BA (Hons) CREATIVE WRITING AND ENGLISH LITERATURE
BA (HONS) CREATIVE WRITING AND ENGLISH LITERATURE
The writer's world has never been more diverse, exciting, and collaborative than it is today. Whether you're eager to embark on creative and community exchanges, to make your words come alive in the imaginations of new audiences, or to work across literary, visual, and digital media, this is the world you'll want to join.
You'll hone your skills as a writer while exploring literatures from a host of genres, countries, and time periods. You will be able to take all the same creative writing workshops (in poetry, prose, and scriptwriting) as our English with Creative Writing students, but you'll also have the chance to take unique modules designed to enable you, once you graduate, to enter the working writer's world. Through a lively mix of seminars, workshops and writing world experience, you'll develop skills in working across disciplines and media, in community engagement, and in publishing and presenting your own work.
Our BA Creative Writing and English Literature is ranked 7th for Creative Writing by 'The Complete University Guide 2023'.
About
The teaching of creative writing in the UK began at UEA fifty years ago, and we are still widely seen as the home of creative writing in this country.
You will be studying at a university rich in famous creative writing alumni, including Booker Prize winner Ian McEwan and Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro. You will develop your craft as a writer under the supervision of world-renowned novelists, poets and scriptwriters, while benefitting from first-class literature teaching.
In addition to the creative writing workshops offered by our pioneering and world-famous, 'English Literature with Creative Writing' degree, this course offers you a suite of modules designed to help you enter the working writer's world once you graduate. They'll enable you as writer to work across disciplines, to function in a professional context, and to get actively involved in the production, publication and performance of your work.
In your study of English literature, you’ll discover a wealth of writers from the middle ages right up to poets and novelists writing now. You might explore diverse literary traditions from across the globe, and you’ll tackle a heady mix of genres, which currently range from the gothic to children’s literature, crime writing to Latin American fiction, nonsense writing to biography.
Whichever modules you choose to study, you’ll be taught by our world-leading writers and critics. UEA’s School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing is famous for innovation in teaching and for cutting-edge research – that’s why in the most recent Times Higher Education Analysis (REF2021), UEA was ranked 19th in the UK for the quality of its research in English Language and Literature.
Norwich is an extraordinary place in which to be a writer. It’s England’s first UNESCO City of Literature, awarded in recognition of the city’s vivid literary heritage and vibrant contemporary writing scene. You’ll immerse yourself in this community - you might find yourself sharing your work with a packed audience of students and professional writers at our UEA Live: New Writing events, or hearing readings from dozens of internationally leading literary figures.
We say that UEA is the place where literature lives – when you join the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing, you’ll join a unique and supportive community of critics, writers, and drama practitioners, who bring literature to life every day.
The writer's world has never been more diverse, exciting, and collaborative than it is today. Whether you're eager to embark on creative and community exchanges, to make your words come alive in the imaginations of new audiences, or to work across literary, visual, and digital media, this is the world you'll want to join.
You'll hone your skills as a writer while exploring literatures from a host of genres, countries, and time periods. You will be able to take all the same creative writing workshops (in poetry, prose, and scriptwriting) as our English with Creative Writing students, but you'll also have the chance to take unique modules designed to enable you, once you graduate, to enter the working writer's world. Through a lively mix of seminars, workshops and writing world experience, you'll develop skills in working across disciplines and media, in community engagement, and in publishing and presenting your own work.

We’re 19th for research quality!
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Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.Placement Year and Study Abroad
You have the option to apply to study abroad for one semester of your second year. Study abroad is a wonderfully enriching life experience – you will develop confidence and adaptability and will have the chance to deepen your understanding of writing while learning about another culture. At UEA, you’ll be surrounded by the many students we welcome from around the world to study with us.
For further details, visit the Study Abroad section of our website.

We’re 19th for research quality!
After the Course
You could go on to work as a prose fiction or non-fiction writer, poet or scriptwriter, or go into many careers in arts, media, publishing, politics, charities and NGOs, teaching or the commercial sector. You will be a first-rate writer, equipped with skills of critical reading, independence, time management, teamwork, and more, which are highly valued by employers. You’ll also be well placed to study for a postgraduate degree, including one of our world-famous Creative Writing MAs.
Our Careers Service is here to support you in launching your career by advising with CV writing, internships, and much more. Every year we run an event, Working with Words, where you’ll have the chance to meet and hear from successful UEA alumni from across the creative industries.
UEA also has its own in-house publishing project, Egg Box, along with many other exciting initiatives that give you opportunities to turn your love of writing into a foundation for your future career.
Career destinations
Examples of careers you could enter include:
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Freelance writer
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Scriptwriter
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Publishing
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Community and Arts-related Projects
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Media
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Marketing

We’re 19th for research quality!
Assessment for Year 1
Throughout your degree, all modules in Creative Writing and in English Literature have no exams - we believe that the best way to express your thoughts about literature and to show off your creative development is through carefully crafted pieces of written coursework. On the creative side, you'll start by writing your own prose and poetry, developing fundamental skills in drafting, keeping a writer's notebook, and submitting to deadlines, before embarking on more experimental exercises. You'll produce work collaboratively (e.g. a text-image cross-media project) and reflect on the collaboration process. In your studies of literature, you'll develop renewed enthusiasm for writing academic essays, and express your thinking in a diverse variety of forms, like reviews or personal reflective writing.
Feedback
You'll receive feedback on your writing (creative and critical) from your tutors (e.g. in one-to-one tutorials) and your peers. Feedback on assessed work will be returned within 20 working days (after it has been carefully marked and moderated). As your first year does not count toward your overall degree result it's a great time to experiment and take risks.
Assessment for Year 2
You'll continue to submit 100% written coursework for all your creative writing and literature modules. Your creative writing will flourish as you produce more substantial pieces of prose (e.g. 1250-word short story or longer 2000-word narrative), portfolios of poetry, or scripts for stage or screen (c.20-30 minutes in length), and write reflective pieces to understand better your own creative processes. Your writing will be energised by encounters with real-life subjects as you experience the writers' world first hand, and you'll write reflectively about the ethics and complexities of drawing on real life subjects. You'll continue to hone your critical essay writing, and you might experiment with 'creative criticism', for instance by writing a short story to show off what you've learnt about that form.
Feedback
You'll continue to have the support and feedback of all your tutors, and your creative work will be deepened by your immersion in the workshop environment, where you receive feedback from your peers and learn to give feedback on their work, an enormously valuable skill in many careers.
Assessment for Year 3
You'll continue to be assessed by 100% written coursework. You'll have the option to take a module in which you turn your work into a book or performance that meets industry standards, and which is a full reflection of the writer you have become. You can also choose to participate in another workshop or to embark on a creative dissertation (6000 words writing / 2000 words reflection), the culmination of your achievements as a writer. Alongside your creative work, you'll have the chance to produce in-depth explorations of literature (3500-5000 words), and if you wish, you might continue to experiment with the forms in which you express your ideas about literary texts, writing Shakespearean sonnets or experimenting with the new boundary-defying genre of ‘auto-fiction’
Feedback
You'll have a book or performance that represents 'you' as a professional writer, and you'll be ready to launch yourself into the working writer's world. All the feedback you've received, too, enables you to graduate with highly developed transferable skills in writing across a host of forms and for an array of audiences, together with an ability to give sensitive but incisive critique of others' work.
Assessment for Year 1
Throughout your degree, all modules in Creative Writing and in English Literature have no exams - we believe that the best way to express your thoughts about literature and to show off your creative development is through carefully crafted pieces of written coursework. On the creative side, you'll start by writing your own prose and poetry, developing fundamental skills in drafting, keeping a writer's notebook, and submitting to deadlines, before embarking on more experimental exercises. You'll produce work collaboratively (e.g. a text-image cross-media project) and reflect on the collaboration process. In your studies of literature, you'll develop renewed enthusiasm for writing academic essays, and express your thinking in a diverse variety of forms, like reviews or personal reflective writing.
Feedback
You'll receive feedback on your writing (creative and critical) from your tutors (e.g. in one-to-one tutorials) and your peers. Feedback on assessed work will be returned within 20 working days (after it has been carefully marked and moderated). As your first year does not count toward your overall degree result it's a great time to experiment and take risks.
Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. The University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.Assessment for Year 2
You'll continue to submit 100% written coursework for all your creative writing and literature modules. Your creative writing will flourish as you produce more substantial pieces of prose (e.g. 1250-word short story or longer 2000-word narrative), portfolios of poetry, or scripts for stage or screen (c.20-30 minutes in length), and write reflective pieces to understand better your own creative processes. Your writing will be energised by encounters with real-life subjects as you experience the writers' world first hand, and you'll write reflectively about the ethics and complexities of drawing on real life subjects. You'll continue to hone your critical essay writing, and you might experiment with 'creative criticism', for instance by writing a short story to show off what you've learnt about that form.
Feedback
You'll continue to have the support and feedback of all your tutors, and your creative work will be deepened by your immersion in the workshop environment, where you receive feedback from your peers and learn to give feedback on their work, an enormously valuable skill in many careers.
Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. The University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.In Year 3 students must accumulate at least 60 credits in Creative Writing (modules with LDCC-prefix).In years 2 and 3 combined, students must accumulate at least 20 credits in writing before 1789.In level 6 the pre-1789 module is worth 30 credits.Students can do only one Dissertation Module in Year 3.
Assessment for Year 3
You'll continue to be assessed by 100% written coursework. You'll have the option to take a module in which you turn your work into a book or performance that meets industry standards, and which is a full reflection of the writer you have become. You can also choose to participate in another workshop or to embark on a creative dissertation (6000 words writing / 2000 words reflection), the culmination of your achievements as a writer. Alongside your creative work, you'll have the chance to produce in-depth explorations of literature (3500-5000 words), and if you wish, you might continue to experiment with the forms in which you express your ideas about literary texts, writing Shakespearean sonnets or experimenting with the new boundary-defying genre of ‘auto-fiction’
Feedback
You'll have a book or performance that represents 'you' as a professional writer, and you'll be ready to launch yourself into the working writer's world. All the feedback you've received, too, enables you to graduate with highly developed transferable skills in writing across a host of forms and for an array of audiences, together with an ability to give sensitive but incisive critique of others' work.
Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. The University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.Entry Requirements
A Levels
AAA including English Literature or AAB including English Literature with an A in the Extended ProjectT Levels
No acceptable pathways for 2022 entry.BTEC
DDD alongside grade A in A-Level English Literature (or equivalent). Excludes BTEC Public Services, BTEC Uniformed Services and BTEC Business Administration.Scottish highers
AAAAAA including English LiteratureScottish highers advanced
BBB including English LiteratureIrish leaving certificate
6 subjects at H2 including English LiteratureAccess course
Pass the Access to HE Diploma with Distinction in 36 credits at Level 3 including 12 credits in English Literature and Merit in 9 credits at Level 3.European Baccalaureate
82% including 8.5 in English LiteratureInternational Baccalaureate
34 points including HL 6 EnglishGCSE offer
You are required to have Mathematics and English Language at a minimum of Grade C or Grade 4 or above at GCSE.Additional entry requirements
If you do not have an A-Level or equivalent qualification in English Literature (or English Language and Literature), once you have submitted your UCAS form we may then contact you to ask you to submit a short analysis of a passage of a literary text in support of your application.
If you do not meet the academic requirements for direct entry, you may be interested in one of our Foundation Year programmes such as BA English Literature with a Foundation Year
INTO University of East Anglia
If you do not meet the academic and or English requirements for direct entry our partner, INTO University of East Anglia offers guaranteed progression on to this undergraduate degree upon successful completion of a preparation programme, and successful submission of a creative writing portfolio. Depending on your interests, and your qualifications you can take a variety of routes to this degree:
International Foundation in Business, Economics, Society and Culture (for Year 1 entry to UEA)
International Foundation in Humanities and Law (for Year 1 entry to UEA)
Special Entry Requirements
Candidates who are shortlisted will be asked to provide a sample of their creative writing: we ask for around 7 pages of work, which can be on any subject and in any genre of the candidate's choice. Most choose to send poetry, prose, or a mixture of the two.
Alternative Entry Requirements
UEA recognises that some students take a mixture of International Baccalaureate IB or International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme IBCP study rather than the full diploma, taking Higher levels in addition to A levels and/or BTEC qualifications. At UEA we do consider a combination of qualifications for entry, provided a minimum of three qualifications are taken at a higher Level. In addition some degree programmes require specific subjects at a higher level.
Important note
Once enrolled onto your course at UEA, your progression and continuation (which may include your eligibility for study abroad, overseas experience, placement or year in industry opportunities) is contingent on meeting the assessment requirements which are relevant to the course on which you are enrolled.
Students for whom english is a foreign language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
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IELTS: 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Please click here to see our full list.
INTO University of East Anglia
If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study:
Interviews
Most applicants will not be called for an interview and a decision will be made via UCAS Track. However, for some applicants an interview will be requested. Where an interview is required the Admissions Service will contact you directly to arrange a time.Gap year
We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.Intakes
This course is open to UK and International applicants. The annual intake for this course is in September each year.
We’re 19th for research quality!
Fees and Funding
Tuition Fees
See our Tuition Fees page for further information.
Scholarships and Bursaries
We are committed to ensuring that costs do not act as a barrier to those aspiring to come to a world leading university and have developed a funding package to reward those with excellent qualifications and assist those from lower income backgrounds.
The University of East Anglia offers a range of Scholarships; please click the link for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course related costs
View our information about Additional Course Fees.

We’re 19th for research quality!
How to Apply
Applications need to be made via the Universities Colleges and Admissions Services (UCAS), using the UCAS Apply option.
UCAS Apply is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time Undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom. It is made up of different sections that you need to complete. Your application does not have to be completed all at once. The system allows you to leave a section partially completed so you can return to it later and add to or edit any information you have entered. Once your application is complete, it must be sent to UCAS so that they can process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.
The UCAS code name and number for the University of East Anglia is E14.

We’re 19th for research quality!

We’re 19th for research quality!
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