English & Creative Writing with Professional Placement

Join a celebration of literature and writing and experiment in all forms.

This course is a celebration of literature, where you’ll develop the ability and confidence to write for specific genres, forms and audiences. You’ll read critically and widely, analyse and create in equal measure and build the technical and imaginative thinking skills valued by employers across any number of careers. Follow a literary journey that culminates in the most vivid contemporary writing before specialising in chosen areas such as poetry, drama, fiction or non-fiction – making your own contribution through University publications or projects with our industry partners.

You will:
Learn, debate and create under the guidance of academics, industry professionals and diverse guest speakers
Design and run a collaborative project such as a sitcom, podcast or illustrated anthology, working with business, education and community partners
Attend our guest lecture series, where you’ll build relationships and contacts within all facets of the literary world
Participate in literary events, such as Falmouth Book Festival and the North Cornwall Book Festival
Take inspiration from The Lighthouse – the workspace at the heart of our community
Gain industry-ready skills by writing, editing or promoting FalWriting, our student-led online magazine
Use our state-of-the-art Soundhouse and edit suites to record audience ready productions

Learn, debate and create under the guidance of leading academics, industry professionals and diverse guest speakers, whether in The Lighthouse, our state-of-the-art campus facilities, or any of our immediate and beautiful natural spaces.

By making your own choices, you'll build skills in areas like poetry, fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting, and digital games. Be the voice of your community by writing, editing or promoting Falwriting – our student-led online magazine – gaining vital (and CV-boosting), industry-ready skills.

Live collaborative projects will allow you to make priceless personal connections. Work directly with industry, educational, and community partners, creating a clear path to your desired industry or area of further academic study.

Year one:
During the first year of BA English & Creative Writing, you'll explore the basics of creative writing, english literature and publishing – all key areas for aspiring writers to be familiar with. While providing an introduction to the subject, this course also breaks the mould of most English degrees. Each week, you'll learn through a mix of lectures, workshops and tutorials.

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

Year two:
Your second year is all about narrowing down to your specialisation, building on two core modules addressing contemporary literature 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 key issues, 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
Society & the Self
Collaborative Project

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

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. For these projects, you’ll have weekly tutorials with your supervisor, giving you a close focus on your own writing.

Modules
Dissertation and Portfolio
Experiment and Adaptation
Writing Now: Prize Winners, Bestsellers & Controversial Content
Optional
We Have Never Been Human
Crime and Dark Fiction
Children and Young Adult
Innovation

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. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.

100% of your assessment will be coursework.

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