7Dec
Undergraduate This course is not accepting applications for deferred entry.
Goldsmiths, University of London has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
Open days
Course summary
If you have been out of education or do not have the required A-level qualifications for degree-level study, this four-year course can help you realise your academic potential. Why study BA English with Creative Writing (with Integrated Foundation Year) at Goldsmiths
- Goldsmiths is dedicated to widening participation and supporting students from non-traditional backgrounds to transition to university-level study. If you do not have the required qualifications for degree-level study, this course offers an alternative entry route
- The Foundation Year is closely aligned with our undergraduate English programmes, teaching you a foundational knowledge of the subject, and helping you develop the academic skills necessary to progress to the first year of the BA
- You will select the undergraduate English degree you wish to study at the point of application but can change your choice as you progress through the foundation pathway if your interests change
- In your Foundation Year, you will learn about significant literary movements from distinct periods, including the English Renaissance, literature of World War I, post-war drama and poetry, feminist fiction, and themes of race and class in the late 20th Century
- You will develop your ability to identify characteristics of historical periods and significant developments in literature and be able to explain the relationship of literary works to the relevant historical periods studied
- You will hone vital skills in critical reading, analysis and written communication
- Following the Foundation Year, you will go on to study one of our undergraduate English courses, which include the reading of de-colonised, feminist and multi-cultural writing, as well as classic works of the literary canon
- Combine the study of literature with the practice of creative writing. You’ll graduate with the ability to be informed and curious about literature, and with the imagination to turn that curiosity into creativity.
- Goldsmiths' Department of English and Creative Writing is one of the most established and long-running creative writing centres in UK Higher Education, and many of our graduates are now leading writers and editors in their field.
- This flexible degree allows you to choose topics related to American literature and culture, comparisons of literature across different cultures and art forms (also known as comparative literature), and study diverse aspects of language use in linguistics modules. Your literary and creative studies will be supported by lectures and seminars that will give you practical advice to help you improve your essay writing and refine your research strategies.
- Our location on the doorstep of central London means that you will have easy access to one of the most diverse, historic, and dynamic literary centres in the world. We’re regularly visited by literary guest speakers, and our students have recently enjoyed events with Ali Smith, George Saunders, Bernadine Evaristo, Nikesh Shukla, Michael Rosen, Eimear McBride and Howard Jacobson. Our forward-thinking approach to the fields of creative writing and literary studies is supported by our hosting and running of the Goldsmiths Prize, awarded annually to work that pushes the boundaries of the novel.
Modules
Year 0 (Foundation Year) Alongside direct preparation in the study of English Literature, you'll take two modules with our Centre for Academic Language and Literacies (CALL). These modules will help you develop the broader academic and research skills required for undergraduate study. You'll also learn how key social and political movements of the period have influenced the world we live in today through a cross-disciplinary module: Culture and Society in Post-war Britain. Reading and Writing Your World Building Your Research World Culture and Society in Postwar Britain English Literature From the Renaissance to the Late 20th Century To progress onto the first year of BA English with Creative Writing, you will be required to submit an independently produced portfolio of five pages of original creative writing in any genre. The contents of this portfolio should be produced independently of the foundation-year modules within your own time. You will be required to submit this portfolio in the spring term of your foundation year. Years 1, 2 & 3 include a single year-long creative writing module taught by creative writing practitioners and active researchers. Each of these modules must be passed in order to progress to the next level and (in the case of the final module) for you to be awarded the degree. Year 1 You'll take the following compulsory modules: Explorations in Literature Approaches to Text Foundation Workshop in Creative Writing Introduction to Poetry You will also choose one of the following option modules: Introduction to US Literature and Culture: America and its Discontents Understanding Language in Use Introduction to Comparative Literature Year 2 You'll take these compulsory modules: Creative Writing Workshop Goldsmiths’ Social Change Module You'll also take 75 credits of modules from an approved list published annually by the Department of English and Creative Writing, and includes the Goldsmiths Elective. This elective allows you to choose a module from a related subject in another department. At least 30 credits must be from pre-1800 literature. Examples of recent modules include: (Re)writing America: from the nineteenth century to the present day 18th-Century Literature Aesthetics Black British Literature Classical Epic and Contemporary Literature Contemporary Indigenous Literatures: Place, Politics and Identity Contemporary London Poetry Discourse and Society Literature and Power in the Victorian Period Modern American Fiction Moderns Old English Renaissance Worlds Sensibility and Romanticism: Revolutions in Writing and Society Shakespeare Sociolinguistics: Language use, Variation, and Identity Staging Women’s Voices: Feminism and Writing (Enlightenment to now) Work Placement (English) Year 3 In your final year, you'll take a compulsory Project Development module (30 credits). You also choose modules (worth 90 credits) from a list published annually by the Department of English and Creative Writing including at least 30 credits from pre-1800 literature. Recent modules have included: American Gothic Approaches to Language and the Media Caribbean Women Writers Contemporary Indigenous Literatures: Place, Politics and Identity Decadence Dustbowl to Dreamfactory: American Cinema & Writing in the 1930s Language and Gender Modern American Fiction Modernism and Drama (1880-1930) Moderns Poetry since 1945 Renaissance Worlds Sensibility and Romanticism: Revolutions in Writing and Society Shakespeare’s Sisters: Contemporary Women’s Writing 1960s to the present Studies in Literature and Film The Art of the Novel The Emergence of Modern America: American Literature 1890–1940 Word Power: How Words are Born, Live, and Die Work Placement (English) Writing Lives Writing, Culture and Society Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.
Assessment method
You’ll be assessed by a variety of methods that broaden your academic skillset and depend on your module choices. These include coursework assignments such as essays, critical commentaries, presentations and personal reflections, portfolios of original creative writing and critical commentaries on your work for each of the workshops, coursework portfolios, long essays and examinations (various timescales and formats).
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
- Course code:
- Q3W9
- Institution code:
- G56
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Foundation
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - Not accepted
A level - EE
Candidates who have studied level 3 qualifications within the last two years will be expected to have achieved the equivalent of two passes (E or better) at A2 level, BTEC or equivalent and have achieved a level 2 qualification in GCSE English Grade 5. For candidates who have not studied any level 3 qualifications in the last two years, there are no formal qualifications required for admission, but you will need to demonstrate that you can benefit from the programme by undertaking an additional admissions process. This may involve an interview or request for the submission of written information used to assess suitability to study.
English language requirements
If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.0 to study this programme.
Student Outcomes
Operated by the Office for Students
There is no data available for this course. For further information visit the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
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
To find out more about fees and funding, please check our undergraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office https://www.gold.ac.uk/ug/fees-funding/
Provider information
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross
Lewisham
SE14 6NW