Course overview

Creative and media writing is a dynamic and innovative degree, encompassing history, philosophy, psychology, literature and the professional workings of the writing industry; it is a thorough grounding in storytelling, from the opening sentence to the happy ending.

Covering the sonnet to the blog, the fairytale to the film script, the epic poem to the advertising tag line, you will gain skills in writing a magazine article, the techniques of creating TV drama and the tricks of developing a stage play. You will explore autobiography and travel writing, postmodernism and publicity campaigns, study the historical novel and children’s fiction, then produce original pieces inspired by what you learn. You will also perform your own poetry, write song lyrics and post online reviews.

Portsmouth has a rich literary history being the birthplace of Charles Dickens, the original home of Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) and HG Wells, who began his career here. The city has a lively, creative optimism and has undergone significant regeneration in the last ten years, making it one of the most dynamic places on the south coast.

Course content

Working with both the oldest stories in the book and developments in new media, you will receive comprehensive training in creative and media writing by a team of published authors, poets, scriptwriters and media specialists.

As an academic discipline, the course entails the writing of critical essays and seminar papers; as a creative subject, it encourages the reading of stories, poems, scripts and articles aloud, giving and receiving feedback in practical workshops. Fused together, the possibilities of this course are rich.

You will study an exciting range of units throughout your studies. Some are core units, taken by everyone, and some are specialised units chosen by you. Units include:

Year one

• True Stories
• Telling Tales
• Tips, Tricks and Techniques
• Professional Writing
• Media Writing One

Year two

• The Short Story
• The Script
• The Magazine
• Poetry for Page and Stage
• Writing for Children
• Print Cultures
• Media Propoganda
• Media Writing Two

Year three

• Creative Writing Dissertation
• Travel Writing
• The Literary Journalist
• Creative Writing Project
• Fact and Fiction
• Celebrity Cultures
• Fandom

Teaching and assessment

Students at Portsmouth experience considerable intellectual freedom and choice. Specialist options are built into the programme to enable a great degree of autonomy and personal exploration. in addition, the dissertation or special exercise (worth a third of the total mark during the final year) is based on a topic that you select. By attending workshops, seminars, lectures and one-to-one tutorials, you will develop a range of techniques and skills that will be of use in the wider world of employment.

Assessment takes many forms on the course. You can be assessed via a short story, a novel in progress, a screenplay, a collection of poems, a magazine pitch or a public relations campaign. You might also sit an exam, write a report or develop a research portfolio. Overall, we have sought to develop a range of assessments that allow you to demonstrate a variety of skills and talents.

We encourage our students to actively seek work experience and extracurricular activities if they wish to pursue a career working in or with the media and creative industries.

Career prospects

You will graduate with the knowledge, practical skills and market awareness to succeed in an array of creative and professional industries, from film and television to print and online media; from public relations and advertising to theatre.

Possible career destinations include:

• creative writing (prose, poetry, script)
• copywriting
• publishing
• advertising and marketing
• arts and events management
• local and community broadcasting
• teaching

Increasingly, many of our students also pursue postgraduate study.

Facilities and features

As well as access to University-wide facilities, such as the award-winning library and Students' Union, you will also enjoy subject-specific facilities. These include:

• theatres and rehearsal rooms
• music practice rooms
• television production and editing spaces
• cinema-style lecture theatres
• fully-equipped seminar and presentation rooms

The School is currently undergoing a multi-million pound building expansion programme, which includes plans to extend the New Theatre Royal. This will put us at the centre of the city's regeneration and make us a hub for the region's creative and cultural industries.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) Creative and Media Writing for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).