The Master of Professional Writing (MPW) program includes a core paper specifically designed to enhance your readiness for the workplace, along with elective courses covering diverse areas such as creative writing, writing for promotional and advertising purposes, digital media, and scholarly and professional publication.

If your passion lies in creative writing, you can choose to specialize in this area. The Creative Writing Thesis allows selected students to produce a publishable quality manuscript—be it poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction—in a dynamic and supportive workshop environment, supervised by award-winning authors. Selection for the Creative Writing Thesis is based on an assessment of a portfolio of poetry and prose, along with a manuscript proposal outlining the creative project.

As an MPW student, you can undertake a professional writing internship and receive guidance from an on-campus writing mentor, who will offer professional advice and direct you towards writing opportunities.

The Professional Writing program staff have extensive ties with the broader writing community:

– They are recognized as senior publishers of creative and scholarly works, editors, and peer reviewers for journals.
– They have won prestigious awards for short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.
– Their publications span academic and popular media, including reviews, opinion pieces, feature articles, scholarly references, book chapters, and researched editions.
– They judge literary prizes and assess applications for major public and private literary grants, including the University of Waikato Writers’ Residency and the Sargeson Grimshaw Writing Fellowship.
– Staff in Screen and Media have international networks in scriptwriting and development.
– They maintain professional links with organizations that support and promote professional writing in Aotearoa New Zealand.