The teaching of Creative Writing began in 1970 when the novelists Malcolm Bradbury and Angus Wilson established the first (and still most prestigious) MA in Creative Writing which is taught only by experienced writers with established reputations. Malcolm Bradbury directed the MA for many years; others teachers on the course have included Angela Carter, Rose Tremain, Andrew Motion, Patricia Duncker and Michele Roberts. A PhD programme was introduced in the late 1980s and an undergraduate programme in the mid-1990s. The MA programme is currently organised as three distinct strands, Poetry, Prose Fiction and Scriptwriting. The various Creative Writing courses contribute to a very lively and “creative” school in the best senses of the word, a school where literature is written as well as studied, where students of contemporary writing can work with contemporary writers.
We have a large number of research students working for our PhD in Creative and Critical Writing and our concern to ensure that practice and critical understanding develop in tandem is reflected in work in drama, film and television, as well as in literature.
