A young female university student in a cardigan holding manuscript pages with red pen feedback in a writing workshop circle, with fellow students discussing work and a tutor drawing narrative arc and character growth diagrams on a whiteboard, representing the workshop-based learning focus of Creative Writing degrees

DEGREE GUIDE

Creative Writing

What do Creative Writing degrees involve?

Creative Writing degrees teach you how to craft compelling stories, develop original ideas, and refine your writing style across different genres. You will explore key areas such as fiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, and non-fiction, while also learning about editing, publishing, and storytelling techniques. These courses help you build strong communication, critical thinking, and creative skills while experimenting with different forms of writing. You will also receive feedback from tutors and peers, helping you refine your work and develop your voice. Through workshops, live projects, and opportunities to collaborate with industry professionals, you’ll gain the experience needed to succeed in writing, publishing, media, and the creative industries.

Example
Modules

Foundation Workshop: Explore writing across genres, including fiction, poetry and script, developing original work while building confidence with structure and style.

Creative Writing Workshop: Develop your voice through drafting, feedback and revision, gaining skills in shaping narrative, character, and tone.

Project Development: Create a substantial piece of writing with support from tutors and peers, refining your work through workshops and one-to-one feedback.

Common Degree Names

💼 Some universities offer a placement year in publishing, media or community arts settings.
🌍 Study abroad is available at a number of institutions.

BA (Hons) Creative Writing
BA (Hons) Creative Writing and English Literature
BA (Hons) Creative Writing and Journalism
BA (Hons) Creative and Professional Writing
BA (Hons) Creative Writing and Film

A laptop displaying a fiction manuscript with tracked changes alongside a poetry journal with handwritten drafts, a screenwriting guide open to a chapter on dialogue, a short story manuscript with tutor feedback in red pen, and a stack of literary journals and novels, illustrating the drafting and revision process central to Creative Writing degrees

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Creative Writing degrees help you develop your voice as a writer across fiction, poetry, scriptwriting, or creative non-fiction. You don't need to have studied Creative Writing before, but you'll need to show that you can write well and have genuine enthusiasm for language and storytelling.

Universities usually expect:

English Literature and/or English Language – usually required or strongly preferred
Creative Writing – ideal if your school or college offers it
Media Studies or Film Studies – helpful for scriptwriting pathways
History, Philosophy or Drama – useful for building analytical and essay-writing skills

✨ English Literature and/or Language is the key subject and keeps the widest range of options open for you.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas in Creative Digital Media Production, Performing Arts, or Art and Design
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-Level subjects
T-Levels - as there isn't a T-Level that directly teaches creative writing or literary analysis, your portfolio and personal statement become especially important for demonstrating your writing ability
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with at least two IB Higher Level subjects (ideally three - see relevant subjects above) alongside your Career-Related Study

Some Creative Writing degrees are offered as joint courses (e.g. with English Literature, Drama, or Media), so subject requirements may vary; always check the course page carefully.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE / MYP / National 5)

Most courses require:

GCSE English Language and Maths at grade 4/C or above, or equivalent such as National 5s or MYP

📘 A strong grade in English is essential.

If you’ve taken Creative Writing or written stories, poems, or blogs in your own time, this can help you stand out.

📝 Portfolio
Most universities don't require a portfolio for undergraduate applications. However, a small number may ask you to submit original writing samples, particularly if you don't have English or a related subject at A-Level (or equivalent). If requested, this could include short stories, poems, scripts, or personal essays.

💬 Interviews
Formal interviews aren't usually part of the application process. However, some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject.

🔍 Work Experience
You don't need work experience to apply for Creative Writing. If you're looking for practical ways to develop your craft beyond your own projects, writing for a school magazine, starting a blog or zine, joining a local writing group, or entering writing competitions all push you to write for an audience and to deadlines. If you have a school placement to fill, a publisher, newspaper, or marketing agency gives you a feel for how writing works professionally.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What kind of writer are you becoming, and how is your work developing? Reflect on what you write - whether that's fiction, poetry, scripts, creative non-fiction, or other forms - and how your voice and craft have evolved. Think about the writers whose work inspires or challenges you and how reading widely has shaped your own writing. Writing is about practice and experimentation, so show what you've learned from the process of drafting, revising, and pushing yourself to try new things. Admissions tutors want to see your commitment to writing as a craft and evidence that you read as a writer, noticing how other writers achieve their effects.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Creative Writing, English or Humanities

Some universities offer a foundation year if you don't have the required subjects or grades. This adds an extra year but leads directly into the full degree.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (English, Humanities or Creative Arts)

Widely accepted by universities offering Creative Writing. Choose a pathway with essay writing or original creative work, and aim for Merits and Distinctions in your graded units.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

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Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with a Creative Writing degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Language, Stories & Writing: Creative Writing is where the craft of language and storytelling meets sustained practice. You'll work across fiction, poetry, scriptwriting and creative non-fiction in workshops, drafting, revising, and developing your own voice on the page.

Students who thrive in a Creative Writing degree are often motivated by

Storytelling and Communication

You're excited by crafting a compelling narrative, whether that's writing a script, performing a speech, producing content, or simply finding the perfect way to explain something complex. You notice when stories are told well and when they fall flat. Shaping how people understand and feel about a topic gives you real energy, and you're always thinking about how to land a message.

Sharing Your Work with Others

You take pride in showing what you've created to others, whether that's exhibiting artwork, demonstrating an invention, publishing writing, or presenting project results. The moment when someone else experiences or responds to your work gives you a buzz. You create with an audience in mind, even if that audience is small.

Personal Expression

You're energised by making work that's recognisably yours: putting your perspective, experiences, or imagination into something you create. Whether that's art, writing, design, music, film, or any creative output, you get the most from the work when your own voice or vision is showing through, not when you're producing something indistinguishable from anyone else's. Creative work that lets you leave your mark feels more satisfying than work that's purely technical, however skilled.

Creativity and Innovation

You're energised by the act of creating something new or finding a fresh way to approach a problem. Whether it's designing, writing, building, or experimenting, you feel most alive when you're generating original ideas rather than following established methods. The possibility that something has never been done before excites rather than intimidates you.

What makes Creative Writing click for the students who love it?

Making something that was not on the page a minute ago, a line, a character, a whole scene, is what they are here for. It has to feel like theirs, carrying something they want to say rather than filling a brief. A good part of the pleasure is the craft, finding the exact word for a feeling and shaping a story so it lands with a reader. What they make is meant to be read: they want it to reach people and stay with them.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you enjoy making things up — writing stories, poems, or scenes, even just for yourself?
Does it matter to you that the things you write really say what you mean — do you care about finding exactly the right words?
Are you open to hearing what other people honestly think of your work, and using that feedback to make it better?
Do you find yourself imagining what it's like to be someone else — thinking about how other people feel and why they act the way they do?

Careers a Creative Writing degree could lead you to

Creative Writing

What do Creative Writing degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Careers a Creative Writing degree could lead you to

Example
Modules