UK · Master's
University of East Anglia
MA Creative Writing (Prose Fiction)
University of East Anglia
Course Overview
UEA's MA Creative Writing (Prose Fiction), founded by Malcolm Bradbury and Angus Wilson in 1970, is the original and still the most prestigious Creative Writing Master's in the UK. Alumni include Booker Prize winners Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro (Nobel Laureate 2017), Anne Enright, and Trezza Azzopardi. The 1-year programme operates as a small-cohort workshop (12-15 students) — students submit weekly prose for line-by-line critique by working novelists like Andrew Cowan, Henry Sutton and Naomi Wood. The thesis is the first 30,000 words of a publishable novel, with regular agent and editor visits from Curtis Brown, A.M. Heath and Penguin / Faber.
Sri Lankan applicants — particularly those writing in English in the Shyam Selvadurai / Romesh Gunesekera / Anuk Arudpragasam tradition — choose UEA for the direct industry pipeline. Recent UEA-MA Sri Lankan / South Asian alumni have published debut novels with Penguin India, Picador, Granta and Hutchinson Heinemann. The programme is also a frequent Booker International long-list feeder for translated Sri Lankan writing.
Entry Requirements
Academic
- check_circle Bachelor's degree (any discipline) — minimum Second Class Upper (2:1 / GPA 3.3+).
- check_circle Portfolio submission: 4,000-6,000 words of recent prose fiction (single excerpt or two shorter pieces).
- check_circle Personal statement (1,500 words) covering literary influences, current writing project, and reading life.
- check_circle Two references (academic or literary).
- check_circle Shortlisted candidates interviewed online by the prose fiction faculty.
English Proficiency
- check_circle IELTS Academic: 7.0 Overall (min 7.0 in Writing, 6.5 in each other band).
- check_circle TOEFL iBT: 100 Overall (min 22 Writing).
- check_circle PTE Academic: 69 Overall.
- check_circle Waived if your Bachelor's was taught and assessed entirely in English.
Estimated Cost of Study
| Expense Category | Amount (£) | Approx. LKR |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition Fee (full programme) | £24,500 | Rs. 9,800,000 |
| Living Expenses (12 months, Norwich) | £11,000 | Rs. 4,400,000 |
| Student Visa & IHS Fee | £1,250 | Rs. 500,000 |
| Total Programme Investment | £36,750 | Rs. 14,700,000 |
*LKR conversion based on current bank rates. Subject to change.
Career Outcomes & PR
Eligible for the 2-year UK Graduate Route. UEA Prose Fiction MA leads to literary agent representation (Curtis Brown, A.M. Heath, Rogers Coleridge & White) for most graduating students. Post-MA paths: full-time author with traditional publisher (Penguin Random House, Faber, Granta); editorial roles at major publishers; literary agency junior posts; literary journalism (Guardian Review, TLS); and academic-creative posts (Visiting Writer fellowships).
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