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Bachelor of Creative Industries (Writing and Publishing)

Study creative industries (writing and publishing) at flinders.

Start your career as an editor, publisher or writer for a range of industries.

Professional writing skills are in high demand across all industries, and this degree will help prepare you for employment in our diverse and fast-paced economy. In this flexible degree you’ll build a path based on your unique interests, with topics available from across the creative industries, arts and broader university, allowing you to create your own unique story.

Taught by award-winning authors with close links to industry, you’ll gain real-world experience to help you gain employment across a range of industries. With small class-sizes and hands-on learning, you’ll join a community of likeminded creatives who will become your support network from day one.

What you will study 

Download brochure 

How to apply 

Certificate IV or above

• – Bedford Park

3 years full-time (or part-time equivalent) Deferrable: Yes

• 2024: $10,800
• – March
• – July

Student and ATAR profile 

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3 years full-time Deferrable: Yes

• 2024: $32,900

Entry requirements by country 

*Available at Flinders' Adelaide City Campus at Festival Plaza  from 2024.

*Available at Flinders' Adelaide City Campus at Festival Plaza  from 2024.

Why study Creative Industries (Writing and Publishing) at Flinders

• Study diverse genres and forms (romance, sci-fi, fantasy, literary, series, novels, short stories).
• No.1 in SA in Creative Arts for learner engagement, skills development, student support and teaching quality (The Good Universities Guide 2023 (undergraduate), public SA-founded universities only)
• Ranked above world standard for Research in Performing Arts and Creative Writing (ERA 2018 Outcomes, Flinders University)
• Build your degree based on your unique interests from across the Creative Arts, Industries or broader University – e.g. Visual Effects and Entertainment Design, Film and Television, Costume Design. 
• Connect with industry from day one with regular contact with global industry professionals, including bespoke guest lectures, workshops, networking events, and placement opportunities. Our students have worked with award-winning authors, publishers, literary agents, producers, screenwriters and editors.
• Experience a strong sense of community within each creative writing cohort
• Small, bespoke classes taught by award-winning and best-selling writers who are prominent in their fields and highly experienced in the publishing industry
• Build a strong portfolio to gain employment in the industry or to be used for applications into another degree such as the Bachelor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)
• Gain hands-on experience working on real-world projects
• You’ll collaborate with other students from across the university, not just from the Creative Arts and Industries, but in Science, Engineering, Health, and more
• Gain the skills you need for a career as an editor, publisher or writer across a broad range of industries 
• Non-portfolio entry degree

Your career

You will graduate with the skills required to write, edit or publish creatively and/or commercially. Writers, editors and publishers are commonly perceived as being self-employed, but many find employment in government, media, and for non-writing arts organisations. Writing well is an ability sought after across all art-forms and industries. 

Potential occupations include:

• marketing and communications
• digital content producer

Potential employers include:

• media corporations
• screen and theatre production companies
• games design companies
• freelance work and independent productions

I chose to study Writing and Publishing at Flinders because of the practical experience and flexibility that is possible within this degree. I am able to explore my other interests like philosophy, English and social media studies while also perfecting and gaining experience in my craft.

Lydia alabaster, bachelor of creative industries (writing and publishing), what you will study.

View study program

View study program (Festival Plaza)

Practical experience

The degree provides you with practical experience that prepares you for the workforce.

Students will:

• brainstorm and develop ideas under guidance from lecturers and in peer cohorts
• develop skills necessary for turning ideas into stories, novels, and series of novels
• practice engagement with industry professionals, such as editors and publishers.

Study abroad

There are opportunities to take your studies overseas with a student exchange program.

ATAR and Student Profile Information

The table below shows ATAR and Selection Rank data for students offered a place wholly or partly on the basis of ATAR commencing in Semester 1, 2023. It is limited to applicants that have recently completed secondary education (within the last two years). Data may reflect multiple courses available within a suite of courses.

