Master of Arts in Literature and Creative Writing

This master's degree is for people who want to write seriously and study literature at the same time. You'll take units in both creative writing and literary studies, so you're not just workshopping your own drafts, you're reading widely and learning how writers before you solved the problems you're facing. Expect to write fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry, and to analyse novels, essays and poems with the same attention. The two halves feed each other, which is the point.

How the degree is structured

Australian master's degrees by coursework usually run on semesters, and this one takes 1.5 years full time. You complete a set number of units of study, each worth a fixed number of credit points, and you need to pass the required total to graduate. There's normally a core of writing and literature units, then electives you choose, and often a final research or creative project where you produce a substantial piece of work, a novella excerpt, a suite of poems, or a long essay, under supervision. Some students take the research path and write a minor thesis. Check the official course page for the exact unit list and credit point rules, because they can change.

What you actually do

Workshops are the engine of a writing degree. You bring drafts, others read them closely, and you learn to take criticism and give it. Alongside that you'll write critical essays about literature, which trains you to argue clearly and read carefully. Western Sydney University has links to the local writing and publishing scene, and some units include industry projects or placements with publishers, literary magazines, arts organisations or community writing programmes. If a placement is available, it's usually in the later part of the degree, once you've built up some work. Ask the university what's running in your year.

Who it suits

You might be a recent graduate in English or a related field who wants more time to write before you look for work. You might be a teacher, editor, communications professional or public servant who wants to sharpen your writing and move sideways. Or you might be someone with a good undergraduate degree in something else entirely who has always written and wants to do it properly. The degree doesn't assume you've published anything. It does assume you read a lot and are willing to be edited.

Studying in Australia as an international student

If you're coming from overseas, you'll need to meet the university's English requirement, IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common standard for coursework postgraduate courses, though some fields ask for higher. TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes are accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs also sets its own English threshold for the Student visa, which is separate from the university's. While you study, your visa lets you work up to 48 hours per fortnight during term. After you finish, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may let you stay and work in Australia, depending on your circumstances. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 092783B. Confirm fees, intake dates and English requirements on the official university page before you apply.

• Writer or author, fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, essays. Most writers combine this with other work, often in publishing or teaching.
• Editor, trade publishers, educational publishers, literary magazines, government and corporate publishing, all of which hire in Sydney and across Australia.
• Copywriter or content writer, advertising agencies, marketing teams, universities, nonprofits and media organisations.
• Secondary English teacher, with a teaching qualification on top of this degree. English teachers are in steady demand in Australian schools.
• Communications and public relations officer, arts organisations, councils, unions, health services and companies that need someone who can write clearly.
• Arts administrator or literary programmer, writers' centres, festivals, libraries, community arts programmes.
• Publishing professional, editorial assistant, production coordinator, rights and permissions, sales and marketing for books.
• Researcher or academic, if you continue to a PhD. Australian universities and research centres employ literature and creative writing scholars.
• Speechwriter or policy writer, government departments, political offices, peak bodies.