Creative Writing (PhD, MPhil) at University of Bristol

A postgraduate research qualification in Creative Writing consists of an original body of work - normally a novel, or a collection of poetry/short stories - with an accompanying critical element. The critical element will place the creative work in an informed and theorised analytical context. The total assessed word count will be 25,000 words for the MPhil and 80,000 words for the PhD (or equivalent for poetry).

Faculty: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences  |  Department: School of Humanities  |  Duration: MPhil: one year full-time, two years part-time. PhD: up to four years full-time, up to eight years part-time  |  Study mode: full-time, part-time  |  Intake: January 2027, September 2027, January 2028.  |  Location: Bristol, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

MPhil: a standalone, one-year (full-time) research degree. Students will undertake their own research or creative project, concluding with the submission of a 25,000-word dissertation/project (normally 17,000-18,000 words of creative writing and 7,000-8,000 of critical writing). Students will benefit from a programme of skills and training workshops and may have the option to audit units from our taught master's programmes if they are relevant to their research.

Career pathways

People who are awarded a Creative Writing PhD have gone on to a variety of careers. Many are published writers who also teach, either in the academy or in community settings.

Official programme page