Do you have a passion for creative communication? Would you like to improve your employability within the advertising industry? This challenging master’s programme focuses on the development of hands-on creative advertising techniques, helping you to build a set of skills that you’ll use throughout your career. You’ll also develop a thorough understanding of relevant academic theory, exploring popular culture and the ways in which it is shaped by promotional media.
Southampton Solent University’s MA Creative Advertising curriculum focuses on industry relevant workplace skills, teaching students to function as part of a professional advertising business. These skills include idea generation, working to a brief, research, copywriting, strategy and presentation. Students will also complete a master’s project, which is an ideal opportunity to focus on the specific areas of advertising that interest them. For further details on the course’s academic content, please visit the ‘course content’ tab.
Students benefit from creative guidance throughout the course, receiving regular feedback from the tutoring team, other students and specially invited advertising professionals. This feedback helps students to craft a portfolio of commercially appealing work, and encourages them to reflect on their own creative process.
Advertising students at Southampton Solent may get their first taste of the industry by freelancing at Solent Creatives, an on-campus advertising and marketing agency that specialises in connecting students with business clients. This offers students the opportunity to gain work experience, create additional work for their portfolios and make industry contacts.
Students are encouraged to take on work experience throughout their studies. Advertising students have previously secured placements at Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann Erickson, EHS 4D, Chemistry Communications, B&Q, Channel 4 (Jersey) and Palmer Hargreaves.
Following this course, you will be well placed for a variety of careers in national or international advertising agencies. Students will work on competition briefs for organisations such as the Design & Art Directors Association (D&AD) and the Young Creative Network (YCN).
Solent’s creative advertising master’s degree is ideally-suited to those looking to progress their career in the advertising industry. The course will help those looking to further develop their career by covering creative strategies, building a creative portfolio, and professional practice.
We provide a stimulating learning environment and access to state-of-the-art resources to help you make the most of your time with us. Flexible spaces, Wi-Fi facilities and learning zones all contribute to our lively and contemporary study environment at Solent.
Students will have access to a range of specialist facilities throughout their studies. These include Mac computers, professional creative software, digital printing facilities and traditional printing presses.
Solent also provides a comprehensive media loans scheme, giving students access to high-end photographic equipment.
Suitable roles for graduates include:
Our experienced teaching team has strong links with high-profile professional bodies, enabling you to develop useful contacts in the advertising world and to meet key industry figures.
You will be encouraged to complete work experience and we’ll help you to find a suitable placement, if possible at a top agency. Leading creative directors will be among those to critique your work, giving you valuable feedback.
Industry guest lectures, agency visits and careers events will help to boost your insight into the advertising industry and your network of contacts.
You’ll also have the chance to develop your industry connections and freelance portfolio through real-world work for Solent Creatives, our in-house creative agency.
We’ll encourage you to complete work experience as part of the Professional Practice unit. Through this you’ll gain real-world experience of working in an agency environment, helping you to plan your future career. You’ll also have the chance to develop your industry connections and freelance portfolio through working for Solent Creatives, our in-house creative agency. Students are invited to pitch for work at Solent Creatives, our on-campus creative agency. These projects involve real businesses and are ideally suited for portfolio development.
Advertising and management skills are in high demand, with graduates working at all ends of the advertising spectrum from traditional print-based advertising to digital media. This course will offer you a combination of commercial, theoretical and creative units to provide ensure you have a significant advantage in this fast-paced and dynamic industry.
The programme will develop your creative thinking skills in helping to create and implement effective creative advertising solutions to complex advertising challenges.
You will be taught by industry professionals and highly experienced tutors, who are able to draw upon their substantial industry experience, bringing lectures to life and offering practical support on student projects.
This course is also approved and accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has been developed to meet the demand for skilled marketing communications professionals to work within the ever-changing marketing communications industry.
As a marketing master’s student you will:
Open to graduates holding degrees in any subject, this course assumes no prior knowledge of marketing or business and is suitable for UK, EU and international students wishing to progress their academic knowledge of advertising. It is also suitable for those who do not have a degree but who possess relevant experience.
Employers look favourably on candidates who can demonstrate relevant and practical work experience. All Masters students at the Business School are encouraged to undertake an optional, short-term internship with a real business in order to develop relevant experience relating to their studies.
