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Creative Writing

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,B-B,B,C

Obtain a minimum of 112 UCAS tariff points in an Access to HE Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

M2,M2,M3

GCSE/National 4/National 5

A minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade C or grade 4 are required including English Language (or grade B/ 5 in English Literature).

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

29

including SL5 or HL4 in English (if applicant does not have GCSE English grade C or above)

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H3,H3,H3,H3,H4

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma

DM

in any subject with A level grade C

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate

M

in any subject with A levels grade BB.

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

DMM

in any subject.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DM

in any subject and A-level grade C

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)

M

in any subject with A levels grade BB.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

in any subject.

Scottish Advanced Higher

B,B,C

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

112-136

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

4.5 years | Part-time | 2024

Subject

Creative writing

Our Creative Writing BA course has been designed to encourage high levels of creativity, initiative and originality in the design, production, interpretation and analysis of creative writing.

You will be taught every genre of creative writing by some of the most talented and original wordsmiths working today. Between them, they’ve published over 80 books, produced countless scripts for TV, radio and film, and won umpteen awards. The teaching team includes author and journalist Will Self and renowned performance poet, writer and broadcaster Benjamin Zephaniah.

From week one you will write and interact with your peer group of creative writers. You will share ideas and give constructive feedback to others on their creative writing work.

In your first year you will gain a solid grounding in fiction, drama and poetry writing, and you will study world literature. You can choose a variety of subjects in your second year such as journalism and screenwriting. In your final year, the creative industries module helps you consider your career options and shape your future. You’ll start to specialise in your chosen field and choose from a wealth of specialist options.

There are guest lectures covering different aspects of creative writing. Industry expert speakers include book publishers, screenwriters, poets and broadcasters.

You have the advantage of Brunel’s close location to London, the literary capital of the UK. You’ll benefit from trips to the British Library, Shakespeare’s Globe and West End theatres.

Our BA in creative writing can be studied full-time over three years, four years with a placement year, or part-time over six years.

We encourage the placement year option. This time in industry helps you to further prepare for the world of work and you’ll have a year’s worth of invaluable professional experience when you graduate. If you decide to go on a creative writing placement year, you could find yourself working at magazine publishers, film production companies, or even the London Screenwriters’ Festival. Some placements lead to jobs on graduation.

You’ll have the opportunity to get your work published before you graduate. An anthology of creative work is produced each year curated and edited by our creative writing students. Your writing talent can also be showcased at a variety of performances hosted by Brunel including poetry, plays, comedy and film screenings, literary debates, and the popular Brunel Writers’ Series.

Modules

Sample Modules:
Writer's Toolkit,
Genre Fiction,
Life Writing,
Post-Colonial Writing,
Screenwriting,
Poetry.

To view the full list of modules for this course and further information on degree content, please visit the Brunel website: brunel.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/Creative-Writing-BA

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£19,430
per year
International
£19,430
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

Every year Brunel University London offers over 600 scholarships, bursaries and discounts to home, EU and international students. To apply you will need to have received an offer on one of our courses and submitted the relevant application. Please visit our website to discover more. https://www.brunel.ac.uk/scholarships

The Uni


Course location:

Brunel University London

Department:

Arts and Humanities

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

87%
Creative writing

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Creative writing

Teaching and learning

97%
Staff make the subject interesting
90%
Staff are good at explaining things
87%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
82%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

77%
Library resources
87%
IT resources
87%
Course specific equipment and facilities
56%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

80%
UK students
20%
International students
49%
Male students
51%
Female students
89%
2:1 or above
13%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Creative writing

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
93%
med
Employed or in further education
35%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

21%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
13%
Secretarial and related occupations
8%
Managers and proprietors in hospitality and leisure services

The jobs market for this subject - which includes creative writing and scriptwriting courses - is not currently one of the strongest, so unemployment rates are currently looking quite high overall, with salaries on the lower side. But nevertheless, most graduates get jobs quickly. Graduates often go into careers as authors and writers and are also found in other roles where the ability to write well is prized, such as journalism, translation, teaching and advertising and in web content. Be aware that freelancing and self-employment is common is common in the arts, as are what is termed 'portfolio careers', having several part-time jobs or commissions at once - although graduates from this subject were a little more likely than many other creative arts graduates to be in conventional full time permanent contracts, so that might be worth bearing in mind.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Creative writing

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£16k

£16k

£23k

£23k

£30k

£30k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here