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Creative Writing and English at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Birkbeck, University of London has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

Birkbeck’s BA Creative Writing and English is an acclaimed course ideal if you are an emerging writer keen to develop your creative writing practice and expand your knowledge of literature. Why choose this course?

  • This course offers you the chance to complement your creativity with critical reflection, learning about writers who think about culture and history and using your creativity to challenge or provoke readers to ask important questions.
  • You will develop your writing practice and your ability to critically respond to texts, reading and interpreting the works of other writers in order to become a better writer.
  • This BA Creative Writing and English is delivered by esteemed faculty and published writers with valuable industry connections and experience including critics, such as Marina Warner and Roger Luckhurst, and creative writers including novelist Luke Williams, playwright and screenwriters David Eldridge and Daragh Carville, poet, novelist and non-fiction writer Julia Bell, novelist Wes Brown, and non-fiction writer Richard Hamblyn.
What you will learn In workshops you will develop your skills in writing drama, poetry, fiction and non-fiction, and in screenwriting, and deepen your understanding of these forms. In seminars and lectures, you will learn about storytelling, literary form, writing practices and literary cultures, and creative writing’s relationship to different cultural contexts. In Creative Writing, you will choose from a selection of modules offering practice and theory in drama, poetry, narrative fiction, script for film and TV, or experimental writing, eventually specialising in one of these genres for a final-year dissertation project. In English, you will take compulsory and option modules to help you think critically about texts, writing essays on a range of topics from feminism and sexuality to climate change and migration. How you will learn You will attend creative writing workshops where you will share your writing and read the writing of your peers, discuss your writing-in-progress and gain regular feedback. You will complement this learning with lectures and seminars from internationally renowned researchers and specialists. This course is available to study full- or part-time. It has an evening timetable with classes taking place in the evening. Foundation Year If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. Highlights
  • Birkbeck was ranked 2nd in the UK for its English Language and Literature research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
  • Birkbeck is located in the heart of literary London, in Bloomsbury, WC1. You could be studying in a building that was once home to Virginia Woolf and frequented by members of the Bloomsbury Group.
  • You will be eligible to submit work to the annual Birkbeck creative writing journal, The Mechanics’ Institute Review.
Careers and employability On successfully graduating from this BA Creative Writing and English, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:
  • the capacity to think and communicate creatively and critically
  • sophisticated use of written and spoken English
  • an ability to understand and apply complex ideas
  • effective organisation and time-keeping skills
  • facility and precision in the use of analytical tools
  • strong skills and initiative in collecting and organising complex materials and writing up clear reports.
Graduates can pursue careers including:
  • creative writing
  • publishing
  • journalism
  • publishing
  • media
  • academia
  • research.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment method

Creative writing modules are assessed by 100% coursework. This includes short creative projects, essays, presentations, a writer’s notebook, web publishing and an extended creative work in a specific genre. English literature modules are assessed by essays, examinations and a range of other exercises. An extended project forms part of the course in the final year.

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Please select a course option – you will then see the application code you need to use to apply for the course.

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

International applicants

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

We welcome applicants without traditional entry qualifications as we base decisions on our own assessment of qualifications, knowledge and previous work experience. We may waive formal entry requirements based on judgement of academic potential. All applicants, whatever their academic background, must submit a sample of 1000 words of creative writing (fiction, poetry, drama, or screenwriting). FOUNDATION YEAR DEGREES Our 'with Foundation Year' route is designed to give you extra support as it provides you with an additional year (full-time) or two years (part-time) of supported study. This is an ideal route if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied this subject, or if you did not achieve the grades you need for a place on this degree. Once you successfully complete your Foundation Year studies, you will automatically advance onto the main degree.

Additional entry requirements

Other

All applicants, whatever their academic background, must submit a sample of 1000 words of creative writing (fiction, poetry, drama, or screenwriting).

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
60%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
85%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
International £18060 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases.
Creative Writing and English at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS