The course is open to applicants from any disciplinary background (within and beyond Arts) and welcomes all types of writing interests. A ?Qualifier? option is available for potential applicants who do not have a university degree but have a suitable publications record or sufficient experience in a related creative field.

A weekly ?Writers Seminar? features writers, publishers, agents and other visitors from the writing professions. Galway?s C?irt literary festival is the focus in April. Students attend events and complete a related assessment.

Graduates have gone on to work in the areas of teaching, journalism, publishing, editing, public relations and marketing. Graduates have also progressed to various doctoral programmes in the humanities?and it is now also possible to undertake a practice-led PhD in English at NUI Galway. Many graduates have concentrated on their development as independent writers, and over 45 books have been published by writers from this MA.