Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a PhD in Creative Writing to secure a job in higher education?

As far as getting academic posts is concerned, a PhD will be a requirement for some and will always help. As the subject is relatively new in British higher education, quite a few people have secured jobs without having doctorates, but this may change gradually as more and more people complete PhDs. The indispensable requirement if you want a permanent university job (as opposed to hourly paid teaching), is that you must be a published creative writer of some substance and reputation. It may well be that this AND the PhD will become the norm, though a successful enough writer will always be very attractive to departments. An understanding of how university departments work, and the other administrative responsibilities associated with a lectureship, will also help; a PhD in Creative Writing should offer you this kind of professional development training.

Would it be possible to live outside Bath - e.g. in London - and undertake postgraduate study at Bath Spa?

You would need to attend supervision sessions as negotiated with your supervisors, as well as research training events such as master classes and monthly PhD forums; the frequency of supervision sessions would depend on whether you were a full or part time student.

I would wish to do the degree by distance learning, with limited residency requirements - perhaps a few weeks a year.

Please see above for further information about our new low residency, full time PhD in Creative Writing programme, designed for international students.

As a part time student, how much time would I be expected to devote to the PhD? And can part time students undertake regular paid employment at the same time as their PhD?

Part time students would be expected to be working on their PhD for half of the working week. Many part time students who have part time paid employment find ways to negotiate the balance effectively, However, those who do not take seriously the idea of working half the week on the PhD, and protecting this space for their research and writing, are likely to run into difficulties.

As a full time student, could I undertake paid employment?

Full time students are expected to work full time on their PhD research. Full time students should not undertake more than 6 hours of formal duty or paid employment in any given week.

I understand that I will be researching my chosen topic with the help of a supervisor, but how regularly would I be attending University? Is there a structure or a programme?

The PhD in Creative Writing is not a 'taught' programme, but an independent research programme. You would need to attend supervision sessions as negotiated with your supervisors, as well as research training events such as master classes and PhD forums. The frequency of supervision sessions would depend on whether you were a full or part time student.

How much contact will I have with other students?

There are many opportunities for joining in Bath Spa’s larger research community, for instance through Graduate School workshops; and for working closely with students in your subject, especially through PhD forums. But it is up to you to make sure you take up these chances.

Would I be offered teaching work? Is that something I could do alongside the PhD to earn much needed cash?

Wherever possible, we try to offer our PhD students teaching, as it is an important part of professional development. However, we do not like to do so until the second year of PhD research, when the work is established. The availability of part time teaching varies from year to year, and all candidates for teaching will be subject to an interview with the relevant Head of Department.

How is the PhD assessed?

An examination team assesses the PhD thesis and conducts an oral examination (viva) of the student. The examination team consists of one internal examiner and one external examiner (two external examiners if the candidate has a relationship with the university beyond their PhD work, for instance through regular hourly paid teaching).

In terms of the application, is there a specific starting date that I need to consider?

We have four quarterly start dates each academic year: 1st January, 1st April, 1st July, 1st October. Please bear in mind that it can take some time to process applications (receive all references, consult with readers in the Department, and arrange interviews if an applicant is short listed, etc.).

Cohorts of the low residency, full time PhD programme for international students all begin in September of a given academic year; please see the other sections of our website for the timescale for applying for this form of the PhD.

Would it be best to arrange a meeting with one of your colleagues who would be an appropriate supervisor, or do I apply in writing initially?

You apply in writing, as directed on our website, though you are welcome to address specific questions to the Programme Leader. Appropriate supervisors are selected carefully by the Head of Department for Creative Writing in consultation with the Head of School, the Programme Leader for the PhD in Creative Writing, and other Heads of Department.

Do you recommend that I discuss my proposal with possible supervisors before applying, or is it best to wait until I apply formally?

It is not necessary to discuss proposals first. In addition, we cannot properly assess an application until a full proposal and supporting materials are all in. Some questions we can answer decisively: for instance, if a potential applicant wished to write in Spanish, we would be able to counsel him or her that we did not have such expertise in the Department.

Could you please advise me on which members of staff would be the most suitable supervisors for my project?

We would not be able to advise on suitable supervisors until we evaluated a full application and determined which members of staff, if any, with appropriate expertise, were available - a situation that is fluid within our Department and changes from year to year according to staff workloads, sabbaticals, etc.