The Postgraduate Internship Programme is an optional unit which allows you to gain up to fourteen weeks of work experience in a business environment; putting your studies into practical application, at the same time as gaining practice credits, which are recorded on your degree qualification transcript.
A dedicated Placement and Project Coordinator will guide you through this process, by sourcing and advertising suitable roles throughout the year, offering 1-2-1 application advice, and supporting you to make speculative applications to source your own Internships.
Internships can be part-time or full-time but must fit around your scheduled classes.
Our Managing in the Creative Economy MA programme bridges the gap between creativity and business. This unique business degree programme enables you to combine specific creative practice and skills with a rigorous business education customised for the creative industries. It has been developed by academics and creative economy practitioners at Kingston Business School to help you respond to emerging trends and opportunities to realise value in the creative economy.
The programme is designed for individuals who come from creative industries, or have graduated in another discipline, including engineering and humanities. You will need a strong motivation to look beyond the traditional boundaries of your discipline, a readiness to participate in a start-up, and a willingness to work in a multi-disciplinary and experiential environment. You will work with students from all over the world and from different creative sectors. This diversity challenges you to think differently and exposes you to differing perspectives on creativity and business.
The programme now has nine generations of graduates and an active alumni network. Our graduates work in a range of creative and leadership positions ranging from freelance work in the creative sector, through to business ownership and employment in large innovative companies in the creative economy.
The creative industries are outpacing traditional industries both in the UK and the rest of the world. In the UK, the creative industries represent 5.2 per cent of the UK economy and provide 1.9 million jobs (DCMS, 2016). With the growth of the creative industries, the creative economy has grown at a rate faster than the whole of the UK economy, and was worth £133.3billion in 2014, accounting for 8.2 per cent of the UK economy (DCMS, 2016).
An increasing number of countries has now placed the creative industries at the heart of their economic development. This creates opportunities for professionals who understand the critical success factors for commercialising creativity, and are equipped with the mix of creative and business knowledge and skills.
This unique business degree programme enables you to combine specific creative practice and skills with a rigorous business education customised for the creative industries. By the end of the programme, you will be equipped with an in-depth knowledge, understanding and skills required to successfully realise value in the creative economy context.
You will specialise and become closely involved in the practice of a specific creative industry through engagement with a real business in the creative sector. This will be the opportunity to experience practical work and realise value in a chosen creative industry:
-Advertising and marketing
-Architecture
-Crafts
-Product design, graphic design and fashion design
-Film, TV, video, radio and photography
-IT, software and computer services
-Publishing
-Museums, galleries and libraries
-Music, performing arts and visual arts
(Creative Industries Classification, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, 2015)
You will also explore the process of collaborative creativity and examine what it takes to successfully develop ideas into innovative products, service and processes. The core of the programme is a real-life business experience; working in a team, you will start and run your own creative industries business in the supportive and risk-free environment provided by Kingston Business School. Our entrepreneurship experts will guide you through the process of designing and running your own creative business, which will help you develop your creative, managerial and entrepreneurial skills.
Assessments are innovative and include a mix of individual and group project work and formal assessments, including essays, case studies, reports and presentations, role-play, games and simulations, plus the final Personal Research Project (maximum 15,000 words). You will study in a supportive environment where regular feedback is provided by both academics and professionals.
The course gives you the opportunity to gain a range of knowledge, skills and experiences:
-Develop your creative, entrepreneurial, managerial and leadership skills – participate in development of a start-up, pitch to real industry experts at our "Dragons' Den", and engage with a variety of professionals and entrepreneurial businesses.
-Experience practical work in a chosen creative industry by engaging with a real creative industries business to develop your CV and your understanding of the creative sector.
-Learn the fundamentals of business management theory and practice from the specific perspective of the creative industries, in the diverse and evolving context of the creative economy.
-Experience regular visits from industry experts and entrepreneurs, field trips to entrepreneurial businesses and events such as Frieze Art Fair that connect the creative industry to the local community and enable you to build a valuable network.
The Managing in the Creative Economy MA is designed for individuals who come from creative industries, or have graduated in another discipline, including engineering and humanities.
-Are you a creative practitioner? We will give you the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in creating a product or service and taking it to markets.
-Are you a manager in a creative business? We will help you understand the processes of managing creativity and innovation and enhance your skills as a creative leader with a good grasp of strategy and appropriate business and management skills.
