PMCRDIPW - MA Creative, Digital and Professional Writing

Students will study with expert tutors, enhanced by both online support and regular contact hours. Through tutorials and guided learning, they will get regular feedback on their academic progress. Teaching and learning methods include lectures and seminars, group discussions, workshops, simulations, presentations, individual and group projects, studio work, portfolios and practical and written assessments.
A blended learning strategy will be employed to enhance the learning experience, facilitate communication between students and tutors and develop collaboration among students. The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) will be used as a platform to support online activities: for example online discussion, role-play, blog writing, evaluation of online resources, access to electronic reading packs, viewing and reviewing of online video/film/audio, access to online media databases etc. It will also be used to facilitate formative assessment and related feedback, and as a tool to integrate useful online learning materials provided by research institutions, academic publications, professional organisations and other relevant sources.

The main aims of the MA Creative, Digital and Professional Writing are:

• to provide students with the means to research, write, produce and edit stories, both fiction and nonfiction, through advanced writing and digital production workshops
• to provide an attractive and distinct approach to creative, professional, digital and multimedia writing and production with regard to potential audiences, commissioning editors, markets, publication, digital opportunities and how to access them
• to explore the range of different professional platforms - audio, visual, digital and social media, in addition to written - and to understand how they can be combined
• to promote forms of research appropriate to the professional ethos of the course
• to allow students to write extensively and/or produce long-form audio and/or visual and/or audio-visual and/or digital work, contributing to a project involving sustained independent enquiry and innovation
• to enhance students' ability to reflect upon and evaluate their own writing and digital production processes

The following learning outcomes incorporate and depend on a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of the academic discipline, field of study or area of professional practice.

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

• apply methods and techniques appropriate to their own research or advanced scholarship in Creative, Digital and Professional Writing
• apply knowledge with originality, based on a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in Creative, Digital and Professional Writing
• evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in Creative, Digital and Professional Writing
• evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses
• deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences
• exercise self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level
• advance their knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high level
• exercise initiative and personal responsibility, including decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations
• learn independently for the purposes of continuing professional development

Assessment methods include presentations, short stories, articles, features, audio-visual and digital packages, research proposals, portfolios, essays.

Accredited Work-based Learning Module

For Masters award – see Course Structure
PG Diploma – All taught modules
PG Cert - Creative Writing, Digital Storytelling, Feature Journalism

Students will reflect critically on their learning and on their personal development planning mainly within modules, through feedback and discussions of assessment, but also in tutorials. They will be required to keep and develop portfolios in a number of modules. All the modules involve guided self-analysis that takes account of personal, academic and practical skills and professional profile development. In many of the modules students have to submit, as part of their coursework, an analytic commentary in which they reflect on the development of their work and its professional and commercial, whether in written or digital formats or both.

Students will be encouraged to consider career opportunities throughout the course via: career workshops, industry talks, career-related information distributed via the course social media channels and the Virtual Learning Environment and participation in industry-related networking events, as well as through contact with visiting speakers and the university's Career Development and Employment Service. Discussion of markets, publication and the industry inform all the teaching.

Professional advisory panel.

In addition, the course will build on the links with leading writers, broadcasters and editors established by existing and previous BAs and MAs in the School, which hosts regular visits and guest lectures by emerging and prominent authors, editors, literary agents, producers, digital consultants and recruiters.

The Creative, Digital and Professional Writing MA will give you the skills you need to forge a successful career in the media and creative industries. Key areas in these industries include media, creative writing, editing, journalism, marketing, publishing and PR, the arts and arts management, the music industry, web design, software design, curating, fine art consultancy, arts and cultural sector management and administration, events management, and other creative and cultural professions. Almost every commercial and public company now has a communications manager and graduates of this MA would have specialist skills that they could bring to such a role. They could also combine roles in creative writing and journalism, editing and marketing.

You will be required to have:

• a 2:2 UK degree or equivalent. A relevant professional qualification and/or experience will also be considered
• submitted two contrasting writing samples of 750 words

All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.