We, the undersigned, are writing to express our opposition to the proposed changes to City University, Creative Writing (Novels) MA 2020/2021. The proposed changes not only impede the diversity of applicants, they create a new MA that is unrecognisable to the existing successful programme.

A summary of proposed changes:

• Cutting the programme length to 1 year and the dissertation to 15,000 words
• Merging genre specific MAs to share creative writing modules
• Shift from evening classes to daytime timetable
• Substituting key modules for electives in the English, Publishing, or Journalism MAs
• Ceasing the focus on genre-specific courses and completing a novel/full-length project
• Optional second MFA year to culminate in 60,000-80,000 dissertation, but this merely referred to as a “top-up” rather than the focus or goal of the programme

 The reasons we oppose these changes:

• Cutting the programme length to 1 year defeats the purpose of focusing on a full-length project from the start. A completed novel requires two years of study which the current MA recognises: the first year developing skills for success, preparation, and plotting, and the second year completing the novel with close mentorship from tutors.
• Merging genre specific MAs to share creative writing modules cannot expect to produce work of the same quality or accurately prepare them for their field.
• Shifting from evening classes to daytime timetable will narrow the pool of potential students and prevent those with daytime jobs from attending the course.
• Substituting key modules for electives in the English, Publishing, or Journalism MAs will risk students missing out on general plotting knowledge and skills important to producing a full-length work.
• The current course promises to deliver genre-specific courses and the completion of a full-length novel. To abandon both of these focuses defeats the purpose of the course. Students apply to this course because they want to finish a novel not attend a traditional MA with multi-genre workshops and daytime classes. They want the mentorship and support to write a book in our chosen genre that would be lost in the proposed changes.
• Optional second MFA year to culminate in 60,000-80,000 dissertation, misses the point: students choose this MA because of its focus on a full-length project from the start.

The reason City has the highest publishing record is because of the way the course has been structured and the diversity of the students accepted onto the course.

Currently, the MA is celebrated for:

• Strong reputation nationally, internationally, and within the publishing industry
• 1 in 6 publishing record, highest of any UK Creative Writing programme
• Evening classes allow work/family balance, drawing in diverse pool of students
• Completed novel as dissertation draws in ambitious and diverse pool of students

By demolishing every unique aspect of this flagship programme, City’s strong reputation and alumni publishing record is at risk. City risks losing strong candidates in the future to competitors who do offer evening classes and genre-specific modules that are highly specialised and intensive.

We implore the university to reconsider these proposed changes and affirm your support to preserve these essential elements of the current City Novels MA.