uts creative writing course

Graduate Diploma of Creative Writing

University of technology sydney (uts).

Type of institution: University/Higher Education Institution Level: Postgraduate CRICOS: 00099F

The Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing is part of an articulated program designed to meet a range of needs for people who want to start a career in writing and for experienced writers wanting to further develop their theoretical knowledge and skills. Students develop: both general and specific skills in writing across a range of genres, studying one genre in depth or exploring the potential of a range of genres and media; an ability to develop and critically revise their own work; an understanding of the relationships of writing practice and publication across a range of contemporary cultural forms; a critical knowledge of cultural and aesthetic debates; and an ability to think creatively and critically about, and contribute to, developments in cultural industries.

Designed for

Graduates who want to develop skills in writing within a context of intellectual critique

The course totals 48 credit points, consisting of three core subjects and three electives. Students may select subjects beyond the list of elective subjects with the approval of the graduate adviser. Not all subjects are available each session. Full-time students are required to undertake 24 credit points a session. Part-time students should undertake 8 or 16 credit points a session.

• Narrative writing
• Theory and creative writing
• Creative non-fiction

Standard entry requirements

• UTS recognised bachelor degree, or equivalent or higher qualification, or submitted other evidence of general and professional qualifications that demonstrates potential to pursue graduate studies. Applicants who have not completed a bachelor's, master's, graduate diploma or graduate certificate in any field of study (or overseas equivalent) must provide: a personal statement (approximately 500 words) explaining why they wish to study the course
• A CV which should include details of paid and voluntary work or other experiences that could be relevant to the course. If applicants do not submit these documents, their application may not be considered. The English proficiency requirement for international students or local applicants with international qualifications is: Academic IELTS: 6.5 overall with a writing score of 6.0
• Or TOEFL: paper based: 550-583 overall with TWE of 4.5, internet based: 79-93 overall with a writing score of 21
• Or AE5: Pass
• Or PTE: 58-64
• Or CAE: 176-184.

Study pathways

Students who successfully completed either of the graduate certificates in the articulated program are eligible for credit recognition for completed subjects. This course is part of an articulated program comprising the Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting, the Graduate Certificate in Editing and Publishing, the Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing and the Master of Arts in Creative Writing. To be eligible to articulate into the Master of Arts in Creative Writing, students must complete at least two postgraduate writing subjects with a distinction grade or higher.

Study information

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57134 Theory and Creative Writing

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject. Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives .

Description

This is a core subject for two of the graduate writing programs and one which provides students with valuable practice-based and theoretical contexts for their own writing. Students research major developments in literary theory and examine in close detail a number of key texts from several genres that illuminate the use of theory for the practising writer. Students also research some of the major developments in western literature, such as realism, modernism and postmodernism, as well as the theories that underlie these developments, particularly in relation to contemporary writing. Students critically explore ideas on writing directly arising from their theoretical and other reading, both in classroom discussion and in their written work. Students also workshop their creative writing, which is expected to reflect aspects of writing and literary theory that has been explored in the subject.

This subject:

• contextualises writing by examining literary movements, ideas and developments
• promotes essential critical and creative thought in relation to reading and writing
• enables a practical understanding of aesthetics and cultural debates
• enables exploration and experimentation of ideas in specialised writing practice.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Course intended learning outcomes (cilos).

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:

• Negotiate and understand the specifications of commissioned writing tasks in diverse environments (1.2)
• Critically analyse their work and the work of others, acquiring high-level professional editorial skills (1.3)
• Understand, reproduce and experiment with genre and form (2.1)
• Critically and reflexively engage in research and writing practice for a major work with a high degree of personal autonomy and accountability (2.3)
• Seek to engage with other cultures through examining and producing creative writing across a range of genres (3.1)
• Convey complex ideas in writing clearly and effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences, across a range of media formats (6.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

Reading and writing activities will be conducted via several modes, including formal and informal lectures, seminar presentations, workshopping activities, research, in-class discussion and analysis. Students will also participate in the UTS Online Blackboard learning system to exchange material for discussion and to circulate drafts of their work for feedback prior to classes. Material supplementary and complementary to the weekly lectures will also be posted on UTS Online.

Content (topics)

Critical Reading and Writing While readers can read without being writers, the reverse is impossible. As Alberto Manguel reminds us in A History of Reading (1997), the first maker of messages and creator of signs was meaningless without his/her logical other: 'Writing required a reader.' Therefore students are required to read closely the work of other writers to understand the possibilities open to them. The readings include exemplary texts in several genres, critical essays, literary and cultural theory. We shall be doing a close study of the readings, paying particular attention to the relationship between critical theory and practice, as represented in the key set texts, and to the broader cultural and historical contexts of the authors studied. Students will present a seminar paper reflecting a close reading and analysis of the examples they choose to illustrate the exploration of their topic. These examples shall be from the reader or the list of set texts. However as students are encouraged to read widely, examples from other texts may be considered for study and discussion; if this is the case, it will be each student's responsibility to provide copies of these readings to the class before their scheduled seminar presentation. Drafts of these presentations may be circulated beforehand via UTS Online.

