Introduction
- Are you ready to take your creative writing to the highest level?
- Why not combine your writing prowess with research and studies of other top-notch writers?
- Want to create your own tailored research into/with creative writing?
The Warnborough College PhD in Creative Writing allows you to do so much more than just ‘writing’. Use the modules to bolster your existing skills, challenge your own writing techniques and create a worthy full-length work that can combine research, field work and practical outcomes.
Key Info
Duration:
3 Years minimum ^
Credits:
160 ECTS credits
Fees:
€18,000 *
Start:
Monthly
Prerequisites:
Master’s degree; or equivalent.
Creative Writing Progression Pathway
Postgraduate Certificate in Creative Writing
6 modules (48 ECTS)
Bachelors or similar
See Program
Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Writing
PG Certificate + 2 Modules (64 ECTS)
PG Certificate + 2 modules (or 8 modules in total)
See Program
Master of Arts in Creative Writing
PG Diploma + Thesis (120 ECTS)
PG Diploma (or 8 modules) + Thesis
See Program
PhD in Creative Writing
MA + 8 modules + Final Project (160 ECTS)
Masters or equivalent
You Are Here
Note: The graduate programs (colour-coded ‘blue’ up) show a clear progression pathway. Move your mouse over each block to see the entry pre-requisites (if any). You do not have to follow a progression pathway. If you meet the requirements for a Master’s, you can apply directly into that programme.
Who is this for?
Is this the Creative Writing program for you?
Serious writers who already have a Master’s degree in Creative Writing or similar, and/or writers who have many years of writing experience should consider us. The PhD program is flexible, yet comprehensive in scope. It allows writers of different genres to tailor the program to suit their needs, as well as consider a multidisciplinary approach.
Admissions Criteria
The PhD is open to students who have completed an MA or MFA in Creative Writing, or an MA in English or American Literature. We can consider other forms of criteria. We, of course, welcome our own MA graduates who will have a slightly different program.
The program will be conducted in English, so a high-level of English language proficiency is expected. If English is not your first language, proof of proficiency is required. In any case, samples of your creative writing should be submitted with your application.
What will I learn?
Customisable Options
Modular Program - Your Creative Journey Explained
- 16 Core Modules (8 credits each = 128 credits)*
Establish your own style of storytelling, character development, and narrative techniques. - Final Project (32 credits)
Create a formal dissertation or fully-customised body of work (fiction, poetry, drama, or nonfiction) that reflects your vision and style
This rigorous 36-month program includes:
- 16 months of immersive coursework covering essential writing techniques.
- 20 months dedicated to your final project.
A total of 120 credits must be successfully completed to be awarded the Master of Arts in Creative Writing.
The Dissertation (investigation into a genre or variety of genres) or Final Project should be approximately 70,000 words. There are different combinations for achieving this. For example, students may combine research with a portfolio of their creative work, or create a work from the outset. In some instances, you may be able to transfer credit/exit points from your prior learning (Recognition of prior learning).
Note: Warnborough MA in Creative Writing graduates will be required to do 8 new core modules, 2 mini Creative Writing projects worth 24 credits each, and the Final Project.
CWR700 Why We Write
The question of “why writers write” has echoed through literary history. Traditionally, this exploration focuses on narratives of established authors. Our module shifts the focus inward, acknowledging the intensely personal and often idiosyncratic reasons that fuel our own individual creative journeys.
CWR710 Mimesis of Texts
Mimesis, or the imitation of life in art and literature, is crucial in creative writing. This module will see our students explore the concept of mimesis as outlined by Aristotle, focusing specifically on poetry.
CWR720 Let's Make a Scene
This module explores the art of writing scenes in fiction, drama, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Students will develop their ability to craft scenes that resonate emotionally, move the plot forward, and reveal character.
CWR730 Character Development and Dialogue
This module explores how characters evolve through their interactions with others and how dialogue serves as a vehicle to express, challenge, or deepen character motivations and conflicts.
CWR740 Mastering Narration and Storytelling
Students will explore narrative techniques through a variety of classic and contemporary short stories and narrative poems.
CWR750 The Power of Description
This module explores the art of writing scenes in fiction, drama, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Students will develop their ability to craft scenes that resonate emotionally, move the plot forward, and reveal character.
