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Postgraduate Programs

Master of Arts in Creative Writing (Research)

Master of Arts in Creative Writing (Coursework)
includes Graduate Certificate in Food Writing, Graduate Diploma (Creative Writing), Master of Arts in Creative Writing

• Master of Arts (in Creative Writing) (Research)
• Graduate Certificate in Food Writing  (can articulate with the Grad Dip for second semester)
• Graduate Diploma (Creative Writing) (first two semesters of coursework, MA coursework)
• Master of Arts in Creative Writing (final semester of coursework, MA coursework)
• Eligibility, Application, and International Students (for coursework Masters)
• Fees, Scholarships and Fee-help

Master of Arts (in Creative Writing) (Research)

Download a copy of the Master of Arts by Research Creative Writing Handbook (doc 200kB).

Students with an Honours degree or a coursework Masters at Distinction level or equivalent as determined by the University are eligible to apply for the MA by Research or the PhD in Creative Writing.

Dissertation length: 40 000 words approximately: 30-35 000 creative work and 5-10 000 word exegesis.  

Length of study: two years full-time.

See information for Research Postgraduates on the main University site:

• entry requirements and application  (closing date is 31 October for domestic students for scholarship; but you can apply at any time: however it is best to commence the beginning of the year or mid-year when induction takes place); for international students (closing date 1 December, but 31 August for scholarships)
• the Research Student Handbook 
• fees for domestic students; fees for interntaional students
• remote candidature (similar to the PhD)

Graduate Certificate in Food Writing

Convenor

Jill Jones, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing

Aims

The Graduate Certificate in Food Writing (pdf 3MB) articulates with the Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing: it gains students credit for a full semester of the Graduate Diploma (Creative Writing). It is designed to:

• introduce students to the varieties, contexts and issues of food writing anddevelop food writing skills in a range of styles and approaches.

Typical students are very interested in food and wine, not only eating and drinking and cooking, but also in the history, culture and politics of food and drink. In addition, their goal is to publish.

Content and Methods

The course is taught through discussions, workshops and writing exercises, in an intensive on-campus situation and then online:

• The intensive is one week and face-to-face study on campus at the University, with workshops and presentations by both University staff and specialist lecturers;
• The online study is one semester (12 weeks).

The course commences February 9 for the one-week on-campus study. The remainder of the course is online, so it can be considered a course by distance education.The online component will start late February,continues through first semester to about June, and will require you to submit written material approximately every two weeks. During this period the online or Virtual Classroom is used for discussions among students and instructor. While a convenient time for everyone is taken into account, you may have to come online in the early morning or late evening.Each week you might spend around three hours on reading, another hour on participation (the Virtual Classroom) and as much time as you can spare on your assignments. There will be 6-7 assignments of varying lengths (from 500w to 4000w) to be completed in the online study period.

Opportunities for employment include journalism—not only newspapers but magazines of all kinds, and also electronic media; marketing and PR is another possibility. (See the Graduate Program in Gastronomy website for wider programs in this area.) 

The Penny's Hill/Adelaide Review Food Writing Prize is awarded annually. Previous winners include Vikki Moore, whose 'The Last Lunch' (pdf 2MB) was published in the Adelaide Review.

There can be assistance with accommodation.

Eligibility, Application, International Students

Eligibility

The Graduate Certificate in Food Writing articulates with the Graduate Diploma (Creative Writing). At 12 points Food Writing is the equivalent to first semester's work in Creative Writing.

Applicants should have a bachelor's degree or equivalent, or relevant professional experience, and an excellent portfolio of creative or journalistic writing.

The portfolio of writing should be:

• a representative selection of work, published or unpublished,
• 10-20 pages, double-spaced, 2.5 cm margins, A4, name and page number on each,
• cover sheet (of your own devising) with contact details and contents of portfolio.

  If you need to work on a portfolio now, here are some suggestions. Commence reading from such publications as Marion Halligan's Eat My Words, Gay Bilson's Plenty: Digressions on Food, Barbara Santich's Looking for Flavour, the anthology Forked Tongues from the Creative Writing Program. then try writing about similar issues. Try writing, for example:

• restaurant reviews
• wine reviews
• about recipes
• about individual food items
• about travel and food
• about the history of food
• about cooking implements
• about food in your family
• about food in literature, or film or visual art

Send the portfolio to:
Dr Patrick Allington
School of Humanities
University of Adelaide
Adelaide SA 5005

Application

Graduate Certificate in Food Writing: go to the SATAC (university section) website and find the course. Applications close 8 December.

International Students

You will not normally need an international student visa for the brief period of on-campus study.

Graduate Diploma (Creative Writing) (Coursework)
(first two semesters/four courses of MA program by coursework)

The Creative Writing Masters of Arts by Coursework Writing Handbook (doc 198kB) incorporates the Graduate Diploma.

Convenor: Jill Jones. Email: jill.jones@adelaide.edu.au   

Aims

The Graduate Diploma is intended primarily as an initial step towards the degree of Master of Arts in Creative Writing.

Content and Methods

The MA (coursework) is a three-semester program leading to the MA. It takes three full semesters or 1 1/2 years (full-time) to complete. 

Students can exit with a Graduate Certificate after completing one semester or a Graduate Diploma after completing two semesters.

