oxford undergraduate diploma in creative writing

Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing

[For students starting from MT 2017 and before MT 2020: 

( a ) The course shall consist of lectures, tutorials, seminars and classes on the subject of Creative Writing. The course is available on a part-time basis only, over a period of two years.

( b ) The course will cover the study and practice of the craft of writing. A range of literary genres and sub-genres will be considered, and directed approaches to the analytical reading of work by other writers will be undertaken. ]

[For students starting from MT 2020: 

1.  The course will cover the study and practice of the craft of writing.

( a )  There shall be two pathways through the course. The blended pathway shall consist of online units, lectures, seminar/workshops and tutorials, and a two-week summer residence consisting of lectures or readings, workshop/seminars and tutorials on the subject of Creative Writing. The face-to-face pathway shall consist of lectures/readings, seminar/workshops and tutorials on the subject of Creative Writing. The course is available on a part-time basis only, over a period of two years.

( b )  A range of literary genres and sub-genres will be considered, and directed approaches to the analytical reading of work by other writers will be undertaken. ]

2. Every candidate will be required to satisfy the examiners in the following:

( a ) Nine written assignments, each of no more than 2,000 words in length of prose, or 15 pages of drama , or 100 lines of poetry;

( b ) Two end-of-year portfolios of written work, each of not more than 6,000 words of prose, or 30 pages of drama or 300 lines of poetry.

Assignments under ( a ) and ( b ) will be submitted to the examiners via the approved online submission system for consideration by such dates as the examiners shall determine and shall notify candidates.

3. Candidates may be required to attend a viva voce examination at the end of the course.

4. Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners in the assignments under 2( a ) - ( b ) may be permitted to resubmit work in respect of the part or parts of the examination which they have failed on not more than one occasion which shall normally be within one year of the initial failure.

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• Bodleian Libraries
• Oxford LibGuides
• Creative Writing

Creative Writing: Home

Free online resources, purpose of this guide.

This guide is intended for students on Certificate, Diploma and Degree courses studying Creative Writing, although students and researchers from  other fields may find it useful.

Finding books

Oxford has a wide range of books (including ebooks and print books) for Creative Writing.  For more detailed info about finding books visit the books tab on this guide.

• SOLO Search SOLO, the University's resource discovery tool, for print and ebooks at Oxford. You can search by author, title or subject and limit to a specific library or online resources.
• SOLO user guide If you need help with SOLO, take a look at this guide for tips on searching, managing results and using your SOLO account.

Key journals

You can search for individual journal articles in SOLO by searching for the author and/or article title and/or subject keywords. 

In addition,  you can search for a particular journal or newspaper (e.g. Nature, English Historical Review, The Guardian) by entering the title in  SOLO or via e-Journals A-Z.

• e-Journals A-Z A full, browsable list of ejournals available at Oxford.

Below are a few key  journals for Creative Writing. See the journals tab of this guide for more information.

• New Writing International journal for the practice and theory of creative writing
• Poets and Writers magazine

Key databases

Oxford subscribes to many scholarly databases. They can be used to locate journal articles, conference proceedings, books, patents, images, data and more. You can find some of the key databases for Creative Writing below.  Take a look at the ' Databases ' tab of this guide for more information.

• Databases A-Z A full, browsable list of Oxford's online databases.
• ProQuest One Literature more... less... ProQuest One Literature brings together primary texts, literary criticism, reference works, and more. It includes more than 500,000 works of poetry, prose and plays, as well as full-text literary and interdisciplinary journals, book reviews, and dissertations. Primary texts are mostly works in English, but there is also literature in German and Spanish, including the following collections: Teatro Español del Siglo de Oro, Schillers Werke, Kafkas Werke, Goethes Werke, Digitale Bibliothek Deutscher Klassiker, Die Deutsche Lyrik in Reclams Universal-Bibliothek, Bertolt Brechts Werke, and Latin American Women Writers. Works in English include poetry, drama and fiction across all periods, including the following specific collections: African American Poetry, African Writers Series, American Drama 1714–1915, Black Short Fiction and Folklore, Black Women Writers, Canadian Poetry, Caribbean Literature, Early American Fiction 1789-1875, Early English Prose Fiction, Eighteenth-Century Fiction, the Faber Poetry Library, Irish Women Poets of the Romantic Period, Latino Literature, Scottish Women Poets of the Romantic Period, Southeast Asian Literature in English, and more. As well as searchable, the database can be browsed by author, collection, movement. ProQuest One Literature also includes the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (ABELL), indexing journals, book chapters, conference proceedings, and dissertations from 1892 onwards, with regular monthly updates of newly indexed material. ProQuest One Literature replaces Literature Online (LION) and includes all of LION’s content. This resource is partly paid for by the Drue Heinz Fund.
• Arts & Humanities Citation Index (ISI) more... less... Alternative name: Web of Science. Arts & Humanities Citation Index is a multidisciplinary index covering the journal literature of the arts and humanities. It fully covers 1,144 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, and it indexes individually selected, relevant items from over 6,800 major science and social science journals.

There are many scholarly resources which are freely available on the web.   Key free web resources are listed below and on the ' Free Online Resources " tab.

• The Poetry Archive A searchable collection of recordings of English-language poets reading their work.
• Open Learn: Creative Writing The Open University provides free educational resources online in a range of subjects.

Rewley House Continuing Education Library

The Library

Contact info

Rewley House Continuing Education Library Rewley House 1 Wellington Square Oxford OX1 2JA

Tel.01865 270454

Email [email protected]

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Key Libraries

Here are some of the key libraries for Creative Writing. A full list of libraries is on the Bodleian Libraries website :

• Continuing Education Library The Rewley House Library is your home library and buys many of the books for your course.
• English Faculty Library The EFL holds the main teaching collections for English Literature
• Next: Books >>
• Last Updated: Apr 24, 2024 11:21 AM
• URL: https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/creative-writing

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Creative Writing

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in creative writing whilst a student within the Faculty and a number of our academics are also published authors. Oxford's English Faculty also has some of the country's leading poets among its lecturers. Our academics, the Professor of Poetry and other invited guests give regular lectures and workshops at the Faculty. Browse recent events below.

Creative Writing Workshops & Lectures

Anna Deavere Smith playwrighting workshop: Causing a Scene/Scene-ing a Cause

Professor Smith held two workshops for University of Oxford students entitled ‘Causing a Scene/Scene-ing a Cause’.The workshops were designed to bring short scenes conceived by student playwrights into performance. 

Jeanette Winterson workshop

"Generous and candid, Jeanette had the room enraptured for two hours, as she discussed everything from stalking your characters home, to writing with your whole body." 

Rachel Cusk workshop

"Rachel’s candour and eloquence – and sometimes astounding capacity for truth-telling – sent everyone spiralling into almost palpable coils of thought."

Alan Hollinghurst workshop

"For those of us who had a first encounter with a creative writing ‘class’, we could not have chosen a more amicable and supportive environment."

Alice Oswald postal poetry workshop

Prof Oswald invited participants to anonymously write and send a poem to another workshop participant.

Zadie Smith lecture on 'Conscience and Consciousness' at the Oxford Literary Festival

Following a talk at the Oxford Literary Festival, Zadie Smith joined English Faculty students at a formal dinner.

Professor of Poetry lectures

The current Professor of Poetry is A.E. Stallings. She will be giving one lecture each term for the four years of her tenure. You can watch and/or listen to previous Professor of Poetry talks by A.E Stallings and Alice Oswald by clicking on the links below. Visit the Professor of Poetry page for more information.

A Lament for the Earth

In Sleep A King

Sidelong Glances

On Behalf of a Pebble

Interview with Water

Useful links.

The Oxford Centre for Life-Writing

The Oxford Centre for Life-Writing is committed to outreach, collaboration, and fostering research into life-writing. It promotes a lively, cross-disciplinary dialogue on the full range of life-writing, including biography, memoir and social media forms.

Authors at the Faculty

Hermione lee.

Elleke Boehmer

Bart van Es

Hannah Sullivan

Sally Bayley

Matthew Reynolds

Course details

• Mon 13 Jan 2025 to 28 Mar 2025
• Wed 23 Apr 2025 to 04 Jul 2025

Getting Started in Creative Writing (Online)

There are no time-tabled sessions on this course. Using a specially designed virtual learning environment this online course guides students through weekly pathways of directed readings and learning activities. Students interact with their tutor and the other course participants through tutor-guided, text-based forum discussions. There are no ‘live-time’ video meetings meaning you can study flexibly in your own time under the direct tuition of an expert. For further information please click here

This course gives avid readers the skills necessary to turn a love of the written word into a practical experience. It introduces the key characteristics of creative writing, and students are supported with stage-by-stage guidance as they assimilate and put into practice a range of critical and creative methods. In addition to tutor feedback on the course assignments, participants will be encouraged to discuss one another's writing in the course forums, and will be given guidance on offering constructive and useful criticism.

