partnership

Scholarships and bursaries

• Brunel Graduate Discount

Related courses

Contemporary writing phd.

Creative and Critical Writing

The PhD Programme in Creative and Critical Writing is for students and writers wishing to complete a substantial creative work of marketable quality. Our own MA in Creative Writing provides an ideal basis for students wishing to undertake a PhD.

• Career prospects
• Fees and funding
• Entry requirements
• How to apply

The PhD programme at Cardiff caters to individuals keen to join a thriving community of writers—from novelists and memoirists to poets and scriptwriters—all of whom share the common purpose of immersing themselves in the composition of a substantial piece of creative research.

The programme includes a compulsory critical element in which students relate the creative work they produce to its wider critical and cultural contexts and evaluate the conceptual and theoretical contribution the work represents.

Programme aims

• The PhD programme is designed to enable students to put together an original piece of creative work—a novel, collection of poems or short stories, a play, film script, or work of creative non-fiction—together with a reflective critical commentary.
• The programme offers knowledge and expertise to take you on to a role in Higher Education, or employment requiring high-level skills in research or advanced subject knowledge.
• The programme recruits a diverse range of Home/EU and International students who want to engage in a research environment characterised by world-leading research expertise in all aspects of creative writing.

Distinctive features

• The PhD programme offers a monthly seminar series specific to Creative Writing research students.
• The School makes funding available each year for PGR students who wish to attend conferences / undertake library or archive visits in order to assist with their PhD studies.
• PhD students are encouraged to attend the annual writers’ retreat at Gregynog Hall , a country house with a distinguished artistic heritage that is set in glorious countryside in mid-Wales.
• PhD students are also encouraged to publish and advice can be sought from Creative Writing staff, all of whom are published authors.
• We offer teaching opportunities on the undergraduate degree and PhD students can undertake the School’s unique “Learning to Teach” programme, accredited by the Higher Education Academy.

Our PhD students in Creative and Critical Writing are producing dynamic work both in established modes and forms and across a range of (hybrid) genres from experimental poetry and short stories to radio and film scripts, ambitious novels and innovative narrative non-fiction and are supported by supervisors who are experienced, published writer-academics with emerging and established international reputations. Our students are further trained in the ability to reflect critically on their own work. Though the balance between self-reflective analysis of the creative element on the one hand and the wider disciplinary and intellectual context on the other will vary according to the contours of each doctoral project, the commentary should be a rigorous evaluative analysis of the territory in which the creative work intervenes, and of the ways in which that intervention is accomplished.

Examples of recent and current PhD topics are given below:

• “Modest Venus: Experiments in Seeing” (Narrative Non-Fiction)
• “World of Appearances: Defining a Post-Projective Method in Contemporary Poetics”
• “Poetic Grief: Writing the Death of an Addict”
• “Representations of Italy in Contemporary English Literature” and a Novel
• “Root and Branch: Direction in the Urban Novel in Contemporary Welsh Fiction in English”
• “The Gwerin and the Crachach: A Novel”
• “The Myth and its Registration”: Intellectual Property and Trademarks and a Novel

The PhD programme involves the preparation of an original piece of creative work—fiction, non-fiction, script or screenplay, a collection of poems or short stories—and a critical commentary.

Candidates for the PhD in Creative and Critical Writing will submit one of the following:

• Prose: novel, short story, work of creative non-fiction or play/film script; the creative portion and critical commentary will not normally exceed 100,000 words with the critical commentary comprising not less than 20,000 words.
• Poetry: a collection of poetry, prose poetry or micro-fiction amounting to around 60 pages, with an accompanying critical commentary of not less than 20,000 words.
• An integrated Creative-Critical submission of no more than 100,000 words.

"Positioned at the interface of different traditions, methodologies, theoretical approaches, disciplines and practices, our internationally recognized and pioneering research engenders challenging and fascinating questions for our staff and also, through our PhD supervision and research-led teaching, for our students at all levels." Professor Ann Heilmann, Director of Research in the School of English, Communication and Philosophy.