Creative Reading and Writing Every workshop is informed by the belief that continual and detailed examination of one's writing within a group provides the best context for developing creative writing. This philosophy stretches back at least as far as Dorothea Brande's writing workshops in the 1930s, where she promoted 'corrective reading': the refinement of work by application of constant self-criticism. The workshop enables students to acquire and develop the process of corrective reading within an atmosphere of generous yet rigorous scrutiny. Each student will present their own writing for discussion in workshop either in small groups or to the whole class at least once during the semester, and will receive both oral and written feedback from the rest of the class. The workshop will be supportive of risk-taking and experimentation, and the feedback will aim to raise questions and identify problems through constructive criticism offered with goodwill and generosity. One piece of creative work is to be handed in for assessment; this work will be partly inspired and shaped by the theoretical components of the subject and will ideally be an example of theory in practice.

Assessment task 1: Academic essay

Assessment task 2: creative writing piece, minimum requirements.

Students are expected to read the subject outline to ensure they are familiar with the subject requirements.

Classes are based on a collaborative approach that involves essential work-shopping and interchange of ideas with other students and the tutor.

In this subject assessment tasks are cumulative so that each task builds understanding and/or skills, informed by formative feedback. Consequently, all assessments must be submitted in order for you to receive feedback. Students who do not submit all assessments will not pass the subject.

Required texts

Online readings available through library website and UTS Canvas.

The following is a select list of references which students will find useful for this subject. All books are available in the UTS library.

Reference works: Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms (1988) Fowler, Roger (ed). A Dictionary of Modern Critical Terms (1987) Harris, Robert. 'A Glossary of Literary Terms' http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.html Lentriccia, Frank & Thomas McLaughlin (eds). Critical Terms for Literary Study (1987) Peck, John & Martin Coyle. Literary Terms and Criticism, a students' guide (1984) Saunders, Ian. Open Texts, Partial Maps: a literary theory handbook (1993) Wolfreys, Julian (ed). Critical Keywords in Literary and Cultural Theory (2003)

Theory and criticism: Bal, Mieke. Introduction to the Theory of Narrative (1985) Barthes, Roland. A Roland Barthes Reader , ed. & introd. Susan Sontag (1982) Derrida, Jacques. Acts of Literature , ed. Derek Attridge (1992) Eagleton, Mary (ed). Feminist Literary Theory, a reader (1986) Eagleton, Terry. Marxism and Literary Criticism (1976) —————— Literary Theory: an introduction (1983; 1996) Foucault, Michel. The Foucault Reader , ed. Paul Rabinow (1984) Frow, John. What Was Postmodernism? (1991) Jameson, Frederic. The Political Unconscious: narrative as a socially symbolic act (1981) Kermode, Frank. The Art of Telling: essays in fiction (1983) —————— An Appetite for Poetry: essays in literary interpretation (1989) Hawkes, Terence. Structuralism and Semiotics (1977) Holquist, Michael. Dialogism: Bahktin and his world Homer, William Innes. The Usage of Contemporary Criticism Clarified (1999) Hutcheon, Linda. A Poetics of Postmodernism: history, theory, fiction (1988) —————— & Joseph Natoli (eds). A Postmodern Reader (1993) The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism (ed Michael Groden, Martin Kreiswirth & Imre Szeman) (2004) Kerschner, R.B. Joyce, Bakhtin and Popular Literature: chronicles of disorder (1989) Lodge, David. Modern Criticism and Theory: a reader (1988) The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism (Gen Ed Vincent B. Leitch) (2001) Norris, Christopher. Deconstruction: theory and practice (1982) Rimmon-Kenan, Shlomith. Narrative Fiction: contemporary poetics (1983) Rivkin, Julie & Michael Ryan (eds). Literary Theory: an anthology (1998) Tompkins, Jane P (ed). Reader-Response Criticism, from Formalism to Poststructuralism (1980) Wolfreys, Julian. Literary Theory: a reader and a guide —————— Introducing Literary Theories; a guide and a glossary (2001)

Cultural/historical commentary: Davis, Mark. Gangland: cultural elites and the new generationalism (1997) Docker, John. In a Critical Condition; struggles for control of Australian literature (1984) Gelder, Ken & Paul Salzmann. The New Diversity: Australian fiction 1970-88 (1989) Manguel, Alberto. A History of Reading (1997)

Writing guides/writers on writing: Brande, Dorothea. Becoming a Writer (1981) Dillard, Annie. The Writing Life (1989) Disher, Gary. Writing Fiction (1983) Lodge, David. The Practice of Writing (1996) Plimpton, George (ed). Writers at Work, the Paris Review interviews (1981)

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C04109v7 Master of Arts in Creative Writing

The intake for this course has been suspended.

