Asia-Pacific Writing Partnership

This may be the first attempt ever to compile a comprehensive list of creative writing and translation programs throughout the region. This list is a work in progress.  If you know of university programs that should be added, or information here that should be amended, please email jane.camens@apwriters.com.

 Australia

 A list of Australia’s university Creative Writing programs is available from the Australian Association of Writing Programs.

 Brunei

Universiti Brunei Darussalam offers two units in Creative Writing within an English Major.

China

Translation is a required course for undergraduate students majoring in English in China. Many English departments in Chinese universities offer literary translation at postgraduate level, especially in the curriculum Master of Translation and Interpreting.

Hong Kong SAR, China

The City University of Hong Kong’s English Department will offer an international low-residency Master of Fine Arts in English (with a focus on Asian prose and poetry in English) starting Summer 2010. The university also offers undergraduate units in Creative Writing . Additionally, it offers two creative writing scholarships on the Bachelor of Arts(Hons.) Degree in English for Professional Communication (BAEPC).

The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s English Department offers undergraduate units in Creative Writing (a poetry course); Reading and Writing Short Stories; Writing for the Stage; Writing for the Screen; Writing a Life Between Languages. CUHK’s Chinese Department also offers undergrad units in Creative Writing.  CUHK also houses the excellent Research Centre for Translation.

Hong Kong Baptist University houses the International Writers Workshop which provides space for invited international writers (mainly Chinese).

University of Hong Kong’s Department of English offers a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing.

HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE) occasionally offers part-time short creative writing courses, subject to tutor availability.

Lingnan University’s  Department of Translation offers a Master of Arts (MA) and doctorates in literary translation and translation theory and criticism. (Hong Kong literature is the main subject of study.)

Hong Kong Polytechnic University offers related writing units that hover between arts and sciences and subscribed to by writers, comic book creators, screenplay writers and game designers. They are Storytelling – a one-semester credit course leading to a BA; Story Development – a one-semester credit course leading to an MSc; Masterclass Writer – an open-to-the-public course, one semester, leading to a certificate.

Indonesia

Macau SAR, China

The University of Macau offers a Master of Arts in Translation Studies and units in Creative Writing at undergraduate, masters and post-graduate levels.

New Zealand

A list of New Zealand’s university Creative Writing programs is available from the Australian Association of Writing Programs

India

A number of universities in India offer units at undergraduate level in creative writing, but no university in India that we have been able to identify offers a degree in Creative Writing at postgraduate level. (One Indian member expressed the opinion of many others, saying, ‘The situation is appalling! That’s why people leave for foreign universities when it comes to Creative Writing.’

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Diploma in Creative Writing in English and Hindi. The School of Humanities of  IGNOU also runs courses such as PG Diploma in Translation, through distance education.  

University of Hyderabad (earlier known as the Central Institute of Foreign Languages in Hyderabad) offers a unit in Creative Writing  and Translation Studies.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi offers optional courses in both Translation studies and Creative Writing in the graduate programmes in Centre for English Studies.

Jadavpur University’s Department of English is running an optional CW course for eighteen weeks (one semester) for third year graduate and second year postgraduate students. Taught by Rimi B. Chatterjee, Senior Lecturer in English, Jadavpur University.

Foundation for Liberal and Management Education (FLAME), Pune, Maharashtra. (units only)

Japan

(We would be pleased to learn of any courses or units in Creative writing taught in Japanese.)

Temple University which is actually an American university (a branch of the Temple U. in Pennsylvania) offers undergraduate credit-bearing courses in poetry, fiction and nonfiction through the English department (in English)

Yokohama City University offers undergraduate creative writing classes in the Advanced English program (in English)

Sophia University offers at least one undergraduate creative writing class (in English)

Tokai University offers creative writing classes in the undergraduate school of letters (possibly in Japanese?)

Korea

Konyang University offers two majors: one is Korean Language and Literature Major, Creative Writing Major; the other.

Koran University Graduate School. The Department of Creative Writing offers M.A. and Ph.Ds. It is a growing and dynamic program made up entirely of established writers and poets. Courses are designed for all students in the language arts, and they emphasize developing each student’s skills and talents.

Myong Ji University has a Department of Creative writing which takes gifted applicants from across the nation and nurtures their interests and talents through a four-year program entailing intensive training in such diverse subjects as poetry, fiction, drama, essays, as well as broadcast writing and editing techniques.

Nepal

Pokhara University has some writing courses at the Master’s level.

Papua New Guinea

University of Papua New Guinea offers one creative writing unit at first year level (undergrad). The other 5 universities in PNG do not have any creative writing programs.

Philippines

Ateneo Institute of Literary Arts and Practices (AILAP), Ateneo de Manila University. Translation units offered in the Master of Arts in Literature (Filipino).

De La Salle University, Manila. Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center.  Also undergraduate courses at De La Salle University, Manila: College of Liberal Arts.  De La Salle University also offers courses in translating and interpreting:   (contact:  fortunatot@dlsu.edu.ph)

Likhaan: The University of the Philippines Institute of Creative Writing

University of the Philippines College of Arts and Letters (UP-KAL) offers both a Master of Arts and PhD in Creative Writing

University of the Philippines Baguio, College of Arts and Communications, within the BA of Language and Literature offers 3 units of translation ( LL 124)

University of Santo Tomas (UST) Centre for Creative Writing and Studies

Online Resource Centre for Filipino Writers & Readers

Silliman University offers undergraduate courses and an MA in Creative Writing.

Singapore

The National University of Singapore ‘is planning to develop a Creative Writing program with three strands – poetry writing, playwriting and prose writing’