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Key details

Start date(s)
September 2026
Study Mode
Full-time (1 year)
Part-time (2 years)
Location
Main Campus (Horsforth)
School
Computing and Creative Industries

What do you want to write? Whatever mode or genre you wish to explore, this MA is structured in order to help you to become the writer you want to be.

Taught by internationally-renowned writers, this MA is designed to be as creative and practical as possible within the academic requirements of a postgraduate programme.

Our MA students are a diverse group, from recent graduates looking to enhance their professional qualifications in preparation for a career involving writing, to experienced writers aspiring to have their work published or those looking to explore their passion for writing later in life.

The Student Contract

About this course

This MA puts the emphasis on “creative,” giving you plenty of time to write and incorporating a creative element into every module. The course aims to develop your writing skills in either prose or poetry, as well as fostering your creative and critical reading and exploring key issues relating to the publishing business.

Individual modules help you to learn techniques from published works and put them into practice, and to bring your own work to a reading – and listening – public. Throughout, the focus is upon your development as a writer, and prose or poetry workshops, along with individual dissertation supervision, are designed to hone your writing skills in a supportive and stimulating critical environment.

Being a "writer" generally involves a mixed portfolio of skills and attributes, and this MA provides a foundation that extends beyond the writing itself. You will meet agents, publishers, and other professionals – alongside our internationally published staff team – in order to help you to reach your potential as a writer, and also negotiate your first steps towards getting your work out into the world.

Why study with us

  • Creative elements and plenty of writing time are embedded into every module.
  • Learn from internationally renowned writers, whose work has received critical acclaim from across the world.
  • Opportunities to get published. Annual creative writing anthologies are published by Indigo Dreams Publishing under Leeds Trinity’s very own imprint, Wordspace, which was originally established by MA Creative Writing students for an assessment.
  • Become part of a thriving creative writing community - this community comes together for our monthly Open Mic nights, book launches and readings, literature festival performances and our annual Leeds Trinity Writers’ Festival.
Postgraduate student engaged in discussion in classroom setting.

Course modules

You will study a variety of modules across your programme of study. The module details given below are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Core modules

You will study the following modules throughout your degree.

Reading as a Writer

In these sessions, you will study a wide range of published works to consider the ways in which writers engage their readers. You will then experiment with these techniques yourself.

Writing as a Profession

Visiting professionals from the literary world, alongside course tutors, offer insight into the business of being a writer, and provide support as you undertake a creative project that could involve anything from editing an anthology to researching publication platforms, via arranging events or planning and delivering workshops.

Dissertation

Building on the workshop modules, this provides one-to-one support as you complete a major piece of work in your chosen genre.

Option modules

You may study the following modules.

Prose or Poetry Workshops

You will choose between either Prose or Poetry and will study two Workshop modules (1 and 2) in your chosen area. These small group sessions focus upon the development of works in progress in a supportive and critical environment.

Course structures

September - Full-time
Year Semester Module Credits Contact hours
1 Semester 1 Reading as a Writer 30 One two-hour evening class per week
Prose Workshop 1 or Poetry Workshop 1 30 One three-hour evening class per week
Semester 2 Writing as a Profession 30 One two-hour evening class per week
Prose Workshop 2 or Poetry Workshop 2 30 One three-hour evening class per week
Dissertation 60 One-to-one meetings with your personal tutor arranged at your convenience
September - Part-time
Year Semester Module Credits Contact hours
1 Semester 1 Reading as a Writer 30 One two-hour evening class per week
Semester 2 Writing as a Profession 30 One two-hour evening class per week
2 Semester 1 Prose Workshop 1 or Poetry Workshop 1 30 One three-hour evening class per week
Semester 2 Prose Workshop 2 or Poetry Workshop 2 30 One three-hour evening class per week
Dissertation 60 One-to-one meetings with your personal tutor arranged at your convenience

Learning and teaching

Alongside timetabled contact hours, full-time students should expect to spend 35 hours a week on guided independent work, reading and writing; part-time students should allow half of this.

The workshop modules are assessed mainly on creative work, alongside an initial proposal and a reflective commentary; Reading as a Writer and Writing as a Profession are assessed on a portfolio of creative and critical work; and the Dissertation is assessed purely on creative work.

Learning and teaching

At Leeds Trinity we aim to provide an excellent student experience and provide you with the tools and support to help you achieve your academic, personal and professional potential.