-Have you got years of experience? If you have substantial experience, you could benefit from undertaking the personal research project that will help you to apply your new skills and expertise to your specialist sector and enable you to identify new opportunities in the creative economy.
Below are the core modules for this course:
Modules
-Mapping the Creative Economy
-Design Thinking for Start-ups
-Experiencing the Creative Industries - Professional Practice
-Conducting Collaborative Creativity
-Managing a Creative Business
-Personal Research Project/Gaining Insights
Are you looking to develop your skills in campaign planning and management across paid, owned, earned and shared advertising channels? Would you like to take the next step in your advertising career? This challenging master’s programme can help prepare you for a role in contemporary advertising in an account management, media planning, creative or agile role.
Customer engagement is increasingly key with the benefits of ‘big data’ providing detailed analytics for campaigns. Media planning is becoming more scientific and measurable, moving customers up the loyalty ladder to generate content for brands. Advertising is the catalyst to delivering integrated campaigns and Southampton Solent’s MA Advertising and Multimedia Communications programme prepares students for making a strategic contribution.
Recognising the close relationship with marketing and public relations, the course focuses on emerging forms of advertising which blur the boundaries with journalism and the importance of content marketing. Teaching is delivered by a team of industry professionals and the course covers the development of contemporary integrated marketing campaigns.
As the roles of multimedia advertising management, digital newsroom manager, marketing professional, and corporate PR manager are converging, students are encouraged to develop a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, and will have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience by preparing campaigns for live client briefs. Students are also encouraged to seek work-placement and freelance opportunities through the University’s student run agency, Solent Creatives, as well as prepare competition briefs for the Design & Art Directors Association (D&AD) and the Young Creative Network (YCN).
Graduates from this course will be well placed to pursue careers in national or international advertising agencies in roles such as account management, media and communications officer, or creative director.
This course is ideally suited to those who are looking to further their career in the advertising and communications industry. The curriculum will appeal to students with a particular interest in the integration of advertising, marketing, PR and journalism to create innovative strategic campaigns.
Year one
Advertising in a World of Converging Communication (30 credits)
This unit covers contemporary advertising practice and theory combining traditional mass media approaches with emerging social media and mobile channels. This unit develops practical skills and a critical awareness of the issues and practices within advertising in a world where increasingly the target audience can skip ads and brands combine paid, owned, earned and shared media to engage consumers. After introducing advertising principles, the unit moves on to explore the digital mix, content marketing, native advertising and immersive, augmented experiences. The traditional advertising roles of art director, copywriter, account manager and media planner are still important industry pathways but are increasingly challenged by agile practice, this unit considers the implications. Assessments are designed to test application of your learning in both theory and practice.
Multimedia Campaign Planning (30 credits)
Students get the practical opportunity to develop and implement a number of campaign activities across a wide variety of platforms, testing their ability to integrate paid, owned, shared and earned media in a PR campaign.
Media Measurement & Evaluation (15 credits)
This unit introduces students to the challenge of measurement techniques applied in advertising, marketing, promotion and PR sectors, including the evolution of RoE (return on engagement)
Research Methods (15 credits)
This unit raises the students’ research skills to Master’s level, including SPSS and other methodologies that are relevant to their particular areas of interest (Shared Unit)
Professional Practice (30 credits)
This unit positions the MA programme in terms of the student’s career aspiration, identifying skill sets and development needs in a PDP, which forms the basis of a freelance/workplace project- and informs the student’s choice of Major Project or dissertation
Major Project/Dissertation (60 credits)
The culmination of the MA degree, where the theory and practice learned in the previous units informs the student’s principal learning outcome- a campaign that demonstrates their professional attainment or a dissertation that critically examines a crucial industry issue, generating original thinking. Both project and dissertation require primary research to a master’s level.
We provide a stimulating learning environment and access to state-of-the-art resources to help you make the most of your time with us. Flexible spaces, Wi-Fi facilities and learning zones all contribute to our lively and contemporary study environment at Solent.
Students will have access to a range of specialist facilities throughout their studies, including Mac computers, professional creative software, digital printing facilities, and traditional printing presses.
Solent also provides a comprehensive media loans scheme, giving students access to high-end photographic equipment.
The course is taught by industry experts who have established practitioner careers and who have strong links within the industry. Students have the opportunity to work on live client briefs and are encouraged to gain a work placement or freelance project.
