Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing)

Overview

Work closely on your writing in an intensive studio model with world-leading lecturers and creative practitioners, improving your writing and solving problems from industry.

This degree is designed to make you confident, skilled and adaptable in today’s creative industries - where writing and editing are essential skills, and so are creativity, communication, and critical thinking.

Along with leading genres like fiction, screen and digital writing, you’ll become an adaptable writer by learning the skills to adjust to a constantly changing industry, spending deep time with your creative work, trying experiments, and gaining new knowledge. A flair for creative expression will be complemented by proficiency in the business of writing, allowing you to understand the publishing process and learn the skills required to become a freelance writer, collaborator or creative entrepreneur, across multiple media platforms.

Why study creative writing at RMIT?

Connected to industry

Take advantage of our close ties to the writing and publishing industries, as well as screen industry leaders and writers' festivals.

Global links

Connect with creative writing programs in North America and Asia, featuring exchange and cultural immersion opportunities.

Writing studios

Immerse yourself in a new creative writing studio each semester, exploring and experimenting in four key genres.

Build lasting connections

With a strong emphasis on industry connections, you will develop a large network of relationships throughout the degree, maximising your opportunities to gain employment upon graduation and building a potentially lifelong network of creative peers.

As a graduate of this degree, you can expect to work in a variety of roles, as writers, editors, publishers, screenwriters, screen producers, digital and mobile media creators, and producers of events like writers’ festivals.

The Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing) was unlike anything offered at other universities. At RMIT, creative writing was the focus of the degree - not a singular unit or area of study. I felt reassured that I wouldn’t just be spending three years studying something I loved - I’d also get a career out of it at the end. It’s such a unique degree that lends itself to all kinds of industries and career outcomes.

- Pallavi Daniel, Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing).

Guaranteed Pathway options available

Didn't get the ATAR you needed? Guaranteed Pathways lets you preference pathway packages so you can secure your place in your goal degree and graduate with two internationally-recognised RMIT qualifications.

Details

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Learning and teaching

Throughout this degree, you will learn how to develop your creative, critical and professional skills as a writer in a range of learning environments including workshops, seminars, intensives and face-to-face studios.

You will undertake individual projects and work in teams. You will focus closely on your own writing, immersed in your creative work, and undertake writing intensives aimed at building a rigorous creative practice.

This degree offers guest lectures and master classes by industry professionals from Australia and around the world. The work you produce will be assessed by peers, guests and workshop leaders throughout your three years of study. You will receive professional feedback from industry practitioners and learn to offer valuable criticism yourself.

You will have the opportunity to work in studios with students from other communication disciplines on projects such as short films, writers’ festivals, digital projects and book productions.

Assessment methods

Assessment in the Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing) combines research assignments, portfolio production, essays, presentations, and peer or industry review and feedback. Research projects and presentations reflect industry specific needs.

Throughout your study you will be assessed in a variety of ways depending on the subjects undertaken, all designed to test your abilities to be creative, reflective, analytical and professional.

In your third year of study you will write a major project and reflect on it with companion work, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your abilities and creative talent.

Learning at RMIT

The types of classes you have will depend on the course you’re studying. Classes are offered in various formats designed to provide meaningful engagement with staff, industry and peers and provide for access and use of spaces where learning can be applied and active, including an array of specialised equipment.

Most RMIT courses do not include passive large-scale classes such as lectures, instead the content traditionally provided in lectures is made available online. This may be in the form of readings, videos or other on-demand learning materials. This content will also support the basis of interactive learning that takes place in on-campus classes.

Learn more about learning at RMIT

This degree has close ties with all aspects of the writing and publishing industries, including publishers such as Hardie Grant Books and Hachette Publishing; screen industry leaders like Film Victoria and Channel Seven; writers’ festivals including Melbourne Writers Festival and the Emerging Writers’ Festival; and cutting-edge leaders of the industry including digital publishers and literary journals.

Recent students have collaborated with visiting writers from Singapore on an event at Melbourne Writers Festival; published comics with award-winning Risograph publisher Glom Press; and collaborated with writers from China on publishing projects through emerging mobile technologies. In these studios students learn teamwork, responsiveness and project leadership, helping to develop diverse and flexible careers.

You will also work towards solving problems from industry and building international communities of peers by responding to briefs. Recent partners include Jakarta Post, the Emerging Writers' Festival, and SingLitStation Singapore. You may have the opportunity to participate in the Emerging Writers’ Festival Gazette which involves making and publishing a dynamic daily newspaper; travelling to China to collaborate with local writers; or hosting Singaporean writers and collaborating on an event for Melbourne Writers Festival.