Beginning with an introduction to writing fiction, this course leads students step-by-step through the essentials of the craft – including characterization, plotting, description, dialogue and editing – towards an enhanced understanding of how novels and stories are written. There are also individual sessions on special topics – such as constructing an effective opening sequence, using imagery creatively, and working with experimental or other distinctive genres – and the emphasis throughout is upon developing an individual voice and a confident style while working in a wholly supportive environment.

For information on how the courses work, please click here .

Programme details

Unit 1: Getting Started

• Getting acquainted with one another and the course
• Autobiographical input
• Working with notes
• Practising discussion and critique of fiction-writing

Unit 2: Voice

• Developing an individual emphasis
• Pace and style

Unit 3: Descriptive Writing

• Scene-making: Sharpening the senses
• Fashioning a world

Unit 4: Point-of-view

• Who tells the story? Owns the story?
• Making choices about 1st, 2nd and 3rd person narrative

Unit 5: Character

• Constructing individuals
• Back-stories

Unit 6: Dialogue

• Writing the authentic, the important and the plausible simultaneously

Unit 7: Plot and Momentum

• Patterns of Story
• From story to plot

Unit 8: Genre and Length

• Choices that shape the stories we read
• What we expect
• How we may differ

Unit 9: Theme

• What kind of a story will you tell?

Unit 10: Re-writing and Editing

• Finishing, polishing, re-making, re-telling, expanding and cutting

We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.

Recommended reading

To participate in the course you will need to have regular access to the Internet. All of the primary texts (short stories) used as examples in the course are available online, and in each unit you will find a link to the appropriate websites. Recommended, but not required:

• Lodge, David, ed., The Art of Fiction (Penguin, 1992) ISBN: 0140174923

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £10 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee. 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Cherry Gilchrist

Cherry Gilchrist is a writer, lecturer and tutor. She is the author of a wide range of books including titles on Russian mythology, life story writing, feminine archetypes, alchemy and family history. Publishers include Piatkus, Weiser, and Penguin. Her blog Cherry’s Cache on diverse topics is regularly enjoyed by several hundred readers. As a writing tutor, she has also taught for the University of Exeter, Marlborough Summer School, Cheltenham Literature Festival, and many other venues including cruise ships. Her interests are history, nature and travel, and she lives in the Devon estuary town of Topsham. She is currently training to be a Exeter Red Coat city guide. Cherry gained her degree from New Hall, Cambridge, and holds a post-graduate diploma from the University of Bath Spa.

Dr Louis Greenberg

Louis Greenberg is a writer and fiction editor with a doctorate in modern English literature. Under his own name and co-writing as S.L. Grey, he has published nine novels including  The Mall ,  The Apartment  and Exposure , a mystery about an immersive theatre group. Louis has studied scriptwriting, theatre set design and film finance, and two of his books are in film development. An Advanced Professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, Louis has edited fiction for several major publishers .

Course aims

This course aims to provide students with insight into the major aspects affecting creative writing, and enable them to use these features confidently in their own writing.

Teaching methods

• Introductory section, outlining key areas of work within each unit.
• Description of required reading and recommended reading.
• Presentation of materials taken from additional (eg. online) sources, relevant to each unit.
• Online discussion forum.
• Online personal study diary.
• Area for short responses to literary extracts from key texts.
• Tutor responses to forum and exercises.
• Assessment and feedback.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will be expected to understand:

• Key features (such as point-of-view, dialogue, etc) in a fictional work.
• The practical use of such characteristics in their own writing.
• How to use these aspects of technical expertise with increased skill and confidence.

By the end of this course students will be expected to have gained the following skills:

• The ability to recognize and name key features in literature.
• Knowledge of what effects these features produce and how to undertake their use.
• Increased confidence in their own use of such features as enhancements to the development of an individual 'voice' in creative writing.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Application

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education

Level and demands

FHEQ level 4, 10 weeks, approx 10 hours per week, therefore a total of about 100 study hours.

