Creative Writing Major - Bachelor of Arts

Are you thinking about writing a novel, short stories, poems or perhaps a memoir? With the Creative Writing major you develop your storytelling skills across a range of genres.

You’ll use the work you complete in class and while studying independently to  produce a creative portfolio, and develop an understanding of how literature functions through analysis and essay writing. You explore style and genre, and the demands of readers, editors and publishers. You develop your skills as a writer; testing your creative ideas in an environment that challenges, critiques and supports you as you go.

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This is part of the Bachelor of Arts.

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Your work will range from reflective portfolios to a sustained literary or multimedia work. The degree will prepare you for employment in the creative and professional writing industries.

Apart from the courses below you also need to complete courses from your second major, your chosen minor(s) or electives.

Core courses

All Bachelor of Arts students need to complete core courses that help you develop transferable skills and support your work in all other courses in the degree.

Year 1

In your first year, you complete the following courses:

Choose one of:

  • COMM570 Academic Communication
  • LSKL500 Uni101

And choose one of:

  • ENGL503 A Pacific Reader
  • HIST500 Introduction to New Zealand History

And choose one of:

  • MAOR504 Treaty of Waitangi: Resistance and Repair
  • MAOR505 Te Mānutanga Beginners Māori Language 1

And choose one of:

  • EDUC504 Places and Learning
  • SOSC582 Social Thinking
  • SOSC585 Climate Action

And choose one of:

  • CLSY513 Organisation and Human Behaviour
  • EDUC506 Education, Careers and Employability

And choose one of:

  • CLSY504 Knowledge and Inquiry
  • CLSY515 Human + Machines: AI in the Social World

Workplace experience is an important part of your degree, and the Work Integrated Learning course is the final part of your degree. This is a supervised work placement related to your major(s), for an organisation of your choice. It's a great way to get industry experience while still being able to get feedback from AUT lecturers, and for many of our students this workplace experience also leads to a job offer.

Recent placements included:

  • Woman’s Day magazine
  • Imersia Ltd
  • Namseoul University

You could also take the Foundations in Research course if you’re considering continuing into postgraduate study.

Want more info about work integrated learning at AUT?

Read more about workplace experience in AUT programmes, how it works and why it’s so beneficial when you start your career.

Workplace experience in AUT programmes

Creative writing major courses

If you're majoring in creative writing, this is the main subject area you specialise in. It makes up one third of your degree and consists of seven creative writing-related courses you study throughout your degree (including one 30-point course).

Year 1 courses

Complete two of:

  • CWRT501 Introduction to Creative Writing
  • CWRT560 Kaupapa Māori Storytelling
  • ENGL502 Reading New Zealand
  • ENGL503 A Pacific Reader

Year 2 courses

Complete the following courses:

  • CWRT602 Creative Writing: Influences, relationships and power
  • CWRT603 Creative Writing: Prose, poetry, creative non-fiction
  • ENGL604 The Novel

Year 3 courses

Complete the following courses:

  • CWRT700 Creative Writing Project
  • ENGL701 New Literatures

Ready to enrol in your courses?

Find out how you can enrol in the courses and classes for your programme, whether you’ve just joined AUT as a new student or you’re already studying with us. If you’re looking for a course timetable or more info on a specific course use our course search.

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Build your degree

Use our online tool to build your own degree and see what your three years of study could look like.

Build your degreeBuild your degreehttps://www.aut.ac.nz/courses/bachelor-of-arts/creative-writing-major

  • Social media management
  • Web content management
  • Dramaturgy
  • Fiction writing
  • Journalism
  • Media writing
  • Performance arts
  • Screenwriting
  • Travel writing
  • Gaming narrative designer
  • Virtual and augmented reality content producers
Creative-Writing-A4-28-09-15.jpg

Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.

Creative Writing Careers

Other majors in the Bachelor of Arts

*This major focuses on New Zealand Sign Language and developing the skills to become a Sign Language interpreter. It doesn’t include the option to include courses from different subjects.

Key features
  • Only major of its kind in New Zealand
  • You’ll be mentored by a published author
  • Workplace experience in your final semester
  • Option to include subjects from across AUT in your degree
See yourself as
  • Imaginative and resourceful
  • A writer
  • Intrigued by words
  • Expressive

The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.

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