creative writing classes leeds

English Literature with Creative Writing BA

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Course overview

Take a tour of our School

Get a taste for life as a student in the School of English as undergraduate student Malgorzata takes you on a tour of the School building as well as some campus highlights.

Develop your creativity and sharpen your critical abilities with this course that will equip you with valuable skills as both a reader and a writer. You’ll produce creative work across various genres, such as fiction, poetry, life writing, and travel accounts. 

You'll also learn how writers of the past and the present have used words and literary forms to express their ideas and engage with their times’ social and cultural issues. 

You’ll encounter historical and modern texts in English from around the globe, which explore themes relevant to how we live today, including race and ethnicity, gender, climate change and nature, social class, disability and wellbeing. 

Learn how to shape language to convey your ideas and experience, work in groups, discuss your writing with other students, and build an individual portfolio of work that will set you on track for a creative or cultural industries career.

Our expertise

The School of English has a long and prestigious history in creative writing. Creative Writing at Leeds has a great history of alumni and former staff, including Wole Soyinka, Geoffrey Hill, JRR Tolkien, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Hannah Copley, Luiza Sauma, literary agent Caroline Hardman, and our recent Douglas Caster Poetry Fellows Helen Mort, Anthony Vahni Capildeo and Malika Booker.

Our current staff includes UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, JR Carpenter, Kimberly Campanello, Zaffar Kunial, Sarah K. Perry, Jay Prosser, Jess Richards, Ross Raisin, Caitlin Stobie and John Whale. Our practices and passions run across creative and critical writing. They include: visual and experimental poetry; eco poetics; the contemporary novel and contemporary lyric poem; literature and medicine; disability studies; autofiction; and transgender memoir.

We are home to the University of Leeds Poetry Centre , which brings together the University’s strength and heritage in creative writing. It hosts regular poetry readings by visiting international poets and supports a poetry reading group.

We regularly host readings and talks by well-known and emerging contemporary writers and you’ll have access to a vibrant community of researchers and creative practitioners. The highly respected literary magazine, Stand , is produced in the School, and publishes the best in new and established creative writing.

Our creative writing community benefits from partnerships with llkley Literature Festival , Leeds Playhouse and Leeds Grand Theatre. We also support a thriving range of events and workshops with visiting writers. 

Specialist facilities

The world-class Brotherton Library has an array of archive, manuscript and early printed material in its Special Collections, including extensive archives of original materials from writers old and new, from the Brontë family to Tony Harrison. 

You’ll also have opportunities to learn traditional printing and typesetting techniques using our period printing presses and learn more about print and publishing history.

Take a look around our libraries:

Brotherton Library Laidlaw Library Edward Boyle Library

Course details

At Level 1, you will take Reading Between the Lines and Writing Matters, introducing you to university-level study, equipping you to read critically and write with rigour and persuasion. You will also take Writing Creatively to introduce you to the techniques of creative practice, and will be presented with a choice of optional modules focusing on poetry, fiction, drama, theatre and further creative approaches. At Level 2, in addition to Developing Creative Writing, you will take two English Literature core modules, Writing Environments and Body Language. These modules explore two urgent contemporary challenges, the climate crisis and personal wellbeing, and will examine how these issues can be understood and expressed through literary texts. You will also select two modules from a choice of several options, ranging historically and geographically from Medieval to Contemporary, and from Postcolonial to American.

Level 2 will deepen and enrich subject knowledge and intellectual skills, preparing you for more independent learning at Level 3, where you can select from a range of specialist research modules.

At Level 3, you will take two core Creative Writing modules. The final year Creative Writing Project enhances active research skills, enabling you to define, plan and produce work on a literary subject of your choosing. The module Page, Publication and Audience allows you to develop an understanding of the relationship between creative writing practices and the creative industries, exploring methods of reaching your audience.

After your second year of study, you may apply for transfer to an International Degree at one of a wide range of universities with which the University of Leeds has established links. You may also spend a year in industry on a work placement as an optional third year of your degree programme

The course information shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions .

Most courses consist of compulsory and optional modules. There may be some optional modules omitted below. This is because they are currently being refreshed to make sure students have the best possible experience. Before you enter each year, full details of all modules for that year will be provided.

For more information please read BA English Literature with Creative Writing in the course catalogue .

Year 1 compulsory modules

Writing Creatively (20 credits) - In this module you will develop your creative writing skills by focusing on a range of elements of the writer’s craft. You will learn to read texts like a writer and, through examining a range of exemplary published texts, you will study elements of the writer’s craft which may include voice, metaphor and characterisation. You will develop your critical skills through workshopping your written pieces with your peers and your tutor. Within the supportive environment of the writing workshop, you will learn to give and receive constructive criticism and, guided by this feedback, you will hone your redrafting and editing skills. By the end of the module, you will begin to see how your work fits within contemporary writing practice.

