Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing: Advanced Fiction and Writing for Performance (Cohort 2)

For the 2020-2021 Academic Year this course is being taught remotely. This means there will be no face-to-face teaching and you will not need to be present in person in Cambridge. The course content will be delivered, and the learning outcomes met, through the use of video-based teaching platforms and a dedicated course Virtual Learning Environment. ”

To transition to remote delivery of the course our academic staff are updating the course structure and timetable. This will allow the course to be academically engaging and of the quality expected from the Institute. A course guide will be available shortly containing this detailed information. Details of the Unit start dates and assignment submission deadlines are under the Teaching & Assessment tab. For an overview of the course scroll down this page.

The aim of the course is to enable you to advance your own creative practice and knowledge of literary form, style and genre, whether you are writing for pleasure, for professional development or aiming for publication.

Each of the two Diploma courses may be taken as a stand-alone programme over one year, or combined into an Undergraduate Diploma of Higher Education in Creative Writing, equivalent to one year of full-time study.

The Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing: Advanced Fiction and Writing for Performance (title subject to approval) offers three units which identify and consolidate existing strengths in your own writing and encourage creative experimentation.

What will I be studying?

Unit 1: Introduction to fiction

9 evening classes (7.15pm-9.15 pm) starting on Monday 4 January plus 2 Saturday day-schools (23 January and 20 February 2021). Saturdays 11am to 4pm (break 1-2pm)

This unit focuses on advanced techniques for identifying a potential story, choosing its form, and establishing plot, structure, theme and characterisation. Through close reading of published work, and their own writing, students explore how to construct a coherent sense of time and place, how to keep dramatic control and how to create pace, conflict and mood.

Unit 2: Crime and Fantasy Writing

10 evening classes (7.15pm-9.15 pm) starting on Monday 5 April plus 2 Saturday day-schools (8 May and 5 June 2021).  Saturdays 11am to 4pm (break 1-2pm)

This unit will focus on both crime and fantasy writing. In crime writing we’ll look at how point of view affects plot, at the breadth of possible structural options, and examine a range of storyteller perspectives—from the old-fashioned omniscient narrator to more modern ‘unreliable narrators’, as well as the comparative advantages of first versus third person point of view.

With fantasy writing we'll look at subverting the tropes of speculative fiction. Does all fantasy fiction centre around "The Chosen One"? We will explore the challenges to creating original protagonists (and antagonists) Examples of duologies, trilogies and stand-alone novels will be examined. We will consider ways of concluding your story so that it is satisfying, both for author and reader.

Unit 3: Writing for performance

6 evening classes (7.15-9.15 pm) starting on Monday 13 September plus 3 Saturday day-schools (25 September, 16 and 23 October 2021).  Saturdays 11am to 4pm (break 1-2pm)

This unit studies techniques used in writing for TV, film, stage and radio and examines how they are transferable to other forms of writing. The unit looks at the art of adapting a story from a different medium.

What can I go on to do?

If you wish, you can develop your studies in this subject by taking a second Diploma: Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing: Advanced Fiction and Non-Fiction.

You may like to know that a part-time Master of Studies (MSt) degree in Creative Writing is also available.

Credit awarded by the Institute may also be transferred into the degree programmes of other higher education providers. However the volume of credit and the curriculum which can be transferred into degree programmes varies from institution to institution and is always at the discretion of the receiving institution.

Find out more

The Certificate and Diploma courses have been designed to provide a progression path that builds on your Creative Writing expertise and ambition. The Diploma is suitable for those who have successfully completed either Certificate course, or a similar course elsewhere, or who already have considerable experience of Creative Writing.

If you would like an informal discussion on academic matters before making your application, please contact the Course Director, Dr Elizabeth Speller: egs1000@cam.ac.uk

If you have any questions about the application process, contact our Admissions team: ice.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk or +44 (0)1223 746262.

For all other enquiries, contact: creativewriting@ice.cam.ac.uk or +44 (0)1223 746223 / 746212.

There are no formal entry requirements for this course although completion of the Undergraduate Certificate in Creative Writing or other appropriate experience in the subject is strongly recommended. In addition, applicants are required to submit a short piece of their own writing with their application and this will be reviewed before an offer of a place can be made.

However, please be aware that the course is taught at university level and you should be able to read, write and speak English fluently. If English is not your first language, you will need to send us evidence of your competence in the English language when you apply for a place.

English language requirement: If English is not your first language, you need to be able to prove you meet the University of Cambridge English language requirements on application. Please refer to our English language requirements for Undergraduate Certificates, Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas pages for further information.

The fee for the course is £2150 for the year and covers the course tuition.

You can pay in two ways:

• in full on enrolment (by cheque payable to the University of Cambridge or by credit or debit card)
• in four equal instalments (credit/debit card only): the first on enrolment, and the second, third and final instalment being taken 1 month, 3 months and 5 months after the course start date. The exact dates will be confirmed in the student’s individual booking details

Please note your place on the course is not secured until payment is received by the Institute of Continuing Education accompanied by any necessary documentation, i.e. proof of English language proficiency.

ICE fees and refund policy

For information on bursaries for this course, please see http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursaries

For information on a loan from Student Finance England for course fees and maintenance costs, please see http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/info/student-loans

This course will require a minimum number of students in order to run. Applicants for this course will be notified by 11 December 2020 if the course is not going to be running at which point students will be offered a refund of the fees they have paid so far (please see our Cancellation policy).

Please apply via the link at the top of this page. Your application and submitted piece of writing will be assessed by the Course Director and you will be notified of the outcome by e-mail. If you are offered a place, you will receive instructions as to how to register and pay. Please note that places are limited and on a first-come first-served basis.

Closing date for applications

Applications for this course can be received until midday (12 noon) on 7 December 2020. If you are offered a place on the course, we will ask you to complete your booking within a limited time and to pay the fees or if paying fees by instalments, the first instalment of fees to secure your place.

This course will require a minimum number of students in order to run. Applicants for this course will be notified by 11 December 2020 if the course is not going to be running at which point students will be offered a refund of the fees they have paid so far (please see our Cancellation policy).”