MA Creative Writing Crime Fiction (Part Time)
Key Details
- Attendance
- Part Time
- Award
- Degree of Master of Arts
- Course Length
- 2 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2025
Why you should choose us
Course Overview
Crime fiction is one of the world’s most popular literary genres for a reason. It's dynamic, engaging, inclusive, and imaginative. It's also adaptable, working from page to screen, and easily translatable, because it’s accessible and compelling. These are dramatic life-and-death stories. Learn the craft of this exciting genre in our MA Creative Writing Crime Fiction, part of UEA’s world-renowned Creative Writing programme.
You’ll write a novel under the close guidance of award-winning crime writers and experienced creative writing tutors. All without relocating. Our part-time MA Crime Fiction is taught online, through flexible and specially designed modules that can work around your schedule. The online elements are supplemented with three short, high-intensity residential periods a year.
The course, uniquely, guides you through the process of planning and writing a full-length work of crime fiction. You'll be immersed in the key critical and practical elements of the genre. How do you shape a fast-moving narrative and create memorable characters? Where and when do you set your story? You'll be introduced to the professional writing landscape, meeting agents and publishers (including Little, Brown, the sponsors of the annual Crime MA Little, Brown prize), ready to embark upon the next stage of your writing career.
The MA Crime Fiction builds on our world-leading expertise, presenting you with the unique opportunity to further your knowledge and skills within the highly dynamic crime genre. You'll be inspired by visiting writers, who'll share insights about their practice. These have included Ian Rankin, Dreda Say Mitchell, Louise Doughty, Denise Mina, and Lee Child – whose archive UEA holds at the British Archive for Contemporary Writing. At Noirwich, our annual festival of crime writing, you’ll hear from some of the most innovative and important crime writers today, such as Attica Locke, Megan Abbott, Mick Herron, Val McDermid.
By the end of this part-time low-residency MA, you’ll have a draft of a full-length work, a stronger self-awareness as a writer and critic, and a greatly increased chance of publication. You’ll become fully conversant with all aspects of being a professional writer. Our graduates—including award winners Harriet Tyce, Trevor Wood and Femi Kayode—have gone straight from the MA Crime Fiction onto the bestseller lists. Our alumni also go on to work in teaching, publishing, journalism, communications, the media, and the arts.
Study and Modules
Structure
Our MA in Crime Fiction comprises modules designed specifically for the course, ensuring our teaching has the same creative and academic integrity as UEA’s other Creative Writing MAs.
The first year will look to build upon your existing knowledge of crime fiction, offering modules that will not only develop your creative practice, but encourage you to think critically about the genre’s conventions, traditions, and modes.
You’ll begin to plan and write your own crime novel, guided by one-on-one tutorials and group workshopping. This will encourage a thorough engagement with your creative practice, as you work in collaboration with both your tutors and peers.
You’ll also examine specific elements of your own craft, all the while developing a thorough understanding of the constituent formal mechanisms of crime writing – including plot, suspense, pacing, setting and characterisation.
Finally, you’ll read and analyse a range of crime fiction novels, developing a critical understanding of the genre’s traditions, forms and literary-historical underpinnings. This will encourage you to think critically about your own work, about its intentions and preoccupations beyond the machinations of plot.
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
Much of the teaching in year 1 will be asynchronous and delivered through a specially designed, highly inclusive online platform. This technology, along with Teams calls, enables you to participate in seminars, workshops, online discussions, and tutorials.
The teaching has usually been broken down into three-week ‘Chapters’, where you'll alternate between each of the three modules week-to-week as follows:
Chapter 1
- Week 1: Creative
- Week 2: Theoretical and Practical
- Week 3: Critical
Chapter 2:
- Week 4: Creative
- Week 5: Theoretical and Practical
- Week 6: Critical
Etc.
As you draft your novel, you’ll submit your work-in-progress, including outlines, to the close scrutiny and constructive criticism of your peers and the tutor. This gives you an insight into the reception of your work among a community of engaged readers and will in turn contribute to the development of your classmates’ work. Following each submission of your work-in-progress to the core workshop, you’ll have a one-to-one tutorial with your class tutor (via Teams) for a more detailed discussion of your work.
You’ll reflect on your craft through online exercises and contributing to discussion boards, while your knowledge of crime fiction is built through the study of core and recommended texts and delivering presentations on these subjects or engaging with the presentations of your peers.
Assessment
Your work will be assessed formatively throughout the first year through a combination of presentations, projects, exercises, and creative submissions. Feedback will be both written and verbal.