Writing Matters (20 credits) - Writing and communication skills are vital to most professional careers, but they are especially valuable in the field of English studies. This module explores debates around a canonical literary text, examining theoretical approaches and rhetorical strategies used to write about literature. Students will hone their own writing skills by engaging ethically with the text and the ideas of others, developing structured arguments, expressing ideas clearly and concisely, working with feedback, and practising writing as a process. As a result, students will cultivate a deeper understanding of how writing works, learn how to share insights with greater efficacy and sophistication, and practice how to transfer this knowledge to future workplace contexts.

Reading Between the Lines (20 credits) - This module equips students with a critical vocabulary for sophisticated literary study, introducing the creative, argumentative and exciting discipline of ‘English Studies’. Through close analysis of specific texts across a range of periods and forms, students will encounter some of the varied theories that have shaped and continue to underpin the discipline. Students will find out how an English degree might change the way we read and see the world, while developing their academic skills through guided critical reading, collaboration with peers in group presentations and seminar discussions, and a variety of assignments designed to introduce them to the different formats of assessment required throughout the degree.

Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

Drama: Text and Performance (20 credits) Modern Fictions in English: Conflict, Liminality, Translation (20 credits) Poetry: Reading and Interpretation (20 credits) Race, Writing and Decolonization (20 credits) Creative Writing Workshop (20 credits) Writing Science-fiction, Fantasy & Horror (20 credits)

Year 2 compulsory modules

Developing Creative Writing (40 credits) - This module continues to provide you with the regular points of tutorial and teaching support, the learning community, and the ongoing guidance that will help you develop further the new creative writing projects that you produce in an academic environment. Regular small groups with published writers again allow you space and a professional atmosphere in which to consider your own practice of creative writing.

Writing Environments: Literature, Nature, Culture (20 credits) - This module examines what it means to live as human beings on a more-than-human planet. We’ll investigate how literary texts from different times and places have understood the relationship between nature and culture. We’ll address human impacts on the environment in relation to historical phenomena such as colonialism. And we’ll explore the insights that literature can offer at a time of concern about climate change and other environmental issues.

Body Language: Literature and Embodiment (20 credits) - This module explores the relationship between embodiment, language and representation across a range of literary forms, genres, and periods, addressing questions such as: what does it mean to be ‘human’? Can technology change who we are? How do we navigate the relationship between the body and the mind? It examines how critical theorists and creative writers and life writers have treated and imagined this relationship between material bodies and literary representation, in order to better understand both the possibilities and limitations of literary expression.

Year 2 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

Style and Authorship (20 credits) Contemporary Literature (20 credits) Renaissance Literature (20 credits) Medieval and Tudor Literature (20 credits) Modern Literature (20 credits) Postcolonial Literature (20 credits) The World Before Us: Literature 1660-1830 (20 credits) Other Voices: Rethinking Nineteenth-Century Literature (20 credits) Script Writing (20 credits) Travel and Journalistic Writing (20 credits) Power of Language (20 credits) Theatre, Society and Self (20 credits) Writing for Children and Young Adults (20 credits)

Year 3 compulsory modules

Creative Writing Project (40 credits) - This module encourages independent, self-directed learning, providing a culmination to the research strand emphasised in other modules. It fosters a wide variety of responses to the challenges it offers students, since any final year project might take one of a number of forms. Most importantly, it promotes academic creativity and the exploration of individual intellectual interests.

Page, Publication and Audience (20 credits) - This module focuses on publishing and presentation to the public through the production and launch of our literary journal Tenter Hook. You will develop an understanding of the relationship between creative writing practices and the creative industries, exploring methods of reaching your audience. You also consider your own creative writing practice in the context of industry processes and professionalisation.

Learning and teaching

We use various teaching and learning methods to help you benefit from our tutors' expertise. Group seminars and workshops are at the heart of this degree.

You'll also encounter:

• Guest masterclasses
• One-to-one tutorials and supervisions
• Online learning through Minerva, our Virtual Learning Environment. 

Independent study is a vital element of this course since it enables you to develop your research and critical skills and form your ideas. Our expert academics will teach you on this course, from lecturers to professors. You’ll have access to the unique and internationally important holdings of the Brotherton Library’s Special Collections, to take inspiration from and see first-hand how some of the top writers of this and previous ages went about crafting their writing.

You may also experience teaching led by published writers or professionals from the cultural industries, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus. 

On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

In your Creative Writing modules, you’ll produce a creative portfolio in various genres, such as life writing, fiction, poetry, short fiction, and travel accounts. 

Some modules will also include wikis, podcasts, research exercises or oral presentations.

