Arts and Science courses

About Graduate Diploma In Creative Writing in Whitireia Community Polytechnic

Designed for experienced writers, you will work towards developing a manuscript – fiction, poetry, script or non-fiction – appropriate for submission to a publisher. Receive excellent mentoring and assessment from experienced writers and valuable feedback from workshopping with other students.

You can enrol on the Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing as a stand-alone one year, full-time diploma, or it can be credited towards the third year of the Bachelor of Applied Arts (Creative Writing).

Programme outline

Work with your tutor on:

• craft and technique within your chosen genre 
• strengthening the idea 
• taking imaginative risk 
• understanding the writing process 
• planning and research 
• reading and critique within your selected genre 
• rewriting and editing 
• knowledge and appreciation of the publishing/production process

The courses are delivered full-time over two trimesters and consist of one 15 credit course, two 30 credit courses and one 45 credit course.

Writing Process (30 credits)
To assist writers to undertake the planning and development of a writing project

Writing Project: Workshop (30 credits)
To assist writers to strengthen their critiquing skills by analysing their peers’ work and a selection of works by published authors. To advance analytical skills necessary for developing the writer’s own work.

Writing Project: Manuscript (45 credits)
To consolidate technical and creative skills to produce a major writing project of a standard suitable to submit to a publisher.

Revising and rewriting (15 credits)
To develop analytical skill for the critique of a writer’s own work and revise work in response to critical analysis.

Our cross-genre classes provide a large amount of self-directed time for writing as well as structure and support for a first time manuscript writer. They are delivered as either a monthly weekend class or a weekly class. At the time of application these options will be discussed with you. 

Academic qualification equivalents

• Tertiary qualification or evidence of skill in writing based on submitted written work, outline/sample of the major project and interview

English language requirements (one of the below):

IELTS:Minimum IELTS 6.0 (no lower than 5.5 in any band), or equivalent
Please note, some Whitireia degree level programmes require a higher level of English language competence. 

TOEFL iBT : 60 - 90

PTE: 40 - 65

Whitireia Community Polytechnic Highlights

Whitireia New Zealand Tuition Fees

New Zealand Living Expenses

In addition to your tuition and insurance fees, you will need between $20,000 and $25,000 per year ($380–480 per week) for accommodation/rent, food expenses, transportation costs, phone bills, internet usage and entertainment. No matter what your tuition or course fee is, the average living expense will be same for everyone. Please note that these amounts are just recommendations, Immigration New Zealand requirement is $15,000 per year plus return airfare or additional $2,000.

• MBA
• Accounting
• Education
• Economics
• Arts and Science
• Biotechnology
• Computer Science & IT
• Environmental Sciences
• Finance
• Science
• Human Resource Management
• Marketing
• Nursing
• Psychology
• Movie,Acting and Photography
• Biology
• Business Administration
• Chemistry
• Journalism
• Health Science
• View all courses