If successful, will I be able to choose my own supervisor?

While we consider a student's views where possible, managing staff work loads and expertise is a complicated matter. We only accept students whom we can provide with appropriate supervision, but the final decision on which staff will work with a given student is a matter for the Head of Department and Head of School.

Could you please advise me on my proposal, either on what would be suitable, or to help me to refine what I wish to do? I’d really like you to read it before I apply.

Part of what we are looking for is an applicant's ability to conceptualise, research and rationalise both components of their PhD, so it is not appropriate for us to offer individual guidance on this, or read material before a full application is made. Please see the next question, which may also be helpful in this respect.

Can you give me any examples of the sorts of projects students have done?

Some summaries of student projects can be found on our website.

What's a sample timeline for the program? Do students takes classes and/or workshops continuously, or only for portions of the program?

An ideal time frame to work towards for completion is 3 years. Students do not take classes or workshops continuously, as this is not a taught programme, but a research programme. However, there are a number of training events dispersed throughout the year, in addition to an individualised training programme negotiated between each student and his or her supervisors.

What is the shortest time I can submit my PhD in?

For a full time student, students may submit their theses after 2 years of registration time (after at least 3 months of enrolment); please note that very few full time students actually do complete within 2 years. For a part time student, students may submit their theses after years of registration time (after 3-6 months of enrolment).

How will my application be assessed?

Applications are considered by at least two specialists in the applicant’s proposed area, who then decide if the applicant should be called to interview. If the applicant is called to interview, a panel of three interviewers is assembled, consisting of a chair, a potential Director of Studies who is an expert in the proposed field/genre, and an academic member of staff from another subject area.

If my application is not successful, will you tell me why?

We are unable to enter into any dialogue about application decisions.

I have some additional questions. Whom can I ask?

Please email the Programme Leader, Dr Tracy Brain, at:

t.brain@bathspa.ac.uk.

I’m an international student. Is it possible for me to apply to study part time?

Yes, it is, for the residential strand of the PhD. The Visa requirements which until recently did not allow this have now changed.

As an international student, would it be possible to remain in the U.S. and work on my PhD by distance learning?

Unless you have applied and been accepted onto the low residency, full time programme, this is not possible. While it is not necessary to live in Bath, it is important that students live within reasonable travel distance of the University. Although it is not a ‘taught’ degree in the sense of regularly occurring modules or classes, the PhD in Creative Writing is not a distance-learning programme; it is a residency-based PhD, but for the aforementioned exception.

Could my creative project be a biography, or a piece of creative non-fiction?

These are both possibilities for the PhD in Creative Writing. As in the case of any topic, the success of the application would depend on some of the following: the quality of the proposal and its rationale, the creative writing sample, the relationship between the creative and critical elements of the PhD, references, and the School's available resources, such as appropriate supervisors.

What is the academic profile of your applicants?

We would normally expect applicants for this programme to hold a first or upper second class honours degree (or equivalent), as well as an MA in Creative Writing with Distinction (or comparable achievement). We certainly expect evidence of a very high level of creative writing achievements and experience, as well as the ability to engage in the supporting research.

Can you give me an idea of the attendance requirement mainly in terms of time of day, how many days per week etc? This is so that I can plan work.

This would depend on whether a student were full time or part time, though since you mention planning work, we would assume that you are interested in applying as a part time student. There are no 'timetabled' modules for our PhD. Students and supervisors negotiate meetings together, though we expect students to do their best to fit in with supervisors' availability. What is not negotiable are the monthly PhD forums, and the small number of specialist research training events such as master classes and other appropriate training events that we expect all students to attend each year.

Can you give me any idea of the frequency and timing of the research training events you mention?

Partly, this would depend on what you and your supervisors felt you needed, and what would help you to accomplish your research and writing; for instance, attendance at an academic conference or a series of workshops or training events. As for supervision sessions (and none of this can be taken as a promise or contract, because they can vary depending on what stage of your work you're at, and students must be willing to work with supervisors and be flexible), for argument's sake, possibly every few weeks or even every week while for instance you're preparing your application to register or submission for your Progression Assessment, or if you and/or your supervisors feel the work is at a crucial stage.