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Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Undergraduate BA (Hons)
Creative Writing
Designed by writers for writers, this course will enable you to develop your portfolio of writing. You’ll be supported by award-winning poets, screen writers and novelists.
Course Overview
-
W900 -
L27 -
City Campus -
Full-Time -
3 Years -
16 Sep 2024
Whether you want to write poetry, short stories, novels, scripts, fiction or non-fiction, you’ll learn techniques to develop an idea into a final draft. Our guidance will ensure that you write to the best of your ability and find the right audience for your work.
As part of this course, you’ll:
- Develop your imagination
- Create your own portfolio of writing
- Learn the techniques to edit and refine your work
- Identify markets for your writing and produce submission ready pieces
- Perform and/or present your own writing
- Collaborate with other writers
- Deliver writing workshops
- Understand how you can use your skills to build a successful career
Become an expert storyteller
All over the world, people are telling each other stories in books, marketing, advertising, film, TV, publishing, journalism and other forms of broadcast and social media. This course will help you find the stories you want to tell, and the medium in which you want to tell them.
Develop your portfolio
You’ll have plenty of time to develop your portfolio of script, poetry, prose, or a combination of all three. As a student on this course, you’ll be part of a safe, inclusive community for writers to create, experiment, and share their work.
A third of this course comprises the professional portfolio strand, which will give you the opportunity to develop your professional skills through a series of industry-aware challenges. An example of this might be to create your own blog, or pitch your work to a panel of professional writers.
Study in a creative city
Leeds is home to a vibrant writing community with Leeds Playhouse, one of the largest producing theatres in the North. The Holbeck and Channel 4 both have national headquarters here. You’ll study at Broadcasting Place, in the heart of the city’s programme of cultural and literary events, including Leeds Lit Fest and Leeds International Film Festival.
Why study creative writing at Leeds Beckett University...
- Learn from experts - teaching delivered by award-winning, published writers
- Career-focused - you'll develop employability skills throughout your course. Your professional portfolio modules will be embedded across each year of your degree and will enable you to develop industry-aware writing skills
- Set your own writing goals – support to develop the projects you want to work on.
- Collaborative learning – receive feedback from a community of writers
- Study in a creative city - situated in the heart of Leeds city centre, with opportunities to collaborate with its thriving cultural scene
Explore videos and blogs
Dark Futures: Exploring the Allure of Dystopian Fiction From analysing classic works to examining contemporary shows like Squid Game and Black Mirror, discover why dystopia resonates with us
Creative Writing at Leeds Beckett BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing students Maisie and Briony share their experience of studying creative writing at Leeds Beckett.
Students connect with employers at Humanities Careers Day At our annual careers day, students were able to meet and network with employers, attend interactive workshops from industry professionals and get bespoke feedback on their CV.
Everything you need to know
Discover all there is to know about the course, from entry requirements and fees to exploring the school you’ll be joining - we’ve got it covered.
Entry requirements
104
points required
If you're applying via UCAS, find out more about how your qualifications fit into the UCAS tariff.
We have welcomed students from over 140 countries to study at Leeds Beckett University. If you are interested in studying with us you can find all the information you need about entry requirements and how to apply on our country specific pages.
Entry requirements
104
points required
UCAS Tariff Points: 104 points required.
(Minimum 64 from two A Levels or equivalent, excluding General Studies).
If you're applying via UCAS, find out more about how your qualifications fit into the UCAS tariff.
GCSEs
GCSE English Language at Grade 4 or above (Grade C for GCSEs taken before 2017) or equivalent. Key Skills Level 2, Functional Skills Level 2 and the Certificate in Adult Literacy are accepted in place of GCSEs.Access to HE Diploma
Pass overall with a minimum of 104 UCAS tariff points.T Levels
Pass overall with a minimum of 104 UCAS tariff points, including a C or above on the core.Scottish Awards
104 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 5 Highers of which at least 2 must be grade B or above.Irish Leaving Certificate
104 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 5 subjects at higher level of which at least 3 must be grade H3 or above.International baccalaureate
104 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 3 Highers of which at least 2 must be grade H5 or above.IELTS
IELTS 6.0 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.
