phd creative writing best

Schools & departments

Creative Writing PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Creative Writing

Introduction to Postgraduate Study

Join us online on 18 December at our live webinar session for an overview of postgraduate study and life at Edinburgh.

Find out more and register

Research profile

The PhD in Creative Writing offers committed and talented writers the opportunity to study Creative Writing at the highest level.

Supported by an expert supervisory team, you will work independently towards the production of a substantial, publishable piece of creative writing, accompanied by a sustained exercise in critical study.

The academic staff you will be working with are all active researchers or authors, including well-published and prize-winning writers of poetry, prose, fiction and drama. They include:

Dr Jane Alexander - Fiction
Dr Lynda Clark - Fiction
Dr Patrick Errington - Poetry
Dr Miriam Gamble - Poetry
Dr Alan Gillis - Poetry
Nicola McCartney - Drama
Dr Jane McKie - Poetry
Dr Allyson Stack - Fiction
Kim Sherwood - Fiction
Alice Thompson - Fiction

Find out more about the programme and our team

Programme structure

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses.

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Training and support

We encourage you to share your research and learn from the work of others through a programme of seminars and visiting speakers.

We have an in-house Writer-in-Residence, annual writing prizes, and a range of opportunities to learn from experts in the publishing industry.

We also offer access to opportunities provided by the Sottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities.

Our postgraduate journal, Forum, is a valuable conduit for research findings and provides an opportunity to gain editorial experience.

Forum: postgraduate journal of culture and the arts

A UNESCO World City of Literature, Edinburgh is a remarkable place to study, write, publish, discuss and perform prose, poetry and drama.

Take a PhD with us and you will be based in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) in the historic centre of this world-leading festival city.

Our buildings are close to:

National Library of Scotland (where collections include the Bute Collection of early modern English drama and the John Murray Archive)
Edinburgh Central Library
Scottish Poetry Library
Scottish Storytelling Centre
Writers’ Museum
Traverse Theatre

We have strong links with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which annually welcomes around 1,000 authors to our literary city.

There are lots of opportunities to write and share your work, from Forum to The Selkie, which was founded by Creative Writing students in 2018 to showcase work by people who self-identify as underrepresented.

Around the city, you’ll find library readings and bookshop launches, spoken word gigs, cabaret nights and poetry slams, including events run by celebrated publishing outlets, from Canongate and Polygon│Birlinn to Luath Press, 404 Ink, Taproot Press and Mariscat.

You will have access to the University’s many literary treasures, which include:

William Drummond library
Lewis Grassic Gibbon library
Hugh MacDiarmid library
Norman MacCaig library
W.H. Auden collection
Corson collection
works by and about Sir Walter Scott
Ramage collection of poetry pamphlets

The Centre for Research Collections also holds a truly exceptional collection of early Shakespeare quartos and other early modern printed plays. These have been put together by the 19th century Shakespearean scholar James Halliwell-Phillipps, the correspondence of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle (the focus of one of the major editorial projects in Victorian studies of the last half-century), and the extensive Laing collection of medieval and early modern manuscripts.

You will also have access to letters and papers by - and relating to - authors including:

Christopher Isherwood
Rudyard Kipling
John Middleton Murry
Walter de la Mare
George Mackay Brown
Compton Mackenzie

Many of the University's Special Collections are digitised and available online from our excellent Resource Centre, Computing Labs, and dedicated PhD study space in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC).

Look inside the PhD study space in LLC

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK masters degree, or its international equivalent, in creative writing, normally with distinction.

We may also consider your application if you have equivalent qualifications or experience. For additional information please refer to the pre-application guidance in the 'How to apply' section.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

Entry requirements by country
English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 65 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
Oxford ELLT : 8 overall with at least 7 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Scholarships and funding.

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

borrowing money

taking out a loan

family support

personal savings

income from work

employer sponsorship

scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Featured funding

There are a number of scholarship schemes available to eligible candidates on this PhD programme, including awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Please be advised that many scholarships have more than one application stage, and early deadlines.

Find out more about scholarships in literatures, languages and cultures

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

Search for funding

Further information

Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
Contact: [email protected]
School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
50 George Square
Central Campus
Programme: Creative Writing
School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

PhD Creative Writing - 3 Years (Full-time)

Phd creative writing - 6 years (part-time), application deadlines.

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process. There are two windows (Application Rounds) for applying to Creative Writing; we will let you know the outcome of your application at the end of the Round you apply in.

How to apply

You must submit two references with your application.

Pre-application guidance

Before you formally apply for this PhD, you should look at the pre-application information and guidance on the programme website.

This will help you decide if this programme is right for you, and help us gain a clearer picture of what you hope to achieve.

The guidance details the writing samples you should send us as part of your application (either fiction or poetry, along with a shorter sample of your academic writing).

