Curriculum MFA Programme in Literary Composition, Poetry and Prose

The programme aims to develop the student’s literary creative abilities and professional competence within the field of literature, as well as to provide an introduction to artistic research in the subject of Literary Composition.

The education forms a multilingual Nordic literary space where students from different Nordic countries meet and discuss texts in Swedish, Danish, Nynorsk, Bokmål, and Finland-Swedish.

Upon completion of the programme, the student will be well prepared to work professionally as a writer.

Bachelor's Degree of at least 180 credits or equivalent. In addition, an approved portfolio is required.

Degree of Master of Fine Arts (120 credits) in Literary Composition

(Konstnärlig masterexamen i Litterär gestaltning).

The programme is offered as two years of full-time study.

The focus lies on the development of the students' own literary expression. Reading of Nordic and international literature and theory is fundamental, as are discussions of the students’ own literary texts. The education is multilingual throughout; students may use Swedish, Norwegian (Nynorsk or Bokmål), Danish, or Finland-Swedish as their spoken and written working language.

Reading practices are continuously presented and developed through group text discussions (oral essayistics), seminars, lectures, and individual supervision. Various meanings of reading as practice run as a thematic thread through the programme. Course literature is defined on an ongoing basis in dialogue with the students. The students play an active role in selecting and engaging with the invited authors and lecturers. Topics such as poetics, literary translation, and hybrid forms are central to the programme.

Another important aspect is the programme’s connection to artistic research. Insights into what artistic research can be and do are provided throughout the education, not least through presentations and readings of projects within the field.

During the final semester, students complete a degree project that places their own literary practice in relation to literary and/or theoretical production.

The degree project is both individual and collective, involving work with literature both as readers of others’ work-in-progress and as authors of their own fiction. The project is finalised during the last semester and presented publicly in both oral and written form.

About Elective Programme Courses

The programme includes elective courses organised by the department. These courses give students the opportunity to explore practice-based methods, theories and perspectives within the artistic field, and to develop experience relevant to their future professional practice. In these courses, students from different programmes come together, creating space for the exchange of experiences related to artistic processes and working methods. Students apply for elective courses based on an annually established course offering.

The programme includes the following required courses:

Year 1

Semester 1

Literary Work: Genres, 30 credits

Semester 2

Literary Work: Poetics, 15 credits

Research, Hybrid Forms, 7.5 credits

Elective Course, 7.5 credits

Year 2

Semester 3

The Practices of Reading: Differences and

Transpositions, 30 credits

Semester 4

To Write is to Read: Positions and Directions, 30 credits (Contains the Master's Degree Project).

General outcomes for Degree of Master in Fine Arts (120 credits)

According to Higher Education Ordinance (see SFS 1993:100, System of Qualifications, Annex 2):

For a Degree of Master in Fine Arts (120 credits) the student shall:

Knowledge and Understanding

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the main field of study, including both broad knowledge of the field and a considerable degree of specialised knowledge in areas of the field as well as specialised insight into current research and development work
• demonstrate familiarity with methods and processes for dealing with complex phenomena, issues and situations in the field

Competence and Skills

• demonstrate the ability to formulate new issues autonomously and creatively and contribute to the formation of knowledge, solve more advanced problems, develop new forms of personal expression as well as to reflect critically on their artistic approach and that of others in the main field of study
• demonstrate the ability to create and execute their own ideas with their own personal expression, to identify, formulate and solve artistic and creative problems autonomously and also to plan and undertake advanced artistic tasks using appropriate methods within predetermined time frames
• demonstrate the ability both nationally and internationally to clearly present and discuss their works and artistic issues in speech, writing or in other ways and in dialogue with different audiences
• demonstrate the competence and knowledge required to work autonomously in a professional capacity

Judgement and Approach

• demonstrate the ability to make assessments in the main field of study informed by relevant artistic, social and ethical issues
• demonstrate insight into the role of art in society
• demonstrate the ability to identify the need for further knowledge and take responsibility for their ongoing learning.

This programme syllabus (GU 2025/1244) applies to students admitted in the autumn semester 2026 or later.

Students who began the programme before the autumn semester of 2026 and have incomplete courses according to the previous programme syllabus have the right to complete those courses through additional examination sessions, for up to two years after the courses have been changed or discontinued. Students who still have incomplete courses after that period will complete the programme according to the current syllabus and course structure. An individual study plan for the remaining parts of the programme may be required.

The language of instruction is Swedish, Finland-Swedish, Danish, Norwegian (Nynorsk and Bokmål, and English.

The study programme will be followed up and evaluated in accordance with the applicable Policy for the Quality Assurance and Continuous Quality Improvement of Education at the University of Gothenburg.

A student who follows the programme at the regular pace is guaranteed admission to the courses within the programme. Guaranteed admission at University of Gothenburg consists of two kinds, it can be general or limited.

The programme applies a limited guaranteed admission to the elective programme courses, which means that it is not possible to guarantee admission according to the student’s ranking order of selected elective courses. However, the student is always guaranteed admission to one of the elective courses given at the department the current semester.