Creative writing award programmes

Part-time Oxford University courses

Gain an undergraduate award or graduate degree in creative writing

Need an extra push to finish your novel, poem or play? Looking for a low-residency master's degree? Or perhaps you're just beginning in creative writing? No matter where you are in your writing journey, we have a part-time, flexible course for you.

Not ready for a university programme? Then take a look at our short courses in creative writing.

Undergraduate study

Certificate of Higher Education in Creative Writing

Credit earned from our short online courses, weekly classes and the Oxford University Summer School of Adults is transferable towards our Certificate of Higher Education – a part-time undergraduate course in which you study a main subject discipline but also undertake study in other academic subjects.

Find out more about the Certificate of Higher Education.

Diploma in Creative Writing

Our two-year, part-time Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing allows you to strengthen your ability in four major areas of literary activity — prose, poetry, drama and analytical reading — as well as the chance to specialise in the medium of your choice. Choose from two study options: the face-to-face in Oxford pathway or the mostly online pathway with a summer school in Oxford.

Find out more about the Diploma. 

Postgraduate study

MSt in Creative Writing

This two-year part-time master’s degree in creative writing offers a unique combination of high contact hours, genre specialisation, and creative and critical breadth. The emphasis of the course is cross-cultural and cross-genre, addressing the needs and challenges of the contemporary writer who produces their creative work in the context of a global writerly and critical community.

The programme offers a clustered learning format of five residences, two guided retreats and one placement over two years.

Find out more about the MSt in Creative Writing. 

Student spotlights

Charles Bush

Charles Bush

Charles Bush published his debut young-adult novel thanks to the skills and experience gained from completing the Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education.

Georgia Fancett

Georgia Fancett

Studying on the Certificate of Higher Education led Georgia to writing a prize winning novel.

Judith Carrichner

Judith Carrichner

Judith joined a short online course before progressing onto the Diploma in Creative Writing online pathway. She has since been accepted onto a master's programme at the University of Cambridge.

Daisy McNally

Daisy McNally

Daisy had not done any sort of creative writing until studying with us. She has since published her first novel and is now a tutor at the Department.

Samir Guglani

Samir Guglani

Samir was attracted to the MSt in Creative Writing as he wanted to pursue his writing in a peer group environment.

Daisy Johnson

Daisy Johnson

While studying the MSt in Creative Writing Daisy worked on a collection of short stories which would later become her debut book.