English Literature with Creative Writing BA

Course overview

This course teaches you to read like a writer.

Develop your creativity and sharpen your critical abilities, acquiring valuable skills as both a reader and a writer. You’ll produce creative work across various genres, such as fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. You may also choose modules in specialist genres such as travel and journalistic writing or science fiction, fantasy and horror.

You'll learn how writers of the past and the present have used words and literary forms to express their ideas and engage with their times’ social and cultural issues. 

You’ll encounter historical and modern texts in English from around the globe, which explore themes relevant to how we live today, including race and ethnicity, gender, climate change and nature, social class, disability and wellbeing. 

Learn how to shape language to convey your ideas and experience, craft your writing with other students, and build an individual portfolio of work that will set you on track for a creative or cultural industries career.

Our expertise

The School of English has a long and prestigious history in creative writing. Current staff include the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, Kimberly Campanello, J.R. Carpenter, Zaffar Kunnial, Sarah K. Perry, Jay Prosser, Jess Richards, Ross Raisin, Caitlin Stobie, and John Whale. Former members of the School include the Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, Malika Booker, Anthony Vahni Capildeo, Hannah Copley, Geoffrey Hill, Helen Mort, Ngugi wa Thong’o, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Our practices and passions run across creative and critical writing and include visual and experimental poetry, eco-poetics, contemporary short-fiction and the novel, literature and medicine, disability studies, digital writing, performance writing, autofiction, and memoir.

We are home to Poetry@Leeds, a dynamic centre that brings together the University’s strength and heritage in creative writing. It hosts regular poetry readings by visiting international poets, supports local writers, and runs a poetry reading group.

At Leeds, you will access to a vibrant community of creative practitioners and researchers. There are regular readings and talks by well-known and emerging writers, regular workshops, and all kinds of other events. We publish Stand, a longstanding and highly regarded literary magazine, and support a number of student publications. 

We have partnerships with Literature Festivals in Ilkley, Ledbury, and Bradford (the UK City of Culture in 2025) and collaborate with local institutions such as the Leeds Playhouse and Leeds Grand Theatre. 

Specialist facilities

The University of Leeds is a partner of the National Poetry Centre, the national home for poetry, performance, learning and literacy based in Leeds.

Our world-class Brotherton Library has a wealth of archive, manuscript and early printed material in its Special Collections including a Shakespeare First Folio, letters by Charles Dickens, materials from the Brontë family, the collection of Bram Stoker papers, as well as more recent archives for writers such as Peter Robinson, Simon Armitage, and Tony Harrison.

The School of English has its own print studio, allowing you to learn traditional typesetting and printing techniques and print your own works.

Take a look around our libraries:

Brotherton Library
Laidlaw Library
Edward Boyle Library

Course details

English Literature with Creative writing will strengthen your writing skills across various genres, providing a rich programme of modules in creative writing, literary studies, and related options.

At Level 1, you will take Reading Between the Lines and Writing Matters, introducing you to university-level study by equipping you to read critically and write with rigour and persuasion, while Writing Creatively focuses on the techniques of creative practice. Alongside these, you will have a choice of optional modules focusing on poetry, fiction, drama, performance and further creative approaches.

At Level 2, in addition to Developing Creative Writing, you will take two English Literature core modules, Writing Environments and Body Language. These modules explore two urgent contemporary challenges, the climate crisis and personal wellbeing, and will examine how these issues can be understood and expressed through literary texts. You will also select two modules from a choice of several options, ranging historically and geographically from Medieval to Contemporary, and from Postcolonial to American.

Level 2 will enrich subject knowledge and intellectual skills and develop your creative practice. At Level 3 you will undertake more independent learning. You will take two core Creative Writing modules. Page, Publication and Audience will enrich your understanding of the relationship between creative writing practices and the creative industries, exploring methods of reaching your audience. The Creative Writing Project builds on earlier Creative Writing modules to allow you to define, plan, and produce work of a subject of your choosing. You will also choose from a range of specialist research modules taught by the people engaged in the research.

After your second year of study, you may apply for transfer to an International Degree at one of the many universities around the world with which the University of Leeds has established links. You may also spend a year in industry on a work placement as an optional third year of your degree programme.

The course information shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

Most courses consist of compulsory and optional modules. There may be some optional modules omitted below. This is because they are currently being refreshed to make sure students have the best possible experience. Before you enter each year, full details of all modules for that year will be provided.

For more information please read BA English Literature with Creative Writing in the course catalogue.

Year 1 compulsory modules

Writing Creatively (20 credits) - In this module you will develop your creative writing skills by focusing on a range of elements of the writer’s craft. You will learn to read texts like a writer, and, through examining a range of exemplary published texts, will study elements of the writer’s craft such as voice, metaphor and characterisation. You will develop your critical skills by developing your written pieces with your peers and tutor. Within the supportive environment of the writing workshop, you will learn to give and receive constructive criticism, and, guided by this feedback, hone your redrafting and editing skills. By the end of the module, you will begin to see how your work fits within contemporary writing practice.