It will also give you practical advice for writing your project summary – one of the most important parts of your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Creative Writing Graduate Programs in America

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Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Cambridge, MA ·
Harvard University ·
Graduate School
· Rating 4.56 out of 5 9 reviews

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Brown University Graduate School

Providence, RI ·
Brown University ·
· Rating 5 out of 5 4 reviews

Brown University, Graduate School, PROVIDENCE, RI. 4 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says This is my first semester in the biotechnology program. The program manager is helpful and commutative. I have found a great lab match for my research interests. My classes are interesting. I have... Read 4 reviews.

Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Evanston, IL ·
Northwestern University ·

Northwestern University, Graduate School, EVANSTON, IL.

Virginia Commonwealth University

Graduate School ·
RICHMOND, VA
· Rating 4.4 out of 5 127

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

EDINBURG, TX
· Rating 4.56 out of 5 131

Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences

· Rating 4.75 out of 5 4

College of Arts and Science

Nashville, TN ·
Vanderbilt University ·

Vanderbilt University, Graduate School, NASHVILLE, TN.

Washington University in St. Louis - Arts & Sciences

St. Louis, MO ·
Washington University in St. Louis ·

Washington University in St. Louis, Graduate School, ST. LOUIS, MO.

College of Arts and Letters - University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN ·
University of Notre Dame ·
· Rating 4.5 out of 5 2 reviews

University of Notre Dame, Graduate School, NOTRE DAME, IN. 2 Niche users give it an average review of 4.5 stars. Featured Review: Doctoral Student says The faculty at Notre Dame is excellent. The student to professor ratio makes for a wonderful one to one interaction between students and teachers. At Notre Dame, my interests, dreams, goals, research... Read 2 reviews.

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Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Los Angeles, CA ·
University of Southern California ·

University of Southern California, Graduate School, LOS ANGELES, CA.

Cornell University College of Arts & Sciences

Ithaca, NY ·
Cornell University ·

Cornell University, Graduate School, ITHACA, NY.

Rackham School of Graduate Studies

Ann Arbor, MI ·
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ·
· Rating 4.86 out of 5 7 reviews

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Graduate School, ANN ARBOR, MI. 7 Niche users give it an average review of 4.9 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says The Landscape Architecture program at UMich School for Environment and Sustainability is rooted in advancing sustainable design and ecological function, rather than pure aesthetics. We have some... Read 7 reviews.

Krieger School of Arts & Sciences

Baltimore, MD ·
Johns Hopkins University ·
· Rating 4.52 out of 5 21 reviews

Johns Hopkins University, Graduate School, BALTIMORE, MD. 21 Niche users give it an average review of 4.5 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says Starting this fall, my graduate journey is set to begin on an exciting note. I’ve already connected with two professors who have proven to be incredibly supportive and kind. I can't wait to dive into... Read 21 reviews.

The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences - University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA ·
University of Virginia ·
· Rating 4 out of 5 1 review

University of Virginia, Graduate School, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. 1 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars. Featured Review: Alum says Very good in some areas, excellent in other areas, many academic choices available in all areas of study Read 1 reviews.

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences - New York University

New York, NY ·
New York University ·
· Rating 4.8 out of 5 10 reviews

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College of Liberal Arts - University of Texas - Austin

Austin, TX ·
University of Texas - Austin ·

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College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Blacksburg, VA ·
Virginia Tech ·

Virginia Tech, Graduate School, BLACKSBURG, VA.

Liberal Arts and Sciences - University of Florida

Gainesville, FL ·
University of Florida ·

Blue checkmark. University of Florida, Graduate School, GAINESVILLE, FL. 1 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars. Featured Review: Master's Student says Overall, the University of Florida seems to be a great school as far as rankings and attendance rates go. Despite the political turmoil going on in the state of Florida, there seems to be a... Read 1 reviews.

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences - Boston University

Boston, MA ·
Boston University ·

Blue checkmark. Boston University, Graduate School, BOSTON, MA.

College of Letters & Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, WI ·
University of Wisconsin-Madison ·
· Rating 4.22 out of 5 9 reviews

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Urbana, IL ·
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ·

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College of Arts and Sciences - University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL ·
University of Miami ·
· Rating 4.71 out of 5 7 reviews

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BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications

Provo, UT ·
Brigham Young University ·

Brigham Young University, Graduate School, PROVO, UT.

College of Liberal Arts - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN ·
University of Minnesota Twin Cities ·
· Rating 4 out of 5 2 reviews

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University of Washington College of Arts & Sciences

Seattle, WA ·
University of Washington ·

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College of Humanities and Social Sciences - NC State University

Raleigh, NC ·
North Carolina State University ·
· Rating 5 out of 5 1 review

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