Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing: Advanced Non-Fiction

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 containing this detailed information no later than the end of July. 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 Non-Fiction offers three units which identify and consolidate existing strengths in your own writing and encourage creative experimentation.

What will I be studying?

Unit 1: Creative Non-Fiction: People

(9 evening classes (7.15-9.15 pm) starting on Monday 19 October plus 2 Saturday day-schools (07 November and 05 December 2020).  Saturdays 11am to 4pm (break 1-2pm)

This unit examines the changing forms of non-fiction and what constitutes "creative non-fiction". The unit will explore how writers of non-fiction borrow tools from fiction and the place of ethics and the authorial role in this genre.

Unit 2: Writing about Place

(10 evening classes (7.15-9.15 pm) starting on Monday 04 January plus 2 Saturday day-schools (23 January and 20 February 2021).  Saturdays 11am to 4pm (break 1-2pm)

This unit will set out to show that ‘place’ can serve far more functions than simply as a backdrop to a narrative. We will look at how different writers with a strong sense of place bring locations to the fore, so that they are fundamental to the author’s work, setting its tone, content and character.

Unit 3: Creative Non-Fiction: Objects

(6 evening classes (7.15-9.15 pm) starting on Monday 05 April plus 3 Saturday day-schools (17 April, 01 and 15 May 2021).  Saturdays 11am to 4pm (break 1-2pm)

Simple objects can tell a multitude of stories – personal, collective, geographic, scientific. This unit aims to explore not only a variety of examples of texts with a central focus on a particular object, specimen or ‘thing’, but also to analyse the different narrative means of expressing these stories, in both short and long form. We will look at texts that blend genres, lyric essays, and medical writing, amongst others.

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: Historical Fiction, Crime Writing and Writing for Performance.

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. Our Certificate courses provide students with a strong foundation for further study in Creative Writing and for those wishing to go on to take our Diploma course. 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 Academic Director, Midge Gillies: midge.gillies@tutor.ice.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 £2,150 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 4 September 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 will be assessed and you will be notified of the outcome by email. 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 14 September 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 18 September 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).”