Current students are strongly advised to follow the typical course program because of subject availability.

The Master of Arts in Creative Writing is designed for experienced and emerging writers who want to develop and expand their practical skills in writing, as well as their critical knowledge about writing practices and the writing industry.

Under the guidance of leading experts in writing, editing, publishing and creative writing research, students study in depth a range of forms, genres and aspects of writing craft and industry; experience group project work and workshopping; and develop a major writing project.

Building a portfolio and pitching one's work are key components of the Master of Arts in Creative Writing. Students publish widely and regularly in local, national and international literary journals and magazines, and lead the annual UTS Writers' Anthology , which celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2021.

This course is part of an articulated program comprising the Graduate Certificate in Editing and Publishing ( C11071 ), the Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing ( C06041 ) and the Master of Arts in Creative Writing.

Download the Creative Writing flyer

Course aims

The aims of the Master of Arts in Creative Writing degree are:

• to enhance students’ knowledge and skills across a range of writing genres and forms,
• to facilitate in students an ability to critically reflect on and improve their work,
• to provide a deep understanding of the relationship between writing practice and the writing industry across a range of project types and contexts, and
• to encourage students to think creatively and critically about, and contribute to, developments in the creative and cultural industries.

Career options

Graduates apply their writing skills to fields such as advertising, editing and publishing, screenwriting, film and television, digital and experiential media, storytelling for business, digital content creation, journalism and communications. Many graduates publish or have their work produced, from short stories and short films, to novels and feature films. Graduates also undertake creative doctorates.

Course intended learning outcomes

This course engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:

The first digit of each CILO indicates the relevant graduate attribute:

• Professional Readiness
• Critical and Creative Inquiry
• International and Intercultural Engagement
• Indigenous Competencies
• Active Citizenship
• Effective Communication

Admission requirements

Applicants must have completed a UTS recognised bachelor's degree, or an equivalent or higher qualification, or submitted other evidence of general and professional qualifications that demonstrates potential to pursue graduate studies.

All applicants excluding students who have completed the Graduate Diploma in Creative writing at UTS need to submit one example of their creative writing and personal statement. An example of creative writing could be one short story of 2,000 words minimum, up to 10 pages of a screenplay, a suite of 6 poems, a chapter from a novel in progress etc.

For applicants with a bachelor's degree:

• the degree must be in the field of education, management and commerce, society and culture (e.g. Bachelor of Arts), or creative arts
• if the degree is not in the field of education, management and commerce, society and culture, or creative arts, applicants must also have a minimum of two years' related professional work experience. Employment experience is assessed according to the response provided by applicants via the employment question and CV on their UTS e-application.

For applicants with a master's, graduate diploma or graduate certificate qualification, the qualification can be in any field of study.

If applicants have not met any of the requirements above, they must provide:

• a personal statement (of no more than 300 words) explaining why they wish to study the course they are applying for, and
• a curriculum vitae (CV), which should include details of paid and voluntary work or other experiences (e.g. special interest groups) that could be relevant to the course.

If applicants do not submit these documents, their application may not be considered.

The English proficiency requirement for international students or local applicants with international qualifications is: Academic IELTS: 6.5 overall with a writing score of 6.0; or TOEFL: paper based: 550-583 overall with TWE of 4.5, internet based: 79-93 overall with a writing score of 21; or AE5: Pass; or PTE: 58-64 with a writing score of 50; or C1A/C2P: 176-184 with a writing score of 169.

Eligibility for admission does not guarantee offer of a place.

International students

Visa requirement: To obtain a student visa to study in Australia, international students must enrol full time and on campus. Australian student visa regulations also require international students studying on student visas to complete the course within the standard full-time duration. Students can extend their courses only in exceptional circumstances.

Recognition of prior learning

Students who have successfully completed one of the graduate certificates or the graduate diploma in the articulated program and who are admitted to this course are eligible for recognition of prior learning for completed subjects.

Course duration and attendance

The course is offered on a one-and-a-half-year, full-time or two-and-a-half years equivalent part-time basis.

Course structure

The Master of Arts in Creative Writing comprises 72 credit points, made up of six core subjects and three electives.

Students may select subjects beyond the lists of elective subjects with the approval of the graduate adviser. Not all subjects are available each session.

Full-time students are required to undertake 24 credit points a session. Part-time students should undertake 8 or 16 credit points a session.

Course completion requirements

Course diagram.

Course program

Students are strongly advised to follow the typical course program because of subject availability. Typical course programs are shown below.