The courses are designed as a progression, moving from writing process, to genre practice, to portfolio development and supervision. In addition, all students are required to take a course called 'Thinking Aloud' which is designed to explore current writing practices, theories, and concepts shaping literature. (This course includes literary studies students as well as creative writing students.)

The program also includes particular genre studies courses depending upon the number of enrollments and interest in particular genres. Each semester, students take two courses (one workshop and one study course) and do a considerable amount of writing in each of these (7000 words in each and in workshops drafts as well).

This Graduate Diploma, over two semesters/four courses, offers a series of seminars and workshops designed to:

• encourage writing creativity and
• develop skills in honing of creative writing such as the the habit of observation and the use of various elements of language.
• Also included in the Graduate Diploma course are components that study a range of 20th and 21st century writing examples (both Australian and international), and which focus on important challenges to writers.

In part-time mode, it would be be best to take Critical Thinking first, since it is the core/ course. In second semester, you could only take Genre Studies. Then in the second year, you'd take Writing Process, first semester, and Genre Practice second semester.

Part-time mode:

Assessments: for each course the word count is approximately 7,500 words usually but not exclusively in creative writing fiction and nonfiction.

Master of Arts in Creative Writing (Coursework)
(final semester of coursework)

Handbook

Download the Creative Writing Master of Arts by Coursework Handbook (doc 198kB).

Convenor: Jill Jones   Email: jill.jones@adelaide.edu.au

The MA over one semester of a workshop course and supervision is aimed at assisting students in the development and completion of their major work of 18 000 words, in a selected literary genre (novel, collection of short fiction, collection of poems, drama, creative nonfiction).

In the MA semester, students take one intensive workshop to continue developing the work for their portfolio and they have individualised supervision with the course teacher as the drafts develop. Final work is assessed by both an external and an internal examiner.

MA Third semester
ENGL 5500 Portfolio Workshop and Supervision

Eligibility, Application,  International Students, Enrolment

Eligibility

Graduate Diploma: Completed higher education bachelor degree or equivalent, and portfolio of creative writing.

MA semester: Then entry into the MA requires completion of the Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing at distinction level or higher.

(Students with an Honours degree in English or Creative Writing at distinction level or higher, including an excellent portfolio of creative writing, may also be admitted into the program and receive credit for the first year of study by coursework.  

The portfolio should contain:

• a representative selection of your best works or work in progress (published and/or unpublished), preferably in the genre you hope to work in.
• published work: include copies or lists of publications (for short works such as a short story: photocopies of published work and publication information such as cover of publication and date/place of publication)
• 15 pages of prose (or about 15 poems), A4, double-spaced (if poetry, adhere to publishing conventions), 2.5 cm margins, name and page number on each
• a description of the proposed MA project (up to one page in addition to the portfolio): your description of the project you wish to work on in the MA, what kind of creative work, what concepts and ideas you hope to explore.  

• cover sheet with contact details and contents of portfolio

There is no stated criteria for the portfolio as there would be for assessment in the program.

Assessment within the courses is configured around writing skills, originality, craft, insight, understanding, potential to continue to develop, and presentation. The lecturers assess it on the evidence of skills such as expression and the potential for the applicant to develop.  You will not receive feedback on your portfolio. If you wish it to be returned, please send a stamped, addressed envelope with the portfolio. Unreturned portfolios are shredded and recycled.

At the time of your application, send the portfolio NOT TO SATAC but to:
Dr Patrick Allington
School of Humanities
University of Adelaide
Adelaide SA 5000

Application

Domestic students: see the University's Application and Admission (postgraduate coursework), and use the blue navigation bar on the left-hand side to navigate to all relevant information such as 'Selection Criteria' and 'Postgraduate Programs'. Apply through SATAC.

International Students

Queries: Use the Online Enquiry Form.  

See the international student website for how to apply and the relevant forms (see: http://international.adelaide.edu.au/apply/appforms/ and select the Postgraduate Coursework Application Form). For international students the application form functions as an application for a scholarship, but it must be submitted by 31 August for a scholarship in the following year. Students who apply after that date and who wish to proceed to the MA are automtically considered for a scholarship for the following year with a An International Student Change of Academic Program Form (pdf) (that is, a change from the Grad Dip to the MA) submitted to the International Office:
The University of Adelaide
Level 3, 230 North Terrace
South Australia 5005
AUSTRALIA

Enrolment

See the University Enrolment site for dates.

Fees, Scholarships and Fee-Help

Fees

• For coursework programs, please see the Course Planner and the Faculty website (ro see the links in the courses above).
• For research programs:
  • Domestic students: currently, all commencing higher degree by research students enrolled in a research degree at the University of Adelaide are awarded a Research Training Scheme (RTS) place. The RTS place entitles the student to a maximum period of two years of HECS exempt candidature (FTE) to undertake a Masters program.
  • International students.

Scholarships

• Domestic students:
  • for scholarships in the coursework programs, see under Postgraduate Coursework Forms, and Application for Scholarship only.
  • Research scholarships.
• International students, coursework: see just above.
  • Research scholarships.

Fee-help for domestic students
Click here for information on FEE-HELP: To be eligible for FEE-HELP you have to be an Australian citizen.