Past students on the University’s creative advertising courses have benefitted from visits to London-based advertising and creative agencies.
Students who are in work while taking the course have the opportunity to adapt the topic of their assignments in several units to suit the needs of their employers.
The Professional Practice unit requires students to undertake a work placement or complete a freelance project. Students are encouraged to source their own client (through Solent Creatives) or to find a work placement that is appropriate to their career ambitions. The minimum requirement for a placement is two weeks, however placements and projects can vary in length, depending on client needs.
This brand new MA is perfect for multilingual students who want a career in the creative industries.
In our cosmopolitan global culture talented people with multilingual skills are increasingly sought after by the creative industries. In this trailblazing MA you will have the opportunity to combine your language and translation skills with the study of London’s vibrant creative industries.
On the programme you will use your language skills and first-hand experience of different cultures to explore new territory in and around the use of languages. You will reach beyond the traditional role of translation and localisation by studying how these disciplines are applied in the creative industries, paying particular attention to the practical application of these skills in a professional environment.
You will be introduced to the emerging area of transcreation, which refers to the creative process of altering messages so they are suitable for the target local market, while maintaining its original intent, tone, style and context, and how this is used within creative industries such as arts, advertising, entertainment and marketing.
London’s rich cultural scene is central to this MA and a series of visits to festivals, studios, cinemas and galleries are incorporated into the programme, giving you the opportunity to engage first hand with the many different cultural institutions the capital has to offer. There is also the opportunity to undertake a work placement, meaning you can build a strong CV and make vital industry contacts.
In addition you will be able to study modules from a wide range of creative disciplines from the Department of Media, Culture and Languages, including audiovisual translation, film, media and journalism.
In the module Think, Create, Translate: Transcreation and the Creative Industries, you will analyse different examples of translation and transcreation which you will compile into a portfolio of work (which you can use as part of your CV) and discuss how multilingualism and multiculturalism are put into practice in a creative environment. You will combine a series of lectures, workshops and group projects with visits to many of London’s cultural institutions including festivals, studios, cinemas and galleries.
In the Cultural Adaptation in the Creative Industries module, you will explore the theory and concepts that underpin practices of transcreation and localisation, drawing on multiple disciplines, including linguistics and audiovisual translation, film, game and television studies, media management and advertising. For instance, you may be analysing localised popular entertainment shows, consider regionalisation in video games and marketing campaigns, or explore localisation from an audience perspective.
There is also a wide variety of options modules on offer on a range of subjects including translation-related fields such as subtitling and videogame localisation, as well as media and communications, project management, and social media and data journalism. You can also choose between undertaking a research based dissertation and working with a cultural institution as part of a work placement.
Here are some examples of modules you may study as part of this programme:
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Compulsory module (MA students only)
Compulsory and Required modules
Compulsory and/or required modules may change when we review and update programmes. Above is a list of modules offered this academic year.
Optional modules
Optional modules, when offered as part of a programme, may vary from year to year and are subject to viability.
This courses provides vocational training for those interested in working in global multimedia, and the cultural and creative industries. However, it will also provide you with a working knowledge of translation, a skill highly-valued by employers in a variety of industries.
The MFA (Master of Fine Arts) Creative Writing programme at the University of Surrey is a two-year, full-time course of study that offers you a unique opportunity to enhance your creative, critical and professional skills as a writer.
Teaching is research-led, so you will be mentored by passionate, dynamic writers and academics with multidisciplinary expertise, as well as our Distinguished Writer in Residence and Poet in Residence.
Our MFA Creative Writing programme will expose you to the practical skills and challenges involved in a specific branch of creative practice (such as poetry or screenwriting) and offers the option to gain hands-on experience in a creative industry relevant to your own practice, to better prepare you for a wide variety of careers, including writing, publishing, communications, marketing, advertising, journalism, teaching, or to undertake a PhD.
In your first year, you will study alongside students in the MA programmes in Creative Writing and English Literature, where you will hone your research skills to produce critically informed creative work and deepen your practice as a writer.
To prepare for your second year, an academic advisor will offer guidance on choosing an appropriate form of Situated Professional Practice and your summative creative portfolio proposal.
During your second year you will work on producing an extended creative portfolio and critical commentary, as well as complete the Situated Professional Practice of your choice.
