The MA in Biography and Creative Non-Fiction is for anyone seeking to develop their writing in the increasingly diverse and exciting genre of non-fiction. Teaching is by 3 hour seminar during which you may discuss a set text, present a paper on a recent work of non-fiction or workshop your own writing. You will take two modules in the first semester and two in the second (one each semester for part-timers). You will submit a 15,000 word dissertation at the end of the summer. In addition to the final dissertation, submitted in September, each module is assessed on a 5,000 word essay. There is no workshop in the summer semester (May-June). Instead, students will have one-to-one sessions with a tutor as they work on their dissertation - a 15,000 word piece of non-fiction. Literary non-fiction is currently undergoing rapid change and reformation. Instead of the old ‘cradle to grave’ narratives of well-known literary or political figures, our best writers are now experimenting with new forms and subjects. Nature-writing, the personal essay, food journalism, art criticism and memoir are all part of the exciting emerging mix. This MA programme is for anyone who wants to develop their own writing in any of these genres while studying at the country’s leading university for the teaching of Creative Writing.