Notes: <5 – less than 5 ATAR based offers made N/A – This course uses additional selection criteria and therefore Selection Rank is not published

The table below gives an indication of the likely peer cohort for new students in this course. It provides data on students who commenced study in this course in Semester 1, 2023 including those admitted through all offer rounds and international students studying in Australia. Applicant background groupings are based on educational background, not basis of admission. Data may reflect multiple courses available within a suite of courses.

Notes: <5 – the number of students is less than 5 N/P – Not published: the number is hidden to prevent calculation of numbers in cells with less than 5 students

Add innovation and enterprise to your degree.

At Flinders University, we recognise that careers are evolving and the workplace of the future will look very different from today.

Whatever undergraduate course you are studying at Flinders, you can add innovation and enterprise electives to your degree to gain new, adaptable and transferrable skills that will equip you for the careers of tomorrow.

How to apply

Choose your preferred course.

Check the entry requirements and admission pathways available to you.

Choose other courses to include in your preferences.

Visit SATAC  and submit your application online.

Flinders students can apply to transfer to this course internally. Visit:  www.flinders.edu.au/internaltransfer for more information.

Applicants can apply for this course using Year 12 qualifications, previous higher education study, TAFE/VET qualifications, or through adult entry (STAT/Foundation Studies/tertiary preparation course).

For applicants using their SACE (Year 12) results (or equivalent), entry is subject to achieving a minimum selection rank of 60.

Explore our pathways

When choosing your preferences through SATAC, other Flinders degrees you might want to include in your list are:

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Media and Communication

Select your course.

Check entry requirements.

Check your eligibility for credit .

Apply online

Obtain certified documents.

Submit your application and documents.

View further details

If you don’t meet our English language entry requirements and need to improve your English language proficiency, you can do so through Flinders University Academy – or our approved English Language Instruction Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) providers.

This means that you can attend the required English language tuition at approved ELICOS providers and gain direct entry into university without an IELTS or TOEFL test.

Find out more

If you don’t meet our academic entry requirements, you can still gain entry to Flinders University through Flinders University Academy. With a range of diplomas, foundation and English language courses, students can find a direct pathway into the destination degree of their choice. 

Course enquiries

Want more information about studying at Flinders University? Contact us to find out more – we’d love to help you decide if Flinders University is the right choice for you.

For all course enquiries phone or email us or complete the course enquiry form.

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Bachelor of Letters (Creative Writing) (Graduate Entry)

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The graduate entry Bachelor of Letters (Creative Writing) is a 108-unit program for which 72 units of block credit is automatically granted on the basis of completion of a prior bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification. The graduate entry Bachelor of Letters (Creative Writing) normally requires part-time study over a minimum of two years or four semesters. It is offered by the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

The stream undertaken by the student will be identified on the student’s transcript of academic record and on the parchment presented to the student on completion of the course.

Admission requirements

Course aims.

• Learning outcomes

Program of study

Applicants must normally hold an approved degree or equivalent qualification from an approved tertiary institution. The Faculty Board may, however, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.

The course aims to:

• equip students with a thorough grounding in the major content and concerns of literature and writing practice throughout the epochs
• produce graduates who are able to communicate effectively in a range of mediums, and who are able to analyse critically different texts in a range of situations and contexts
• provide students with the skills required to assist them in developing and publishing works of creative writing
• identify the range of fields and professions within the creative writing industry
• encourage learning and transferable skills in both independent and collaborative contexts
• encourage students to connect across boundaries and value ethical behaviour through the study of quality literature and the praxis of creative writing
• provide students with an appreciation of the role of the writer in the working community.

The course also aims to provide students with:

• a sound basis of knowledge in their chosen area of study
• the ability to apply the knowledge they have acquired
• the ability to communicate effectively in a range of ways
• the ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• the skills to connect across geographical, disciplinary, social and cultural boundaries
• an understanding of the value of ethical behaviour

Learning outcomes 

On the completion of the Bachelor of Letters (Creative Writing), students are expected to be able to:

• apply their transferable skills across a range of professions
• communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• demonstrate knowledge of literature and creative writing throughout the epochs
• demonstrate knowledge of how the cultural and literary merit of literature and other creative works are, and have been, defined
• communicate an understanding of the interpretation of literary texts
• demonstrate knowledge of professional pathways for creative writers, and understand the role of the writer in the community.

