Master of Arts - Creative Writing and Publishing (Professional Placement)

This course examines not only the craft of writing, but also how the publishing industry works. Students develop a creative writing portfolio alongside studying trends in the industry. The creative writing element of this course is workshop-led, with opportunity to specialise in the genre of their choice. The publishing element focuses on marketing-led commercial and trade publishing, industry structure and core skills. For the final assessment, students may choose a creative writing dissertation, a publishing dissertation or undertake a practical publishing project.

Kingston has links with major publishers, such as Hachette UK, Yale University, Bloomsbury, Faber and Macmillan. The course content is informed by an advisory board of industry figures. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to Kingston University's publication, Ripple, which includes fiction, poetry, reviews and creative non-fiction, and is edited by students on the course. Students will become part of Kingston's thriving community, with events such as readings, lectures from published authors, editors and agents, masterclasses and enriching discussions.

This course at Kingston University allow students to do a 12-month work placement as part of their course. The responsibility for finding the work placement is with the student; Kingston cannot guarantee the work placement, just the opportunity to undertake it. As the work placement is an assessed part of the course, it is covered by a student's Student Route visa.

Graduates from this course will develop a range of skills desirable to employers, such as communication skills, self-management, meticulousness in editing and presentation, the ability to reflect on one's own work and to respond to constructive criticism, the ability to write for particular purposes and the ability to work constructively with others. In addition to a possible career as a translator and a writer, particular careers may include work in publishing, journalism, advertising and marketing, film, television, radio, arts management, new media, business, teaching and therapeutic fields.