Selection Criteria
We may use selection criteria based on your personal attributes; experience and/or commitment to the area of study. This information will be derived from your personal statement and reference and will only be used if you have met the general entry requirements.
Our commitment to help every student succeed
Leeds Beckett University is committed to ensuring that every student with the potential to succeed at our University is able to do so regardless of their background. For this reason we operate a contextual admissions policy, which means we take into account a range of additional factors when we assess a student’s application. Applicants who meet at least one of our contextual admissions criteria will be offered a place on this course with lower (predicted or achieved) UCAS Tariff Points than our published tariff (above).Our contextual admissions criteria are:
- Home postcode is in an area where few people go to University (POLAR4 quintile 1 or 2 area. This can be checked on the Office for Students website).
- Declared disability on the UCAS application form (or direct application for part time applicants).
- Over the age of 21 on the 1st of September before the course starts.
- Declared as a care experienced on the UCAS application form (or direct application for part time applicants).
Mature Applicants
Our university welcomes applications from mature applicants who demonstrate academic potential. All students will be considered through the contextual admissions policy described above. If you do not meet the requirements through the contextual admissions policy, we may still be able to make you an offer if you have recent relevant work experience through our 'Recognition of Prior Learning' policy. Please ensure that you list both your qualifications and any relevant work experience in your application so that we can consider you under both schemes where applicable. All applicants should meet our standard entry requirements of GCSE grade C in English language and, where specified, Maths. Alternative qualifications such as functional skills are accepted in lieu of GCSEs for most courses.We have welcomed students from over 140 countries to study at Leeds Beckett University. If you are interested in studying with us you can find all the information you need about entry requirements and how to apply on our country specific pages.
If you're applying via UCAS, find out more about how your qualifications fit into the UCAS tariff.
International baccalaureate
104 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 3 Highers of which at least 2 must be grade H5 or above.IELTS
IELTS 6.0 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.
Selection Criteria
We may use selection criteria based on your personal attributes; experience and/or commitment to the area of study. This information will be derived from your personal statement and reference and will only be used if you have met the general entry requirements.
Additional entry requirements:
Verify your qualifications
If you are an international student, we can help you to compare and verify your qualifications. Please contact our International Office on +44 (0)113 812 1111 09.00 to 17.00 Mon-Thurs / 09.00 to 16.30 Fri GMT or email internationaloffice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.Need to improve your English Language skills?
Don't worry if you don't have the level of English required for your chosen course. We offer a wide range of courses which have been designed to help you to improve your qualifications and English language ability, most of which are accredited by the British Council. Check your English and find out more about our English courses.More questions?
No matter what your questions, we are here to answer them, visit our International website to get more information and find out about our online open days.Independent study is a crucial part of learning at university and you will be required to undertake many hours of self-directed research and reading, and preparation and writing of assessments. Your course is delivered through a number of modules, which will help you to plan your time and establish a study routine. Outside of your lectures, workshops and tutorials, a range of support is available to assist with your independent study. Our subject-specific librarians will be on hand to direct you to the specialist learning and study-skill resources. You’ll also be assigned an academic advisor to give you tailored feedback and support.
Teaching & Learning
What you'll learn
Gain an introduction to the practices and processes of creative writing. Your studies will draw on examples from literary and digital texts, and you will begin to develop an understanding of the contexts of their production and reception. You will begin to use your initiative, creative response and collaborative working in a workshop setting to underpin your creative writing throughout the programme.
This module will support you as you start to work at degree level and develop strategies for the interpretation of contemporary literary texts. You will engage with a range of post-millennial texts that seek to problematize the contemporary period. You teaching will focus on literary innovations and ways in which texts interact with techniques, approaches and debates in literary studies today. Your learning will explore a range of critical approaches through a number of set texts to help you develop key skills that will inform your work at degree level.