Students will also be expected to be able to demonstrate:

• a broad and coherent body of knowledge with depth in the underlying principles of their chosen discipline, and as a pathway to lifelong learning
• initiative and judgement in planning, problem solving and decision making in professional practice and scholarship, and ability to adapt knowledge and skills in diverse contexts
• skills to review critically, analyse, consolidate and synthesise knowledge and present a clear exposition of knowledge and ideas
• critical thinking and judgment in identifying and solving problems with intellectual independence
• application of knowledge and skills with responsibility and accountability and in collaboration with others.

To qualify for the Bachelor of Letters (Creative Writing), a student must complete 36 units according to the program of study set out below, with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic.

Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.

Stream - Creative Writing

Core topics.

27 units comprising:

ENGL1101  Approaches to Literature (4.5 units) ENGL1102  Literary Interpretations (4.5 units) ENGL2143  Approaches to Creative Writing (4.5 units) ENGL2145  Approaches to Popular Fiction (4.5 units) ENGL3210  Prose Fiction Writing (4.5 units) ENGL3211  Exploring Nonfiction Genres (4.5 units)

Option topics

Select 9 units from the topics listed below:

ENGL2133  Vikings and Anglo Saxon Literature (4.5 units) ENGL2134  Publishing and Editing (4.5 units) ENGL2141  Life Writing (4.5 units) ENGL2146  The Gothic Tradition (4.5 units) ENGL2147  Medieval Myths: the Origins of Modern Fantasy (4.5 units) ENGL3110  Canon to Contemporary (4.5 units) ENGL3111  Epic Literature: Medieval to Early Modern (4.5 units) PHIL2609  Philosophy and Literature (4.5 units)

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‘Creative writing can be as impactful as an academic paper’

Grassroots initiatives can promote visibility of marginalised groups, self-expression and community, writes Emily Downes. Here are her key tips from running a creative writing competition to mark LGBTQ+ History Month

Emily Downes

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Last year marked two decades since the repeal of Section 28, a UK law that prohibited what was described as “the promotion of homosexuality” by local authorities. What this meant, in practice, was that generations of LGBTQ+ children grew up with no safe access to information about LGBTQ+ issues, no role models, no representation. They had no indication, in fact, that they could have a successful life that included employment, acceptance and community. 

Surely, as hubs of knowledge production, higher education institutions have a social and ethical responsibility to actively repair some of the damage wrought by this law. As LGBTQ+ staff in the sector continue to report  discrimination and erasure , are we providing enough opportunities for our students to see their own lived experiences roadmapped and reflected? 

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While institutional support and backing are essential in amplifying LGBTQ+ representation and visibility, staff on the ground can also make an impact through grassroots initiatives. And where better to push back against the fearmongering of Section 28 than from a place of love? For author, theorist and educator  bell hooks , all key social justice movements have promoted a love ethic: a practice that seeks to use knowledge, responsibility, care, trust, respect and commitment. How might that look in your professional context? 

In mine, I have had the privilege of coordinating a creative writing competition for LGBT+ History Month . Here’s some of what I learned.

Knowledge and responsibility

It’s natural to feel powerless against discrimination. However, take heart – there’s no one defining form of activism. You may not feel you have the capacity or physical ability to protest in the streets or the wherewithal for a strategic campaign. That doesn’t mean you have nothing to contribute to the cause of a more inclusive landscape in higher education. We each have our own offering of knowledge, skills and interests to share. These needn’t exclusively be academic pursuits.

What brings you joy? Perhaps it’s a gentle walk in nature or listening to a podcast or crocheting. I’m partial to all three…and I also enjoy using writing to make sense of my inner and outer worlds. A couple of years ago, I started facilitating LGBTQ+ creative writing for well-being sessions in my local community. Last year the chair of our university LGBTQ+ focus group asked if I would use this experience to make our campus more inclusive. We agreed that I would deliver a drop-in session exploring the importance of queer representation , and that I would coordinate a creative writing competition around the same theme. As a “late bloomer” bisexual who grew up with a dearth of positive representation, I felt a responsibility to be visible in our university community. I had first-hand experience of the possibilities that creative writing affords for healing and growth. I am also well aware of how stifling and impenetrable academic writing can feel for many. I saw the creative writing competition as an opportunity to put self-expression firmly back into the hands of a marginalised community. 

