English Literature with Creative Writing BA Honours

Clearing - How to apply

What is Clearing?

Each year, universities may have spaces left on their courses after the application window has closed in June.

UCAS Clearing is your opportunity to snap up one of these places, even if you didn't apply to the university prior to the June deadline.

It also gives you a second chance to go to university if you didn't get the grades you needed for your firm and insurance offers.

How do I get in touch?

Our Clearing entry requirements may differ from those advertised; contacting our friendly advisers is the best way to find out if you’re eligible for a place.

You can get in touch through live chat or our hotlines. Call us on 0800 073 5050, or if you’re an international student calling from outside the UK, call: +44 191 222 5000.

Not available in Clearing

This course is not available in Clearing 2024.

This means there are no spaces available for Clearing 2024. If you can't find vacancies in your original course or subject area, try exploring other subjects in a related field.

Search our courses in Clearing

Course overview

Our English Literature with Creative Writing BA brings together criticism and creativity, with opportunities to study and create poetry, prose, film, and plays.

Whether you’re polishing a short story, learning about literature and postcolonialism, or writing your own poetry, you’ll be working alongside our world-leading researchers and internationally acclaimed writers and filmmakers.

At our Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts, you’ll meet famous creative artists. You can join workshops on everything from finding an agent to creating a fantasy language. You can also get experience in arts management.

You'll also have the flexibility to choose how much creative writing you do. Find out more in our modules section

At the end of this three-year degree, you will have the critical skills to analyse a wide range of literature. You will also have developed the practical skills necessary to produce creative writing of a professional standard and build a literary career.

You’ll be ready to take further steps towards a career in the creative arts. You will also have critical and creative skills that many other employers value highly.

Download information about this course as a PDF

Your course and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions  
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2024-25.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Quality and ranking

Professional accreditation and recognition

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Featured module

SEL2215: Creative Practice

Develop your knowledge, understanding and experience of a range of creative approaches to writing.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions

You'll be introduced to a variety of literary texts; poetry, prose, plays and film. You'll build a foundation in the critical and theoretical skills you need for your studies in stages 2 and 3.

You explore different ways of approaching creative writing. You will develop your creativity and gain experience in writing in different forms.

Pathways

Before you start your degree you'll choose between the following pathways:

• English Literature with Creative Writing - on this pathway you will spend a third of your time on creative writing and two thirds studying English literature.
• English Literature and Creative Writing - on this pathway you will split your time equally between creative writing and English Literature.

When you graduate, your degree transcript will show either 'English Literature with Creative Writing' or 'English Literature and Creative Writing', depending on which pathway you choose in stage 1. 

English Literature with Creative Writing pathway

Compulsory modules	Credits
Introduction to Creative Writing	20
Transformations	20
Drama, Theatre and Performance	20
Doing Criticism	20
Beginnings	20
Revolutions	20

English Literature and Creative Writing pathway

Compulsory modules	Credits
Introduction to Creative Writing	20
Drama, Theatre and Performance	20
Doing Criticism	20
Beginnings	20
Revolutions	20
Introduction to Creative Writing 2	20

 

You will advance your understanding of literature through the ages, and take at least one pre-19th-century module alongside at least one focusing on modern or contemporary topics.

In Creative Writing, you will develop your craft and literary techniques in prose, theatre script, poetry or screenwriting.

English Literature with Creative Writing pathway

Compulsory modules	Credits
Creative Practice	20

You will take one of the following modules:

Modules	Credits
Poetry Workshop	20
Theatre Script Workshop	20
Prose Workshop	20
Screenwriting Workshop	20

You will take one and may take up to three of the following modules:

Modules	Credits
Renaissance Bodies	20
Writing New Worlds, 1688-1789	20
Revolutionary Britain, 1789-1832	20
Monsters, Misery and Miracles: Heroic Life in Old English Poetry	20
Stagecraft in Early Drama	20

You will take one and may take up to three of the following modules:

Modules	Credits
Victorian Passions: Victorian Values	20
Contemporary Cultures	20
Modernisms	20
Literatures of Decolonisation	20

You can take one of the following optional modules:

Optional modules	Credits
Career Development for second year students	20
Independent Research Project	20

 

English Literature and Creative Writing pathway

Compulsory modules	Credits
Creative Practice	20

 

You will take two of the following modules:

Modules	Credits
Poetry Workshop	20
Theatre Script Workshop	20
Prose Workshop	20
Screenwriting Workshop	20
Creative Practice 2	20

You will take one and may take up to two of the following modules:

Modules	Credits
Renaissance Bodies	20
Writing New Worlds, 1688-1789	20
Revolutionary Britain, 1789-1832	20
Monsters, Misery and Miracles: Heroic Life in Old English Poetry	20
Stagecraft in Early Drama	20

You will take one and may take up to two of the following modules:

Modules	Credits
Victorian Passions: Victorian Values	20
Contemporary Cultures	20
Modernisms	20
Literatures of Decolonisation	20

You can take one of the following optional modules:

Optional modules	Credits
Career Development for second year students	20
Independent Research Project	20

You will be supported in the production of an original piece of literary work in an area of your interest, in either prose, theatre script, poetry or screenwriting.
Your portfolio will bring together everything you’ve learnt about creative writing and allow you to devise a project that demonstrates your individuality.