This programme is studied full-time over two academic years. It consists of eight taught modules, a professional placement, a critical commentary module and a creative portfolio project.
Example module listing
The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that not all modules described are compulsory and may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
A Creative Writing MFA degree builds on the work of a traditional MA but distinguishes itself in a number of ways:
For students to achieve an optimum balance between theory, practice and critical reflection, MFAs traditionally last at least two academic years and this is common practice both in the UK and the USA.
The MFA in Creative Writing is designed to assist aspiring writers to:
These educational aims accord neatly with the defining principles of Creative Writing as set out by the QAA’s NAWE Creative Writing Subject Benchmark Statement.
As a student on the MFA Creative Writing, you will benefit from the expertise of a vibrant, multidisciplinary group of academics and published authors.
You will also have access to a number of conferences, seminars and workshops hosted throughout the year. These events cover a range of topics to broaden your thinking in the fields of literature, language and linguistics, cultural studies and creative writing. Writers to have recently visited the University of Surrey include the novelist Monica Ali and the poet and critic Rod Mengham.
Each year’s cultural activities begin with a poetry lecture on campus by a visiting speaker and feature readings by students at the Guildford School of Acting.
The annual Surrey New Writers’ Festival – affiliated with the Creative Writing graduate programs at the University of Surrey – aims to engage with writing and creativity in dynamic ways, and involves readings, book signings, performances, panel discussions and talks by writers, thinkers, editors and literary agents.
The year’s activities culminate in the annual Morag Morris Poetry Festival, held in Guildford, which combines readings and performances by prominent, innovative and up-and-coming poets with the opportunity for Creative Writing students to present their own work in public.
This event is organised and hosted by our poet-in-residence – a position that is held by a different poet each year. English at Surrey also has a close relationship with English PEN, the charity dedicated to promoting literature and human rights.
We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.
In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Creative Writing (Extended) at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The MA in Creative Writing is a unique programme that offers integrated training in the writing of literary and media text. The MA in Creative Writing is taught by prize-winning writers of fiction, poetry and drama who provide core training and individual pathways in the major genres of contemporary literary and media writing. Modules on the Creative Writing programme are taught through workshop sessions, group work and one-to-one mentoring between students and a tutor. Courses include the writing of prose fiction, poetry, drama, screenwriting and creative nonfiction. Writers and representatives from the arts world and the publishing industry are invited to address the MA Creative Writing group about creative work and publishing. We have strong links with Swansea’s Dylan Thomas Centre, which offers a lively programme of events throughout the year.
The Extended MA (EMA) in Creative Writing is a 240-credit postgraduate qualification that is equivalent to 120 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) and is thus a recognised Masters qualification throughout the European Union. The EMA is a standard UK MA plus an additional 60 credits (30 ECTS) and this additional coursework is undertaken in one semester at a partner institution overseas. The EMA is therefore not only an EU recognised postgraduate qualification it also adds a study abroad experience thus enhancing the qualification’s employability credentials.
- The MA in Creative Writing is taught by experienced writers and offers a wide range of writing genres including fiction, short story, poetry, drama, screenwriting and creative non-fiction.
- Drama writing is a particular strength, including the relatively new and unexplored field of Dramaturgy.
- Regular play readings and students' dramatic writing is often performed by professional actors in the Rough Diamonds mini-festival in the summer.
- Creative Writers have a close relationship with National Theatre Wales and also open-mic poetry events at local venues such as the Dylan Thomas Centre and Howl.
- There is scope for work experience with local publishers.
- The writing programme has an online journal, The Swansea Review, and students write for The Siren, a student-run online journal, and The Waterfront student newspaper.
- Creative Writing students have free membership of Literature Wales, the national literature promotion agency.
- Students are involved in the annual Writers’ Day at the Dylan Thomas Centre, where they meet editors, agents, publishers and writers to discuss the ins and outs of publication and the craft of writing.
- Students are part of a vibrant community of writers and artists – Swansea, the birthplace of Dylan Thomas, having a fair claim to being Wales’s city of culture.
- The programme has connection with and experience of the unique literary culture of Wales, home to possibly the oldest (but still vibrant) bardic tradition in Europe.
Modules on the MA in Creative Writing typically include:
• Writing Fiction
• Writing Poetry
• Genre: Writing for Stage
• Creative Non-Fiction and Travel Writing
• Nature Writing
• Screenwriting
• Writing Radio Drama
• The Art of Short Story
• Writing the Self
• International Dramaturgy
Students or Professionals interested in Creative and Professional Writing. Students interested in preparation for postgraduate research, MPhil or PhD.
- To offer students the chance to belong to a warmly supportive community of writers, passionate about their art.
- To give students the opportunity to discuss literary matters with agents, editors and publishers.
- To provide active participation in Swansea’s burgeoning literary scene and have students’ dramatic writing performed by professional actors at the Dylan Thomas Literature Centre.
- To offer research seminars presented by eminent creative writers and academics.
- To develop study and research skills in Creative Writing research and practice methodologies.
Career expectations are excellent for Creative Writing graduates. MA degree holders enter careers in professional and creative writing, publishing, education, global marketing and advertising, media, business, heritage and tourism, and performing arts. Some graduates go on to pursue further postgraduate study leading to a PhD and a career in Academia.
"Since graduating with an MA with Distinction in Creative Writing from Swansea University, I have published three collections of poetry, founded Grievous Jones Press, and begun lecturing in Creative Writing. In the near future I will finish my PhD in Creative Writing and have books forthcoming with Blackheath Books and Seren Books. The training, experience, and rigour of the Swansea MA in Creative Writing was invaluable for launching my career as a writer and publisher. Without the inspiration, guidance, and critique of the excellent faculty and peers, my own writing would not have grown and my flame for creation might have faltered."
David Oprava, Creative Writing, MA
Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Creative Writing at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The MA in Creative Writing is a unique programme that offers integrated training in the writing of literary and media text. The MA in Creative Writing is taught by prize-winning writers of fiction, poetry and drama who provide core training and individual pathways in the major genres of contemporary literary and media writing. Modules on the Creative Writing programme are taught through workshop sessions, group work and one-to-one mentoring between students and a tutor. Courses include the writing of prose fiction, poetry, drama, screenwriting and creative nonfiction. Writers and representatives from the arts world and the publishing industry are invited to address the MA Creative Writing group about creative work and publishing. We have strong links with Swansea’s Dylan Thomas Centre, which offers a lively programme of events throughout the year.
- The MA in Creative Writing is taught by experienced writers and offers a wide range of writing genres including fiction, short story, poetry, drama, screenwriting and creative non-fiction.
- Drama writing is a particular strength, including the relatively new and unexplored field of Dramaturgy.
- Regular play readings and students' dramatic writing is often performed by professional actors in the Rough Diamonds mini-festival in the summer.
- Creative Writers have a close relationship with National Theatre Wales and also open-mic poetry events at local venues such as the Dylan Thomas Centre and Howl.
- There is scope for work experience with local publishers.
- The writing programme has an online journal, The Swansea Review, and students write for The Siren, a student-run online journal, and The Waterfront student newspaper.
- Creative Writing students have free membership of Literature Wales, the national literature promotion agency.
- Students are involved in the annual Writers’ Day at the Dylan Thomas Centre, where they meet editors, agents, publishers and writers to discuss the ins and outs of publication and the craft of writing.
- Students are part of a vibrant community of writers and artists – Swansea, the birthplace of Dylan Thomas, having a fair claim to being Wales’s city of culture.
- The programme has connection with and experience of the unique literary culture of Wales, home to possibly the oldest (but still vibrant) bardic tradition in Europe.
Modules on the MA in Creative Writing typically include:
• Writing Fiction
• Writing Poetry
• Genre: Writing for Stage
• Creative Non-Fiction and Travel Writing
• Nature Writing
• Screenwriting
• Writing Radio Drama
• The Art of Short Story
• Writing the Self
• International Dramaturgy
Students or Professionals interested in Creative and Professional Writing. Students interested in preparation for postgraduate research, MPhil or PhD.
- To offer students the chance to belong to a warmly supportive community of writers, passionate about their art.
- To give students the opportunity to discuss literary matters with agents, editors and publishers.
- To provide active participation in Swansea’s burgeoning literary scene and have students’ dramatic writing performed by professional actors at the Dylan Thomas Literature Centre.
- To offer research seminars presented by eminent creative writers and academics.
- To develop study and research skills in Creative Writing research and practice methodologies.
Career expectations are excellent for Creative Writing graduates. MA degree holders enter careers in professional and creative writing, publishing, education, global marketing and advertising, media, business, heritage and tourism, and performing arts. Some graduates go on to pursue further postgraduate study leading to a PhD and a career in Academia.
