English and Creative Writing BA (Hons)

 

Course Code

UCAS Code: QW38
International Code: AHU037

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

 

Study mode

Full-time
Sandwich

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years full-time with study abroad / professional placement
Flexible part-time

Start date

September 2022

How to apply
Book an Open Day
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Course overview

Study level: Undergraduate

Passion for language and creative writing can lead to exciting careers in publishing, advertising, teaching, journalism and more.

  • Sharpen your writing skills, free your imagination, let your creative juices flow and be inspired in the company of poets, playwrights, publishers, screenwriters and novelists.
  • This course is ideal if you want to study creative writing alongside English literature and language.
  • Embark on a career as a professional writer, or to go into more traditional careers linked to English studies such as marketing, publishing or teaching.
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Global Ready

An international outlook, with global opportunities
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Teaching excellence

Taught by lecturers who are experts in their field
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Employability

Career ready graduates, with the skills to succeed

Why you should study this course

Studying English is viewed as a traditional subject with a long history of providing fantastic academic credentials.

  • This course combines stylistics, language and literary theory with creative practice, to help you understand the theories behind writing, to understand your writing style and voice, and to improve your understanding of how language is used in society. It also offers a vocational element.
  • Our course combines humanities with creative freedom, allowing you to explore emerging genres such as games narratives and graphic storytelling. It has innovative, open and participatory content that includes digital streamed performances and online workshops pitched at schools.
  • It has global student collaborations focusing on intercultural narration, and includes digital entrepreneurship, which is the monetising of creative work via YouTube and Social Media, meaning that students work towards publication-ready outputs.
  • We have significant links with a wide variety of employers and media practitioners, such as Writing West Midlands and Theatre Absolute, many of whom offer professional experience opportunities.
  • There are opportunities to participate in an exciting range of educational and cultural field trips, for example, to view modern adaptations of Shakespeare’s work at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Company (RSC) in Stratford-upon-Avon. There may be some additional costs for optional trips and opportunities, and such trips may also be subject to availability.
  • You will have an opportunity to join societies such as The Literature Society (which may be subject to additional costs, application processes and/or subject to availability) and The Coventry Words Magazine Society, which organise visits by writers and writing events, as well as overseeing editorial and production for the creative writing magazine.
100%

of our students agreed that the course challenged them to achieve their best work

NSS, 2019

Coventry University and the Booker Prize.

In autumn 2021, novelists nominated for the 2021 Booker Prize came to Coventry University for a series of readings and interviews. Nathan Rogerson, a BA English and Creative Writing student, discusses his experience of working with the shortlisted authors.

I’ve always wanted to study creative writing so once I found out about the English and Creative Writing course and read about it, it became my first option. I knew that I’d be welcome and would fit in here.
So far I am not disappointed in the slightest, I’ve learned so much in these last five months and my writer’s voice is stronger than ever. Also, I’ve developed confidence and tackled areas that I never had before. Everyone has been very helpful!

Maria de Omena, Brazil, English and Creative Writing BA (Hons) graduate of 2019
Lanchester Library entrance in the daytime.

What you'll study

The course combines stylistics, language and literary theory with creative practice, combining both critical and creative thinking.

The creative part of the course includes poetry and descriptive prose in the first year, exploring the use of figurative language in the form of poetry and travel writing.

The creative part of the course includes poetry and descriptive prose in the first year, exploring the use of figurative language in the form of poetry and travel writing.

Modules

  • The aim of this module is to develop your awareness of the structure and organisation of discourse at levels above the sentence. It looks at the use of language in a range of social contexts and moves beyond literal meaning to consider the role of pragmatic processes in the manipulation of interactions and construction of identities.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework

  • This module will focus on both strict form and free form poetry. The first part of the module will focus on classical forms of poetry before exploring modern poetic forms, performance poetry and contemporary digital forms in the second half of the semester. You will explore taught forms through your own creative writing to produce imaginative poetic outputs on digital platforms.

    Compulsory

  • This module aims to introduce students to the necessary skills for embarking on a degree course involving the study of writing at Coventry University. It will include writing essays, reflective commentaries, referencing, performance and presentation.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework

  • This module offers you the opportunity to develop the critical skills necessary for advanced undergraduate work in Literature. The module will enable students to acquire skills and confidence in reading, speaking, and writing about 'Literature'. Students will be encouraged to become aware of a variety of critical approaches and how those approaches can be employed in the analysis of different literary texts.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework and exam

  • This module aims to equip you with the knowledge required to write travel articles and personal interest articles for consumer magazines. You can also acquire the necessary skills to pitch your articles and creative writing to a magazine of your choice.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework

  • You will also be able to take an Add+vantage module which can allow you to develop your CV by taking credits in an area of study that doesn’t have to be related to your degree. The assessment type will depend on the type of Add+vantage module you wish to take.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework and exam

In the second year, you will explore short fiction for both adults and children.