Youl’ll also complete three summative assessments at the end of the year: two 5,000-word essays, in which you’ll explore the development of your own craft and shape your ideas about the texts you’ve studied, and the opening 10,000 words of your crime novel.
Structure
The second year will focus entirely on the development of your creative project. This will culminate in the completion of your novel, supervised throughout by our experienced tutors.
Each year, in addition to these modules, you’ll take part in three residential (or online equivalent) periods of study, involving masterclasses and seminars. These give you a great chance to meet your fellow students in person (if possible) and enhance your career prospects, benefiting from the advice of visiting writers, researchers, and publishing professionals.
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
In your second year, you’ll be assigned to a primary supervisor for a series of individual supervisions via the dedicated website and our online learning platform Blackboard (which are open to the other students for their voluntary input), and with follow-up tutorials across the year in which you'll discuss your work-in-progress in detail. This will unfold within the same ‘chapter’ structure as year one, with students submitting 10,000 words every other chapter. For each submission, you’ll receive 300-500 words of written feedback and a dedicated 45-minute tutorial with your supervisor.
Assessment
Alongside continuous formal assessment, in your second year you’ll complete a full-length work of crime fiction (60,000–90,000 words).
Employability
After the Course
Thanks to the reputation of Creative Writing at UEA, you’ll graduate with many opportunities in the creative industries open to you.
We have excellent links with literary agents and publishers, some of whom visit the campus and/or the online platform to talk to students during the May residential. Publication aside, a significant number of our graduates go on to work in teaching, publishing, as literary agents, in journalism, public relations, the film industry, communications, the media, and arts development and administration. Others pursue PhDs and academic careers.
Careers
Example of careers that you could enter include:
- Novelist
- Crime Writer
- True Crime Writer
- Creative writing teacher
- Literary agent or publisher
- Journalist
- Arts administrator
- Public relations and media
Discover more on our Careers webpages.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
Degree classification
Bachelors degree - 2:2
Degree Subject
Any subject
- Additional Entry Requirements
Candidates are required to submit a portfolio of writing for assessment of between 3000 and 5000 words with their application. This could be part of a novel in progress or a piece or pieces of short fiction. This does not have to be crime writing focused but must be prose fiction.
- Interviews
Promising candidates will be invited for an online interview with a member of the Creative Writing faculty and we aim to inform candidates of the outcome within five working days. Unsuccessful candidates are welcome to re-apply, though not within the same academic year. Successful candidates will either be offered a place for the forthcoming academic year or a place for the following academic year (if it is felt that they need more time to develop as a writer). Once the forthcoming year is ‘full’ candidates will be offered a place on our reserve list with the option of a place for the following academic year if a place does not become available.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
- Typical International Entry Requirements
Degree classification
UK Bachelors degree - 2:2 or equivalent
Degree Subject
Any subject
- Additional Entry Requirements
Candidates are required to submit a portfolio of writing for assessment of between 3000 and 5000 words with their application. This could be part of a novel in progress or a piece or pieces of short fiction. This does not have to be crime writing focused but must be prose fiction.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
IELTS: 7 overall (minimum 7 in Writing, 6 in Speaking, Reading and Listening)
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.
If you do not meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the required English skills.
- Interviews
Promising candidates will be invited for an online interview with a member of the Creative Writing faculty and we aim to inform candidates of the outcome within five working days. Unsuccessful candidates are welcome to re-apply, though not within the same academic year. Successful candidates will either be offered a place for the forthcoming academic year or a place for the following academic year (if it is felt that they need more time to develop as a writer). Once the forthcoming year is ‘full’ candidates will be offered a place on our reserve list with the option of a place for the following academic year if a place does not become available.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
Fees and Funding
Tuition fees for the Academic Year 2025/26 are:
-
UK Students: £11,985
Course part-time on a two-year basis. Course fee charged £5992.50 per academic year (£11985 over course).
-
International Students: £12,250
Course part-time on a two-year basis. Course fee charged £6,125 per academic year (£12,250 over course).
We estimate living expenses at £1,136 per month.
Further Information on tuition fees can be found here.
Scholarships and Bursaries
The University of East Anglia offers a range of Scholarships; please click the link for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
You’ll need to pay expenses for the residentials – including travel, accommodation and subsistence.
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of other course-related costs.
How to Apply
How to apply
Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.
To apply please use our online application form.
Further information
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying, please do contact us:
Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk
International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students section of our website.