CWR760 Dialogue – Voices in Motion
Dialogue is a very important component of storytelling. It helps to shape the narrative and the voice of different characters.
CWR770 Developing Creativity for Your Final Project and Portfolio
In this four-week module, you will focus on the development of your MA/PhD project or pieces
while also compiling a comprehensive portfolio.
CWR800 The Art of the Breath: Brief Forms, Asian Aesthetics, and Micro-Magic
Explore the expressive power of brevity in literary forms across cultures and centuries.
CWR810 Writing About Nature: Ecopoetics and the Environmental Imagination
This module explores the long arc of nature writing—from Indigenous cosmologies and sacred landscapes to the sharpened urgency of ecopoetry and climate fiction.
CWR820 Micro-Drama and Compressed Theatrical Vision
This module is about writing the sacred and subversive small.
CWR830 Comedy as Timeless Catharsis
This module asks: What is funny? Why do we laugh? How can comedy liberate, heal, and destroy?
CWR840 The Writer as Visionary Architect: Designing a Literary Cosmos
This module invites doctoral students to step into the role of literary architect—to imagine and construct a world that reflects, distorts, or transcends reality.
CWR850 The Writer as Psychologist: Narrative, Psyche, and the Healing Imagination
This module positions the writer as a practitioner of deep observation, emotional insight, and psychological excavation.
CWR860 The Writer as Sociologist: Storytelling, Structures, and Social Truths
This module explores the writer as an observer, participant, and critic of society.
CWR870 The Writer as Healer: Literature, Transformation, and the Sacred Word
This final module marks where the writer is no longer merely a creator, critic, or mirror, but a healer.
Your final project is your calling card to the literary world. Choose your format and genre:
- ✍ Poetry – A full-length poetry collection (70–100 pages).
- 📚 Fiction – A novella or a short story collection (100 pages).
- 🎭 Playwriting – A complete script (100 pages).
- 📝 Creative Nonfiction – A series of essays or a book-length narrative (100 pages).
How will I learn?
This is a fully online program. There is no residency requirement.
Modules can be accessed on our learning platform, and you can liaise with your appointed mentor on how to customise or structure any individual needs. You will also plan the ‘roadmap’ for program completion and contact times/methods. At this level, we expect our learners to be highly self-motivated and capable of independent work.
Program Director
Dr. Maria Jacketti is a distinguished writer, translator, educator, and political activist with deep expertise in creative writing and world literature. Born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Dr. Jacketti spent significant time in the New York City area before returning to her hometown, where she continues to influence both local and global communities.
Dr. Jacketti’s academic background spans Spanish, French, Mass Communications, and English, culminating in a PhD in English and Comparative Literature. Her work has earned significant recognition, including a fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and a role as Poet in Public Service in New York City. She has also translated the works of Nobel laureates Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda, supported by The New York State Council on the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
With six books in print, including her poetry collection Medusa’s Hairdresser, and over 1,000 published articles, Dr. Jacketti’s writing spans genres and reflects her profound engagement with the social and political issues of our time.
More Questions
You may also be interested in:
What Our Students Say
Video:
Dr Shurooq Amin is a mixed-media interdisciplinary artist and an Anglophone poet whose purpose is to instigate positive change in society.
She has a PhD in Ekphrasis, the relationship between art and poetry, and has been published and anthologized internationally. She has been a guest speaker at various universities, a judge for various events, including panel examiner at various viva voces.
Visit her Website.
Video:
Dr Cristine Milton combined narrative with high-end photography to tell compelling tales of the many places she has visited, and lived and worked in. She was able to craft a final product that would not look out of place with a National Geographic coffee-table book. She graduated in 2023.
You can hear her thoughts in the video.
It was a wonderful program. I thought it was great because it challenged me to absolutely learn how to write poetry. It was very well designed with different categories of poetry introduced to me. I enjoyed the way I had to do the assignments, with time limits and with schedules.
What did I enjoy about the Warnborough programme? The freedom to learn, to truly acquire knowledge, and working with Maria (my mentor).
* Fees:
Fees refer to tuition only. It does not include ancillary expenses such as required materials (see above), textbooks, internet connections, postage, telephone calls, insurance and printing. More…
^ Duration:
Depending upon exemptions, performance and the workload, it may take more or less time. Accreditation for Prior Learning or Experience (APEL) can reduce time and fees.
