Creative Writing with Professional Placement

Experiment with all forms of writing to develop your writing voice.

Do you dream of writing for page, stage or screen? You’ll be encouraged to experiment with all written forms and genres, exploring non-fiction, fiction, poetry, children’s literature and writing for digital games. By analysing the most vital contemporary writing within the context of a rich literary, historical and theoretical past, you’ll develop your authentic voice and can specialise to maximise your creative potential. You’ll learn to draft, edit and pitch your work, graduating with a powerful portfolio and a wealth of industry contacts.

You will:
Produce illustrated anthologies, organise mini-festivals or work with a business as part of a collaborative project
Attend our guest lecture series, where you’ll have the chance to build contacts within all facets of the literary world
Have the opportunity to attend and participate in literary events such as Falmouth Book Festival and the North Cornwall Book Festival
Take inspiration from The Lighthouse – the glorious workspace at the heart of our community – which hosts everything from skills and craft workshops to board game sessions, literary quizzes and poetry readings
Use the stunning natural surroundings as inspiration for the writing process
Contribute to a vibrant, thriving writing community through FalWriting, our student-led online magazine, or by reading your work at our literary evenings

This Creative Writing degree seeks to capture and analyse the most vital contemporary writing (across all formats and media) within the context of a rich literary, historical and theoretical past. You'll learn, debate and create literary work under the guidance of industry professionals, whether in The Lighthouse, our state-of-the-art campus facilities, or any of our immediate and beautiful natural spaces.

By customising your learning journey you will fully maximise your creative potential. Find your writing voice and focus on your strengths. Make personal connections with industry and community partners through collaborative projects, which will springboard your professional journey from university to your desired industry.

Year one
The first year of the degree gives you a grounding in the basics of creative writing, english literature and publishing – all key areas for aspiring writers to be familiar with. But along with the introduction you need, this Creative Writing BA also challenges and breaks the norms of most creative writing degrees. Each week, you'll have a mix of lectures, workshops and tutorials.

Modules
Writing: Craft and Contexts
Breaking the Rules: Remix and Writing Back
Exploding the Canon: Writing Then & Now
Literatures of Revolution
Publishing Cultures
Publishing Studio: Technologizing the Word

Year two
Your second year is all about narrowing down to your specialisation, building on two core modules on working as a writer and a collaborative project. You’ll then be able to branch out into different creative writing types to hone your skills in your optional modules. Your core modules will explore how to plan a project, pitch it and creating your professional writing profile, alongside delivering a dynamic collaborative project with your peers. The optional modules in year two will give you the opportunity to grow your writing abilities in different specialisms. You’ll then hone your creative, analytical, critiquing and writing skills and learn how to research, plan, pitch and build a professional profile.

Modules
Writing Project: Making Your Voice Heard
Collaborative Project

Optional modules
Screenwriting
Poetry
Games
Satire & Scandal
Fiction
Creative Non-Fiction
Radio & Theatre
Magic and the Impossible

Year three
You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the employability team. Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying.

How you’ll study during your professional placement
You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks.

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation.

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth.

Year four
Harnessing the knowledge and skills you’ve honed throughout your degree, in your final year you’ll work on a dissertation and portfolio, allowing you to create a critical and sustained piece of work. You’ll also choose from optional modules during the year, and you’ll study a module in experimentation and adaptation.

Modules
Portfolio
Experiment and Adaption
Post-Digital Content

Optional modules
Beyond Humans: Writing in the Anthropocene
Crime & Dark Fiction
Children & Young Adult
Innovations

As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website.

100% of your assessment will be coursework.

Assessment methods
Coursework and e-learning exercises.
Live creative industry briefs.
Final-year creative writing portfolio.