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Creative Writing

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,C-B,B,C

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

MMM-DMM

T Level

P

Pass (C or above on the Core)

UCAS Tariff

96-112

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Creative writing

**Why Creative Writing?**
Our Creative Writing degree enables you to focus on your existing creative passions and experiment with a wide range of styles, modes and genres. You’ll explore fundamentals of prose, poetry and dramatic writing, before specialising in an area (or areas) to suit your own interests and career ambitions. As well as the chance to gain experience with organisations such as the Parabola Arts Centre, the Everyman Theatre and Johnson & Alcock literary agency, you’ll meet established authors, agents and editors as you learn more about how to succeed in the publishing industry. You can also immerse yourself in a vibrant local literary culture, with The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival right on your doorstep.

You’ll draw on the expertise of experienced lecturers including professional authors specialising in a range of genres such as transgressive writing, confessional poetry, sci-fi, horror and speculative fiction. There are opportunities to join our Creative Writing society and showcase work in a variety of settings, including at open mic nights and through staged readings of plays by actors. You could also see your work published in our student-led magazine, ‘Show Don’t Tell’, or in our annual paperback anthology, the ‘New Writing’ series.

**Why University of Gloucestershire?**
At University of Gloucestershire, we’ve been encouraging students to meet every ambition since 1847. Join us and you’ll benefit from our three UoG promises:

**1. UoG Career Promise** – if you are not in a job 6 months after graduating, we’ll guarantee you 6 months of free support post-graduation should you need it, followed by the offer of a paid internship and lifetime career coaching* (*eligibility conditions apply).
**2. UoG Accommodation Promise** – we guarantee all first-year students accommodation on, or near, the campus you’re studying at.
**3. UoG Connections Promise** – whilst at UoG, you’ll find the connections to reach your goals. With over 4,000 placements and more than 60 clubs and societies to join, you’ll make connections for life.

Our ambition is boundless. Experienced lecturers promote a real-world ethos and treat our students as more than just a number. Alongside our strong support system, guest speakers, networking events and influential partnerships will help you prepare for life after graduation, whether that be in a successful career in your field or onto further study. Students never tire of finding inspiration here in the unique county of Gloucestershire – innovation and bravery thrive here. Cheltenham and Gloucester offer the best of city and country living, with the rolling hills of the Cotswolds paired with vibrant nightclubs and stunning parks in the bustling town and city centres.

**After the course**
Your story doesn’t end with us at graduation. We support our graduates to balance purpose with ambition, and 96% of University of Gloucestershire graduates are in work or further study within six months of completing their course*.
*Graduate Outcomes Survey published 2023 and based on 2020/21 leavers.

**Experience an open day**
Book yourself a place at a University of Gloucestershire open day at www.glos.ac.uk/BookAnOpenDay. Our open days have been designed to inform you, inspire you, and help you make the right decision about your next step. It’s your chance to see the university for yourself, get a real insight into what we're about and meet your potential course tutors and lecturers. Our friendly student ambassadors will also be on hand to show you round your campus.

**To find out more information about this course, visit www.glos.ac.uk/OurCourses, email us on [email protected] or call 03330 14 14 14.**

Modules

We’re a close-knit creative writing community and our students benefit from a high level of support from each other and staff. The course includes a mix of lectures, seminars and one-to-one tutorials - all taught by professional authors. In lectures, you'll learn the fundamentals of good writing by studying the greats, both classic and contemporary. In workshops, you'll develop your own stories, plays, novels and poems. Benefit from industry links with the Parabola Arts Centre, the Everyman Theatre and London-based literary agency Johnson & Alcock, which judges our annual novel writing contest. Cheltenham is also home to The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival that attracts writers, journalists, philosophers and historians from around the globe. Our students volunteer, interview speakers and blog about the event.

Tuition fees

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

England
£9,250
per year
EU
£15,450
per year
International
£15,450
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Francis Close Hall - Cheltenham

Department:

School of Creative Arts

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.

54%
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

73%
Staff make the subject interesting
64%
Staff are good at explaining things
56%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
61%
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

68%
Library resources
85%
IT resources
72%
Course specific equipment and facilities
34%
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?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
32%
Male students
68%
Female students
82%
2:1 or above
6%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
B

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.

£16,800
low
Average annual salary
92%
med
Employed or in further education
42%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

20%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
11%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
9%
Artistic, literary and media occupations

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.

£17k

£17k

£18k

£18k

£22k

£22k

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 is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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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