Graduate Diploma of Creative Writing
2020 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2020 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Graduate Diploma of Creative Writing |
| Course Map | This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2020. This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 2 2020. Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central. |
| Campus | Offered at Burwood (Melbourne) |
| Cloud Campus | Yes |
| Duration | 1 year full-time or part-time equivalent |
| CRICOS course code | 0100134 Burwood (Melbourne) |
| Deakin course code | A636 |
| Approval status | This course is approved by the University under the Higher Education Standards Framework. |
| Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition | The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 8. |
Course sub-headings
- Course overview
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Mandatory student checks
- Fees and charges
- Course Learning Outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
- Work experience
- Other learning experiences
Course overview
The Graduate Diploma of Creative Writing provides students with the skills to write across a range of genres and writing styles. Students will graduate with a portfolio of writing showcasing their knowledge and skills in Creative Writing.
The Graduate Diploma of Creative Writing will advance and consolidate knowledge of Creative Writing theories, practice and skills for the conception, crafting, production and dissemination of creative writing outputs. Students will understand the complexities and opportunities of industries, which employ creative writers and possible careers within an international and domestic context.
The units in the program will be valuable for those experienced in writing but who may feel the need for further guidance, or those interested in beginning a career in writing. The School adopts the philosophy that writing and editing should be taught by published writers and practitioners. The teaching staff includes well-known writers and editors, and the program draws on the talents of other publishing professionals as guest speakers.
Career opportunities
Graduates of this course will find employment opportunities in a broad range of organisations or will be able to pursue freelance or self-employment opportunities. Throughout the course, students will be exposed, not just to knowledge pertaining to their discipline, but also to practices and ways of understanding creative writing as a cross-disciplinary activity which intersects with other creative and communication fields in digital, promotional and multimedia landscapes.
Creative writers have never been more in demand. Writers use the most flexible and powerful of technologies - language and the ability to tell stories. Graduates may embark on careers in the industries of online media, gaming, as communications officers in organisations of many kinds (both arts-based, corporate and within government), may contribute to the literary field as editors, online curators, prose or poetry writers, may continue on to jobs within academe or the TAFE sector, may strengthen their profile as secondary teachers, copywriters or within the changing field of print media.
For more information go to DeakinTALENT
Participation requirements
Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. Click here for more information.
Mandatory student checks
Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.
Fees and charges
Fees and charges vary depending on your course, your fee category and the year you started. To find out about the fees and charges that apply to you, visit the Current students fees website.
Course Learning Outcomes
| Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes | Course Learning Outcomes |
| Discipline specific knowledge and capabilities | Apply general and specialised knowledge of creative writing modes and theories and their production in the context of professional, historical, cultural and stylistic frameworks, including technical skills in composition, editing, presentation and aspects of publication. |
| Communication | Communicate through writing that is technically and aesthetically proficient and demonstrates awareness of, or ability to extend, established writing conventions to produce works that communicate complex ideas effectively using suitable written forms and specialised techniques. |
| Digital literacy | Employ a range of generic and specialised industry digital technologies for the research, production and presentation of creative materials, including technologies for the innovative generation or dissemination of complex ideas and works, or those required in various specialised professional contexts. |
| Critical thinking | Demonstrate specialised competencies in the production of texts and discourses informed by rigorous research, close reading, critical thinking and analysis, and by selecting and applying the appropriate creative writing forms and conventions to provide solutions to complex problems or specialised writing briefs. |
| Problem solving | Analyse and respond creatively and professionally to editorial or publishing briefs or opportunities by employing specialised creative and professional writing or communication strategies to identify, solve or reframe complex aesthetic, theoretical or real-world challenges and limitations. |
| Self-management | Demonstrate personal and professional responsibility for learning through autonomy, accountability and a continued commitment to specialised learning and skill development, as a reflective practitioner in the Professional and Creative Writing industry, scholarly and other contexts. |
| Teamwork | Actively participate in and make constructive contributions to processes of creative and critical collaboration within or across disciplines, sharing of peer feedback in writing workshops and online forums, and demonstrate professional and ethical negotiation with collaborators and colleagues. |
| Global citizenship | Demonstrate ethical global citizenship and awareness of cultural diversity and social responsibility when engaging in scholarship and in professional roles and community collaborations. |
| Approved by Faculty Board November 2018 | |
Course rules
To qualify for the Graduate Diploma of Creative Writing, students must complete 8 credit points of study comprising:
- 1 core unit
- 4 course electives from list A
- 3 credit points of electives chosen from units within the specialisations of the Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) or the Master of Communication or the core or electives of the Master of Creative Arts
- AAI018 Academic Integrity (0-credit-point compulsory unit)
Course structure
Core units
| ALW740 | Foundations in Professional and Creative Writing |
Course structure
Course Electives List A
Complete four 1-credit point units chosen from the following course electives list A below:
| ALW730 | Creative Nonfiction: the Personal Essay |
| ALW732 | Fiction Writing: Story, Structure and Starting Out |
| ALW734 | Script Writing (Final year of offer 2020) |
| ALW736 | Experiments in Writing |
| ALW738 | Editing |
Students may choose to include the 5th unit listed above as 1 of the 3 electives
Course structure
Electives
3 credit points of electives chosen from units within the specialisations of the Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) or the Master of Communication or the core or electives of the Master of Creative Arts.
Work experience
Elective units may provide the opportunity for Work Integrated Learning experiences.
Other course information
Course duration - additional information
Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as accessing or completing work placements.
Further information
Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.
- Contact Student Central
Other learning experiences
There will be opportunities throughout the course for students to engage with industry professionals. These experiences will be integrated into units where students will have external clients or industry representatives provide content to more closely connect the learning experience with industry practices.