"Since graduating with an MA with Distinction in Creative Writing from Swansea University, I have published three collections of poetry, founded Grievous Jones Press, and begun lecturing in Creative Writing. In the near future I will finish my PhD in Creative Writing and have books forthcoming with Blackheath Books and Seren Books. The training, experience, and rigour of the Swansea MA in Creative Writing was invaluable for launching my career as a writer and publisher. Without the inspiration, guidance, and critique of the excellent faculty and peers, my own writing would not have grown and my flame for creation might have faltered."
David Oprava, Creative Writing, MA
Our programme will build your confidence and technical ability in composing creative prose and/or poetry, while deepening your critical awareness of the cultural, literary and theoretical history of text production.
Teaching is research-led, so you benefit from the individual expertise and passion of a vibrant, multidisciplinary group of published authors and academics, including our Poet in Residence and Distinguished Writer in Residence.
The MA Creative Writing programme will hone your research and writing skills to produce critically informed prose or poetry, and creative criticism. We will help you to locate your work in its literary and cultural context, and you will have the chance to reflect on your creative process and the finished work.
You will have access to a yearly calendar of events hosted at the University created to broaden your thinking, and develop your writing skills such as the Morag Morris Poetry Lecture, the annual Surrey New Writers’ Festival and the Surrey Poetry Festival.
The MA in Creative Writing provides a strong foundation to embark upon a career in writing, communications, publishing, marketing, advertising, journalism or teaching, or to undertake a PhD.
This programme is studied full-time over one academic year and part-time over two academic years. It consists of eight taught modules and an extended portfolio.
Example module listing
The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that not all modules described are compulsory and may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
The MA Programme in Creative Writing will prepare graduates to undertake a PhD programme in the relevant field.
It will also provide students with the transferable skills of creative writing, critical thinking, textual analysis and communication that are attractive to a wide range of employers, from the cultural industries to marketing and advertising to tourism and leisure to the civil service and public/private partnerships.
It is designed to build confidence and technical ability in a variety of modes of imaginative writing, and to provide students with a clear-eyed grounding in contemporary and historical contexts of text production and circulation, including practical advice on the workings of the publishing industry.
Devoted to assisting students to understand and meet the challenges of producing high quality creative writing in poetry and prose, the programme also provides advanced understanding of the contexts, theoretical paradigms, methodologies and modes of interpretation that are vital in a full understanding of literary production.
The main aims are to:
As a Master’s level programme, it also aims to instil in students the capacity for carrying out independent research.
As a student on this Masters, you will benefit from the expertise of a vibrant, multidisciplinary group of published academics and authors.
You will have access to a number of conferences, seminars and workshops hosted throughout the year. These events cover a range of topics to broaden your thinking in the fields of literature, language and linguistics, cultural studies and creative writing.
Writers to have recently visited the University of Surrey include:
Novelists
Poets
Critics
Each year’s cultural activities begin with the Morag Morris Poetry Lecture on campus by a visiting speaker and feature readings by students at the Guildford School of Acting.
The annual Surrey New Writers’ Festival and Surrey Poetry Festival – both affiliated with the Creative Writing programmes at the University of Surrey – aim to engage with writing and creativity in dynamic ways, and involve readings, book signings, performances, panel discussions and more.
This graduate program is delivered by the University's Creative Writing team, all of whom are published authors and poets:
We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.
In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.
MA Global Advertising and Branding, also known as WSAgab, is a programme designed with both vocational elements and a strong emphasis on research.
The advertising and branding industry is undergoing massive change as new technologies alter the way marketing professionals communicate with their target customers and understand the consequences of their campaigns.
In this programme you will learn how advertising is created. We will explore ‘the advertising pitch’, target audience identification and segmentation, creative strategies, briefs, carry out appraisals of creative ideas and evaluate campaigns. Through a range of set projects and live industry briefs you will build a critical awareness of the advertising industry and the challenges it faces today.
While creative issues and brand design are examined in depth, this programme is aimed at people who wish to manage the process and become the next generation of advertising leaders rather than those who wish to become creatives or designers in their own right.
This is the course page for MA Global Advertising and Branding at the University of Southampton. Find out everything about Global Advertising and Branding and what studying here involves.