Modules

  • This module is designed to introduce you to moving image aesthetics. Focusing on those stylistic areas of cinema that make up its unique mode of artistic communication, Cin-aesthetics aims to familiarise students with the language of film.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Presentation

  • The aim of this module is to introduce you to the fundamental concepts in the study of language as a social phenomenon. We will explore the topic of identity through discourse analysis by analysing: register, constructed identity, incorporating gender, ethnicity and age. We will also learn about how ideologies, cultural ways, speaking and social attitudes affect patterns of language use.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework and presentation

  • This module will explore and analyse interactive narratives such as video games, board games, interactive novels and choose your own adventure books, and the way in which a player’s narrative experience is influenced by gameplay. You will either play or view key game narratives and analyse these narratives to identify their themes and purposes. You will also explore the impact of online multiplayer games and loot boxes on the single player, story driven video game.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework

  • On completion of this module, you will have acquired an understanding of the significance of literary modernism for twentieth-century literature. You can gain knowledge of both traditional critical conceptions of a modernist period and modernist aesthetic, and alternative modernisms.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework

  • This module aims to equip you with the basic tools to understand, explore and write prose in the form of short stories (fiction). You can learn how to explore and extend your ideas, develop your own creative material, and to use your research skills to create lively and topical texts.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework

  • You will also be able to take an Add+vantage module which can allow you to develop your CV by taking credits in an area of study that doesn’t have to be related to your degree. The assessment type will depend on the type of Add+vantage module you wish to take.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework and exam

In the final year, you will explore script writing for film, stage and radio. All students study towards a 40-credit Dissertation in an area of the subject of their choice, under the individual supervision of a member of staff with cognate interests.

Modules

  • This module can provide you with the opportunity to showcase your work to external stakeholders. You can plan, design and deliver exhibits of your work and gain valuable exposure to potential recruiters, as well as important employment-relevant feedback.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Presentation

  • This module aims to equip you with the essential tools for writing a short fictional screenplay. You will analyse screenplay form and structure, and practice writing effective dialogue for newly-conceived characters in imaginative situations. You will be expected to view and analyse a range of films in order to develop and improve both your understanding of cinema and your own screenwriting skills, as well as developing an ability to take critical and analytical stances.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework and presentation

  • This module aims to equip you with essential tools for writing theatre and radio scripts. You will gain an understanding of writing realistic dialogue for newly-conceived characters and imaginative situations, while exploring dramatic devices and their effects. You will also analyse the differences of theatre plays and radio dramas.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework

  • This module will focus around the reading and analysis of 'Speculative Fiction'. It embraces the great diversity of fantasy, gothic and science fiction texts and will explore their relationship to each other. It will investigate the rise and development of modern speculative fiction focussing on the social, cultural, and historical forces which influence its conventions, subjects, themes and which make it such a valuable genre for the study of Self and the Other.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework

  • This module will consider the literature that emerges in the final years after and during WWII, up to the end of the twentieth century. Students will study 'late' modernists such as Anthony Burgess and Vladimir Nabokov as well as the writers of the British 'New Wave' of science fiction, while also evaluating the movement from Neo Modernism to Postmodernism.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework

  • You will also be able to take an Add+vantage module which can allow you to develop your CV by taking credits in an area of study that doesn’t have to be related to your degree. The assessment type will depend on the type of Add+vantage module you wish to take.

    Compulsory

    Assessment: Coursework and exam

  • African American Writing: Place, Race and Identity (20 credits)

    This module introduces you to a diverse range of literary texts produced by African Americans post-World War Two up to the present day. The focus of the module will be upon the ways in which the narratives construct black identities that are informed by place, history, culture and gender.

    Assessment: Coursework and presentation

    Language and Globalisation (20 credits) 

    This module takes a sociolinguistic approach to the study of language and globalisation. We draw on a variety of theories and methodologies to examine issues around language, culture and society in a range of contexts. We explore topics such as: language attitudes and ideologies, bilingualism and multilingualism, identities in a globalised world, the politics of English as a lingua franca, language globalisation and social media, tourism discourse, food and lifestyle discourses, linguistic landscapes and workplace communication, among others.

    Assessment: Coursework and presentation

    Utopias and Dystopias (20 credits)

    This module is for those with an interest in speculative fiction, utopian thinking, political science and / or philosophy. You will be introduced to the key theoretical concepts and texts relating to literary utopia and dystopia.
    You can examine how utopian and dystopian ideas intersect with concepts such as gender, violence, or technophobia and technophilia.

    Assessment: Coursework

    Writing Nonfiction Narratives (20 credits)

    Creative nonfiction (or narrative nonfiction) is a story about real people and events, which includes some of the literary techniques used to write fiction. The aim of the module is to explore the ethical approaches adopted by life writers when combining fact with fiction. You will explore notions of truth and truthfulness in life writing, and how elements of fiction can be applied to create entertaining nonfictional texts.

    Assessment: Coursework

    English Dissertation (40 credits)

    The optional module aims to provide an opportunity for you to exercise greater autonomy over your learning and study in the final semester of your degree. You may write about any area of English Studies that staff in the School can supervise, in an area that interests you.

