master of creative writing uq

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• Arts and Humanities degrees
• Creative Writing

Creative Writing degrees

If you dream of building a career as a professional writer, or have an active imagination and a way with words, you will develop and refine your writing skills with UniSQ’s Creative and Critical Writing major. 

You will learn the foundations of writing effective and engaging prose, and once you have the basics, you’ll experiment with a number of different forms, genres, and styles. You’ll learn how to transform your story ideas into compelling works of fiction and non-fiction, and you’ll discover how to prepare your work for editing and publication.

UniSQ Creative and Critical Writing students have the opportunity to produce online and print publications, and to work closely with other writers, editors, and publishers. By the end of your studies, you’ll have the skills and knowledge required to work in a constantly changing industry.

Creative and Critical Writing students often combine their studies with English Literature, History, Anthropology, Journalism, and Contemporary Media Studies.

Explore UniSQ's Creative Writing degrees

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Graduating with Creative Writing degree from UniSQ can lead to a range of career options, including:

• professional writer
• publisher 

The skills you will learn will vary depending on your choose degree, the education provider you choose and if you study an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification. When studying Creative Writing at UniSQ you will learn:

• character development
• plot structuring
• preparing manuscripts for publication
• writing engaging narratives. 

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Master of Creative Writing

UAC CODE: 860221 (North Ryde), 860222 (Distance)

CRICOS CODE: 099160K

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• Our writer profiles

Some of Australia’s most awarded and respected writers are alumni of UQ’s School of English: Thea Astley (four time winner of the Miles Franklin Awards ); Rodney Hall ( two time winner of the Miles Franklin Award, winner of the Victorian Premier’s Award for Fiction ); David Malouf ( winner of the Miles Franklin Award and the International IMPAC Dublin Prize and also shortlisted for the Booker Prize ).

UQ's Postgraduate Research Creative Writing Program is the largest and best in the country. Graduates of its prestigious Master and PhD programs have won nearly all the major national awards including the Miles Franklin Award, the Australian / Vogel National Literary Award, the Queensland, NSW and Victorian Premiers’ Literary Awards, and many others.

Graham Akhurst

Joanne Anderton

Venero Armanno  

Melissa Ashley

Thea Astley

Taryn Bashford

John Birmingham

Bille Brown

Stephen Carleton

B. R. Dionysius

B. R. Dionysius is a Generation X contemporary Australian poet, editor, and educator, and his poems have appeared in numerous national and international anthologies, journals, magazines, newspapers and other periodicals. 

B.R. completed an M.Phil (Creative Writing) at the University of Queensland, and was founding Director of the  Queensland Poetry Festival  and Director of Fringe Arts Collective Inc. a not-for-profit literary collective that organised the  Brisbane Writers Fringe Festival  (1993-1996) the Queensland Poetry Festival (1997-2001),  The Arts Queensland Award for Unpublished Poetry  (now the  Val Vallis  Award for Unpublished Poetry ) published the poetry broadsheet,  Seriously Fishy  and coordinated literary events in Brisbane including  Chalice Poets ,  With Baited Breath  and  The Word Made Flesh. 

Liam Ferney

Liam's most recent collection is  Hot Take  (Hunter Publishing). It follows on from  Content  (Hunter Publishing) which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards and the Judith Wright Calanthe Award and  Boom  (Grande Parade Poets) which was shortlisted for Judith Wright Calanthe Aware and the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry.

Candice Fox

In 2015 Candice began collaborating with James Patterson. Their first novel together, Never Never , set in the vast Australian outback, was a huge bestseller in Australia and went straight to number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list in the US and also to the top of the charts in the UK. Its sequel, Fifty Fifty , was released in 2017 and their third collaboration, Liar Liar, in 2018.

Steven Herrick

Steven's books have won the NSW Premier's Literary Awards in 2000 and 2005 and have been on the  Children's Book Council of Australia "Children's Book of the Year Awards" shortlist multiple times, including Love, Ghosts and Nose Hair , A Place like This , The Simple Gift , Tom Jones Saves the World ;  " Pookie Aleera is not my boyfriend "; " Bleakboy and Hunter Stand out in the Rain" and have been recognised as an Honour Book in 2004 ( Do-wrong Ron ) and 2005 ( By the River ). His books for children and young adults have been translated into numerous languages and are regularly set on school text lists in Australia.     

   Sarah Holland-Batt

Sarah was educated at the University of Queensland, where she received First Class Honours in Literary Studies and an MPhil in English, and at New York University, where she was a Fulbright Scholar and attained an M.F.A.