You'll choose four specialist options in literature, taking modules that cover both pre-19th century and post-19th century topics.

Current options include The Victorian novel, British and international children’s literature, Romantic poetry, Caribbean literature and film, Medieval literature, American literature, and Contemporary Documentary. Or, you can also do a work placement in the cultural industries.

English Literature with Creative Writing Pathway

You will take one of the following modules:

Modules	Credits
Prose Portfolio	40
Theatre Script Portfolio	40
Poetry Portfolio	40
Screenwriting Portfolio	40

You will take one, and may take up to three of the following modules:

Modules	Credits
Enlightened Romantics: A Revolution in Feeling	20
Writing Liberty in the Romantic Era	20
Fiction and the Philosophy of Terror: From the Supernatural to the Sublime	20
War Writing: Heroic and Hostile Discourses in Medieval Literature	20
Envious Show: Wealth, Power and Ambition in Narratives of the Country House, 1550-2000	20
Keats and Romantic Epic	20
Shakespeare and Company: Gender, Power, Theatre	20

You will take one, and may take up to three of the following modules:

Modules	Credits
Sex and Money: Economies of the Victorian Novel	20
Documentary Storytelling: Theory and Practice	20
Landscapes of American Modernism	20
Time, Change, and the Life Course in Literature of the Long Nineteenth Century	20
American Poetry Now	20
Planetary Imaginations: Literature in the Time of Environmental Crisis	20
Freedom and Imagination: US Literature 1850-1900	20
Deep North: Modern Literature of the North East	20
Popular Romance and Contemporary Political Discourse	20
Making Young Adult Literature	20
Exposing Ourselves: Privacy, Contemporary Performance and the Public Sphere	20
Devolutionary Fictions: Literature, Politics, and the British State since 1960	20
Border Fictions: Migration, Memory, and Transgressions in Global Anglophone Literatures, 1900-Present Day	20

You may choose the following optional module:

Module	Credits
Career Development for final year students	20

English Literature and Creative Writing Pathway

You will take one of the following modules:

Modules	Credits
Prose Portfolio	40
Theatre Script Portfolio	40
Poetry Portfolio	40
Screenwriting Portfolio	40

You will take one of the following modules:

Modules	Credits
Documentary Storytelling: Theory and Practice	20
Creative Practice 3	20

You will take three of the following modules:

Sex and Money: Economies of the Victorian Novel	20
Landscapes of American Modernism	20
Enlightened Romantics: A Revolution in Feeling	20
Time, Change, and the Life Course in Literature of the Long Nineteenth Century	20
American Poetry Now	20
Planetary Imaginations: Literature in the Time of Environmental Crisis	20
Writing Liberty in the Romantic Era	20
Fiction and the Philosophy of Terror: From the Supernatural to the Sublime	20
Freedom and Imagination: US Literature 1850-1900	20
Deep North: Modern Literature of the North East	20
Popular Romance and Contemporary Political Discourse	20
Making Young Adult Literature	20
War Writing: Heroic and Hostile Discourses in Medieval Literature	20
Envious Show: Wealth, Power and Ambition in Narratives of the Country House, 1550-2000	20
Exposing Ourselves: Privacy, Contemporary Performance and the Public Sphere	20
Devolutionary Fictions: Literature, Politics, and the British State since 1960	20
Border Fictions: Migration, Memory, and Transgressions in Global Anglophone Literatures, 1900-Present Day	20
Keats and Romantic Epic	20
Shakespeare and Company: Gender, Power, Theatre	20

 

 

Information about these graphs

We base these figures and graphs on the most up-to-date information available to us. They are based on the modules chosen by our students in 2023-24.

Teaching time is made up of:

• scheduled learning and teaching activities. These are timetabled activities with a member of staff present.
• structured guided learning. These are activities developed by staff to support engagement with module learning. Students or groups of students undertake these activities without direct staff participation or supervision

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

You can normally expect to spend around 10 hours per week attending lectures, seminars, workshops and film screenings. You also spend around 25 hours per week on class preparation, reading, writing, and other kinds of independent research recommended by your tutor.

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

• 

  Assignments – written or fieldwork

• 

  Coursework

• 

  Essays

• 

  Examinations – practical or online

• 

  Group work

• 

  Portfolio submission

• 

  Presentations

• 

  Reflective report/journal

• 

  Seminar tasks/exercises

Skills and experience

Practical experience

Our Creative Writing instructors are all practicing professional writers, filmmakers and playwrights. They model their teaching to provide similar experiences to those in the creative industries.