You'll develop your independent writing practice, supported by tutors and your peers with an active, tutor-led, group tutorial once a semester to enable you to reflect and discuss your work with your fellow students. Through these sessions, you'll learn how to develop a regular writing practice that is relevant to your individual approach to writing. This will show you how your work can benefit from a reflexive and mutually supportive process that includes evolving discussions and debates.
Study an extended range of forms that could include dramatic monologues and short scripts. You will study fundamental theoretical principles and debates such as narrative, voice and object that relate to writing practices, and you will start to explore and experiment with your own writing.
Explore the principles of adaptation from literary text to a range of mediated forms. You'll focus on the study of one key chosen text, and will explore its adaptations to various other literary and media forms. This study will enable you to consider the key principles that underpin textual adaptation, explore the ways in which form impacts the production of a text, analyse the adaptation as an important ingredient in literary production. You'll respond creatively to literary text or selections of texts, by producing your own short adaptations.
You'll develop your editing and revising skills and be encouraged to think about the needs and expectations of your audience when it comes to presenting work. You’ll begin to understand how audience impacts on your writing. You may decide to produce a blog, or a podcast, or you may decide to revisit some of the written work you have produced so far and redraft it, embedding the good practice techniques you’ve learned as you develop your craft.
What you'll learn
Explore key aspects of characterisation, story world-building and fictionalisation and build on your year one learning. You will respond to a range of contemporary authors from different cultures to produce your own short stories or extracts from longer works in progress. You will study and practise key aspects of narrative craft such as characterisation, dialogue, dramatisation, point of view and story architecture and understand how these are deployed in both short stories and novels/novellas.
Explore key aspects of writing for screen and respond to a range of texts to produce your own short scripts and/or treatments. You'll study and practise key aspects of screenwriting craft including structure, dialogue and scene design, and how these are deployed in writing stories for screen.
You'll develop your awareness of audience and opportunities to take your writing to market. You’ll be asked to research potential submission points for your work, such as online opportunities, writing competitions, open mic nights. You might decide to produce a piece of writing to a particular brief or to pitch your work to an industry-related panel. You’ll learn how to present work to a professional standard.
Study poetic voice and audience, and the relationship between them. You will extend your knowledge of contemporary poetry and you will be encouraged to identify potential audiences for your work and start to situate it within a wider literary world.
Develop critical and interpretative skills informed by an understanding of the role theory plays in literary studies. This module will enable you to become more confident and more adventurous in your study of literature.
How are you going to make a living as a writer? You'll explore the transferrable skills you're developing and how you'll apply them to your life beyond university. You'll work with external organisations on projects designed to get you thinking about your career. Examples of the kind of activities you may pursue are: developing a creative writing workshop to deliver in prisons, working with a professional writer in an editorial capacity, or designing a social marketing campaign for a local charity.
What you'll learn
Study the autobiographical branch of creative non-fiction.You will complete a number of creative writing exercises and regular workshops to help you refine your work with feedback from fellow students and tutor feedback in class, online, verbally, and in writing. This module will see you read a range of exemplary works of autobiographical non-fiction with a critical eye to begin making connections between the techniques and approaches of published works and your own.
You will work on a sustained creative writing practice project over two semesters, which will be overseen by a designated supervisor/tutor. This project will foster your abilities to work both independently as a writer and collaboratively as part of a group of artist-practitioners.
Develop your understanding of your place in the world beyond university. You'll be asked to write a well-researched and realistic plan for the next five years of creative enterprise. You’ll develop your own personal writing manifesto. You'll discover what works for you and how your work fits within the broader cultural and literary landscape. You’ll give a presentation on your research, helping you to visualise your first steps after graduation.
Examine a body of reading, thought, and practice in contemporary writing loosely understood as `avant-garde' or experimental writing. Given the renegade nature of these works, we will move away from using such generic categories as poetry or prose, even as we try to understand how these texts usefully extend and interrogate precisely those categories. Through a programme of close reading, in-class and online discussion, and independent study, you will critically and creatively engage with a rich tradition of contemporary literary practice.