The School was ranked in the top ten for the quality of its English Language and Literature research, including Creative and Critical Writing, in the latest  Research Excellence Framework (REF2014). Cardiff University recently joined the world's top 100 universities for the study of English Language and Literature (again including Creative and Critical Writing) in the  2016 QS World University Rankings .

Research environment

The School takes the training of research students very seriously, providing the facilities and supervisory guidance to help them flourish intellectually and work productively. The School has a dedicated suite of PhD research rooms with excellent networked IT facilities. Each student has a conference budget and is given a contribution to photocopying costs, as well as free printing facilities.

We regularly check with students what training they need and ensure that it is provided. Our PhD students can apply to get teaching experience with us and our unique “Learning to Teach” programme is accredited by the Higher Education Academy. The School holds a yearly conference to allow PhD students the opportunity to share work with their peers in a supportive and stimulating multi-disciplinary environment. The Arts and Social Studies Library is well-stocked with books and academic journals in all our subject areas, substantial electronic resources and specialist collections such as Cardiff Rare Books, a rich archive of over 14,000 items ranging from fifteenth-century incunabula to twentieth-century fine press books.

In a competitive jobs market, our students are encouraged and supported in building up the skills that will make them employable, whatever their career direction. We value the rich experience of our many overseas students and actively attend to their specific needs in relation to their cultural context of study and the demands of writing elegantly in a second language.

The programme offers ideal preparation for those wishing to pursue careers in freelance writing and academia as well as journalism, publishing, teaching, public relations and arts management and administration.

Job roles: Writer, Lecturer, Editor, Head Teacher, English Teacher, EFL Teacher, PR Officer.

Employers: Universities from Cork (Ireland) to Wisconsin State (USA), Oxford University Press, Penguin Random House, Palgrave MacMillan, London Film School, Virgin Media, Literature Wales, Visit Wales.

UK government postgraduate doctoral loans

Candidates for the Professional Doctorate programme may be eligible to apply for a UK government postgraduate doctoral loan.

The School welcomes enquiries from applicants who are considering applying for funding for a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing from the South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership .

See our latest PhD studentships and projects and find out more about other funding opportunities .

Tuition fees

Students from the uk.

Get the latest information on postgraduate fees.

Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland

Students from the rest of the world (international).

In addition to the application form, research proposal and supporting documents we also require copies of recent creative work, the word count of which will depend very much on the genre of work produced but we would expect approximately 3,000 words of prose or 10-15 poems.

Applicants should include a research proposal (approx 1000 words), 2 academic references, a sample of creative writing, copies of BA and MA degree certificates and a transcript of the marks.

Further information and guidelines for Personal Statement or supporting material.

Research proposal

The research proposal should be approximately 1,000 words in length. This should provide an outline of the aims and objectives of your project and indicate how you see it intervening in the field, in creative and critical terms alike.

In addition to this, we require copies of recent creative work, the word-count of which will depend very much on the genre of work produced. We would expect approximately 3,000 words of prose or 10-15 poems.

Applicants should also include supporting documents in the form of two academic references, copies of BA and MA degree certificates and a transcript of marks.

Admission process

The Director of the Creative and Critical Writing Postgraduate Research Programme assesses all applications, taking into consideration the quality and viability of the project, as well as the capacity of staff to supervise it. This will include consultation with potential supervisors. Applicants who pass this initial stage of assessment will then be invited for interview.

A list of staff working within Creative Writing .

Applications are welcome from graduates with at least a 2.1 at undergraduate level (in any academic discipline). While an MA in Creative Writing or English Literature is an advantage, it is not a prerequisite.

You are recommended to email the postgraduate administrator at [email protected] with your research proposal and a sample of creative work prior to making a formal application.

English language requirements

The School welcomes applications from students outside the United Kingdom. For non-native speakers of English, an IELTS overall score of 7.5 with at least 7.0 in each sub score is essential.

Please read our English language requirements for more details.

Administrative contact(s)

Encap postgraduate admissions.

Administrative contact

• Email [email protected]
• Telephone +44 029 2087 0322

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