Creative Writing and Drama
UCAS Code: WW48
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
We welcome applications from students who are completing an Access to Higher Education Diploma. We normally look for applicants to have studied a course that is in a similar subject and offers are usually made in line with our published tariff point range.
UCAS Tariff
A GCSE A*-C or 9-4 pass in English Language is required
You may also need to…
Attend an interview
About this course
- Develop your creativity in both writing and drama and explore how your own writing might impact performance in a vibrant theatrical industry
- Move progressively through a structured series of writing assignments and exercises, enhanced by a workshop environment
- Choose from an extensive range of cutting-edge optional modules to enable you to follow your interests and career aspirations
- Creative Writing and Drama at Winchester both achieved more than 90% overall satisfaction as rated by final-year undergraduate students in the 2017 National Student Survey
Are you an aspiring author longing to see your characters come to life in costume and make-up? If you are passionate about writing and drama, our Creative Writing and Drama degree offers a rich learning adventure, based on practical experiences.
Our workshops encourage you to evolve as writers in new and individual ways, and explore the words that have shaped our world in wider literary and cultural contexts.
The Drama element to the course complements these literary explorations and allows you to develop your creative and practical skills through real-life experience in the theatre or community.
There is a contemporary focus to the course but you review the histories and traditions of theatre and performance and question how they infuse modern theatre. You are encouraged to think critically to inform your theatre-making skills and explore the extent to which drama is a tool for social change.
In Year 1, you write in different media, genres and styles through modules that include Fictional Writing and Scriptwriting. You also explore the historic context of theatre productions and the political underpinning of texts and practices.
In Year 2, you choose from a fascinating and varied spectrum of optional modules including, Fiction for Children and Theatre as Cultural Action. You also make the most of opportunities to work collaboratively with fellow students and professionals on a production project and a professional placement.
In the final year, you investigate the relationships between writing and other spheres such as publishing, producing, community audiences, and teaching. Inspiring optional modules include Creative Entrepreneurship and Production - ideal for those planning to go freelance or run their own business - Experimental Writing and Writing for Radio. The final chapter of the course is an extended independent project.
Our graduates are forward-thinking, team-playing, articulate and creative communicators. After three years of study, they start out in careers as playwrights in the theatre industry, or become professional writers. They also work in publishing, advertising, marketing, community settings or education.
Modules
Please see the single honours course pages for modular structure. Usually combined honours study two modules from each subject to make up the four modules per semester (2 semesters) (8 modules per year.) These two modules are usually comprised of the core modules in 1st year and then core and optional modules in 2nd and 3rd year. You will find course specific leaflets as a PDF on our website, these give further details of modular structure for combined and single honours. It is normally possible to transfer to a single honours programme at the end of Year 1.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Winchester
Department of English, Creative Writing and American Studies
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.
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.
Drama
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Creative writing
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Drama
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.
Top job areas of graduates
Imaginative 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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
Performing arts
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£12k
£19k
£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.
English studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£15k
£20k
£23k
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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Teaching Excellence Framework (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).
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.
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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?
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