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Creative Writing The Honours in Creative Writing is an interdisciplinary degree that benefits from the expertise of staff from Journalism, the Wits School of Arts, the various language departments in SLLM and the Wits Writing Centre. Students are able to follow their own interests and areas of specialisation and explore a range of writing genres.
Creative Writing The Honours in Creative Writing is an interdisciplinary degree that benefits from the expertise of staff from Journalism, the Wits School of Arts, the various language departments in SLLM and the Wits Writing Centre. Students are able to follow their own interests and areas of specialisation and explore a range of writing genres.

Qualification: BA(Hons)

Faculty: Humanities

Duration: 1 - 2 years

School: Literature, Language and Media

Study mode: Full-time; Part-time

Overview

The Honours degree has five components.


• Working Concepts in Creative Writing (core course)
• Two additional writing courses
• One literature course from any of the departments in the School of Literature, Language and Media
• A long essay

With the approval of the Honours co-ordinator, students may choose to do one of their optional courses in another programme.
Attendance at weekly seminars is compulsory.
Places in the courses are limited and must be booked with the course convenor.

Students will develop critical reading and writing skills that may be used in a variety of careers and professions, such as journalism, theatre writing and script writing. Graduates may also go on to become writers of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Semester 1


• Core Course: Working Concepts in Creative Writing (compulsory)
• Long essay (compulsory, submit at the end of the year)
• Writing for Performance
• The ABC of Travel Writing
• The Story of Money
• Various literature courses (compulsory to do ONE literature course in either semester)


Semester 2


• Creative Writing for Journalists
• Feature Writing
• Writing: Theory and Praxis
• Writing IVB: Writing for Performance
• Writing Immersion: Special Topic in Creative Writing
• Writing Poetry
• Selected Topic in Journalism: Narrative Non-Fiction in South Africa
• Image and Text
• Literature for Writers
• Various literature courses (compulsory to do ONE literature course in either semester)

To be admitted to the degree programme, you will need:


• A BA degree in literature, languages or a cognate discipline, with a minimum of 65% average in the final year, or 65% average across literary, writing and cognate course praxis.
• A portfolio of unpublished creative writing – to be submitted by 15 September to: phillippa.devilliers@wits.ac.za along with a detailed CV and covering letter.

All applicants should submit a portfolio of creative work to Phillippa Yaa de Villiers: phillippa.devilliers@wits.ac.za, comprising twenty pages (1.5 spacing, 12 pt) of any combination of the following:

• Part of an unpublished creative prose manuscript (fiction or non-fiction).
• A selection of short stories.
• A selection of creative non-fiction essays.
• A selection of poems.

  • Students wishing to take the poetry course MUST submit at least twelve poems as well as eight or more pages of prose. Students who will not be doing the poetry course may submit poetry in their portfolio, but at least fifteen pages of the portfolio must be prose.
  • The portfolio should be accompanied by a covering letter explaining your reasons for applying to this programme, the extent of your own reading of creative work, and what you hope to achieve in this course.
  • DO NOT submit academic essays written for your degree courses. DO NOT submit newspaper articles, press releases or public relations biographies.
  • The portfolio should demonstrate a high degree of writing competency, a commitment to wide and varied reading and an interest in using language creatively.
  • The Student Enrolment Centre at Wits handles all student applications.
  • Please click here for an overview of the application process.
  • Check the admission requirements for your degree. Check if any additional selection requirements apply. 
  • Submit your application, required documentation and application fee before the closing date.
  • Once you have applied, an admissions consultant will be assigned to your application.
  • Applicants can monitor the progress of their applications via the Self Service Portal.
  • If you are an international applicant and/or have a foreign qualification, please click here.

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees Office website also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies. External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.

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Enquiries
Lecturer

Phillipa Yaa De Villiers
Phillippa.DeVilliers@wits.ac.za
tel: 011 7174173

Related Courses
Creative Writing

The MA in Creative Writing (SLLS8007) is a two-year MA by research. The discipline of Creative Writing is practice-led. Candidates must demonstrate an ability to use language creatively, as well as a willingness to analyse and reflect on their own writing process. Candidates accepted into the programme will register to write a dissertation under supervision.

Creative Writing

The PhD in Creative Writing is undertaken over a minimum period of two years. The Department will only accept candidates for whom a suitable supervisor is available. In the case of co-supervision, one of the supervisors will be appointed as primary supervisor.
Closing date for applications

International students: 31 October
Local students: 30 November