Recession boosts Professional Writing MA numbers

An University College Falmouth product story

Edited by the Marketingweek Marketplace editorial team Mar 16, 2009

University College Falmouth has revealed that the recession is drawing many highly qualified people seeking a fresh direction into taking its MA in Professional Writing.

As the UK economy reels in the wake of corporate bankruptcies and massive job cuts, many professionals - or recently ex-professionals - are re-evaluating their lifestyles and goals.

And while redundancy, or the threat of it, can be a source of intense anxiety, for some it is proving to be a catalyst for a new and more fulfilling career.

At University College Falmouth, the MA in Professional Writing course has been receiving rising numbers of applications from well-qualified people rediscovering aspirations to write for a living, including accountants, company directors, an airline manager and a corporate lawyer working for hedge funds in London.

With graduates from the course now working in many different writing and editorial roles, one of the main attractions of the MA is its realistic focus on ways in which writers can actually make money from their work.

Christina Bunce who heads the MA course, said: 'Writing courses have come in for a lot of stick from critics who say they are a waste of time.

'But the evidence of our graduates suggests that there is a growing awareness in the business world - from banks to telecoms companies - that strong writing skills make for good business outcomes.

'Many organisations are now recognising that improving the ways they use writing to communicate, both to external audiences and internally, can give them a real competitive edge.

From this year, the MA Professional Writing is also being offered as a part-time, home-learning option over two years, making it easier for people to take the course while continuing to work or look after children.

The course team - which is made up entirely of successful practising writers - is also running a one-week summer school in Falmouth in July, aimed at introducing people to the same range of writing skills as are developed in more depth on the MA (for fiction and non-fiction books, screenwriting, copywriting for business and features journalism).