As part of the curriculum you will hone your writing skills, connecting to students and lecturers across the creative industries and enhancing your employability. You may participate in collaborative studios with media, editing and publishing students, or work on projects with students from design, advertising and photography disciplines.

Our key staff are authors, screenwriters, essayists, playwrights, reviewers and researchers. They work across digital, screen and print writing platforms, and integrate their creative practice with a dedication to teaching excellence and world-leading research.

Internships and work placements are offered as part of the degree and present a chance to develop vital connections to the industry while you study.

You will have the opportunity to meet and engage with guest lecturers and writers-in-residence, including poets and short story writers, publishers, reviewers and scriptwriters, to gain insight into the world of writing and the diverse possibilities of production and publication.

You will have the opportunity to participate in overseas student exchange and volunteer for events that expose you to local and international writing opportunities and industry professionals.

The Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing) has links with many leading creative writing programs in North America and Asia, which students can take advantage of through courses of exchange studies developed with student advisors.

In addition to our ongoing collaborations with literary organisations and universities in Singapore and China, students have the chance to participate in new projects and programs that arise from time to time such as The Jakarta Post through its b/ndL Studios and Writers Immersion Cultural Exchange (WrICE), which helps students as emerging writers build relationships with writers at different stages of practice.

Global work, exchange and study experiences

RMIT offers a range of opportunities for our students to study abroad through global work, exchange and study experiences with over 165 partner universities worldwide.

Explore global opportunities

The knowledge and skills you will acquire throughout this degree and how they can be applied in your career are described in the learning outcomes.

Creative writing studios

Each semester you will be immersed in a new creative writing studio. Across the three years of the degree these studios will take you from the foundations of creative writing practice to the production of a major work in your chosen form of creative writing. Studios enable students to learn and apply the forms of four key genres: poetry, fiction, nonfiction and screen/scriptwriting, in the context of their histories and the work of leading contemporary practitioners.

Contextual studies

In addition to your creative writing studios, you can complete a minor specialisation from one of the following areas:

Approaches to Popular Culture
Asian Media and Culture
Cinema Studies
Contemporary Politics and Communication
Literary Studies.

Electives

Creative writing students can also take advantage of a rich choice of electives available, complementing and enriching your core studies or broadening your horizons. You can pursue studies in your areas of interest, including screen production, games, journalism, editing, advertising and design, as well as choosing from a range of specialist creative writing electives.

Course structure

Choose a plan below to find out more about the subjects you will study and the course structure.

Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing)

Program code: BP257

Title

Location

Duration

Plan code

CRICOS

Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing)

City Campus

3 years full-time, 6 years part-time

BP257

065130G

Location

City Campus

Duration

3 years full-time, 6 years part-time

Plan code

BP257

CRICOS

065130G

View plan

Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing)

City Campus

3 years full-time

BP257

065130G

Location

City Campus

Duration

3 years full-time

Plan code

BP257

CRICOS

065130G

View plan

Contact hours and study load

Full- or part-time study is determined by how many credit points you are enrolled in during the semester. An undergraduate study load is considered part-time if you are enrolled in 24 credit points or fewer (approximately two subjects).

Once you are enrolled into this degree you can choose to switch to a part-time study load. This may impact your program duration and tuition fees. Please discuss your study options with your program manager prior to enrolment.

Note: International student visa holders can only study full-time.

Career

Typically there are three broad areas of work in the creative writing industry:

writing for publication, in print and online media
writing for screenplay and script development
writing for and about education
writing as research.

There are increasing opportunities arising in online and mobile media platforms through interactivity, games and apps as well as emerging opportunities for self-employment through ebooks, ezines and self-publication via the internet. There are also career opportunities resulting from emerging trends such as boutique publishing.

The writing industry is a constantly changing and competitive environment; more and more people want to create their own work and see it published. Local and international projects and events are well supported through government and private funding.

This degree will prepare you for roles such as:

writer
editor
publisher
events/festival manager
screenwriter
scriptwriter
screen producer.

There are opportunities to go on to further studies in creative writing and publishing through our highly regarded honours, masters and PhD degrees in the School of Media and Communication. Students can choose to undertake research through creative practice, linked to internationally recognised research groups such as the non/fictionLab and Screen Cultures.

Entry requirements and admissions

You must have successfully completed the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) (or equivalent qualification).

Prerequisites

Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) units 3 and 4:

a study score of at least 25 in English other than EAL; or
a study score of at least 27 in English as an Additional Language (EAL)

or equivalent studies.

Rankings and adjustment factors

Entry to this program is competitive. Applicants are ranked and selected in order of merit based on the assessment of their selection task.

Selection task

You must complete and submit the Creative Writing selection task.

Applications are assessed in the order that they are received until the dates below, if places are still available.

