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Craft stories that shape the world

100% online

15 months (part-time)

120 credits

4 starts per year

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Advance your creative writing with a focused PGDip

Goldsmiths, University of London’s online Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Creative Writing is designed for aspiring and established writers who want to deepen their creative practice while earning a flexible postgraduate diploma. Through workshop-based learning across fiction, poetry, life writing, and the novel, you’ll develop a distinctive writing voice, receive expert feedback, and build a substantial portfolio of original work. Combining creative practice with publishing, professional development, and critical reflection, you’ll graduate with the confidence, industry insight, and portfolio to progress your writing career.

Programme benefits

Established Goldsmiths reputation
Practical writing advice combined with critical thinking
Genre breadth with opportunities to specialise
Literary community and practitioner expertise
Future-focused professional development

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Deepen your craft and broaden your opportunities

8 courses

120 credits

The programme is structured around a flexible carousel model rather than a rigid sequence. While most students complete the core, workshop‑focused modules first, the individual genre workshops may be taken in different orders depending on your point of entry. This flexibility is balanced by clear expectations for advanced, independent engagement, ensuring you develop and critically apply the foundational skills and contextual understanding required in each module.

View programme specification

Core Creative Writing PGDip modules

Workshop in short fiction 15 Credits

Exploring the study and practice of short fiction, this module develops students’ skills in close reading, creative writing, and critical reflection. Students will examine the forms, techniques, and themes of short fiction while learning to analyse texts using appropriate critical terminology. Through workshop activities, they will gain experience in giving and receiving constructive feedback, and will produce original short-fiction writing informed by close reading techniques. The module also supports the development of reflective practice through a critical commentary that chronicles the creative and editorial journey of their work.

Workshop in the novel 15 Credits

Examining the novel as an extended literary form and creative practice, this module develops students’ skills in close reading, creative writing, and critical reflection. Students will investigate the devices, structures, and themes that shape novel writing while learning to analyse texts using appropriate critical terminology. Through workshop activities, they will gain experience in giving and receiving constructive feedback, and will produce original novel extracts informed by close reading techniques. The module also supports the development of reflective practice through a critical commentary that chronicles the creative and editorial journey of their work.

Workshop in life writing 15 Credits

Focusing on the representation of lived experience through creative and literary forms, this module develops students’ skills in close reading, creative writing, and critical reflection. Students will explore the techniques, structures, and themes of life writing while learning to analyse texts using appropriate critical terminology. Through workshop activities, they will gain experience in giving and receiving constructive feedback, and will produce original life writing informed by close reading techniques. The module also supports the development of reflective practice through a critical commentary that chronicles the creative and editorial journey of their work.

Workshop in poetry 15 Credits

Exploring poetry as a literary form and creative practice, this module develops students’ skills in close reading, creative writing, and critical reflection. Students will examine the forms, techniques, and themes that shape poetic expression while learning to analyse texts using appropriate critical terminology. Through workshop activities, they will gain experience in giving and receiving constructive feedback, and will produce original poetry informed by close reading techniques. The module also supports the development of reflective practice through a critical commentary that chronicles the creative and editorial journey of their work.

Writing development 15 Credits

Building on earlier workshop modules, this module supports students in developing an independent and sustained creative writing practice within their chosen genre. Through advanced study of genre techniques, engagement with contemporary scholarly debates, and the continued development of original creative work, students will refine their understanding of the relationship between reading, research, and writing. The module culminates in the creation of a creative portfolio accompanied by critical reflection on the processes, influences, and decisions that inform their practice.

Contemporary debates in literature 15 Credits

Focusing on the critical and cultural issues shaping contemporary literary practice, this module explores debates surrounding authorship, artificial intelligence, freedom of expression, genre, publishing, and ethics. Students will engage with a range of literary, theoretical, and media texts, analysing how these debates influence writers, readers, and the wider literary landscape. Through critical reflection and discussion, they will develop their own informed perspectives on current literary contexts and consider the implications of these debates for their creative and professional practice.

Developing a creative life 15 Credits

Focusing on the cultivation of a sustainable creative practice, this module encourages students to reflect on the habits, values, and professional approaches that support a fulfilling creative life. Through engagement with the experiences, writings, and practices of contemporary writers and artists, students will examine different models of creative and professional development. Practical activities will support students in building reflective habits, navigating challenges and setbacks, fostering creative communities, and articulating their future ambitions. The module culminates in the development of a personal manifesto that defines and communicates an individual vision for a creative life beyond the MA.

Publishing 15 Credits

Focusing on the relationship between creative practice and the publishing industry, this module prepares students to engage professionally with contemporary publishing environments. Students will examine current trends within their chosen genre, research potential publication outlets, and develop an informed understanding of the processes involved in bringing creative work to publication. Through the creation of a publication plan and submission materials, they will develop practical strategies for presenting their work to publishers, agents, journals, and other relevant outlets, while considering how publication can support their wider creative and professional goals.

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Career outlook

Develop the advanced writing, editing, and critical skills to pursue opportunities across various sectors including publishing, education, media, and the wider creative industries. With this career-focused programme aimed at professional development, you can learn the best pathways toward becoming a published writer, as well as developing a sustainable creative practice.