Care and trust

Over the past two academic years, I have gained important insights into developing the competition process with care and establishing trust with our participants. Working with students with protected characteristics means a vital aspect of care is gaining consent at multiple stages. For trans students , for example, being named in certain contexts could have immediate and severe material consequences. One student sought me out during graduation week last year to ensure they would be  dead-named – otherwise, they said, they wouldn’t be able to return home with their parents after the ceremony. 

This has fed into my experience with the competition. Just because someone has entered doesn’t mean they will feel willing or able to be named in a university update or read their piece at a public event. However much you think you’ve tied up loose ends, please double-check. It’s better to be mildly irritating with an abundance of care.

That said, please don’t let the need for caution be off-putting. Demonstrating this level of care is foundational to developing trust. Repeatedly checking in with participants about how they are represented also helps to build a sense of agency they may not always feel they have in wider society. Liaise with those in your initiative whenever a new context arises in which they may be named. 

Respect and commitment

University community members who participate in our writing competition are occupying a  brave space , and this demands our respect. We value our staff and students’ intersectional identities and recognise how vulnerable it can feel sharing those parts of yourself in your place of work or study. I have shared some of my own LGBTQ+ journey during the drop-in sessions. Another sign of respect has been the active and enthusiastic engagement from our executive director of communications and development, who has sat on the judging panel both years. Having buy-in from senior management is indescribably validating not just for our entrants but for the wider LGBTQ+ community at the university.

Commitment to such an initiative can take many forms, the most essential of which are reflection and learning. For example, our inaugural winner, Allison Rosewood, submitted a non-fiction piece about becoming the trans role model she had always sought herself. We platformed her work at the university Pride event – she was unable to speak in person, so we recorded her reading her work and played it during the Pride Literary Hour. We invited Allison to sit on the 2024 judging panel, and the award has been named the Allison Rosewood LGBTQ+ History Month award. Now, our winner will always be invited to read at Pride and to sit on the panel. Allowing the project to evolve has helped create space for students to have their experiences and identities validated, and to build an archive of visible role models. 

This year, our prompt invited entrants to imagine a world where Section 28 had never existed. Mac McClelland’s winning entry,  Brianna , is staggering. The piece eloquently draws a line from past to present, highlighting just how far-reaching and damaging legislation in this vein can be. Opening the door for this creative expression has resulted in something that, in my opinion, is as impactful as an academic paper. 

Knowledge, responsibility, care, trust, respect and commitment, then…what’s coming to mind for you? Perhaps you owe it to yourself and your community to explore your own initiative. One caveat to this: please also apply a love ethic to yourself. Does the thought of a project like this make you weary? You may be running low on reserves, especially as we so often expect members of marginalised communities to advocate and enact positive change themselves. Someone else can take up this mantle, and that’s fine, too. 

The legacy of Section 28 is a traumatised, under-represented LGBTQ+ community and a wider UK society that still often struggles to accept those living outside a heteronormative, cisnormative version of reality. But if you do have the energy and resources, projects like ours can be transformative for individuals and institutions. As bell hooks wrote: “When we are taught that safety always lies with sameness, then difference, of any kind, will appear as a threat…The choice to love is a choice to connect – to find ourselves in the other.” Let’s work to make our institutions a place of connection and relish all the richness of experience that entails. 

Emily Downes is senior student success tutor (academic writing) and LGBTQ+ Focus Group co-chair at Teesside University.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,  sign up for the Campus newsletter .

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Flinders University

Master of Creative Arts (Creative Writing)

Not offered in 2015

The Creative Writing stream is part of the Master of Creative Arts 72-unit program comprising coursework, project and thesis components. The course is offered by the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Law.