For your best chance at admission into this program, you are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Pathway applicants

Applicants who are applying via one of the RMIT pathways for this program are exempted from submitting the selection task.

For Direct applicants, once you submit your application, it will be progressed automatically within ten working days. Any selection task reminders that you may receive are not applicable to you.

Selection task dates

Selection task dates for VTAC applicants

If you are applying via VTAC, you must complete and submit the Creative Writing selection task by one of the dates below to be considered for selection in that VTAC round:

VTAC applicants	Register and submit the selection task by
November round (Non year 12 applicants only)	30 September 2024
December/January rounds 1 (all applicants)	22 November 2024
January round 2/February rounds (if places are available)	7 February 2025

Submit your VTAC selection task

Selection task dates for direct applicants

You must complete and submit your direct application. The link to submit your selection task will appear on the applicant dashboard after you have submitted your application. Please see the Apply page for information on eligibility to apply direct.

Applicant type	Register and submit the selection task by
Direct applicants	28 February 2025

Selection task requirements

Usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools: You must not use any Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to generate any materials, content, or ideas related to this selection task. ChatGPT and other similar AI tools must not be used for any written work.

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Outline your interests and background in creative writing, reading, or screen studies (maximum 500 words). This could include:

Examples of creative writing (such as books, scripts, etc) you admire, how these examples have influenced your work and writing ambitions.
A description of your approach to creative writing, which may refer to ideas, inspirations and/or processes.
Any relevant work experience or engagement with creative industries, such as submissions, volunteering, and attendance at events.

Prepare three to four different pieces of creative writing. This can be a combination of fiction or non-fiction, prose, poetry, script, essay (maximum 2000 words in total).

Submission instructions

You must collate all of your responses, including the applicant statement and sample writing pieces, in a single PDF.

Selection task details and submission dates will be available early 2025.

You must complete and submit the Creative Writing selection task.

Applications are assessed in the order that they are received until the date below, if places are still available.

For your best chance at admission into this program, you are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Pathway applicants

Applicants who are applying via one of the RMIT pathways for this program are exempted from submitting the selection task.

For Direct applicants, once you submit your application, it will be progressed automatically within ten working days. Any selection task reminders that you may receive are not applicable to you.

Selection task dates

The link to submit your selection task will appear on the applicant dashboard after you have submitted your application.

Applicant type	Register and submit the selection task by
All applications	TBC

Apply now and submit your selection task

Selection task requirements

Selection task details and submission dates will be available early 2025.

Selection criteria by applicant type

The highest level of education you have previously completed will determine which category applies to you.

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You must have successfully completed the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) (or equivalent senior secondary school) qualification.

Adjustment factors available only to applicants currently studying Year 12

School Network Access Program (SNAP)

The SNAP access scheme is designed to increase tertiary participation by giving priority access to RMIT diploma and degree programs to eligible applicants currently studying Year 12 at a SNAP partner school.

Adjustment factors available only to applicants currently studying Year 12 or whose highest qualification is a completed Year 12.

Equity access schemes

Equity access schemes take into account personal information and location, difficult circumstances, disadvantaged financial background and disability or medical condition that may have impacted on an applicant’s most recent academic performance.
Find out more about the eligibility requirements for each Special Entry Access Scheme and RMIT access categories.
If you are applying through VTAC you should apply for the Special Entry Access Scheme.
If you are applying directly to RMIT you should apply for RMIT Access. The system will prompt you to do this during your application.

Elite Athlete Program

The RMIT Elite Athlete Program supports eligible elite and emerging athletes to achieve sporting and academic excellence, allowing students to balance the demands of both their studies and their athletic responsibilities.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

The Indigenous Access Program supports your application to RMIT through an informal interview process where you will receive help from the Ngarara Willim Centre. Additional consideration will be given if you have relevant life, work, education or training experience.

You must have successfully completed an Australian Certificate IV or above (or equivalent).

Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)

You may satisfy the academic requirements by completing the STAT multiple choice and achieving a minimum overall score of 156.

Your STAT results are valid for two years prior to the commencement of study.

If you are applying to RMIT as an applicant with vocational education and training study, you may sit the STAT multiple choice if you:

are 19 years of age or over as of 1 January in the year in which you will start your studies and
have not been enrolled in secondary studies for at least two years and
have no prior secondary school (Year 12), VET studies, HE studies or relevant work experience that can be considered for entry, or these do not meet the minimum academic requirements for the program.

You are still required to meet all other program prerequisites or equivalents.

Learn more about the STAT and STAT results.