Sarah Holland-Batt is the author of The Hazards (UQP, 2015), which won the poetry prize at the 2016 Prime Minister's Literary Awards, and Aria (UQP, 2008), which won the Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize, the Arts ACT Judith Wright Award, and the FAW Anne Elder Award and was shortlisted in both the New South Wales and Queensland Premiers’ Literary Awards. She is presently a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Queensland University of Technology. 

Kathleen Jennings

Anthony Lawrence

Bronwyn Lea

Julienne van Loon

David Malouf

Helen Marshall

Kate Morton

Kali Napier

Determined to be a writer since early childhood, Kali enrolled in a creative writing degree at Curtin University at age 16, but dropped out for a lack of ‘life experience’. For 22 years, life experience got in the way of writing her own stories.

In 2016, two of her manuscripts were longlisted in the Bath Novel Award in 2016. The second manuscript was contracted by Hachette Australia, and released as The Secrets at Ocean’s Edge in January 2018. She is currently an MPhil candidate in Creative Writing at The University of Queensland, exploring the poetics of dress in historical fiction.

Richard Newsome

Amanda Niehaus

Amanda Niehaus is a scientist, writer and co-founder of the online literary journal  Science Write Now—Creative Writing About Science  [www.sciencewritenow.com]. Her highly-praised first novel, The Breeding Season (Allen & Unwin, 2019) uses the life history of northern quolls as the basis to explore love, loss, and resilience. For her PhD in Creative Writing, Amanda is studying the integration of science into fiction, from writers’ and readers’ perspectives, and writing her third novel, called  Plasticities . Amanda is supervised by Dr Helen Marshall, Dr Natalie Collie, and Prof Kelly Fielding. Website: www.amandacniehaus.com

Kristina Olsson

Kristina Olsson is an Australian writer, journalist and teacher who studied journalism and has a Masters degree in Creative Writing from the University of Queensland and went on to write for The Australian, The Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail, the Sydney Sunday Telegraph and Griffith Review.

Her first novel  In One Skin  was published by theUniversity of Queensland Press in 2001. This was followed by the biography  Kilroy Was Here , which told the story of Debbie Kilroy. In 2010 her novel  The China Garden  won the  Barbara Jefferis Award , which is offered annually for Australian novels which depict women and girls positively, or empower the position of women in society. Kristina is also a recipient of the Queensland Literary Award, and Nita Kibble Literary Award.

Jaya Savige

Jay's first collection of poetry, Latecomers (2005), was awarded the NSW Premier's Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry and the Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize. From 2006 to 2011, he was poetry editor of the Australian Literary Review, the literary supplement to The Australian newspaper. Since 2010, he has been Poetry Editor for The Australian. Savige is currently a Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge, Christ's College. His second collection of poems, Surface to Air , was published in late 2011.

Kim Wilkins

Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Writing

Below is school-specific information for a phd in creative writing, general uq information can be found  here ..

The Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Writing, enables students to undertake a major creative writing project and a related critical essay. Students can work in the genres of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, drama, or screen writing. Students study the research, composition, and editorial skills necessary for a career in writing.  Students at a PhD level also develop their capacities for critical writing about creative writing practice. National and international students are encouraged to apply.

Course of Study

The Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Writing requires a minimum of three years of full-time study or six-years of part-time study. In order to have the degree conferred, the students must complete:

ENGL9000 Advanced Research Methods  (ARM): a highly recommended course  for all research higher degree students in the School of Communication and Arts

HDR Progress Review : designed to help students and advisors monitor progress of the thesis

WRIT9510 Creative Writing Workshop: an online workshop offered to creative writing students in the first semester of the second year of candidature

The Thesis (maximum 80,000 words): a creative project and related critical essay that together examine an aspect of creative-writing practice and generates original knowledge to make a significant contribution to the creative writing discipline.

It is expected that during the candidature students will disseminate their creative and/or critical research to peers and research communities in the School, University and at conferences. Students are also encouraged to endeavour to publish work in high-quality outlets.

The thesis is composed of an interrelated creative project and critical essay that together present and examine an element of practice. The creative project should display originality, a critical understanding of genre, and make a significant contribution to the practice. It typically takes the form of (1) a work of prose of approximately 60,000 words; or (2) a poetry manuscript of approximately 96 pages; or (3) a screenplay for a feature film; a script for a number of episodes of a television series or full-length theatre production; or a script for radio production or any other medium as approved by the advisory team.