IT requirements

This course is delivered online; to participate you must to be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support

View a sample page to see if this course is for you

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Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing: Advanced Fiction and Writing for Performance

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The deadline for booking a place on this course has passed. Please use the 'Ask a Question' button to register your interest in future or similar courses.

A second cohort of our Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing: Advanced Fiction and Writing for Performance is now available.  Apply today!

This one-year part-time course is one of two Diplomas in this discipline offered by the Institute of Continuing Education and is designed for those who have completed a Certificate in Creative Writing or who have appropriate knowledge, experience and enthusiasm in this field.

Our undergraduate courses are now being delivered entirely online , enabling students to study flexibly with the University of Cambridge from anywhere in the world.

We offer a range of tuition fee bursaries to promote access to and participation in continuing education. 

Listen to the Course Directors for the Certificate and Diploma in Creative Writing courses talking about the courses here .

Virtual Open Events

To learn more about the programme and the student experience, and to ask any questions you may have, join us for our virtual open events. To register, follow these links:

Watch the info session webinar recording here

What will I be studying?

Unit 1: introduction to fiction.

7 Saturdays (11am - 4pm with a break 1pm-2pm) starting on Saturday 8 October 2022

This unit focuses on advanced techniques for identifying a potential story, choosing its form, and establishing plot, structure, theme and characterisation. Through close reading of published work, and their own writing, students explore how to construct a coherent sense of time and place, how to keep dramatic control and how to create pace, conflict and mood.

Unit 2: The History of the Novel: with special focus on Fantasy, Tragedy, Comedy and Historical Fiction

7 Saturdays (11am - 4pm with a break 1pm-2pm) starting on Saturday 7 January 2023

This unit will explore the many elements that make up multiple genres and examine how they can be effectively utilised to create original and high-concept fiction. We study the form of the fairy tale, from its first origins to modern-day magical realism and fantasy novels. We will examine the tragic hero and the fatal flaw in relation to shaping character and plot. We will also look at the modern historical novel and explore the most effective ways to bring the past to life.

Unit 3: Writing for performance

6 Saturdays (11am - 4pm with a break 1pm-2pm) starting on Saturday 1 April 2023

This unit studies techniques used in writing for TV, film, stage and radio and examines how they are transferable to other forms of writing. The unit looks at the art of adapting a story from a different medium.

What can I go on to do?

The Institute offers a pair of Certificate (FHEQ Level 4) and Diploma (FHEQ Level 5) level courses in Creative Writing along with a range of postgraduate courses. For further details please visit the subject page.

Credit awarded by the Institute may also be transferred into the degree programmes of other higher education providers. However the volume of credit and the curriculum which can be transferred into degree programmes varies from institution to institution and is always at the discretion of the receiving institution.

Find out more

If you have any questions about this course, would like an informal discussion on academic matters before making your application, or would like to know more about the admissions process, please complete this enquiry form with your questions. 

Applicants for this course will normally have studied and passed a FHEQ level 4 qualification (or international equivalent) in this or a closely related field. 

There is provision to accept non-standard applicants who do not satisfy the standard academic criterion. Such applicants must produce evidence of relevant and equivalent experience and their suitability for the course. 

Applicants are also required to submit a short piece of their own writing with their application and this will be reviewed before an offer of a place can be made.  Given the nature of creative writing, it is important that applicants’ use of English is sufficiently fluent to be able to understand nuances of meaning and have a familiarity with the structure and grammar of English.

All applications are reviewed by the Course or Academic Director and acceptance onto the course is at the discretion of the Institute. 

English language requirement : If English is not your first language, you need to be able to prove you meet the University of Cambridge English language requirements on application. Please refer to our English language requirements for Undergraduate Certificates, Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas pages for further information.

Technical requirements:

For the 2022-2023 Academic Year this course is being taught entirely online. This means there will be no face-to-face teaching and you will not need to be present in person in Cambridge, although there is an expectation that you will attend synchronous teaching sessions. The course content will be delivered, and the learning outcomes met, through the use of video-based teaching platforms and a dedicated course Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

You will therefore need to have access to:

- the internet via a computer, laptop, tablet or other smart device. 

- speakers or headphones in order to hear any pre-recorded material

- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available

Once you are logged into the VLE you can familiarise yourself with the learning environment. There is also guidance about how to access course materials and activities. 

