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English Literature with Creative Writing BA (Hons)

UCAS code: Q2W9

Raring to refine your creative writing and dive into fascinating literature topics and time periods? Our English literature with creative writing degree allows just that. Sharpen your skills when writing poetry and short stories, and boost your critical reading.

Overview

Course length: 3 years full-time
6 years part-time
Start dates: September 2023
September 2024
Location: Edge Hill University
Example offers: BBC-BBB (A Level) or DMM (BTEC) View full entry criteria
Subject(s): English
Faculty: Arts and Sciences
Department: English and Creative Arts
Five students walk through Hale Hall together.

Be inspired by contemporary and classic works from world-renowned authors. We’ll cover theoretical and critical approaches and give you opportunities to apply them practically.

You’ll look back at important texts, putting their key themes under the microscope. How do superstition, sexuality and religion contribute to Renaissance drama? How do authors develop in relation to the historical and cultural changes around them?

We’ll show you how to read as a writer. You’ll also learn to reflect, which will develop your creative writing skills and philosophy. Find your style of writing and understand how to use language creatively to tell your tales.

Gain transferable skills that will be invaluable during your degree and essential to future employers. In your final year, you can design, research and complete a dissertation on the literature topic of your choice.

Course features

  • International students can apply

  • Learn a language option available

  • Sandwich year option available

  • Studying abroad option available

What you'll study

Develop your understanding of literature in theory and practice. We’ll introduce you to the theories and methods of reading literature against different perspectives to see how they compare. Also, you’ll be introduced to the art of writing fiction and poetry so you can start to compose short stories and observational poems.

Compulsory modules:

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Critical Theories
Form
Literary History
Introduction to Fiction
Introduction to Poetry
Ways of Reading

Two of:

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Form
Literary History
Language 1

You’ll further your understanding of reading and writing poetry, encouraging you to expand your portfolio of poems. We’ll develop your knowledge from the Renaissance to Romanticism to get an understanding of past works. Exploring the techniques of writing short stories and the art of poetry you’ll also choose additional modules. These include introducing you to graphic novels and focusing on the work of a single author.

Compulsory modules:

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The Art of Poetry
Writing Short Stories

Four of:

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Contemporary American Literature
Literature Dissertation Project
Pilgrim’s Progress: British Children’s Literature from the 18th Century to the Present Day
Renaissance Drama
Romanticism
Special Author 1
Special Topic 1
The Graphic Novel
Language 2

Building on your knowledge of texts from Victorian to modern times, you’ll experiment with a range of poetic styles and produce longer form works of your own. Try your hand at writing novel chapters, complex stories or screenwriting. We’ll also give you the option to design and develop a dissertation to boost your independent learning. At the same time, you’ll select modules that cover a range of themes, including taking part in a group project.

80 credits from:

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Contemporary Literature in English
Hosting a Festival
Literature Dissertation
Modernisms
Sexuality and Subversion
Special Author 2
Special Topic 2
The Victorians at Work
Language 3

Two of:

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Advanced Fiction
Poetry and Innovative Form
The Art of Screenwriting

Optional modules provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.

How you'll study

English Literature modules are delivered using a combination of lectures and seminars, workshops, group activities, independent research and our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). As well as module and seminar tutors, personal tutors and year tutors will support you through your studies.

Teaching and learning for Creative Writing modules is centred on the writer’s workshop where there is a strong emphasis on participation. You will learn the habits of a professional writer, including keeping a writer’s journal, undertaking research and observation, re-drafting and editing text, and presenting work to a high standard. Self and peer appraisal are important, as are paired and small group work. Modules are underpinned by a sense of an audience – ranging from a student’s seminar group through electronic and paper publication to performance.

Timetables for your first week are normally available at the end of August prior to enrolment in September. You can expect to receive your timetable for the rest of the academic year during your first week. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities.

How you'll be assessed

You will be assessed primarily through a combination of essays, short analyses, reports and close readings, oral presentations and group work for English Literature modules, alongside creative practice, critical practice and reflection for Creative Writing modules. Emphasis is placed on work produced in your own time or formally presented in class.

Who will be teaching you

You will be taught by an enthusiastic and approachable team of English Literature tutors and professional writers whose work has been widely published, broadcast and staged.

Members of the programme team have been successful in winning national research awards from bodies such as the British Academy, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and The Leverhulme Trust.

Creative Writing staff also publish and/or edit a variety of academic and literary journals, including the Journal of British and Irish Innovative PoetryShort Fiction in Theory and Practice and 21: Journal of Contemporary and Innovative Fiction.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Typical offer 112-120 UCAS Tariff points. No specific subjects are required.

Example offers

Qualification Requirement
A Level BBC-BBB.
BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications) Distinction, Merit, Merit (DMM).
T Level Overall grade of Merit.
International Baccalaureate (IB) We are happy to accept IB qualifications which achieve the required number of UCAS Tariff points. Subject-specific requirements at Higher Level (HL) Grade 5 may apply.
Access to Higher Education Diploma 45 credits at Level 3, for example 15 credits at Distinction and 30 credits at Merit or 24 credits at Distinction and 21 credits at Merit. The required total can be attained from various credit combinations.

Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.

If you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven't been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.

English language requirements

International students require IELTS 6.0, with a score no lower than 5.5 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.

If your current level of English is half a band, one band, or one-and-a-half bands lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.

How to apply

Apply full-time

Apply online through UCAS

Read our guide to applying through UCAS to find out more about the application process.

Apply part-time

Apply directly to Edge Hill University

Complete our online application form if you want to study this course on a part-time basis.

International

Apply as an international student

Please see our international student pages for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.

Did you know?

If you join a full time undergraduate degree at Edge Hill University, we will guarantee you the offer of a room in our halls of residence for the first year of your course.

Discover our accommodation

Facilities

Creative EdgeThe Department of English and Creative Arts is based in Creative Edge, a state-of-the-art £17million building offering highly contemporary facilities.

The £17 million Creative Edge building features a lecture theatre, seminar rooms, IT facilities and smaller tutorial spaces. It has everything you need to become a capable, versatile, creative writer and thinker. Creative Edge’s social learning spaces are ideal for passionate discussion with like-minded creatives.

You’ll develop the practical skills, analytical tools and confidence for wherever your creative flair and insight takes you.

Where you'll study

Creative Edge

Finance

Tuition fees

UK Full-Time

£9,250

a year

UK Part-Time

£77 per credit

for 360 credits

International

£15,500

a year

The UK tuition fee rate is subject to final Government approval for academic year 2023/24 entry. The University may administer a small inflationary rise in tuition fees, in line with Government policy, in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.

Financial support

Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional funding to help with living costs.

Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). If you are an EU student who does not have settled or pre-settled status, or are an international student from a non-EU country, please see our international student finance pages.

Your future career

Our English literature with creative writing degree helps you discover the type of career you’ll want to move into. You’ll leave us with a set of communication, creative and analytical skills that can transfer to sectors such as:

  • teaching (further training required)
  • speech therapy (further training required)
  • publishing
  • journalism
  • library and archival work
  • media
  • heritage and museums

Some of our English literature graduates have gone on to further study or research to specialise in a particular area, or to pursue an academic career. Others have applied for rewarding roles such as:

  • Senior production editor
  • Communications assistant
  • Whole school literacy coordinator
  • Talent coordinator

Our students have refined their critical thinking during their time with us. This degree provides a solid foundation for a diverse range of careers and industries that require written and verbal communications.

Course changes

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.

Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Track changes to this course

Discover Uni: Full-Time Study

Discover Uni: Part-Time Study

Download our course leaflet