Our Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy delivers excellence by providing the framework for:

  • high quality teaching
  • an engaging and inclusive approach to learning, assessment and achievement
  • a clear structure through which you progress in your academic studies, your personal development and towards professional-level employment or further study.

We have a strong reputation for developing student employability, supporting your development towards graduate employment, with relevant skills embedded throughout your programme of study.

We endeavour to develop curiosity, confidence, courage, ambition and aspiration in all students through the key themes in our Learning and Teaching Strategy:

  • Student Involvement and Engagement
  • Inclusion
  • Integrated Programme and Assessment Experience
  • Digital Literacy and Skills
  • Employability and Enterprise

To help you achieve your potential we emphasise learning as a collaborative process, with a range of student-led and real-world activities. This approach ensures that you fully engage in shaping your own learning, developing your critical thinking and reflective skills so that you can identify your own strengths and weaknesses, and use the extensive learning support system we offer to shape your own development.

We believe the secret to great learning and teaching is simple: it is about creating an inclusive learning experience that allows all students to thrive through:

  • Personalised support
  • Expert lecturers
  • Strong connections with employers
  • An international outlook
  • Understanding how to use tools and technology to support learning and development

Entry requirements

Leeds Trinity University is committed to recruiting students with talent and potential and who we feel will benefit greatly from their academic and non-academic experiences here. We treat every application on its own merits; we value highly the experience you illustrate in your personal statement.

The following information is designed to give you a general overview of the qualifications we accept. If you are taking qualifications that are not included below, please contact our Admissions Office who will be happy to advise you.

  • A good 2:1 in Creative Writing, English or a related subject and a personal portfolio of creative writing (2,000 words or equivalent).
  • Applicants with other qualifications will be considered on their own merit. Places will be offered subject to an informal interview.

For more information on meeting English language requirements and academic requirements by country, visit our International Applicants page.

Please contact us for personalised advice on 0113 283 7123 or at admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk

Fees and finance

Funding

UK Home Students:

For information about our tuition fees please visit our Student Fees and Finance pages.

If you studied your undergraduate degree at Leeds Trinity University, you may be eligible for a discount of up to 50% on the cost of your tuition fees.

International Students, including EU Students:

Visit our web page for international students.

Leeds Trinity Alumni Discount

Some Leeds Trinity graduates are eligible for a tuition fee discount on postgraduate courses of up to 50%, excluding PGCE Delivery Partner Model and Lead Partner Model, and Masters by Research courses. You will need to achieve a 2:2 or above in a Leeds Trinity undergraduate course to qualify.

Postgraduate course Leeds Trinity Alumni Discount
MA programmes  50% for Leeds Trinity graduates with a 1st class honours degree
MA programmes  35% for Leeds Trinity graduates with a 2:1 honours degree
MA programmes  20% for Leeds Trinity graduates with a 2:2 honours degree

How to apply

There is no official closing date for applications, but the course will be closed when it is full. We therefore encourage you to make your application as early as possible.

Please ensure you complete the application form in full and supply all the required supporting documentation when you make your initial application. Incomplete applications may be rejected.

If you need advice on your application, please contact our admissions team on 0113 283 7123 (Monday to Thursday, 9.00am to 5.00pm, or Friday 9.00am to 4.00pm) or admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk

Home applicants - How to apply

Applicants who require a Student Route Visa

The application deadline for applicants who require a Student Route Visa in order to study in the UK is 5pm on Monday 1 June 2026.

Part-time study is not available for international students on a Student Route Visa.

For additional information, including academic requirements by country, visit our .

What happens next?

Our admissions team will acknowledge receipt of your application by email.

Where applications are submitted but references are still in progress, admissions will wait for the reference(s) to be received and then will process it, and forward it to the relevant Programme Leader within five days of receipt of the reference(s).

The Programme Leader will make a decision based on your application. You may be asked to provide a reference to demonstrate your academic and non-academic experiences, or you may be invited to attend an interview. If you are successful and are made an offer, the conditions will be outlined in your offer letter. 

Applications will be acknowledged within five working days. Applicants will be contacted within 15 working days with a request for additional information, an invitation to an informal interview or an application decision.

Made an offer?

You should accept or decline your offer by emailing admissions@leedstrinity.ac.uk.

If you accept, you'll need to prove you satisfy the conditions outlined in your offer letter.

You may be asked to present the relevant supporting documentation in person to the student information point on campus - if originals are not needed, you’ll be contacted and given details of how to provide the supporting documentation.