BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing

• 96 UCAS points. We accept a full range of qualifications that carry UCAS points, including A-levels, BTECs and T levels. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points. For most courses, we are also able to consider non-tariffable qualifications.
• Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3. Subjects including experience of English language and/or literature are preferred.
• You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English and Mathematics.
• If you don't have the above qualifications but have a strong portfolio of relevant work, we encourage you to apply.
• You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
• If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

This degree gives you a unique and exceptional opportunity to enhance your creative and analytical abilities, developing your imaginative writing talents alongside the critical study of English through literature. We'll help you hone the skills and knowledge to craft confident, evocative and persuasive writing across a range of forms, with live briefs that reflect an industry need for writers of all kinds to produce professional copy to deadline.

Creativity, curiosity and self-motivation are valuable transferable skills, along with the verbal and written communication, time management and organisational attributes sought by employers across many sectors.

What can I do with this qualification?

Many English and Creative Writing graduates seek work as writers on a self-employed freelance basis, building professional portfolio careers. Public and private sector organisations such as educational institutions, retail companies, local and national government, media companies, and charitable organisations employ English and Creative Writing graduates in a range of roles, including teaching, administration, editing and publishing, advertising, journalism, general management and marketing.

You may have ambitions to study for an MA or PhD in a variety of fields, or you may decide to undertake a more vocational route and study a postgraduate course related to teaching, journalism, librarianship, or publishing.

Alternative career options

The qualification can support a range of other career paths. For some of these roles, relevant experience or postgraduate study may be required. Potential careers include:

• Libraries
• Social media management
• Information services
• Leisure and tourism
• Web content production
• Public relations
• Technical writing
• Research
• Strategic communications
• Journalism
• Screen and play writing
• Professional author (novelist/poet/memoirist)

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2020-2021 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For 2020-2021 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2020-2021 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

To support you in reaching your creative and analytical potential, we call on a variety of teaching and learning methods. Lectures introduce selected literary works, and we begin making connections to critical, theoretical and historical contexts that will enrich your understanding. Seminars allow you to explore subjects in greater detail and will incorporate small group working and whole group discussion.

Meanwhile, one-to-one tutorials give you an opportunity to clarify your learning, discuss your assignments and receive feedback on your work. To support your progress on this rich and rewarding degree, we recommend you set significant time aside for independent study such as imaginative writing, library research and background reading, and preparing for seminars, tutorials and module assignments. Of course, we'll provide tailored advice and guidance on finding the self-directed study approaches that best match your study goals and personal preferences.

The University's e-learning portal, Moodle, is a great online learning tool that gives you access to additional resources for each module.

Forms of assessment include portfolios, essays, anthologies, notebook, reviews, presentations, and written reflections upon your creative work, all of which will ultimately contribute to your final module marks. This 'summative' assessment is supported by more formative approaches that do not contribute to grades or marks, but support your progress towards success on this course. For example, personal feedback on your work and contributions, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and helping you find the most effective ways to make the most of your experience with us.

We adopt a blended learning and teaching style, including online delivery and engagement where appropriate.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• Language and Style
• Writing the North
• Writing for Publication
• Critical Reading
• Narrating the Self
• Professional Practice 1
• Culture and Context
• Literary Communities
• Writing for Social Change
• Writing the Fantastic
• Major Project
• Articulating the Body
• Back to the Future
• Professional Practice 2
• Histories, Anxieties and Utopias

Assessment methods

Learning activities

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.