In this module, you'll demonstrate your development as a writer throughout the course. You'll produce or present or publish your work to audience, whether in printed, recorded or online formats. You'll reflect on your journey as a writer and how your portfolio of work has developed. You may choose to publish your creative writing project, or to develop a submission package, or deliver your work at the end of year celebration.
Fees & Funding hellooo
£9,250
UK
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £9250. The amount you will pay may increase each year to take into account the effects of inflation.
£16,000
International 2024
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £16000. The amount you will pay is fixed at this level for each year of your course.
Fees & Funding
£9,250
For students entering in 2024
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £9250. The amount you will pay may increase each year to take into account the effects of inflation.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Optional Costs
- Travel, accommodation and subsistence for optional educational visits. The nature and cost of these visits will vary from year to year
- Additional travel costs may be incurred in relation live brief or work related projects
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
£16,000
For students entering in 2024
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £16000. The amount you will pay is fixed at this level for each year of your course.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Optional Costs
- Travel, accommodation and subsistence for optional educational visits. The nature and cost of these visits will vary from year to year
- Additional travel costs may be incurred in relation live brief or work related projects
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
Moving on up
Leeds Beckett climbs 40 places in the Complete University Guide 2024
Your future in our hands
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a course. Take a look at the team you’ll be working with, employability statistics and career prospects to help make up your mind.
Our Creative Writing BA helps you not only learn how to write, but how to survive and thrive as a writer. The 4 Cs – identified as the key employability skills of the future - creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking – are the cornerstones on which this degree is built.
Dr Alison Taft
Acting Head of Subject
Dr Alison Taft
Acting Head of Subject / School Of Humanities And Social Sciences
Alison Taft is a crime writer and the author of The Disappeared and The Runaway which are published under her pen name Ali Harper. She is Course Director for Creative Writing with a particular interest in the domestic thriller.
Career Prospects
The ability to communicate effectively in English is highly sought after by employers and our graduates go on to a wide range of careers. The following are just some of the sectors and job roles that will be available to you as a creative writing graduate:
- Arts and culture: arts administrator, creative director, communication director
- Film and TV: scriptwriter, script editor, continuity supervisor
- Gaming and digital industries: content creator, digital story-creator
- Journalism: journalist, features editor, digital copywriter
- Marketing and advertising: social media content creator, copy editor, public relations officer
- Publishing: story editor, copy editor, commissioning editor
- Teaching: within schools, Further Education, Higher Education and adult education
- Writing: novelist, writing for stage and radio
You could go onto further study. For example our MA English Literature, PGCE Primary Education (3-7) or PGCE Secondary Education (11-16) - English, GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law) or develop your own creative enterprise.
Scholarships and bursaries
We are committed to ensuring that an education at Leeds Beckett University is open to all. If you're thinking of joining us for undergraduate study, you may be eligible for a non-repayable scholarship or bursary to help with the cost of university. To find out if you are be eligible visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
We also offer a range of non-repayable scholarships for international students. To find out if you may be eligible visit our scholarships for international students page and select your home country from the drop-down list.
Our Graduate Promise
We have a dedicated team of people who will support you with all aspects of your career planning, from day one until 18 months after you graduate.
Getting you career ready is an integral part of your university life and this is embedded throughout your lectures and seminars. Outside of your course there is a wide range of support available to help you achieve your career goals, including:
- Getting ready to apply for jobs
- Working on your CV
- Interview skills and assessment centres
- Connecting with employers and organisations
Your Beckett experience
At Leeds Beckett your experience is important to us, find out more about what to expect from your time on this course and life at uni.
Experience Leeds Beckett
Our state-of-the-art facilities and learning environments give you everything you need to succeed.
Still thinking about your uni choices? Discover Uni has official information to help you decide. They provide statistics for courses taken from national surveys and data collected from universities about their students.
