Creative WritingBA Hons

Charles Dickens was born here, Sherlock Holmes was created here, H.G. Wells travelled here in his ‘time machine’, and many tourists wander our timeless shores inked with seaside tales. If there could be an ideal birthplace for your creative writing career, let it be Portsmouth.

Every lecture, seminar, and event on our Creative Writing degree course will inspire you to develop your writing voice, from stories and poetry to plays and screenplays. Learn about the theory behind the art of writing and discover the history of storytelling and narrative, guided by a team of industry and research experts spanning writing, media and performance. You can also broaden your writing experience by studying abroad and going on an optional professional placement.

By the end of the course, you’ll have the versatile writing skills to take you to any career destination within creative and communication fields.

Writing is one of the oldest forms of communication and has evolved and transformed over the ages. It thrives more than ever in our modern world where traditional and digital communication coexist, with its outlets continuing to expand. Spoken communication – such as storytelling, teaching, and poetry – is also on the rise.

After graduating from our Creative Writing degree course, you’ll be poised for numerous roles that rely on the powers of communication and the written word.

You can also continue your studies at postgraduate level and venture into research.

Graduate areas

Areas graduates from our Creative Writing courses have worked in include:

• creative writing (prose, poetry, script)
• advertising and marketing
• arts and events management
• local and community broadcasting
• teaching
• stand-up comedy
• travel industry

Graduate roles

Roles graduates from our Creative Writing courses have gone onto include:

• novelist
• poet
• playwright
• teacher
• copywriter
• journalist
• theatre manager
• editorial assistant

Ongoing careers support

Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience.

Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role.

Placement year (optional)

Between your second and third year, you can complete an optional work placement to gain professional experience and enhance your skills. It's also a great incentive for employers once you graduate.

You can work for a company, organisation or agency, or you can go self-employed and start your own business with fellow students or by yourself.

Whatever you decide – or even if you just want some employability advice – our exclusive Creative Careers team can support you every step of the way.

Creative Careers

Our in-faculty Creative Careers team has extensive recruitment experience and knows the creative sector well, making it easier for students to find placements within the creative industries.

They can guide you through every step of the application process, including:

• Searching for the ideal job through their database of vacancies
• Giving tips on how to write an interesting CV that will catch employers' attention, no matter the role
• Organising mock interviews, so you can hone your technique and familiarise yourself with the recruitment environment
• Writing your startup business proposal – if you're going down the self-employment route

The team will continue to give you support throughout your placement year.

Placement experiences

Placement students on our Creative Writing courses have worked in a variety of roles in commerce, publishing, entertainment, and education. Others have chosen to work for themselves.

Among these experiences are:

• Digital content creator at the head office of a major retailer
• Trainee editorial assistants at The London Magazine and Star & Crescent
• Writing and publishing novellas and poetry collections as a freelancer
• Content writer for a Brixton music promotion company
• Teachers in schools

Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.

In each year, you need to study modules worth a total of 120 credits. For example, 4 modules worth 20 credits and 1 module worth 40 credits.

Changes to course content

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Teaching

Teaching methods on this course include:

• lectures
• workshops
• seminars
• one-to-one tutorials

You can access all teaching resources on Moodle, our virtual learning environment, from anywhere with a Web connection.

How you're assessed

You’ll be assessed through:

• short stories
• a novel in progress
• a screenplay
• a collection of poems
• a magazine pitch
• public relations campaign
• reports
• a research portfolio
• examinations
• dissertation/project

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

One of the main differences between school or college and university is how much control you have over your learning.

We use a blended learning approach to teaching, which means you’ll take part in both face-to-face and online activities during your studies.  As well as attending your timetabled classes you'll study independently in your free time, supported by staff and our virtual learning environment, Moodle.

A typical week

We recommend you spend at least 35 hours a week studying for your Creative Writing degree. In your first year, you’ll be in timetabled teaching activities such as lectures, seminars, tutorials and presentations for about 12 hours a week. The rest of the time you’ll do independent study such as research, reading, coursework and project work, alone or in a group with others from your course. You'll probably do more independent study and have less scheduled teaching in years 2 and 3, but this depends on which modules you choose.

Term dates

The academic year runs from September to June. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter.

See term dates

The amount of timetabled teaching you'll get on your degree might be less than what you're used to at school or college, but you'll also get support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff to enhance your learning experience and help you succeed. You can build your personalised network of support from the following people and services:

Tuition fees

2023 start:

• UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £9,250 a year (may be subject to annual increase)
• EU students – £9,250 a year, including our Transition Scholarship (may be subject to annual increase)
• International students – £17,200 a year (subject to annual increase)

2024 start:

• UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £9,250 a year (may be subject to annual increase)
• EU students – £9,250 a year, including our Transition Scholarship (may be subject to annual increase)
• International students – £18,100 a year (subject to annual increase)

You won't pay any extra tuition fees to another university for taking part in a study/work abroad activity if you choose to do it for the whole academic year. During a year abroad you'll only have to pay a reduced fee to the University of Portsmouth.

Funding your studies

Find out how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.

Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.

Tuition fees terms and conditions

Additional course costs

These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.