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At the heart of the Manchester Writing School are our masters programmes in Creative Writing, available to study on campus in Manchester, City of Literature, or from anywhere in the world as part of our dynamic international online distance learning community.

On our Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programme, you will explore and practice techniques and styles of modern and contemporary writing and apply these through the development of your own full-length book or script. 

MFA students undertake all of the elements of our (a taught element blending writing workshops with reading modules, option modules, and a dissertation), then take an additional module about the publishing, literary and arts industries and submit a full-length manuscript: a completed novel or short story collection, poetry collection, book for children or young adults, script for stage, screen or radio, or book of creative non-fiction.

You will be introduced to professionals from the publishing industries, which may include literary agents, publishers, broadcasters and arts practitioners, and the School has strong links with many major arts, educational and cultural organisations. Our MFA model is exceptional in coaching students through the development and completion of a full-length book under the sustained guidance of distinguished, practising writers and seeing those students achieve success in publishing. 

You will specialise in one of the following routes: Novel (including Short Fiction), Poetry, Writing for Children & Young Adults, Scriptwriting (for stage, screen or radio) or Creative Non-Fiction.

Features and benefits

• One of the most successful programmes of its kind in the UK today – with more than 100 students and graduates publishing first books and having work produced, and many more achieving publication in journals and magazines, winning writing awards and prizes, setting up small presses and anthologies, and finding roles in the publishing industry. . 
• Flexible learning - classes for core Workshop and Reading modules take place in the evenings (6-8pm UK time) during the autumn or spring semesters. Full-time students usually have classes two evenings per week, and part-time students one evening per week. 
• Live online teaching - the course can be completed entirely online, with core Workshop and Reading module teaching for distance learning students via weekly online classes in Microsoft Teams, and some option modules also available online (availability varies each year). 
• Option modules - all students take a 30 credit option module and can choose from a range of Creative Writing modules, or modules from our MA English Studies and MA Publishing courses. 
• Full-length manuscript - MFA students submit a full-length manuscript: a completed novel or short story collection, poetry collection, book for children or young adults, feature-length script or book of creative non-fiction, completed over a full year with one-to-one editorial input from a dedicated Manuscript Mentor. Manuscript students also attend The Industry - a semester of weekly seminars with guests from the publishing, literary and cultural industries introducing career opportunities for creative writers.