Creative Writing [with Placement year]

Whether you like science fiction or poetry, or want to write for the stage or the screen, our BA (Hons) Creative Writing degree will support your development as a professional writer.

• Explore professional writing techniques and learn to write compelling narratives, whether you want to write poetry, drama, short fiction, or become a copywriter or journalist.

• Get invaluable feedback on all your written work from professional writers, including our teaching staff and Royal Literary Fund fellows, as well as your fellow students.

• Become part of a community of professionals with expertise in drama and performance, film, games development, journalism, publishing, and digital media.

• Attend guest lectures by visiting authors, editors, agents, and other writing industry professionals, as well as events organised by our Cambridge Writing Centre, where you can showcase your writing and make new contacts.

• Prepare for your future career: our Careers in Writing module helps you develop skills wanted by industry and the professional environment, while The Business of Being a Writer will help you understand the path to getting published.

Based in the Cambridge School of Creative Industries, you’ll be surrounded by a network of professionals with expertise in drama and performance, film, games development, journalism, publishing, and digital media.

You’ll explore complex types of communication, digital literacy and innovative storytelling, developing your own skills in these areas and graduating ready for a range of careers including teaching, editing, community arts, arts management, journalism, publishing, copywriting, and the related fields of advertising, film, video production and computer game production.

You’ll get invaluable feedback on all of your written work from professional writers, including our teaching staff and Royal Literary Fund fellows, as well as your fellow students. This will offer you the unique opportunity to consider a range of responses to your writing, as well as sharpening your own critical skills.

In addition you’ll be part of our vibrant ARU writing community, including postgraduates and alumni, who will support you in building your own professional networks and the entrepreneurial skills required for freelancing and portfolio careers.

Guest lectures include visiting authors, editors, agents, and other writing-industry professionals, giving you key insights and networking opportunities.

You can also attend events organised by our Cambridge Writing Centre, including guest talks and live lit jams, where you can showcase your own creative writing and make new contacts in the industry.

You can also choose to study abroad for a semester, with funding available to help cover the cost; which is shown to improve employability, and we'll help you to find placements and work experience. You can even opt for a placement year.

Careers

As a BA (Hons) Creative Writing student you’ll develop many skills besides writing, including literacy, communication, research, creative thinking, self-reliance and teamwork – all of which can help you start a career in many different areas, including film, games development, journalism, publishing, digital media and marketing.

Graduation doesn't have to be the end of your time with us. You might decide to continue on to a Masters course, such as our MA Creative Writing or MA Creative Writing and Publishing. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Year 1 core modules: Introduction to Imaginative Writing; Screenwriting: The Short Film; Multiplatform Storytelling 1; Contemporary Publishing for Writers; Multiplatform Storytelling 2. Year 2 core modules: Ruskin Module; Writing Short Fiction; Careers in Writing: Editing and Copywriting; Writing for the Stage; Writing Creative Non-Fiction. Year 2 optional modules: Film Criticism and Reviewing; Science Fiction; Online Journalism; Performing New Writing; From Script to Screen; Cult Media; Podcasting. Year 3: Work placement. Year 4 core modules: Major Project Writing; Worldbuilding 1 and 2; The Business of Being a Writer: Craft and Professional Practice; Writing Poetry. Year 4 optional modules: Screenwriting: Writing and Selling the Feature Film; Careers with English; Novel Writing: Long-Form Prose; Writing and the Present; Film Journalism; Cultural Politics of Celebrity; Anglia Language Programme. Modules are subject to change and availability.

Many of our assessment methods mirror the process for writers working with editors and others in the publishing industry, with a high level of feedback through workshops and individual attention, in both written and in oral forms. You’ll be encouraged to engage with assessment as part of your learning rather than simply as an evaluation of the successful completion of tasks. Feedback is central to this idea, both in your own critical self-evaluation of your writing and professional progression, and your feedback on the work of fellow students in peer evaluation. Your final assessment in each module will usually consist of a creative piece or pieces, as well as an accompanying critical/reflective commentary, in which you will discuss the context, influences, and processes of your writing. There are no examinations on this course, as we do not believe they do not test the kind of skills you will need for professional practice as a writer.