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.
See the highest paying Languages & English degrees in the UK →
What students say
Based on about 6 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 98%
- Learning opportunities: 96%
- Assessment and feedback: 100%
- Academic support: 100%
- Organisation and management: 100%
- Learning resources: 88%
- Student voice: 82%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 20 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 95%
- Moved to a lower qualification: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 14 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 65%
- Working and studying: 10%
Most common jobs
- Administrative occupations: 20%
- Elementary occupations: 15%
- Teaching Professionals: 10%
- Business and public service associate professionals: 10%
- Sales occupations: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 60%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 20%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 20%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 190 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 13%
- North West: 9%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 60%
- East Midlands: 5%
- West Midlands: 2%
- East of England: 3%
- London: 3%
- South East: 4%
- South West: 1%
- Scotland: 1%
- Northern Ireland: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 30 students who started
- A levels: 90%
- Baccalaureate: 5%
- Access course: 5%
- Other HE qualification: 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 £23,000 after 15 months, £19,500 after 3 years, £24,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £20,000 and £29,000. The £24,500 median after five years is £3,500 less than the UK median for Literature in English.
What do graduates of BA Creative Writing and English Literature at York St John University do next?
80% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2022-23).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Creative Writing and English Literature at York St John University?
98% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2024-25.
What grades do I need for BA Creative Writing and English Literature at York St John University?
The average entrant had 108 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 and an optional year abroad.
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 0% left higher education.