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University of East Anglia UEA: Creative Writing Crime Fiction
| Institution | University of East Anglia UEA View institution profile |
|---|---|
| Department | School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing |
| Web | https://www.uea.ac.uk |
| admissions@uea.ac.uk | |
| Telephone | 01603 591515 |
| Study type | Taught |
MA
Summary
Overview Crime fiction is one of the world’s most popular literary genres for a reason. It's dynamic, engaging, inclusive, literary, and imaginative. It’s also adaptable, working from page to screen, and easily translatable, because it’s so accessible and compelling. These are dramatic life-and-death stories. Learn the craft of this exciting genre in our MA Creative Writing Crime Fiction, part of UEA’s world-renowned Creative Writing programme.
You’ll write a novel under the close guidance of award-winning crime writers and experienced creative writing tutors. All without relocating. Our part-time MA Crime Fiction is mostly taught online, through flexible and specially designed modules that can work around your schedule. The online elements are supplemented with three short, high-intensity residential periods a year.
The course, uniquely, guides you through the process of planning and writing a full-length work of crime fiction. You'll be immersed in the key critical and practical elements of the genre and novel writing. You'll be introduced to the professional writing landscape, meeting agents and publishers (including Little, Brown, the sponsors of the annual UEA Little, Brown prize, and Mushens Entertainment, sponsors of the annual Mushens award), ready to embark upon the next stage of your writing career.
The MA Crime Fiction builds on our world-leading expertise and critical resource, presenting you with the unique opportunity to further your knowledge and skills within this highly dynamic genre. You'll be inspired by visiting writers, who'll share insights about their practice. These have included Ian Rankin, Dreda Say Mitchell, Louise Doughty, Denise Mina, and Lee Child – whose archive UEA holds at the British Archive for Contemporary Writing. At Noirwich, o, our platform of crime writing, you’ll hear from some of the most innovative and important crime writers today, such as Attica Locke, Megan Abbott, Mick Herron, Val McDermid.
By the end of this two-year, part-time, low-residency MA, you’ll have a draft of a full-length work, a stronger self-awareness as a writer and critic, and a greatly increased chance of publication. You’ll become fully conversant with all aspects of being a professional writer. Our graduates—including award winners Harriet Tyce, Emma Styles, Nina Bhadreshwar, Trevor Wood and Femi Kayode—have gone straight from the MA Crime Fiction onto the bestseller lists. Our alumni also go on to work in teaching, publishing, journalism, communications, the media, and the arts.
Disclaimer Course details are subject to change. You should always confirm the details on the provider's website: www.uea.ac.uk
| Level | RQF Level 7 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | Degree classification: 2:2 or equivalent. Degree subject: Any subject area. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must also submit a sample of their work (up to 5,000 words - this does not have to be crime writing focused, but must be prose fiction). |
| Location | University of East Anglia Norwich Research Park Norwich NR4 7TJ |
Fees
| Republic of Ireland | 12600 GBP for Whole course |
|---|---|
| Channel Islands | 12600 GBP for Whole course |
| England | 12600 GBP for Whole course |
| Northern Ireland | 12600 GBP for Whole course |
| Scotland | 12600 GBP for Whole course |
| Wales | 12600 GBP for Whole course |
| EU | 12850 GBP for Whole course |
| International | 12850 GBP for Whole course |
Summary
Overview Crime fiction is one of the world’s most popular literary genres for a reason. It's dynamic, engaging, inclusive, and imaginative. It's also adaptable, working from page to screen, and easily translatable, because it’s accessible and compelling. These are dramatic life-and-death stories. Learn the craft of this exciting genre in our MA Creative Writing Crime Fiction, part of UEA’s world-renowned Creative Writing programme.
You’ll write a novel under the close guidance of award-winning crime writers and experienced creative writing tutors. All without relocating. Our part-time MA Crime Fiction is taught online, through flexible and specially designed modules that can work around your schedule. The online elements are supplemented with three short, high-intensity residential periods a year.
The course, uniquely, guides you through the process of planning and writing a full-length work of crime fiction. You'll be immersed in the key critical and practical elements of the genre. How do you shape a fast-moving narrative and create memorable characters? Where and when do you set your story? You'll be introduced to the professional writing landscape, meeting agents and publishers (including Little, Brown, the sponsors of the annual Crime MA Little, Brown prize), ready to embark upon the next stage of your writing career.
The MA Crime Fiction builds on our world-leading expertise, presenting you with the unique opportunity to further your knowledge and skills within the highly dynamic crime genre. You'll be inspired by visiting writers, who'll share insights about their practice. These have included Ian Rankin, Dreda Say Mitchell, Louise Doughty, Denise Mina, and Lee Child – whose archive UEA holds at the British Archive for Contemporary Writing. At Noirwich, our annual festival of crime writing, you’ll hear from some of the most innovative and important crime writers today, such as Attica Locke, Megan Abbott, Mick Herron, Val McDermid.
By the end of this part-time low-residency MA, you’ll have a draft of a full-length work, a stronger self-awareness as a writer and critic, and a greatly increased chance of publication. You’ll become fully conversant with all aspects of being a professional writer. Our graduates—including award winners Harriet Tyce, Trevor Wood and Femi Kayode—have gone straight from the MA Crime Fiction onto the bestseller lists. Our alumni also go on to work in teaching, publishing, journalism, communications, the media, and the arts.
Disclaimer Course details are subject to change. You should always confirm the details on the provider's website: www.uea.ac.uk
| Level | RQF Level 7 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | Degree classification: 2:2 or equivalent. Degree sbject: Any subject area. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must also submit a sample of their work (up to 5,000 words - this does not have to be crime writing focused, but must be prose fiction). |
| Location | University of East Anglia Norwich Research Park Norwich NR4 7TJ |
Fees
| Channel Islands | 11985 GBP for Whole course |
|---|---|
| England | 11985 GBP for Whole course |
| Northern Ireland | 11985 GBP for Whole course |
| Scotland | 11985 GBP for Whole course |
| Wales | 11985 GBP for Whole course |
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a world-renowned university known for its high standard of academic performance across both taught and research postgraduate courses. It is ranked as a UK Top 25 (Complete University Guide 2025) and UK Top 30 (The Mail 2025) institution.
Based in Norwich, in the county of Norfolk, the university has an excellent international reputation for the high quality of its research output. UEA is home to over 17,500 students, of which around 30% are postgraduate students. Our institution also provides a range of support through the Student Support Service, which is dedicated …
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