In this course page we explain a range of key information about the course. This includes typical entry requirements, modules you can take and how assessment works. We also suggest career opportunities open to you as a University of Southampton graduate of MA Global Advertising and Branding.
If you still have questions, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to answer any enquiries. See our contact us page for our telephone, email and address information.
You will study visual analysis, management practice, theoretical models, communication design, existing and emerging media technologies, the advertising process and management of the collaborative iterative development of branding and marketing campaigns.
In an exciting environment, you will practice critical thinking and analysis of contemporary and global advertising campaigns. Great emphasis will be placed on developing a critical awareness of branded content, as well as of your written and verbal communication skills. This course is for the next generation of advertising leaders!
While creative issues and design are examined and discussed in depth it is aimed at people who wish to manage the process rather than act as creative people or designers in their own right.
You will be able to develop your thinking and skills in the following advertising management challenges:
'A creative development workshop in action'
Click here to download the full Programme Specification.
This innovative programme fuses design with the concepts and principles of advertising, allowing you to develop a range of skills to thrive in a fast-paced and competitive industry.
Taught by the School of Design and Leeds University Business School – one of the world’s top 100 business schools – you’ll take a creative approach to solving communication problems in advertising and branding. You’ll develop your own practice, collaborate with other designers and gain a deeper awareness of how design can convey a brand message, using a range of software and techniques.
At the same time, you’ll study ideas, research and theories in advertising to explore the strategic backdrop of brand communications from the blurring of markets to the ways in which digital technology, such as social media and mobile, have changed the relationship between brands and consumers.
You’ll mix creativity and innovation with advertising strategy to gain a valuable range of knowledge and skills.
Specialist facilities
We have plenty of facilities to help you make the most of your time at Leeds. You’ll be able to develop your practice in well-equipped studios and purpose-built computer clusters so you can build your skills on both PC and Mac. There’s also a computer-aided design (CAD) suite with access to the latest design software and some of the latest design technology, such as digital printing and laser cutting facilities, and colour analysis/prediction labs.
We also have an impressive range of resources you can use for research. We house the M&S Company Archive including documents, advertising, photos, films, clothing and merchandise from throughout Marks & Spencer’s history, offering a fascinating insight into the changing nature of branding and advertising over time.
You’ll begin to develop your understanding of advertising principles from the start of the programme, when you’ll study consumer behaviour and explore how brands can adopt these different theories to inform their marketing strategies.
Focusing on contemporary issues, you’ll look at the process of strategic marketing communications and how strategic marketing works on the global stage. At the same time, you’ll study practical design modules where you’ll learn to visualise creative communications ideas and present your proposals to clients, as well as considering how compelling text within an advertising concept can influence consumers.
In Semester 2 you’ll build on this foundation by exploring integrated communication, developing creative concepts that can work for a range of different media outlets, as well as the broader aspects of campaign planning, print, radio and TV ad production and the ethics of advertising campaigns.
You’ll think about reach, frequency and the often complex question of return on investment and even choose from specialist modules on topics such as social media, sales promotion, brand management and direct marketing.
At the end of the programme you’ll submit a substantial project that demonstrates the knowledge and skills that you’ve gained. You can either complete a dissertation – an independent research project on a related topic of your choice – or develop a communication campaign concept of your own.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
For more information on typical modules, read Advertising and Design MA in the course catalogue
We use a range of teaching methods that reflects the diversity of the programme, including lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical sessions, online learning and group sessions. Independent study is also an important element of this degree, since it allows you to develop your skills as well as your design specialisms.
You’ll also be assessed by a variety of methods. Obviously these will include your own creative work as you develop campaign concepts in your taught design modules, but also presentations, reflective logs, reports, group projects and written assignments.
This programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills to succeed in a dynamic and expanding sector.
You’ll be a confident strategist, planner, account executive or creative advertiser or designer who also understands the relationship between advertising, brand development and consumers. In addition, you’ll have important skills such as oral and written communication, presentations, research, analysis and commercial awareness.
We’ve designed the programme to prepare you for a range of opportunities working in the creative industries, traditional advertising and design agencies, digital and social media. Alternatively, you may want to explore different elements of advertising and design at PhD level.
Students from this programme have successfully gained employment at both traditional and non-traditional advertising agencies all over the world, and in a wide variety of roles including brand management, marketing and more.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
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