Explore potential career paths

Senior Programme Manager £58,285 per year¹

Senior Creative Arts Administrator £61,398 per year²

Value of a diploma (PGDip)

A Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) is a flexible alternative to a master’s if you want to advance your career in a shorter timeframe than a master’s degree. You’ll gain advanced, industry-relevant knowledge in a streamlined format, allowing you to focus on the skills that matter most. You’ll be able to:

Study relevant modules only.
Graduate with a Level 7 qualification.
Reduce your overall tuition costs.
Apply practical skills immediately.
Progress to your MA when you’re ready.

PGDip Creative Writing programme outcomes

By the end of the Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Writing, you will be able to:

Develop the confidence to experiment across fiction, poetry, life writing, and related forms, and maintain a coherent body of work in your chosen areas
Establish the habit of drafting and redrafting across multiple projects and turn initial ideas into a more substantial portfolio of polished pieces
Strengthen your close‑reading skills to recognise and apply advanced craft techniques to your own work and the writing of others
Deepen your ability to analyse your creative decisions and situate your work within contemporary literary, cultural, and industry contexts
Refine your critical commentary skills so you can clearly articulate, reflect on, and present the development of your creative projects at diploma level

“Doing the course helped me to work on story and writing as part of my TV career and I enjoy both working in teams and that my work is seen by a wide audience. I am in discussion with an agent about writing another book.”
–Grainne Lyons, MA Creative and Life Writing (Campus)

Entry criteria

Application Deadline 02/11/27

Start Date 03/01/27

This programme is for curious creatives from a broad range of related disciplines who share a passion for creative writing.

Online application	Apply Now
Degree	Typically, applicants hold a 2:1 bachelor’s degree in literature, humanities, creative arts, or social sciences. Applicants with substantial professional experience may also be considered.
Language criteria	If English is not your first language, you’ll usually need an IELTS overall score of 6.5 (with no band below 6.0). In some cases, this may be waived based on prior study, supporting access for a global cohort.

Admissions

Tuition and funding

£10,400 Total cost

120 Total credits

The estimated total cost of this programme is £10,400 GBP for the full PGDip. You can pay in full or in instalments of £1,300 for each module. All costs are listed to help you make an informed decision.

Programme fees are reviewed annually and are subject to change each academic year. The fees listed above are for the academic year 2026-27.

Fees and funding

We are excited to be offering discounts. Review our tuition and funding pages for more information.

Funding options

Meet your faculty

Our expert faculty offer extensive knowledge and diverse perspectives, bringing industry insights and real-world expertise directly into the classroom to enhance your learning experience.

Academics with advanced qualifications and specialised expertise
Real-world experience integrated into coursework and discussion
A learning environment that blends academic rigour with structured support
Smaller study groups that enable individual attention and feedback
Ongoing mentorship and support at each stage of your studies at Goldsmiths

Dr Jocelyn Page, Programme Convenor, Creative Writing

Dr Jocelyn Page

Jocelyn Page has published in various journals including The Spectator, Poetry Ireland Review, Poetry Salzburg, South Carolina Review and Poetry Review. Her debut pamphlet, smithereens, was published in 2010 by tall lighthouse press and her 2016 You’ve Got to Wait Till the Man You Trust Says Go was the winner of the Goldsmiths’ Writer Centre’s Poetry Pamphlet award. She is a Lecturer in English and Creative Writing at Goldsmiths College and the University of London Worldwide. She has held residencies at London’s The Reach Climbing Centre and the 999 Club homeless centre and currently serves as a Creative Consultant for Greenpeace International. Jocelyn is the co-chair of the National Association of Writers in Education and a Fellow of Higher Education Association.

Amy Sackville, Senior Lecturer, Creative Writing

Amy Sackville

Amy Sackville is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing. She writes novels, short stories and occasional personal essays and reviews, with interests in historical fiction, experimental form, ekphrasis, and the intersections of life writing, biography and (auto)fiction. Her most recent book, Painter to the King (Granta, 2018), is about the painter Diego Velázquez and his life and work in the court of Philip IV of Spain. She has written for The Guardian, The Independent, Literary Hub, Fictionable, and others. In 2018, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She completed the MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths in 2008.

Dr Livia Franchini, Lecturer in Creative Writing

Dr Livia Franchini

Livia Franchini is a writer and translator from Tuscany, Italy. She is the author of two novels, Shelf Life and High Tide, and the co-editor of Too Little, Too Hard, a collection of essays on writing, work and value. Her most recent English-language translation is Lorenza Mazzetti’s The Sky Is Falling. Livia is Lecturer in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, where she also coordinates the Goldsmiths Prize. She lives in south east London with her family.

Related programmes

Develop creative writing skills across key genres through workshops and critical study, gaining postgraduate‑level expertise in a shorter timeframe than a full masters.

Build your own creative practice across the novel, poetry, life writing, and short fiction through workshops, critical study, and professional development. 

Sources

ERI Economic Research Institute (2026). Program Manager in the United Kingdom (2026). [online] SalaryExpert. Available at: https://www.salaryexpert.com/salary/job/program-manager/united-kingdom [Accessed 02 July 2026].
ERI Economic Research Institute (2026). Creative Arts Administrator in the United Kingdom (2026). [online] SalaryExpert. Available at: https://www.salaryexpert.com/salary/job/creative-arts-administrator/united-kingdom [Accessed 02 July 2026].

Creative Writing PGDip (Online)