Reading Between the Lines (20 credits) - This module equips students with a critical vocabulary for sophisticated literary study. Through close analysis of texts from a range of periods, the module introduces the creative, argumentative, and exciting discipline of ‘English Studies’. Students will encounter some of the theories that have shaped the discipline, and in turn, will discover how an English degree might change how they read the world. Guided critical reading, collaboration with peers in group presentations and seminars, and a variety of assignments will introduce students to the different kinds of assessment required later in the degree.

Writing Matters (20 credits) - Writing and communication skills are vital to most professional careers and are at the heart of English studies. This module uses well-known texts to explore the theoretical approaches and rhetorical strategies used to write about literature. Students will enhance their own writing by engaging ethically with both the text and what has been written about it, developing structured arguments, expressing ideas clearly and concisely, working with feedback, and practising writing as a process. As a result, students will cultivate a deeper understanding of how writing works, within the context of the degree, the discipline of English, and the wider world beyond.

Year 1 optional modules

Selection of typical options shown below:

• Drama: Text and Performance (20 credits)

• Modern Fictions in English: Conflict, Liminality, Translation (20 credits)

• Poetry: Reading and Interpretation (20 credits)

• Race, Writing and Decolonization (20 credits)

• Creative Writing Workshop (20 credits)

• Writing Science-fiction, Fantasy & Horror (20 credits)

Year 2 compulsory modules

Developing Creative Writing (40 credits) - This module provides regular points of tutorial and teaching support, connecting you to the learning community and offering the ongoing guidance that will help you develop your writing in an academic environment. Small group sessions with published writers allow you both space and a professional atmosphere in which to consider your own creative practice.

Writing Environments: Literature, Nature, Culture (20 credits) - This module examines what it means to live as human beings on a more-than-human planet. We’ll investigate how literary texts from different times and places have understood the relationship between nature and culture. We’ll address human impacts on the environment in relation to historical phenomena such as colonialism. And we’ll explore the insights that literature can offer at a time of concern about climate change and other environmental issues

Body Language: Literature and Embodiment (20 credits) - At the heart of this module are big questions such as: what does it mean to be ‘human’? Does technology change who we are? What are the links between the body and the mind? Tackling the relationships between embodiment, language, and representation in texts from different periods and in different forms and genres, the module examines how writers have imagined the relationship between material bodies and literary representation.

Year 2 optional modules

Selection of typical options shown below:

• Style and Authorship (20 credits)

• Contemporary Literature (20 credits)

• Renaissance Literature (20 credits)

• Medieval and Tudor Literature (20 credits)

• Modern Literature (20 credits)

• Postcolonial Literature (20 credits)

• The World Before Us: Literature 1660-1830 (20 credits)

• Other Voices: Rethinking Nineteenth-Century Literature (20 credits)

• Script Writing (20 credits)

• Travel and Journalistic Writing (20 credits)

• Power of Language (20 credits)

• Theatre, Society and Self (20 credits)

• Writing for Children and Young Adults (20 credits)

Year 3 compulsory modules

Creative Writing Project (40 credits) - This module encourages independent, self-directed learning, and provides the culmination to the research strand emphasised in other modules. Working with their supervisor and supported by a programme of lectures and workshops, students pursue their own intellectual interests by designing, defining and creating their own capstone project. Since this might take any of a number of forms, it fosters a wide variety of responses to the challenges it offers students. Most importantly, it promotes academic creativity by allowing students the space to explore their own intellectual passions.

Page, Publication and Audience (20 credits) – Structured around the production and publication of our annual literary journal Tenter Hook, this module focuses on the crafting and presentation of creative writing for the public. On the module you will develop an understanding of the relationship between creative writing practices and the creative industries, exploring methods of reaching your audience. You also consider your own creative writing practice in the context of industry processes and professionalisation.

Year 3 optional modules

Each year we offer a selection of optional modules at Level 3. These are taught by research specialists based in the School. Some typical examples are shown below:

• Sex and Suffering in the Eighteenth-Century Novel (20 credits)

• Telling Lives: Reading and Writing Family Memoir (20 credits)

• Home Bodies: Companion Animals in Contemporary Literature (20 credits)

• Postcolonial London (20 credits)

• Global African Writing (20 credits)

• Shakespeare and Global Cinema (20 credits)

• Refugee Narratives (20 credits)

• Fictions of the End: Apocalypse and After (20 credits)

• Bowie, Reading, Writing (20 credits)

Learning and teaching

We use various teaching and learning methods to help you benefit from our tutors' experience and expertise as writers and scholars.