Credit of up to 36 units may be granted on the basis of an approved Honours degree in the areas of Creative Writing, drama performance or screen production.

Admission requirements

Course aims, learning outcomes, program of study.

Applicants must normally hold an approved degree or equivalent qualification from an approved tertiary institution with major studies in Creative Writing, drama performance or screen production. However, the Faculty Board may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.

In addition, applicants for the Master of Creative Arts (Creative Writing) must submit a portfolio of writing of approximately 20 pages. Work (published or unpublished) can be in more than one genre. It can be work previously assessed in university or TAFE writing topics. Candidates must also submit a statement of no more than 300 words explaining what they hope to achieve in the degree as well as a CV of no more than three pages detailing publications, work and educational background, plus any relevant professional or community experience.

The course aims to:

• provide a high quality postgraduate program in which actors, directors, producers and writers can enhance their creative and practical skills within a framework of academic study
• fulfil the need for professional studies in Creative Writing at postgraduate level.

Upon completion of the course, graduates will have:

• the advanced creative skills required by professional practitioners in the creative industries and have shown evidence of creativity by producing original work
• demonstrated that they can produce original work to a high professional standard by completing research-based practical and/or creative projects in their chosen art form
• high-level conceptual and interpretive skills necessary for producing and promoting original work and for solving complex problems as part of this process
• advanced skills to analyse and critically evaluate complex ideas, to set and solve research problems
• demonstrated that they can participate effectively in a creative team
• demonstrated the ability to work within employment structures in their chosen field and identified and demonstrated the ability to pursue some of the employment opportunities available in the creative industries.

Applicants who have successfully completed the Graduate Diploma in Creative Arts or who hold an approved Honours degree or equivalent may be granted up to 36 units of credit. Applicants may be granted up to 36 units of credit for approved, relevant work experience and/or approved, relevant creative products. The maximum credit that will be granted for any combination of the Graduate Diploma in Creative Arts or an approved Honours degree or equivalent, and approved relevant work experience, and approved relevant creative products will be 36 units. 

To qualify for the Master of Creative Arts (Creative Writing), a student must complete 72 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic. The final 36 units in the Master of Creative Arts is made up of the following:

• Between 9 and 27 units of Creative Arts Project topics
• Between 9 and 27 units of Creative Arts Thesis topics
• Students may also choose to complete an optional workshop component, to be undertaken as individual participation in an approved technical and/or specialist short-course workshop.

Option - Year 1 & 2 topics

Select 36 units from:   CREA7711   Reading Like a Writer  (4.5 units)   CREA7718   Theorising Creative Writing  (4.5 units)   CREA7777  Creative Writing Industry Placement  (4.5 units)   CREA8101  Approved Special Project in Creative Arts  (4.5 units)   CREA8102  Special Topic in Creative Arts  (4.5 units)   CREA8103   Graduate Workshop in Creative Writing  (4.5 units)   CREA8104   Special Topic in Creative Arts  (4.5 units)   CREA8105   Special Topic in Creative Arts  (4.5 units)   ENGL7712  Advanced Literary Studies  (4.5 units)   ENGL7713  Advanced Genre Studies  (4.5 units)   ENGL7714  Thinking About Theory  (4.5 units)   ENGL7715  The Public Cultures of Writing  (4.5 units)   ENGL7716  Approved Short Project  (4.5 units)   ENGL7717  Special Honours Topic  (4.5 units) 

Option - Project, thesis and workshop topics

A further 36 units selected from:   CREA9401   Creative Arts Project  (4.5 units)   CREA9401A  Creative Arts Project  (9 units)   CREA9401B  Creative Arts Project  (9 units)   CREA9401C  Creative Arts Project  (9 units)   CREA9402   Creative Arts Thesis  (4.5 units)   CREA9402A  Creative Arts Thesis  (9 units)   CREA9402B  Creative Arts Thesis  (9 units)   CREA9402C  Creative Arts Thesis  (9 units)   CREA9403   Creative Arts Workshop  (4.5 units)

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