MA Creative Writing

Launched in 2026, the Creative Writing Programme redefines the pedagogy of literary craft by seamlessly merging creative practice with critical theory. It views the modern writer as an active participant in diverse historical, cultural, social, and existential landscapes, all of which deeply shape and enrich the substance of their unique literary creations.

The curriculum is designed to cultivate authors who are deeply introspective and keenly attuned to the social, cultural, and artistic dynamics of their time and place. It empowers participants to become highly self-reliant, helping them discover, refine, and project their own distinctive and authentic literary voices.

The program champions a commitment to fostering imagination, empathy, and social consciousness, preparing students to be thoughtful, active contributors to public life. It integrates hands-on creative praxis with rigorous interdisciplinary research and critical inquiry. Students drive their own artistic growth through continuous, collaborative writing workshops, independent study, and the generation of original manuscripts rooted in both personal experience and social realities.

The School of Culture and Creative Expressions was established as a dynamic space where theoretical scholarship and creative practice hold equal weight, forging a new paradigm for artistic education. The Creative Writing Programme stands as a realization of this vision, delivering a balanced, highly rigorous curriculum of intensive reading, active writing, and critical literary theory.

It is a two year M.A. Programme with two semesters each year. A semester is of sixteen weeks duration. The students need to earn 92 credits to complete the Programme. They may register for more credits on payment of extra fees. All the students of SCCE need to take three common Foundational Courses, one each in the first three semesters, for 12 credits in total. They should also take four Elective Courses offered by the School or any other School in the University, one each in all the four semesters, for 16 credits in total. They need to take eight compulsory Core Courses from their respective discipline (in this case Creative Writing). Their MA dissertation in the final semester will earn them twelve credits.

	Semester I	Semester 2	Semester 3	Semester 4
Core	Writing Workshop – I	Writing Workshop – II	Writing Workshop – III	Writing Workshop- IV
Core	Foundations of Literary Cultures of India	Literary Cultures of India	Indian Translation and Comparative Reading	Methods of Non Fiction Writing
ELECTIVE	Options given below
Value Added Course	Options Given Below
Foundation Courses	Contemporary Critical Theory – I Critical Theory	Contemporary Critical Theory – II Cultural Studies	Contemporary Critical Theory – III
Foundation Courses	Contemporary Critical Theory – I Critical Theory	Contemporary Critical Theory – II Cultural Studies	Theories of Marginality
Dissertation				Dissertation (12 credits)

Electives:

Indian Graphic Narratives
Telling a Tale
Reading and Writing the Indian City
Elements of Folk Imagination
World Literatures
Conditions of Cultural Production
Reading and Decoding Indian Cinema
Ways of Reading
Scriptwriting Across Media
Creative Writing for the Multilingual Student

Value Added Courses:

The Short Story in India
Literature and Ecology
Indian Journalism
Poetry Writing in a Digital Age
Research Methods and Methodology
Drama Writing Tradition in India

At the end of the Programme students will be able to:

Demonstrate advanced creative and professional writing competence across multiple genres and platforms.
Apply critical, analytical, and reflective thinking to creative practice and textual interpretation.
Communicate ideas effectively with clarity, stylistic control, and contextual awareness in academic, creative, and professional settings.
Engage responsibly with cultural diversity, ethical considerations, and social contexts in writing.
Use digital tools and media platforms for writing, editing, publication, and dissemination.
Collaborate effectively within literary, educational, and cultural ecosystems and adapt to evolving professional environments.
Pursue sustainable careers through professional awareness, entrepreneurial skills, and lifelong learning.

Is this a Practice-based programme?

The M.A. Creative Writing programme combines both creative writing practice (workshop model) and analytical courses. The students get an opportunity to pursue their creative practice as writers (writing fiction, non-fiction or poetry in the practice-based courses) even as their critical thinking is honed by a set of analytical courses. We believe that both these sets of courses are equally important for the development of our students as creative writers.

What are the career paths which emerge after doing an M.A. Creative Writing?

The M.A. Creative Writing programme significantly shapes your personal creative writing practice and hones your capacity for critical thought and scholarship. Apart from preparing grounds for your professional role as a creative writer, these attributes are also helpful in career paths such as Journalism, Editorial Work, Research and Teaching, Content Writing, Writing for the Screen and Digital Platforms, among others.

How do I apply?

Online applications open usually between April to June each year. Please check the university website regularly around this time of the year. an interview.

What should I get along with me for the interview?

Identity proof, admit card and a portfolio with representative samples of your creative writing.

Portfolio

The purpose of this course is to help the students think self-reflectively and critically at their own creative writing, which they have accomplished through the three semesters of the M.A. Creative Writing programme and which they are in the process of finalizing in the fourth semester. The idea is to enable the students to locate their own writings, in terms of social, cultural, intellectual, political and writerly contexts. Through this course, the students’ academic and creative interests are sought to be merged through a long-form piece of writing, which is creative (approximately 45000 words) and academic/critical (10,000 words).

Course Code	Course Name	Credit
SCC2CW106	Writing Workshop Part IV	6
SCC2CW105	Writing Workshop Part III	6
SCC2CW104	Writing Workshop Part II	4
SCC2CW103	Writing Workshop Part I	4
SCC2CW111	The Short Story in India	2
SCC2CW108	Methods of Non Fiction Writing	4
SCC2CW112	Literature and Ecology	2
SCC2CW102	Literary Cultures of India 1800s onwards	4
SCC2CW107	Indian Translation and Comparative Reading	4
SCC2CW101	Foundations of Literary Cultures of India: Ancient and Classical	4
SCC2CW109	Drama Writing Tradition in India	2
SCC2CW110	Indian Journalism	2