Unlock your imagination
Unlock your imagination, expand your creative thinking and polish your writing.
Inspiration, communication and vocation are at the heart of Massey’s exciting Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing).
It offers you the chance to develop your writing so that it’s pitch-perfect for a variety of audiences. You’ll enhance your critical thinking and master a wide range of transferable communication skills while pursuing your own creative vision.
Creative writing offers you flexibility in writing original work in a variety of genres. Learn to write fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, travel writing, and scripts for the stage and screen.
Our award-winning teachers are internationally acclaimed writers in their own right. They teach from their own first-hand experience in moving from idea to page, polishing their work and sending it off to be published or performed.
Your third year has a vocational focus. You’ll develop your writing in a genre of your choice and learn how to submit it for publishing. You’ll also have the opportunity to gain hands-on editing and publishing experience, or facilitate a creative writing arts project in your local community.
Students who have taken our creative writing courses have gone on to publish poems, stories, essays and books as well as winning some of New Zealand’s top writing prizes. Why not join them?
A Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing) is one of the most creative and enriching degrees you can do. Employers seek out BA students for their lateral and analytical thinking, communication skills and creative ability.
There are various possibilities for creative writing graduates, including:
New Zealand is a great place to study. Massey University’s reputation is supported by our international rankings, accreditations and associations. We are rated five star plus by the QS World University Rankings.
Massey University has small class sizes, and our lecturers and staff are friendly and approachable.
As an international student, there are entry requirements that will apply to you. We recommend that you apply at least three months before your anticipated start date so your application can be processed in time. There are additional steps you will need to take. These include obtaining a visa and travel bookings if your study is to be in New Zealand.
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
There are no specific entry requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing), outside of university admission regulations.
To study this programme you must meet Massey University's English language standards.
For information on prior learning, exemptions and transfer of credit or other questions:
If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, we have courses and programmes that may help.
If you need to do a course before you start your programme, there may be options for you in Summer School.
From the Schedule to the Degree including:
Core courses
Major courses
Elective courses
Ensure across all your courses you also have:
Attend field trips, studios, workshops, tutorials and laboratories as required.
See ‘Courses for this programme’ below for schedules of courses.
| 45 credits | ||
|---|---|---|
| 139123 | Creative Writing I | 15 |
| 139280 | Creative Nonfiction: Creative Writing II | 15 |
| 139380 | Starting Your Manuscript: Creative Writing III | 15 |
| 90 credits | ||
|---|---|---|
| 139109 | Prize-Winning Fiction | 15 |
| 139139 | Introduction to English Literature | 15 |
| At least 15 credits from | ||
|---|---|---|
| 139223 | Creative Processes | 15 |
| 139224 | Making Plays for Theatre | 15 |
| 139225 | Writing for Children | 15 |
| 139229 | Writing Poetry | 15 |
| 139285 | Fiction Writing | 15 |
| At least 45 credits from | ||
|---|---|---|
| 139309 | Eco-fictions and Non-fictions | 15 |
| 139323 | Script Writing | 15 |
| 139326 | Travel Writing | 15 |
| 139329 | Advanced Fiction Writing | 15 |
| 139333 | Creativity in the Community | 15 |
| 139340 | The Publishing Project | 15 |
| 139362 | Oceanic Literatures of Aotearoa: Ngā Tuhinga Kōrero o te Moana nui a Kiwa | 15 |
| 139386 | Life Writing | 15 |
If you study full time, in the first year you’ll take eight 15-credit courses, making a total of 120 credits.
If you wish to study over two semesters, you should aim for 60 credits per semester. You may be able to take some courses at summer school if you wish. Make sure you include courses that are prerequisites for the next level of courses you wish to study.
The Creative Writing major in the Bachelor of Arts consists of 135 credits.
Completing a minor is optional. Minors increase the breadth of your degree. They give you extra knowledge, attributes and capabilities.
A minor must be in a different subject from your major.
You may choose a minor from any University undergraduate degree that has recognised minors. If the minor is from another undergraduate degree, the regulations of that programme will apply.
If you are not studying towards a BA (Creative Writing) and wish to complete a minor in creative writing see the BA regulations for requirements.
Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.
There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.
If you already know which courses you are going to take, you can use our fees calculator to get an estimate of your fees.
You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.
The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.
Current and returning Massey students will find their National Student Number on their student homepage.
Ingrid’s publications include a genre-bending travel book, a book on the history of women’s travel writing, an edited collection of essays on imaginings of place in Aotearoa New Zealand, and two poetry collections. She has been a recipient of Massey’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences Teaching Award. Distance coordinator: 139.280 Writing Creative Nonfiction. 139.381 Eco-fictions and Non-fictions. 139.225 Writing for Children.
Associate Professor Ingrid Horrocks
Associate Professor
Compare qualifications and academic information across different New Zealand institutions.
Review this important information before you apply for this programme. This gives you full details of the rules and regulations about what you need to study and what you must achieve in order to graduate with this qualification. That includes structure, courses and requirements. These regulations should be read in conjunction with all other Statutes and Regulations of the University including the below.
If you are ready to apply, have a look at our application checklist. It will help you get prepared with what you need. Please also check the entry requirements carefully before you apply.
You will apply for the programme using the Apply now button on this page. You’ll also choose your specialisation (major, subject or endorsement) if applicable.
Some programmes have additional requirements such as the submission of a portfolio or CV. Click on Apply now and you will be able to submit those documents as part of the application process.
You will receive an Admission Offer of Place when you have been accepted into the programme. You need to accept this before you can enrol in your courses. International students also need to pay their fees at this point.
You’ll then get access to your own student homepage (also known as the student portal). This is where you can enrol in courses. Any updates on your application or enrolments will also be on your student homepage. Make sure you check this regularly.
When you choose courses, ensure you check for any requirements that apply including:
Each of our courses has its own webpage where you can find this information. You can use our course search to find course pages.
More information on courses is in the ‘Courses for this programme’ section on this page.
You can find information on application due dates and semester dates on the key dates page.
We look forward to welcoming you to Massey!
If you have any questions, contact us through the Enquire button on this page.
Each Massey programme is made up of courses (in some tertiary institutions they are called ‘papers’).
You will have some compulsory courses and some you can choose from.
Each course is worth a certain amount of credits (often 15 credits, but this does vary). You must gain a set number of credits to be able to graduate from this programme.
There may also be some rules about which courses you need to pass to progress to the next year, or stage, of your study (known as progression). There are also courses you must pass to graduate with a specialisation.
The first three digits of our course numbers show you which subject the course is about.
The second three digits show you the level and course ID number. For instance:
| 1 | 6 | 2 | . | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| Subject area | Level | Course ID number | |||||
Electives are courses that are not compulsory. Certain guidelines are usually provided on courses you may take. Elective courses contribute to the programme, but not to your major or specialisation.
Use this tool to help determine how much time you will need each week to complete your studies.
For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.
In some cases the programme or specialisation you enrolled in may no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these programmes go to the Massey University Calendar.
Please contact us through the Enquire button on this page if you have any questions.
There are a number of scholarships available for new and current students. They could relate to your situation, achievement or interest.