Articulation with UTS courses

Students who have completed the Graduate Diploma in Creative writing course at UTS do not need to submit an example of their creative writing when articulating to the Master of Creative Writing course.

Other information

Further information is available from the UTS Student Centre on:

telephone 1300 ask UTS (1300 275 887) or +61 2 9514 1222 Ask UTS

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For a Sustainable Fashion Future: CoE is celebrating wins

As it enters its second year of operations, the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion + Textiles is celebrating education and research wins.

As we accelerate into 2024, the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion + Textiles - a partnership between UTS and TAFE NSW - is achieving milestones. The Centre has a mission to grow the capacity of the Australian fashion industry for a sustainable future, offer industry-focused education and research, and build a community of sustainable fashion advocates to aid in this mission. As it enters its second year of operations, the Centre is celebrating education and research wins.

Short courses thrive

First, the Centre is thrilled to announce that it has over 100 graduates of its  Intro to Fashion + Sustainability short course. The course was created by sustainable fashion experts and educators, features industry innovator guest speakers, and is designed to give the Australian fashion industry a shared language and understanding of sustainability impacts and opportunities in the sector. Centre Director Dr Lisa Lake says, “we’ve had brilliant feedback from participants, especially on the industry guests and the sheer depth of information provided in the online course”. 

What is even more exciting, however, is that we are seeing our alumni working in a large number of Australian fashion brands, seeing them at industry events, and watching their knowledge have a genuinely positive impact on their businesses. 

Following the success of this course, the Centre has just launched its second short course,  Writing a Fashion Sustainability Strategy , with classes starting this May. Developed by the renowned sustainable fashion expert Dr Clara Vuletich, at the end of this 4-week workshop-style course, participants will walk away with a written draft of a sustainability strategy that is relevant to their business. Also coming this year is a range of short courses designed to upskill industry practitioners on the software program CLO3D, which enables reduced sampling time and waste through its realistic renditions of designs, patterns, and draping, as well as a course on upcycling. 

Industry partnerships 

The Centre has also recently commenced its first industry research project, which brings together researchers from the UTS School of Design, the Business School, and the Institute of Sustainable Futures to examine the true sustainability impact of a local fashion business. 

The Centre remains steadfastly focused on industry partnerships and collaborations. It relies on the insights from its Industry Advisory Group – twelve members from the industry including peak industry bodies, retailers, designers and entrepreneurs – to test education and research concepts, and is actively seeking more industry research partners to test concepts that challenge the status quo of fashion design and production. The Powerhouse is also represented in this group, and has supported the Centre’s work in unique ways.

Sydney Design Week

The Centre of Excellence co-delivered events with the Powerhouse in Sydney Design Week 2023 including the  Future of Fashion Materialised , which featured fashion designers Gary Bigeni and Louise Sharpe from MJ Bale, who were invited to create a garment to be knit in real time on the UTS Shima Seiki Wholegarment Seamless Knit Machine. Dr Lake led a conversation among the designers and Centre academic Dr Doris Li, who has a specialty in seamless knitwear, where they discussed the potential of onshoring some Australian fashion production with the assistance of advanced manufacturing equipment. Dr Lake also hosted a panel discussion on  Circular Fashion Technologies , interviewing designers and experts on the latest in sustainable material and production, and participated in  Digital Sampling with FashTech Lab , with the support of the Australian Fashion Council. 

The Powerhouse's Sydney Design Week also led to a fortuitous meeting between the Centre and a sustainable material supplier, MOSSSY. The supplier held the  Thread Exhibition in the same space as another UTS research centre, the  Material Ecologies Design Lab . As a result of this meeting, the Centre has now procured ex-display materials from the exhibition including silkworm cocoons, pineapple fibre, and the various stages of material from reclaimed fishing net, to rPET pellets, to polyester made from rPET. MOSSSY also worked with the Centre to create sample cards for 50 sustainable materials to be housed in the Centre’s sustainable materials library. The Centre is currently seeking funding to fully develop the library, and once it is established, students and industry will have the opportunity to view a wide variety of sustainable materials that are often hard to access.

The Centre of Excellence has also played a role alongside the Tech Central Creative Industries Steering Committee in a scoping study of the creative industries within the Tech Central precinct. The Steering Committee, chaired by UTS and with members including the the Powerhouse, UTS, TAFE NSW, the Australian Fashion Council and NSW Government, launched the final report,  Advancing a Creative Industries Precinct for Sydney , in April 2023, finding that our precinct houses over 3,000 creative industries. Many of the key recommendations from that report build upon the work of the Centre and the Tech Central Creative Industries Steering Committee members, with all institutions committed to securing and growing a strong creative, cultural heart in our precinct. 

Become involved with the Centre of Excellence:

Writing a Fashion Sustainability Strategy – starts 28 May

Intro to Fashion + Sustainability – starts 23 July

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UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.