You'll encounter:

• Creative writing workshops

• Guest masterclasses

• Lectures

• Seminars

• One-to-one supervisions

• Group work

• Online learning through Minerva, our Virtual Learning Environment.

Our globally recognised research feeds directly into your course and shapes what you learn at Leeds with the latest thinking. You’ll be taught by inspirational academics who are experts in their field and share your passion for your subject. Many are also well-known as creative writers in their own right and so bring their professional experience – and contacts – into the classroom.

Independent study is a vital element of this course since it enables you to develop your research and critical skills and form your ideas. You’ll have access to the unique and internationally important holdings of the Brotherton Library’s Special Collections, to take inspiration from and see first-hand how some of the top writers of this and previous ages went about crafting their writing.

On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

In your Creative Writing modules, you’ll produce a creative portfolio in various genres, such as life writing, fiction, poetry, short fiction, and travel accounts. 

Some modules will also include wikis, podcasts, research exercises or oral presentations.

Your final year project comprises a long independent creative piece and a critical reflection. English modules are assessed using various methods, including exams, essays and shorter written assignments. 

Entry requirements

A-level: AAA including English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature).

Other course specific tests:

Where an applicant is taking the EPQ in a relevant subject this might be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications and may attract an alternative offer in addition to the standard offer. If you are taking A Levels, this would be AAB at A Level including A in English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature) and grade A in the EPQ.

Alternative qualification

Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications or contact the School’s Undergraduate Admissions Team.

Alternative entry

We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.

Access to Leeds is a contextual admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.

Find out more about Access to Leeds and contextual admissions.

Typical Access to Leeds offer: ABB including an A in English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature) at A Level and pass Access to Leeds.

Arts and Humanities with Foundation Year

This course is designed for students whose backgrounds mean they are less likely to attend university (also known as widening participation backgrounds) and who do not currently meet admissions criteria for direct entry to a degree.

The course will give you the opportunity to be taught by academic staff and provides intensive support to enable your development of academic skills and knowledge. On successful completion of your foundation year, you will progress to your chosen degree course. Find out more about the Arts and Humanities with Foundation Year.

Alternative Entry Scheme for Mature Students

If you are a mature applicant (over 21) and you don’t have the required A Levels or GCSE English and maths qualifications, you can complete our Alternative Entry Scheme (subject to meeting the eligibility criteria for the scheme). As part of this, you may be asked to take tests in English and maths and to write an essay.

Contact the Lifelong Learning Centre for more information.

International

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For more information contact the School of English admissions team.

International Foundation Year

International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study the University of Leeds International Foundation Year. This gives you the opportunity to study on campus, be taught by University of Leeds academics and progress onto a wide range of Leeds undergraduate courses. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English
If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

Fees

UK: To be confirmed

International: To be confirmed

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2025/26
The fee for UK undergraduate students is decided by the Government and may vary if policy changes. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation, and as permitted by law.

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2025/26 will be £9,535.

The tuition fee for the following programmes with an integrated foundation year is £5,760 for the foundation year, and £9,535 for subsequent years of study:
•    Business Studies with Foundation Year BSC
•    Arts and Humanities with Foundation Year BA
•    Interdisciplinary Studies with Preparation for Higher Education BA
•    Social Science (foundation year) BA
 

Tuition fees for international undergraduate students starting in 2025/26
Tuition fees for international students for 2025/26 are available on individual course pages.
 

Tuition fees for a study abroad or work placement year
If you take a study abroad or work placement year, you’ll pay a reduced tuition fee during this period. For more information, see Study abroad and work placement tuition fees and loans.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.

Applying

Apply to this course through UCAS. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website.

Read our guidance about applying.

International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025

This course is taught by

School of English

Contact us

School of English Undergraduate Admissions

Email: englishug@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Career opportunities

A degree in English with Creative Writing equips you with a range of valuable skills and attributes. Your skills and experience as a flexible and imaginative writer will open up a range of pathways within the creative industries. 

Our graduates have gone on to find success in areas such as:

• the creative industries

• marketing

• education

• journalism

• law

• publishing

• media

• business charity work

• civil service

• management consultancy and leadership

Many have also progressed to postgraduate study. 

On this course, you’ll develop your abilities as an excellent communicator who can present well-reasoned arguments and conclusions. 

Learning in groups with others and reading about human problems and social situations will develop your interpersonal skills and understanding of ethical and cultural complexities. 

You’ll have strong creative and verbal skills, and be able to conduct research, interpret complex information, think critically and express yourself clearly. Employers are always looking out for people with these critical skills.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support.

Study abroad and work placements

Study abroad

On this course you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year. We have over 300 University partners worldwide and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and Latin America. 

Find out more at the Study Abroad website.

Work placements

Practical work experience can help you decide on your career and improve your employability. On this course you have the option to apply to take a placement year module with organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK, or overseas.

Find out more about work experience on the Careers website.