The content, activities and interaction for each of the three units will be taught remotely using video-based teaching platforms and an online course Virtual Learning Environment. You will have access to resources, discussion forums, and course tasks within ICE's Virtual Learning Environment. Teaching methods will include lectures, presentations by guest speakers and facilitators, interactive and experiential learning activities, reading and assignments to be completed by participants outside classroom sessions and online discussion forums.

All students are expected to take an active part in the course and submit work showing evidence of learning. Your learning will be enhanced by:

• engaging with scheduled teaching sessions; 
• participating in class activities and discussion;
• undertaking reading and assignments set by the tutor;
• accessing resources and submitting assignments through the VLE.

Course Timeline

• Course (Unit 1) Start Date: Saturday 8th October 2022
• Unit 1 submission deadline:  Wednesday 4th January 2023
• Unit 2 start date: Saturday 7th January 2023
• Unit 2 submission deadline: Wednesday 22nd March 2023
• Unit 3 start date: Saturday 1st April 2023
• Unit 3 submission deadline: Friday 9th June 2023

During the course you will assessed by a series of assignments. Further details will be provided in the course guide.

In addition to attending the taught elements of the course and submitting assignments you will need to set aside time for independent study. Credit is generally calculated in terms of hours of study and assumes that each credit is awarded for around 10 hours of successful learning; so, by this calculation, a 60-credit course will involve around 600 hours of successful study. Examples of how study may be broken down are: pre-class preparation, classroom time (lectures, seminars, discussion, presentations, debates, case-studies etc.); engagement with the VLE; peer-to-peer interaction, preparations for assignments, assignment writing and feedback and so on.

What is the status of this qualification?

The course is taught and awarded at second-year undergraduate level (FHEQ 5) and offers 60 credits within the Higher Education Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS). This is equivalent to half of the first year of full-time undergraduate study.

The fee for the course is £2500  for the year and covers the course tuition.

You can pay in two ways:

• in full on enrolment (by cheque payable to the University of Cambridge or by credit or debit card)
• in three equal instalments (credit/debit card only): the first on enrolment, and the second and final instalment being taken 3 months and 6 months after the course start date. The exact dates will be confirmed in the student’s individual booking details

Please note your place on the course is not secured until payment is received by the Institute of Continuing Education accompanied by any necessary documentation, i.e. proof of English language proficiency.

ICE fees and refund policy

For information on bursaries for this course, please see http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursaries   

For information on a loan from Student Finance England for course fees and maintenance costs, please see http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/info/student-loans

This course will require a minimum number of students in order to run. Applicants for this course will be notified by 19 September 2022   if the course is not going to be running at which point students will be offered a refund of the fees they have paid so far (please see our Cancellation policy ).

Please apply via the link at the top of this page. Your application will be assessed and you will be notified of the outcome by email. If you are offered a place, you will receive instructions as to how to register and pay. Please note that places are limited and on a first-come first-served basis.

Closing date for applications

Applications for this course can be received until midday (12 noon) on 5 September 2022.  If you are offered a place on the course, we will ask you to complete your booking within a limited time and to pay the fees or if paying fees by instalments, the first instalment of fees to secure your place.

This course will require a minimum number of students in order to run. Applicants for this course will be notified by 19 September 2022  if the course is not going to be running at which point students will be offered a refund of the fees they have paid so far (please see our Cancellation policy ).

Are sessions recorded? Where teaching is delivered face-to-face, sessions are not normally recorded. Where teaching is delivered remotely (via Zoom, for example), and wherever possible, sessions are recorded. There may be some instances where we are not able to share a recording or part of a recording; for example, for technological, confidentiality or copyright reasons.

It is worth noting that regular attendance is a requirement of the course, whether that be in person or by participating remotely (via Zoom) in the live and interactive teaching sessions.

What if I can't attend a session?   We understand that you may need to miss a session from time to time. We would simply ask that you let your tutor and/or Course Director know, and ideally in advance of the session. We will do what we can to ensure that you are able to catch up on any work missed, and we encourage you to listen to recordings of sessions where available.

Is any financial help available? Details of any bursaries available through ICE are listed on our website .

Information about other sources of funding (including loans, Disabled Students’ Allowance etc.) may also be useful.

Can I apply for/undertake multiple courses at any one time? You are welcome to apply for multiple courses. However, you would not normally be able to undertake more than two Certificate- or Diploma-level courses in any one year.

When considering whether to undertake more than one course, you will firstly need to ensure that there are no date clashes between teaching sessions. We would also advise you to carefully consider the work load of undertaking more than one course - consider any reading you will want to do as well as the time required to attend classes and complete assignments. You may also want to consider what commitments you have beyond your studies.

If you would like to undertake a second course, we would ask you to contact us so that we can liaise with both Course Directors. They will need to approve your application on the understanding that you will be undertaking two courses simultaneously.

If I complete a Certificate/Diploma with ICE, does it guarantee me a place on another course at ICE, including an MSt? We are delighted that many of our students want to return to study with us again and again. Unfortunately, however, completion of one course does not guarantee that you will be offered a place on another.

To ensure quality of teaching, places on courses are necessarily limited, and where an offer is made, places can only be confirmed subject to availability.

A Course Director may also feel that a higher level course is not the best fit for you. In this case, the Course Director may recommend another more suitable Certificate-level course or a non-award bearing short course or online course. This is, by no means, a rejection, but a way for us to help you to prepare more fully for study at a higher level.

Do I need to have completed the Certificate-level course before applying for a place on the Diploma? The Certificate and Diploma courses have been designed to provide a progression path for your studies, and some students on the Diploma will have previously completed the Certificate; however, completion of the Certificate is not a requirement for entry onto the Diploma. It very much depends on your experience in creative writing, the information you provide in your Personal Statement, and on your writing sample.

If you apply for a place on the Diploma, our Course Directors will let you know if they would recommend you complete the Certificate first. Please don’t be deterred – ultimately, we want you to find the course that is the best fit so that you are comfortable and feel a sense of achievement throughout.

Can I transfer credits/CAT points from a course completed elsewhere? For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website .

Do I need to have studied Creative Writing before? At Certificate-level, you do not need to have any prior experience of the subject area. An interest would normally be helpful.

At Diploma-level, some previous experience is expected. To submit the strongest application possible, we recommend you make use of the application form to highlight all relevant interests, qualifications, skills and experience.

Is the course accredited by the University of Cambridge? Many part-time courses offered by ICE are University of Cambridge qualifications. For more details, visit our website .

Will I become the member of a College by undertaking a Certificate/Diploma course? Enrolment on a Certificate- or Diploma-level course does not lead to College affiliation.

Can I pay in instalments? Yes. When you come to confirm your course place with payment, you will be given the option to pay in instalments. Course fees for Certificate and Diploma courses are normally split into three equally weighted instalments spread throughout the year, with the first instalment due by way of deposit at the point of confirming your course place.

How many hours of study are required to complete a Certificate/Diploma course? The course webpage in each case should provide you with an idea of the study hours you can expect - see ‘Teaching and Assessment’ tab.

Certificate and Diplomas equate to 60 credits at FHEQ5. Credit is generally calculated in terms of hours of study and assumes that each credit is awarded for around 10 hours of successful learning; so, by this calculation, a 60-credit course will involve around 600 hours of successful study. Examples of how study may be broken down are: pre-class preparation, classroom time (lectures, seminars, discussion, presentations, debates, case-studies etc.); engagement with the VLE; peer-to-peer interaction, preparations for assignments, assignment writing and feedback etc..

Unless otherwise stated, teaching and assessment for ICE courses are in English. If your first language is not English, please refer to our Information for Applicants pages for further guidance.

Course dates

Course duration, course director, academic director.

Academic Directors, Course Directors and Tutors are subject to change, when necessary.

Qualifications / Credits

Course code.

Institute of Continuing Education Madingley Hall Madingley Cambridge CB23 8AQ

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Online open event: Diploma in Creative Writing

Join us on Thursday 18 April to learn more about our Diploma in Creative Writing .

Meet the Course Director, Dr John Ballam, and have your questions answered. This event will not be recorded so attendees can chat freely and ask questions – so don't miss your chance to participate!

With expert tuition and small class sizes, the part-time Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing gives you the opportunity to explore and develop your craft by strengthening your ability in four major areas of literary activity — prose, poetry, drama and analytical reading. You will also have the opportunity to specialise in the medium of your choice.

There are two ways to study. The in-person pathway takes place on weekends in Oxford and offers a rich combination of seminars, one-to-one tutorials and group discussions. The online pathway with a summer school in Oxford, replicates the in-person structure, using a variety of media to offer a stimulating and challenging learning environment.

No prior formal qualifications are needed.

Diploma in Creative Writing