When you study English Literature at Newcastle, you will also enjoy regular field trips organised by the School. These include visits to:

• The Wordsworth Trust (Dove Cottage)
• Seven Stories (the National Centre for Children's Books)
• various city theatres including Northern Stage, Live Theatre and Theatre Royal as well as the Tyneside Cinema

Business skills

Our modules provide a huge number of transferable skills.

You will learn to:

• work independently
• manage projects
• write clear and persuasive prose
• analyse complex datasets and sources.

You'll have the opportunity to gain real-world work experience in the cultural industries in Stage 3. We also offer modules in partnership with the Careers Service in Stage 2 and 3.

Employability

Employability and the engagement of literature with the wider world go hand-in-hand in this degree.

Many of our literature modules, particularly in Stage 3, model their assessments on the kind of tasks you might be employed to do:

• constructing marketing briefs
• drafting website copy
• curating exhibitions
• writing persuasive arguments
• writing enthralling creative fiction.

Beyond our modules, there are plenty of extracurricular opportunities. These range from freelance work for Newcastle’s student newspaper to paid internships in our department.

In particular, the Newcastle Centre for Literary Arts hires students to work on everything from event management to app design. The centre also runs workshops with professionals in the creative industries.

Opportunities

Study abroad

You can study abroad for one semester in your second year as part of this degree. In Europe we have links with:

• Ghent University, Belgium
• Leipzig University, Germany
• Groningen University, Netherlands
• Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands

We also have links with universities in other parts of the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and the USA, including, but not limited to:

• Monash University, Australia
• University of Sydney, Australia
• McGill University, Canada
• University of Hong Kong
• University of Vermont, USA

Find out more about Study Abroad.

Work placement

During your degree, you’ll have multiple opportunities to undertake a meaningful work placement. In your second and third years, you may choose to take the Career Development Module which offers academic credit for 50 hours of placement. You can choose to carry out your placement via part-time work, volunteering or in a local school. You will be assessed through a mixture of written work, presentations, and professional skills assessment.

In addition, you'll have the option to spend 9 to 12 months on a work placement with University support from our dedicated Careers team to help you secure your dream placement in the UK or abroad. Work placements take place between stages 2 and 3.

You'll gain first-hand experience of working in the sector, putting your learning into practice, and developing your professional expertise. Previous placements have been in a range of sectors, including:

• Journalism and Broadcasting
• Sustainable Energy
• Politics
• Digital Media and Marketing
• Education
• Finance
• Museum and Heritage
• Travel and Tourism

If you choose to take a work placement, it will extend your degree by a year. Placements are subject to availability.

Find out more about work placements.

Facilities and environment

Facilities

You'll be based in the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics. The School is located in the Percy Building, which is at the heart of our city-centre campus. You'll join a lively community of students, academics, writers, and professionals.

You'll have access to:

• a digital media lab – for students with documentary and film-making modules
• a PC cluster
• a student-led café
• plenty of spaces to work and socialise

You will have exceptional library provision from our award-winning Library Service. It houses over one million books and a huge range of electronic resources.

Our literature and creative writing teaching is linked to the Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts (NCLA) programme. This will give you regular contact with leading creative artists. You'll also have access to a diverse programme of events, including spoken-word events and creative writing courses.

Find out more about the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics.

Support

You'll have the support of an academic member of staff as a Personal Tutor throughout your degree to help with academic and personal issues affecting your academic progress.

Peer Mentors will help you in your first year. They are fellow students who can help you settle in and answer questions you may have when starting university.

Your future

Industry links

Our alumni include:

• Peter Straughan (screenwriter of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)
• Andy Bird (former chairman of Walt Disney International)
• Neil Astley (writer and founder of Bloodaxe publishing house)
• Teresa Graham, CBE (policy maker, government advisor and advocate for women in business) )
• John Yorke (former head of Channel 4 drama and former Controller of BBC Drama Production)
• Pippa Crerar (Political Editor, The Guardian)
• Ruth Sunderland (Business Editor, The Daily Mail)

Students studying this degree develop a range of valuable skills, which they can transfer to many different sectors. Your literary training can be used in journalism, librarianship, and teaching and our graduates have gone into a variety of career areas including marketing, law, politics.

Our graduates have achieved success working in the film and TV media industry as well as in videogame and software development.

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Careers support

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2025 entry (per year)

The 2025 home fees have not yet been confirmed (see ‘Home Fee Students’ information below).

Qualification: BA Honours
Home students full time 3 years	Tuition fees (per year) Not set
International students full time 3 years	Tuition fees (per year) 23800

Home Fee Students

Home students starting in 2024 entry
£9,250 is the maximum fee that we are currently permitted to charge for home fee-paying students. This is set by the UK government.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Home students starting in 2025 entry
The 2025 home fees have not yet been confirmed. In November 2024 the government increased the maximum fee level to £9,535 for 2025/26. We expect to confirm our Undergraduate Home fees for 2025/26 in December 2024.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

International Fee Students

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our undergraduate scholarship page for more information.

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Scholarships

Find out more about:

• scholarships for UK, EU and international students
• Student Loans and Government financial support for UK and EU students

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

• the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
• the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
• the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages