Coursework Creative Writing

Overview

If you're an aspiring writer, there's no better place to hone your craft than the home of literary greats, Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

On this BA (Hons) Creative Writing degree, you'll learn to write across various mediums. From stories to scripts and plays to poetry, you'll develop your writing voice and improve your technique under the guidance of professional novelists, poets and playwrights.

The course develops your talent and prepares you for a career in writing. You'll learn the skills to succeed in many creative and professional industries, from print and online media to film and television, as well as public relations, advertising and teaching.

Entry requirements​

Entry requirements

What you'll experience

On this course, you'll:

• Get to grips with techniques that writers have used for centuries and study contemporary skills to inspire and entertain your audience through the power of written word
• Learn from published authors, scriptwriters and media specialists who'll help you bring your ideas to life in creative workshops
• Share your work with fellow writers who are buzzing with fresh ideas
• Learn to write across a variety of mediums and genres including magazine articles, television dramas, stage plays, autobiography, travel writing, fan fiction and publicity campaigns
• Have the chance to publish your work in our annual anthology and course blog
• Glean tips and tricks from visiting professional writers like Andy McNab, Francesca Beard and Suzi Feay
• Get the opportunity to shadow theatre professionals and have your work performed on stage thanks to our links with Portsmouth's New Theatre Royal and other local theatres

Careers and opportunities

You'll graduate from this Creative Writing degree course with the knowledge, skills and market awareness to succeed wherever your writing takes you, in whatever industry you choose.

What jobs can you do with a Creative Writing degree?

With the ability to take on roles in a variety of professional and creative sectors, previous graduates have gone on to become copywriters, journalists, theatre managers and editorial assistants in areas such as:

• creative writing (prose, poetry, script)
• advertising and marketing
• arts and events management
• local and community broadcasting
• teaching

You could also go on to postgraduate study or research.

You'll get help and support from our Careers and Employability service in finding your first role and for 5 years after you graduate.

What you'll study

Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.

In each year, you need to study modules worth a total of 120 credits. For example, 4 modules worth 20 credits and 1 module worth 40 credits.

Modules

Core modules in this year include:

• Creative Reviews and Features – 20 credits
• Professional Writing – 20 credits
• Telling Tales – 20 credits
• Tips, Tricks, Techniques – 20 credits
• True Stories – 20 credits
• Writing for the Film and Tv Industries – 20 credits

There are no optional modules in this year.

Core modules in this year include:

• Creative Writing and Critical Thinking – 20 credits
• Finding Form - Fiction – 20 credits
• Finding Form - Nonfiction – 20 credits

Optional modules in this year include:

• Comic Book Industries – 20 credits
• Creative Writing for Comedy – 20 credits
• Creative Writing for Film – 20 credits
• Engaged Citizenship Through Interdisciplinary Practice – 20 credits
• Finding Form - Speculative Fiction – 20 credits
• Finding Form - Writing for Performance – 20 credits
• Investigative Journalism – 20 credits
• Modern Foreign Language (Institution-wide Language Programme) – 20 credits
• Playwriting and Text for Performance – 20 credits
• Press and Public Relations – 20 credits
• Professional Experience – 20 credits
• Specialist Journalism – 20 credits
• Student Enterprise – 20 credits
• Transmedia Narratives and Strategies – 20 credits

On this course, you can do an optional work placement year between your 2nd and 3rd years to get valuable experience working in industry. We'll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions.

Options in this year include:

• CCI Placement Plus - Full Year – 40 credits
• CCI Self-employed Placement - Full Year – 40 credits
• CCI Work Placement - Full Year – 40 credits
• Film, Media and Communication Study Abroad - Full Year – 120 credits
• Film, Media and Communication Study Abroad - Half Year – 60 credits

The core module in this year is:

• Creative Writing Dissertation – 40 credits

Optional modules in this year include:

• Cultures of Consumption – 20 credits
• Fact and Fiction – 20 credits
• Fan Fiction – 20 credits
• Global Journalism and Human Rights – 20 credits
• Media Fan Cultures – 20 credits
• Representing Science in the Media – 20 credits
• Researching Animation – 20 credits
• Studying Comedy – 20 credits
• Travel Writing – 20 credits
• Writing Project (with Publishing) – 20 credits
• Writing and Producing Magazines – 20 credits

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

How you're assessed

You'll be assessed through:

• short stories
• a novel in progress
• a screenplay
• a collection of poems
• a magazine pitch
• public relations campaign
• reports
• a research portfolio
• examinations
• dissertation/project

You'll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you're assessed will depend on the modules you select throughout your course. Here's an example from a previous academic year of how students on this course were typically assessed:

• Year 1 students: 100% by coursework
• Year 2 students: 12% by written exams, 5% by practical exams and 83% by coursework
• Year 3 students: 100% by coursework

Placement year

After your second year, you can spend a year putting your writing skills into practice on an optional placement. This gives you valuable workplace skills and builds your CV.

Previous students have worked in:

• Red Apple Creative's audio book production team
• Debenhams' editorial team
• Dolby's field marketing team

Interested in running your own business on your placement year instead? You can start up and run your own company for a year as an alternative to a work-based placement. You'll work with fellow students to build and launch a successful venture.

However you spend the year, we'll give you plenty of support and mentoring to make sure you're getting the most out of your placement. You'll have access to Creative Careers; a team within the faculty helping students to find placement opportunities within the creative industries. They'll provide you with a database of placement vacancies, support with your job search, including help with applications and interviews, and support throughout your placement, should you need it.

Work experience and career planning

To give you the best chance of securing a great job when you graduate, our Careers and Employability service can help you find relevant work experience during your course.

We can help you identify placements, internships, voluntary roles and freelancing opportunities that will complement your studies and add to your portfolio.

Teaching

Teaching methods on this course include:

• lectures
• workshops
• seminars
• one-to-one tutorials

You can access all teaching resources on Moodle, our virtual learning environment, from anywhere with a Web connection.

For more about the teaching activities for specific modules, see the module list above.

How you'll spend your time

One of the main differences between school or college and university is how much control you have over your learning.

We're planning for most of your learning to be supported by timetabled face-to-face teaching with some elements of online provision. Please be aware, the balance between face-to-face teaching and online provision may change depending on Government restrictions. You'll also do lots of independent study with support from staff and our virtual learning environment, Moodle. Find out more about how our teaching has transformed to best support your learning.

A typical week

We recommend you spend at least 35 hours a week studying for your Creative Writing degree. In your first year, you'll be in timetabled teaching activities such as lectures, seminars, tutorials and presentations for about 12 hours a week. The rest of the time you'll do independent study such as research, reading, coursework and project work, alone or in a group with others from your course. You'll probably do more independent study and have less scheduled teaching in years 2 and 3, but this depends on which modules you choose.

Term dates

The academic year runs from September to June. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter.

See term dates

Most teaching takes place during the day, Monday to Friday. There's no teaching on Wednesday afternoons.

Supporting your learning

The amount of timetabled teaching you'll get on your degree might be less than what you're used to at school or college, but you'll also get support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff when you need it. These include the following people and services:

Personal tutor

Your personal tutor helps you make the transition to independent study and gives you academic and personal support throughout your time at university.

You'll have regular contact with your personal tutor in learning activities or scheduled meetings. You can also make an appointment with them if you need extra support.

Student support advisor

In addition to the support you get from your personal tutor, you'll also have access to a Faculty student support advisor. They can give you confidential, impartial advice on anything to do with your studies and personal wellbeing and refer you to specialist support services.

Academic skills tutors

You'll have help from a team of faculty academic skills tutors. They can help you improve and develop your academic skills and support you in any area of your study.

They can help with:

• Improving your academic writing (for example, essays, reports, dissertations)
• Delivering presentations (including observing and filming presentations)
• Understanding and using assignment feedback
• Managing your time and workload
• Revision and exam techniques

Creative skills tutors

If you need support with software and equipment or you want to learn additional skills (including skills not covered on your course), our creative skills tutors provide free workshops, activities and one-on-one tutorials. Skills you can learn include life drawing, film camera operation and video production.

IT and computing support

Computing support staff are always available to give technical support in the Faculty's computer suites during normal working hours. There's also some support available from 5pm to midnight at busy times of the year.

Library support

Library staff are available in person or by email, phone or online chat to help you make the most of the University's library resources. You can also request one-to-one appointments and get support from a librarian who specialises in your subject area.

The library is open 24 hours a day, every day, in term time.

Support with English

If English isn't your first language, you can do one of our English language courses to improve your written and spoken English language skills before starting your degree. Once you're here, you can take part in our free In-Sessional English (ISE) programme to improve your English further.

​Course costs and funding

Tuition fees (2022 start)

• UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £9,250 a year (may be subject to annual increase)
• EU students –£9,250 a year, including our Transition Scholarship (may be subject to annual increase)
• International students – £16,200 a year (subject to annual increase)

You won't pay any extra tuition fees to another university for taking part in a study/work abroad activity if you choose to do it for the whole academic year. During a year abroad you'll only have to pay a reduced fee to the University of Portsmouth.

Funding your studies

Find out how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.

Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.

Additional course costs

These course-related costs aren't included in the tuition fees. So you'll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.

Costs breakdown

You'll study up to 6 modules a year. You may have to read several recommended books or textbooks for each module.

You can borrow most of these from the Library. If you buy these, they may cost up to £60 each.

We recommend that you budget £75 a year for photocopying, memory sticks, DVDs and CDs, printing charges, binding and specialist printing.

If your final year includes a major project, there could be cost for transport or accommodation related to your research activities. The amount will depend on the project you choose.

You may need to buy items such as DVDs and MiniDV tapes to use on practical units, which cost approximately £20–£30.

You'll need to cover the material costs for individual project work, which usually costs £50–£100.

Apply

How to apply

To start this course in 2022, apply through UCAS. You'll need:

• the UCAS course code – WW80
• our institution code – P80

If you'd prefer to apply directly, use our online application form.

You can also sign up to an Open Day to:

• Tour our campus, facilities and halls of residence
• Speak with lecturers and chat with our students
• Get information about where to live, how to fund your studies and which clubs and societies to join

If you're new to the application process, read our guide on applying for an undergraduate course.

How to apply from outside the UK

See the 'How to apply' section above for details of how to apply. You can also get an agent to help with your application. Check your country page for details of agents in your region.

To find out what to include in your application, head to the how to apply page of our international students section.

If you don't meet the English language requirements for this course yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.

Coursework Creative Writing

Source: https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/ba-hons-creative-writing

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