The critical essay may employ a wide variety of approaches and rhetorical strategies. It should demonstrate expert understanding of the discipline, reflect critically on practice, and locate the work in relation to current theory and criticism. Appropriate approaches include (1) a reflection on an issue germane to creative writing practice, such as the processes or techniques of creative writing within a genre or within the creative project; or (2) an examination of the contexts and conditions of the candidate’s creative writing or the critical, industrial, or historical issues relevant to the candidate’s creative project; or (3) an exploration of a scholarly issue of genre, theory, representation, or themes in other creative works of demonstrated relevance to the candidate’s creative project. The critical essay is typically between 20,000 and 30,000 words in length, including footnotes and appendices but excluding a list of cited works.

Where the creative project is substantially shorter than is typical for this degree (see above), a longer critical essay may be required. Likewise, where the creative work contains substantial scholarship and research (such as in a biography, history, or research-based creative non-fiction), the requirements for the critical essay may be modified. Students in the program will usually have two advisors (a principal and an associate) drawn from the creative writing staff and/or members of the School with a PhD who have a strong involvement in producing or assessing creative writing.

Students in the program will have two advisors (a principal and an associate) drawn from the creative writing staff and/or members of the School with a PhD who have a strong involvement in producing or assessing creative writing.

Eligibility

Applicants to the Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Writing preferably will hold a good bachelor degree, or a bachelor degree with honours, plus a substantial record of publication appropriate to the proposed project. A cognate masters degree with a substantial research-practice component (such as a Master of Philosophy in Creative Writing) may form part of the record of publication.

Domestic and International Scholarships

Applicants for the Doctorate in Creative Writing may be eligible for a scholarship if (1) they are accepted into the doctoral program by the School; and (2) they have a strong academic and publishing record. Further information on  domestic and international scholarships  can be accessed from the  UQ Graduate School  website.

Application

Applicants can discuss the degree program with Creative Writing staff prior to making an Expression of Interest.   But formal discussions will follow the submission of completed  Expression of Interest form  to Dr Veny Armanno ( [email protected] ) and cc  [email protected] . A completed Expression of Interest form should be accompanied by:

1. A one page description of project: this should provide 200 to 250 words on the proposed creative project and 100 to 150 words on the proposed accompanying critical work

2. A one-page Resume: a chronology of relevant publications and experience.

3. A Writing Sample: a sample of twenty pages of creative work that demonstrates proficiency in the chosen genre and a sample (of up to 10 pages) of academic or essay writing.

Detailed information on  application procedures  can be found at the  UQ Graduate School  website. The number of places in the program are limited and entry is highly competitive. Applicants will be assessed on the quality of their publishing and academic record, the qualities of the work samples, and the suitability and strength of their research proposal.

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• Master of Philosophy Creative Writing Workshop

Master of Philosophy Creative Writing Workshop (WRIT9110)

Course level.

Postgraduate Coursework

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Two Semesters

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2 Seminar hours

Assessment methods

Tutorial exercise, attendance and participation, presentation of drafts.

Course enquiries

This course is not currently offered, please contact the school or faculty of your program.

Course description

The Writing Workshop is conducted to read & discuss the critical & creative work of the students of the MPhilCW. In response to writing exercises & later as part of the thesis work, students present works in progress to the workshop for critical discussion.

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Develop a fundamental and substantial understanding of how language works in words, sentences, paragraphs and documents.

Work with world-renowned creative practitioners to learn strategies for designing, structuring, writing and revising, and build a portfolio career in the changing publishing landscape.

Extend your networks and knowledge of the industry to become a creative or a corporate writer, or simply a better writer in general.

Writing skills are always in demand. Graduates have found work as journalists, teachers, editors, ghostwriters, publishers and playwrights.

1 in Queensland for arts and humanities

QS World University Rankings 2024

Career possibilities

Our programs prepare you for your first job and beyond. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:

• Communications officer
• Engagement manager
• Proposal writer
• Corporate communications officer
• Editorial writer
• Creative writer
• Digital content writer

Through my studies, I am developing a rich and complex understanding of the world around me and equipping myself with the technical skills to engage with it in a meaningful way.

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This Major is available as:

• Extended Major

How you'll learn

Your learning experiences are designed to best suit the learning outcomes of the courses you choose.

• Overseas study

What you'll study

At UQ, subjects are called 'courses'. Here's a sample of the courses you could study:

• Creative Writing: Narrative Fiction
• Contemporary Literature: Reading & Writing
• Fundamentals of Academic Writing
• Writing: Grammar, Syntax, and Style

See courses and program structure

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