BA Creative Writing and English Literature
About this course
BA (Hons) in Creative Writing and English Literature BA (Hons), an English Literature and Creative Writing degree exploring literary traditions and creative composition. Core topics include Research Methods, Communication & Writing, Design & Creative Practice. Students participate in activities through the York Centre for Writing and engage with the annual York Literature Festival. The first year establishes fundamental knowledge through compulsory modules such as Introduction to Literary Studies 1, Forms of Narrative, Writing to Order, and Introduction to Literary Studies 2, alongside optional choices. The second year introduces employability and publishing through compulsory modules including Literature at Work and Working with words: Publishing and Performance, complemented by specialized options such as Writing Fiction, Writing Poetry, and Scriptwriting. The final year culminates in an independent English Literature Research Project or Creative Writing Dissertation, alongside various optional modules focusing on contemporary writing, specific genres, and historical periods.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
Minimum entry requirements: 104 UCAS Tariff points; and 3 GCSEs at grade C/4 (or equivalent) including English Language.
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What students say
Based on about 14 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 93%
- Learning opportunities: 90%
- Assessment and feedback: 97%
- Academic support: 94%
- Organisation and management: 89%
- Learning resources: 90%
- Student voice: 87%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 30 students who started
- Continued on course: 95%
- Left higher education: 5%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 15 graduates, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- North East: 20%
- North West: 5%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 65%
- West Midlands: 5%
Who gets in
Based on about 35 students who started
- A levels: 90%
- A degree: 5%
- Other HE qualification: 5%
- No formal qualifications: 5%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Gold for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Introduction to Literary Studies 1
- Forms of Narrative
- Writing to Order
- Introduction to Literary Studies 2
- Writing, Research and Literature
- Introduction to Creative Writing
- Theorising Literature: Power and Identity
- Creative Research for Creative Writers
- Literature at Work
- Working with words: Publishing and Performance
- Adaptations
- Science Fiction for Survival
- Literary Theory
- Conflicting Words
- Dawn of Print
- Mapping America
- The Romantic Imagination: Affect, Excess and Revolution
- Sick Stories: Narratives of Illness, Disease, and Infection
- Shakespeare: Perspectives
- Writing Fiction
- Writing Reality: Creative Non-fiction
- Writing Poetry
- Scriptwriting
- English Literature Research Project OR Creative Writing Dissertation
- Writing Genres
- Contemporary Writing 1: Innovation and Experimentation
- Hunger, Rebellion, and Rage: The Victorians
- Experiments and Upheavals: Twentieth-Century Cultural Change
- Literary Legacies
- The Making of Modern Drama
- American Radicals: Outside the Canon
- Writing the Caribbean
- What Now? What Next? Twenty-First Century Literature
- Gender and Sexualities
- Contemporary Writing 2: Literary and Publishing Culture Now
- Research Now I
- Research Now II
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Creative Writing and English Literature at York St John University earn?
The median salary is £19,500 after 3 years, £25,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £20,500 and £27,500. The £25,000 median after five years is £3,000 less than the UK median for Literature in English.
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Creative Writing and English Literature at York St John University?
93% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Creative Writing and English Literature at York St John University?
The average entrant had 106 UCAS points.
Does BA Creative Writing and English Literature at York St John University include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional placement year.
How many students continue on BA Creative Writing and English Literature at York St John University?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 5% left higher education.