Creative Writing

If you’re serious about becoming a writer, you’ll find your community at Manchester Writing School. BA (Hons) Creative Writing places you right at the heart of the School, a renowned centre with a proven reputation for developing talented students into award-winning authors.

From day one, you’ll learn from internationally recognised and published writers, poets, novelists, screenwriters, critics and digital creators who will help you explore the craft of writing across a huge range of forms. Whether you’re interested in prose fiction, poetry, screenwriting, spoken word, digital art or even writing for computer games, we have the experience to support you.

As you study with us, you’ll build a distinctive voice, sharpen your creativity and develop the confidence to bring your ideas to life. You’ll take part in workshops, readings, events and practical projects that help you understand how writers work, how stories take shape, and how to share your writing with the world. You’ll also gain valuable professional skills such as pitching ideas, collaborating with others, and developing complex creative projects for a range of audiences.

Manchester is a designated UNESCO City of Literature – studying here means joining a vibrant cultural community filled with festivals, readings, literary organisations and opportunities to connect with the creative industries. It also means inspiration for your writing. By the time you graduate, you’ll have developed a flexible and highly creative skillset that opens doors to careers in writing, publishing, media, the arts and beyond.

This course has a foundation year available.

Features and benefits

• Learn from experts: You’ll learn from the experience and expertise of a wide range of leading poets, novelists and scriptwriters based at The Manchester Writing School, one of the largest and one of the most successful of its kind in the UK.

• Recognised excellence: Ranked 10th in the UK for creative writing (The Guardian University Guide 2026).

• Award-winning educators: Staff include award-winning poets and writers, including winners of the Costa First Novel Award, the Forward Prize and the Ted Hughes Award.

• Build your knowledge: You’ll have access to the many conferences, readings, research programmes, festivals and competitions run by the department.

• Make connections: We’ll help you build your own network among our many partners within the creative and culturally rich, UNESCO City of Literature, Manchester.

• Study abroad: You can take the four-year route, spending a year studying overseas, or boost your career prospects with a placement in industry.

• World-leading research: We are a world-class English department - 70% of our research impact is rated as world-leading (REF21).