Your final year project comprises a long independent creative piece and a critical reflection. English modules are assessed using various methods, including exams, essays and shorter written assignments. 

Entry requirements

A-level: AAA including English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature).

Where an applicant is taking the EPQ in a relevant subject this might be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications and may attract an alternative offer in addition to the standard offer. If you are taking A Levels, this would be AAB at A Level including A in English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature) and grade A in the EPQ.

Alternative qualification

Access to he diploma.

Pass diploma with 60 credits overall, including at least 45 credits at level 3, of which 30 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher. The Access course must follow a Humanities pathway and/or include English modules. An interview and a piece of written work may be required.

We will consider the level 3 QCF BTEC at Subsidiary Diploma level and above in combination with other qualifications. Please contact the Admissions Office for more information.

Cambridge Pre-U

D3, D3, M2 including D3 in English.

International Baccalaureate

35 points overall with 17 at Higher Level including 6 in English at Higher Level.

Irish Leaving Certificate (higher Level)

Irish Highers (Leaving Certificate): H2, H2, H2, H2, H2, H2 including H2 in English.

Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers

AA in Advanced Highers including English and AABBB in Highers or A in Advanced Highers English and AAABB in Highers.

Welsh Baccalaureate

The Welsh Baccalaureate is not typically included in the academic conditions of an offer made to you for this course. If you choose to undertake the Welsh Baccalaureate we would strongly encourage you to draw upon these experiences within your personal statement, as your qualification will then be taken into account both when your application is initially considered by the selection panel and again when reviewed by the admissions tutor at the time your A-level results are passed to us.

Other Qualifications

European Baccalaureate: 85% with 8.5 in English.

Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications or contact the School’s Undergraduate Admissions Team.

Alternative entry

We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.

Access to Leeds is a contextual admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.

Find out more about Access to Leeds and contextual admissions .

Typical Access to Leeds offer: ABB including an A in English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature) at A Level and pass Access to Leeds.

Arts and Humanities with Foundation Year

This course is designed for students whose backgrounds mean they are less likely to attend university (also known as widening participation backgrounds) and who do not currently meet admissions criteria for direct entry to a degree.

The course will give you the opportunity to be taught by academic staff and provides intensive support to enable your development of academic skills and knowledge. On successful completion of your foundation year, you will progress to your chosen degree course. Find out more about the Arts and Humanities with Foundation Year

International

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For more information contact the School of English admissions team .

International Foundation Year

International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study the University of Leeds International Foundation Year. This gives you the opportunity to study on campus, be taught by University of Leeds academics and progress onto a wide range of Leeds undergraduate courses. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications .

Improve your English If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course , to help improve your English language level.

UK: To be confirmed

International: £26,000 (per year)

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2024/25 Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students are set by the UK Government and will be £9,250 for students starting in 2024/25.

The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation only, as a consequence of future changes in Government legislation and as permitted by law.

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2025/26 Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students starting in 2025/26 have not yet been confirmed by the UK government. When the fee is available we will update individual course pages.

Tuition fees for international undergraduate students starting in 2024/25 and 2025/26 Tuition fees for international students for 2024/25 are available on individual course pages. Fees for students starting in 2025/26 will be available from September 2024.

Tuition fees for a study abroad or work placement year If you take a study abroad or work placement year, you’ll pay a reduced tuition fee during this period. For more information, see Study abroad and work placement tuition fees and loans .

Read more about paying fees and charges .

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page .

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our  Undergraduate funding overview .

Apply to this course through UCAS. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website .

Read our guidance about applying.

International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students . We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025

This course is taught by

School of English

School of English Undergraduate Admissions

Email: [email protected] Telephone:

Career opportunities

A degree in English with Creative Writing equips you with a range of valuable skills and attributes. Your skills and experience as a flexible and imaginative writer will open up a range of pathways within the creative industries. 

Our graduates have gone on to find success in areas such as the creative industries, marketing, education, journalism, law, publishing, media, business charity work, civil service, management consultancy and leadership. 

Many have also progressed to postgraduate study. 

On this course, you’ll develop your abilities as an excellent communicator who can present well-reasoned arguments and conclusions. 

Learning in groups with others and reading about human problems and social situations will develop your interpersonal skills and understanding of ethical and cultural complexities. 

You’ll have strong creative and verbal skills, and be able to conduct research, interpret complex information, think critically and express yourself clearly. Employers are always looking out for people with these critical skills.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website .

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support .

Study abroad and work placements

Study abroad.

On this course you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year. We have over 300 University partners worldwide and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and Latin America. 

Find out more at the Study Abroad website .

Work placements

Practical work experience can help you decide on your career and improve your employability. On this course you have the option to apply to take a placement year module with organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK, or overseas.

Find out more about work experience on the Careers website .

