Master of Arts in Creative Writing

This programme is available full-time over one academic year or part-time over two years. It enables students to develop their Creative Writing skills through consideration of the work of established writers, through study of the many aspects of a piece of successful Creative Writing, through assignments that foster strategies for revision of work, and through an understanding of the requirements of the redrafting, submission and publication processes
The University of Limerick offers a Master of Arts in Creative Writing. Our Chair of Creative Writing is Prof Joseph OConnor (author of nine novels including Ghost Light, The Thrill of it All, the million-selling Star of the Sea, and Shadowplay, winner of the Novel of the Year Award at the 2019 Irish Book Awards, shortlisted for the UK's prestigious Costa Novel Award, 2020). Our outstanding teachers include twice Booker-Prize-longlisted Donal Ryan, (author of The Spinning Heart, From a Low and Quiet Sea and Strange Flowers), widely acclaimed Rob Doyle (Here Are the Young Men and This is the Ritual), and Irish Book Award nominee Prof Sarah Moore Fitzgerald (The Apple Tart of Hope and A Strange Kind of Brave), internationally published Young Adult author and lecturer on self-motivation for writers.

Applications are open for the MA in Creative Writing for Academic Year 2023/4. We do not operate a deadline, instead we close applications when the class is full. Generally we accept a maximum of 24 applicants. Many applicants for our Creative Writing MA have a first or second class Level 8 honours degree (NFQ or other internationally recognised equivalent) but application is open to everyone, including applicants who do not have a primary degree but have what might be considered equivalent experience, perhaps in the arts, publishing, bookselling, writing, creativity or some related activity. Please note, we always receive more applications than we have places to offer.
Applicants must accompany their formal online application with a 3,000 word sample of their creative writing (this can be one single piece or several pieces totalling 3,000 words) and a one-page letter setting out why they would like to work with us on our MA programme as opposed to the many other Creative Writing MA programmes now available.
Previous experience of Creative Writing workshops is helpful.
The Application Portfolio is assessed by a small committee of staff, who judge submissions on their originality, technique, and readability. Please note that we are not in a position to offer feedback to applicants who are not offered a place.
Applicants must satisfy the English Language Requirements of the University.

Portfolio
Admission will also be based upon a piece or pieces of creative work up to 3000 words submitted by the student as part of the application process. This might be a novel extract, a short story, a set of poems or a screenplay. This creative work will be assessed by a small committee of staff, who will judge submissions on their originality, technique, and intellectual rigour.

What to include with your application
Qualification transcripts and certificates
Portfolio
Supporting Statement
English language qualification if English is not your first language
A copy of your birth certificate/passport
If your qualifications have been obtained in a country where English is an official language this will suffice
If this is not available, the following additional documents must be provided:
English translation of your qualification(s)/transcripts
AND
English language competency certificate

IELTS - Minimum score of 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any component.
TOEFL- (paper based) - 580.
TOEFL- (internet based) - 90.