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Creative Writing and English Literature (including foundation year)

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

English Language at grade C (grade 4) or above (or equivalent)

UCAS Tariff

32

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

6 years | Part-time day | 2024

Subjects

Creative writing

English literature

**Why study this course?**

Our Creative Writing and English Literature (including foundation year) BA degree is the perfect preparation for undergraduate study and a career in the creative industries if you don’t have the necessary requirements to enter the three-year degree. On completion of this course, you’ll graduate with the same title and qualification as students who started on the three-year course.

On this four-year course, you’ll learn the skills that will form the foundation for academic study, while providing you with techniques and theoretical knowledge used by creative writers and publishers.

**More about this course**

Our undergraduate course with a foundation year combines the disciplines of creative writing and literature. You’ll get the unique opportunity to develop your own distinct creative writing style, while gaining an understanding of literary history and major genres in poetry, drama and prose.

Our staff will offer exceptional support throughout your degree to ensure that you settle into university life and succeed academically. When you join the university, you’ll be assigned an academic mentor and tutor who will offer one-to-one support and be your first port of call if you need any help. There will also be opportunities to take advantage of workshops that will enhance your academic and employability skills.

The foundation year, or Year 0, is designed to prepare you for the challenge of studying at undergraduate level. You’ll share this year with students from other disciplines, which will provide you with the unique opportunity to network with students from other courses and learn about their academic interests. During this year, you’ll focus on developing critical thinking, academic writing and research skills by exploring the themes of society, media, current affairs and other topics. Your tutors will help you develop your ability to engage in academic debate and critically assess arguments, which will be vital for further study at undergraduate level.

The foundation year is also excellent preparation for study of the English literature and creative writing, as you will take a specialised module. On this module you’ll read and examine key creative texts written about London in the past and present, develop your own writing voice through journal observations and engage in creative writing tasks in and out of class.

Your final three years will focus on creative writing techniques and engage you in the comprehensive study of literary material, themes and genres. Learn more about the Creative Writing and English Literature BA by visiting our UCAS page or our website.

Modules

Example Year 0 modules include:

Critical Thinking
Interventions for Change
Media, Crime and 'Race'
Reflecting on Self and Society
Researching Discrimination
Researching Inequality (core)
Social Issues in Context: Text to Essay

Example Year 1 modules include:

Poetic Form and Genre
Romantics to Victorians
Theatre and Performance: History and Craft
Writer's World

Example Year 2 modules include:

Victorians to Moderns
Writing and Editing Fiction and Non-fiction
Publishing and the Book: Then and Now
The Writer's Craft

Example Year 3 modules include:

Modern's to Contemporaries
Project
Why Literature Matters
Publishing and the Book
The Writer's Craft 2

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through a variety of assessments. These may include portfolios of reflective writing, essays, reports, presentations and exams.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£19,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£19,250
per year
International
£19,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£19,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Holloway

Department:

School of Art, Architecture and Design

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

64%
Creative writing
64%
English literature

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Creative writing

Teaching and learning

71%
Staff make the subject interesting
71%
Staff are good at explaining things
64%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
71%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
93%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
35%
Male students
65%
Female students
80%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
A

Literature in english

Teaching and learning

71%
Staff make the subject interesting
71%
Staff are good at explaining things
64%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
71%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
93%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
34%
Male students
66%
Female students
80%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Creative writing

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

91%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

The jobs market for this subject - which includes creative writing and scriptwriting courses - is not currently one of the strongest, so unemployment rates are currently looking quite high overall, with salaries on the lower side. But nevertheless, most graduates get jobs quickly. Graduates often go into careers as authors and writers and are also found in other roles where the ability to write well is prized, such as journalism, translation, teaching and advertising and in web content. Be aware that freelancing and self-employment is common is common in the arts, as are what is termed 'portfolio careers', having several part-time jobs or commissions at once - although graduates from this subject were a little more likely than many other creative arts graduates to be in conventional full time permanent contracts, so that might be worth bearing in mind.

Literature in english

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

91%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Creative writing

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£21k

£21k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Literature in english

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£21k

£21k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here