City University London announces UK's first degree tailored to aspiring crime novelists
New Crime Thriller MA to run in September 2012.
City University London has announced that it will be launching the country's first ever Master's Degree dedicated to crime thriller writing, in response to student demand and the increasing popularity of the genre.
Crime fiction is the second highest selling genre in the UK according to Nielsen Bookscan 2011 data, after general fiction, with crime and thriller novel sales worth £87.6m.
City's new Crime Thriller Novels MA will be the first of its kind in the UK to offer students the opportunity to produce a full length crime thriller novel, while learning genre specific techniques through a series of workshops and seminars taught by professional writers.
Programme Director Jonathan Myerson says that crime fiction is a truly unique style of writing that is gaining increasing literary acceptance.
"Crime fiction is an increasingly popular genre. With writers like Tom Rob Smith and A. D. Miller appearing on Man Booker Prize long- and short-lists, the literary acceptance of the genre has never been higher.
"There is much talk that we are entering a second golden age of crime writing. Though this time the country house has been replaced by the inner city estate. Social relevance is a major factor, as too is the quality and craftsmanship of the writing.
"Building on our existing popular Creative Writing Masters Programmes, we recognised that there was interest from students in developing the specific genre skills related to crime fiction writing. With this new programme we will offer specific modules with published crime writers.
The course will look at all the key sub-genres from police procedurals to psychological thrillers, concentrating on how to craft a convincing plot, what creates contemporary suspense and new ways to tackle new crimes.
More information on the new degree including details on how to apply can be found at: http://www.city.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/creative-writing-novels.
Media enquiries should be directed to Hollie Jenkins in City University London's Press Office on 020 7040 8783 or at hollie.jenkins.1@city.ac.uk