    Assessment:  Coursework

    Creative Dissertation (40 credits)

    The aim of this module is to combine reading, reflection and professional practice for a practice-based research project. The module is suitable for students who have actively engaged with creative writing modules. You will build upon your research and analytical skills acquired at levels 4 and 5, as well as apply a deeper knowledge and understanding of your professional practice acquired at the final stage of your degree.

    Optional

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

The course is taught using a combination of traditional, digital and innovative teaching methods and platforms.

The course team will facilitate learning through experiential, interdisciplinary and collaborative ways that empower you to take risks and explore your creativity. This is to help:

  • equip you with technical knowledge and employability skills
  • to support the achievement of excellence in independent research
  • to prepare you for making a significant impact on the communities and industries you choose to work in.

Each creative module has professional visiting lecturers, and these consist of poets, playwrights, authors and magazine publishers. There is a strong publishing element on this course, which includes opportunities to participate in publishing the CovWords Creative Writing magazine, to ensure that you are receiving first-hand experience in the publishing industry.

Assessment

Assessment methods include:

  • essays, reports and critical commentaries
  • oral/poster presentations
  • blog/vlog/online forum posts
  • digital tests and portfolios of exercises.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.

Job ready

On successful completion of the course, you will be able to demonstrate:

  • The ability to generate and develop original creative work.
  • An advanced range of editorial skills.
  • Advanced critical knowledge and understanding of literary works and genres from selected periods.
  • The ability to critically analyse works of fiction and non-fiction, interrogate and evaluate the arguments and theories of others and to formulate and construct critical arguments of one’s own.
  • The ability to utilise digital tools and technologies to practise original subject-based research and demonstrate the ability to be active, engaged participants in the era of online communication.
  • A broad understanding of the history, evolution, spread, and nature of the English language. This includes how the English language can vary and change according to context, identity and social interaction.
  • Knowledge and skills acquired on the course are necessary for a range of postgraduate study and/or employment opportunities and personal aspirations.

International experience opportunities

This course has a multicultural and international outlook, and we use a range of international texts and authors. The second year optional module, graphic storytelling, includes an international field trip (subject to additional fees, application, and meeting any applicable visa requirements). You may also obtain international professional experience if you decide to undertake an optional placement year.*

Entry requirements

Requirement What we're looking for
A level BBC
GCSE Minimum 5 GCSE's graded 9-4 
BTEC DDM
IB Diploma 31 points

We recognise a breadth of qualifications, speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

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Are you eligible for the Fair Access Scheme?

We believe every student should have the opportunity to dream big, reach their potential and succeed, regardless of their background.

Fair Access Scheme

Typical offer for 2022 entry

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

Europe

Americas

Middle East

South Asia

South East Asia

East Asia

Africa

Russia and Central Asia

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

English language requirements

  • Students whose first language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in the English language equivalent to IELTS 6 with no component lower than 5.5. .
  • If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course. 
  • For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

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Fees and funding

2022/23 Tuition fees

Student Full time Part time
UK £9,250 per year Not available
International £15,300 per year Not available

For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.

Facilities

FAH redevelopment

Building Redevelopment

We are currently in the process of a major redevelopment of our Faculty of Arts and Humanities buildings. The building will be open to the public, as well as students, and will feature an expansive gallery space.

lanchester library entrance

The Library

You will benefit from our support designed to help you succeed and our industry-relevant teaching and resources. These include our modern library and computing facilities, dedicated careers advice and Students’ Union.

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Confucius Institute

The School of Humanities is home to the Confucius Institute. This is a collaboration created through a partnership with Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, which aims to promote an understanding of the Chinese language and culture.

Careers and opportunities

Embedded employability will be delivered through an optional placement year, alongside skills and core competency development for all students throughout the course, including engagement with literary festivals.

You will even have the opportunity to have your radio dramas potentially broadcast by the BBC and to produce the CovWords Creative Writing magazine (online and printed). You can engage in submitting work for publication and enter competitions. CovWords exists in multiple formats: as a print version, as a YouTube site for digital performance and as a website which includes conventional and multimodal texts such as poems, stories, digital picture books and radio dramas.

Where our graduates work

Recent graduates of the course have gone on to work in teaching or publishing for companies such as, Granta Magazine. Many also go on to pursue a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing, which we also offer at Coventry University.

As the course also develops other abilities, such as thinking critically and analytically, research, collating and organising data, a number of previous students have also embarked upon careers as as financial specialists, HR managers or press officers in companies such as Air Products, Tesco and Deutsche Bank.

Further study

You can choose to continue your studies at Coventry University with the English Literature MA. You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study

How to apply

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Your next steps

Student life
Accommodation
Fees and funding

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  • Student Contract

    By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2021/22 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.

    Tuition fees

    The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.

    For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.

    Accreditations

    The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery. 

    Facilities

    Facilities mentioned on this page may not be relevant for every course. Due to the ongoing restrictions relating to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.

    Placements and study abroad opportunities

    Please note that we are unable to guarantee any placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.

    Additional costs

    This course may incur additional costs associated with any field trips, placements or work experience, study abroad opportunities or any other opportunity (whether required or optional), which could include (but is not limited to), equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas).