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University of Canterbury

Christchurch , Christchurch ,New Zealand

Master of Writing

For students with an interest in professional, academic, creative, and technical writing, this coursework-based Master’s degree allows students to specialise and deepen their expertise.

Students will apply skills of advanced textual analysis and written communication to a wide range of contexts, audiences, and styles, and also connect their studies to the community and the workplace. By bringing together a diverse range of writing modes, graduates of the Master of Writing degree will be set up for diverse careers, from creative industries to business and government.

Students of this highly versatile degree will study, produce, and be assessed on their professional, technical, and fiction and non-fiction writing.

Campus Information

Ilam Campus

The University has a main campus of 76 hectares (190 acres) at Ilam, a suburb of Christchurch about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the centre of the city.

Intakes

  • Feb Deadline: Dec
  • July Deadline: May

Application Processing Time in Days: 20

Application Process

More Information Required 
14 Days
Possible Interview Call from Institution
0 Days
Provisional/Unconditional Offer 
20 Days
Visa Process
30 Days

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

Graduates of this applied Master’s degree will be able to:

  • apply advanced skills in writing to a range of professional, technical, organisational, community, and creative contexts;
  • write effectively within a range of registers and genres, and for a range of purposes;
  • respond to the requirements of different audiences and media;
  • engage the creative dimensions of professional writing and the professional dimensions of creative writing;
  • undertake research relevant to their writing tasks;
  • analyse critically the writing of others and apply what they discover to their own writing;
  • provide editorial advice for other writers;
  • understand and articulate the implications of being a writer in Aotearoa New Zealand/Niu Sila, especially in regard to te ao me te reo M?ori, and the Pasifika philosophy of teu le va.

PSW Opportunity

  • During study, all students on a student visa can work up to 20 hours per week during semester and full time during vacations.
  • After completing Level 7 Bachelor’s Degree or Higher Qualification, a student will get a three years open post-study work visa.
  • After completing Level 8 Post Graduate courses of 1 year, students get 1 year PSW.

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

Academic entry requirements

Students should have achieved at least a B Grade Point Average in 300-level courses in their undergraduate degree, which should have also had a strong written component.