You may be eligible for the following adjustment factors:

Equity access schemes

Equity access schemes take into account personal information and location, difficult circumstances, disadvantaged financial background and disability or medical condition that may have impacted on an applicant’s most recent academic performance.
Find out more about the eligibility requirements for each Special Entry Access Scheme and RMIT access categories.
If you are applying through VTAC you should apply for the Special Entry Access Scheme.
If you are applying directly to RMIT you should apply for RMIT Access. The system will prompt you to do this during your application.

Elite Athlete Program

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

You must have successfully completed at least two courses (subjects) in an Australian bachelor degree or four courses (subjects) in an Australian associate degree, or overseas equivalent.

Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)

You may satisfy the academic requirements by completing the STAT multiple choice and achieving a minimum overall score of 156.

Your STAT results are valid for two years prior to the commencement of study.

If you are applying to RMIT as an applicant with higher education study, you may sit the STAT multiple choice if you:

are 19 years of age or over as of 1 January in the year in which you will start your studies and
have not been enrolled in secondary studies for at least two years and
have no prior secondary school (Year 12), VET studies, HE studies or relevant work experience that can be considered for entry, or these do not meet the minimum academic requirements for the program.

You are still required to meet all other program prerequisites or equivalents.

Learn more about the STAT and STAT results.

You may be eligible for the following adjustment factors:

Equity access schemes

Equity access schemes take into account personal information and location, difficult circumstances, disadvantaged financial background and disability or medical condition that may have impacted on an applicant’s most recent academic performance.
Find out more about the eligibility requirements for each Special Entry Access Scheme and RMIT access categories.
If you are applying through VTAC you should apply for the Special Entry Access Scheme.
If you are applying directly to RMIT you should apply for RMIT Access. The system will prompt you to do this during your application.

Elite Athlete Program

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

You must have successfully completed an Australian Year 12 (or equivalent qualification) and meet the stated prerequisites. You may satisfy the academic requirements by completing the STAT multiple choice.

Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)

You may satisfy the academic requirements by completing the STAT multiple choice and achieving a minimum overall score of 156.

Your STAT results are valid for two years prior to the commencement of study.

If you are applying to RMIT as an applicant with work and life experience, you may sit the STAT multiple choice if you:

are 19 years of age or over as of 1 January in the year in which you will start your studies and
have not been enrolled in secondary studies for at least two years and
have no prior secondary school (Year 12), VET studies, HE studies or relevant work experience that can be considered for entry, or these do not meet the minimum academic requirements for the program.

You are still required to meet all other program prerequisites or equivalents.

Learn more about the STAT and STAT results.

You may be eligible for the following adjustment factors:

Equity access schemes

Equity access schemes take into account personal information and location, difficult circumstances, disadvantaged financial background and disability or medical condition that may have impacted on an applicant’s most recent academic performance.
Find out more about the eligibility requirements for each Special Entry Access Scheme and RMIT access categories.
If you are applying through VTAC you should apply for the Special Entry Access Scheme.
If you are applying directly to RMIT you should apply for RMIT Access. The system will prompt you to do this during your application.

Elite Athlete Program

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Additional information

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View the ATAR profile and selection rank from students offered a place into this program wholly or partly on the basis of ATAR in the most relevant recent intake period.

View ATAR profile

The student profile provides insight into the likely peer group for this program.

View student profile

*ATAR refers to the lowest selection rank to which an offer was made (including consideration of any adjustments) for current and recent Year 12 applicants.

RMIT is committed to providing transparency to the admissions process. In line with this commitment, we provide you with information that will help in making informed choices about your undergraduate study options. Find out more about admission to RMIT.

Find RMIT on VTAC

You need to satisfy all of the following requirements to be considered for entry into this degree.

You must have successfully completed a qualification recognised by RMIT as equivalent to the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) with a minimum average of 65% (see calculator below).

Equivalent qualifications may also include completion of the RMIT Foundation Studies program or a recognised post secondary diploma in the relevant discipline with the required grades.

Meeting the minimum academic requirements does not guarantee entry. Your application will still need to be assessed and accepted.

There are no prerequisite subjects required for entry into this qualification.

All applicants are required to complete and submit a selection task for this program. See below for full selection task details.

To study this course you will need to complete one of the following English proficiency tests:

IELTS (Academic): minimum overall band of 6.5 (with no individual band below 6.0)
TOEFL (Internet Based Test - IBT): minimum overall score of 79 (with minimum of 13 in Reading, 12 in Listening, 18 in Speaking and 21 in Writing)
Pearson Test of English (Academic) (PTE (A)): minimum score of 58 (with no communication band less than 50)
Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE): minimum of 176 with no less than 169 in any component.

For detailed information on English language requirements and other proficiency tests recognised by RMIT, visit English language requirements and equivalency information.

Don't meet the English language test scores? Complete an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Advanced Plus at RMIT University Pathways (RMIT UP).