Related courses

Arts and humanities with foundation year ba, english and comparative literature ba, english and film studies ba, english language and literature ba, english literature ba, rankings and awards, qs world university rankings by subject.

36th in the world for English Language and Literature

Complete University Guide 2025

13th in the UK for English

Student profile: Elliot Johnston-Coates

Receiving constructive feedback from my peers and tutors has really helped my confidence to grow and inspired me to pursue a career in the creative industry. Elliot Johnston-Coates, Undergraduate

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BA (Hons) Creative Writing

3 years / 4 years with placement year*

Institution code

3 years W800 / 4 years W801

Students in the studio

Student in the studio

Student and Course Leader in the studio

Students in the Library

Interactive workshop in the studio

Books in the studio

Explore and define your creative skills as a member of our dedicated, diverse writing community, within a vibrant arts environment.

Our degree programme is creatively stimulating, experimental and industry focussed. You will be part of a committed creative community, supported by our enthusiastic team of lecturers and visiting professionals to develop your own voice and understanding of who you are as a writer. The course delivers contemporary approaches, creative provocations and critical thinking across prose, poetry, script and beyond, allowing you to develop a striking portfolio of creative and critical writing.

Taking full advantage of our place within the North’s only dedicated arts university, you will engage with peers across the spectrum of arts practice, producing work that reflects real world, industry collaborations. Recent cross-course collaborations include Visual Communication, Photography, Illustration and Popular Music Performance.

Our writers fully engage with the lively arts and literary scenes in Leeds and beyond, where we run open mic nights, present work as part of literary festivals and spoken word nights, and support our writers to share their work. You will consider career paths and how to professionalise your creative practice, working with and gaining feedback from industry professionals. You will submit work to awards and competitions, supported by your peers and tutors, and make connections across the creative industries and literary world.

*The placement year is subject to approval.

BA (Hons) Creative Writing Instagram

How to apply for our undergraduate courses

The Structure

• Year three*

Writing workshops play a central role as a collaborative method to accelerate and consolidate student learning. It will expand your critical vocabulary and develop technical skills in the drafting and editing work required of a professional writer. Tutorials, lectures, seminars, masterclasses, and cross-disciplinary project work also feature in year one.

Course Facilities

BA (Hons) Creative Writing students are based in purpose-built classrooms in our modern university building.

Computer suites house networks of Apple Mac computers featuring regularly updated, industry-standard software for a wide range of creative applications that support all our courses, with equipment consistent with that used in the creative workplace. A purpose-built specialist library is open to all students and includes a range of carefully curated specialist resources. Digital Collections enable an enhanced learning experience and information literacy whilst our special collections include artists’ books, photobooks and illustrated books as well as the University archive. Self service facilities are available throughout, supported by a dedicated and experienced team of library staff.

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Study Abroad

Studying abroad can help Leeds Arts University students gain valuable experience, broaden their horizons, develop international networks and experience their practice from a different perspective. Leeds Arts University has a global network of international partner universities in 15 different countries. Students can apply for a semester abroad in their second year of study.

Regular event as part of Leeds Literature Festival, open to all students to perform.

Student secured a six month publishing mentorship with Penguin Random House.

Students have been published in Serious Flash Fiction and in Coffin Bell.

Students involved in the Bone Down Literary Affinity Group, a group aiming to reclaim public spaces for performance.

Student performed at Leeds Poetry Festival and Matt Abbot and Maria Ferguson’s Tub Thumping, a regular spoken word event.

Students published in the online music and culture magazine Hive.

Career Opportunities

Good writers are welcome everywhere; the arts sector requires a broad set of skills. Talented new voices with cultural awareness and critical thinking skills are also welcome in science, industry, commerce, education, research centres, journalism, editing, HR and marketing. You will benefit from the University’s already well-developed industry, commercial and creative links, and its strong careers advisory provision. Graduates may also continue to postgraduate study.

Student Stories

Charlotte Scroogie

Read Charlotte's story

Katie Mcilroy

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Course News

05 Jul 2024

Creative Writing student writes and produces local play

Read this article

28 May 2024

Students collaborate with The Leeds Library to create chapbook

25 Mar 2024

Students design new Leeds Arts University tote bags

29 Jul 2022

BA (Hons) Creative Writing students to perform at Leeds Poetry Festival

See all University News Articles

Academic Staff

Dr Sean Gregory

Read Dr Gregory's Story

Grace Holliday

Read Grace's Story

Connecting you to creative industries

Industry opportunities.

Explore Industry Opportunies

Creative Networks

Explore Creative Networks

Industry Speakers

Explore Industry Speakers

Undergraduate entry requirements

Undergraduate fees and finance

Information for International Students

Higher Education Teaching and Learning at Leeds Arts University

Course Specification for BA (Hons) Creative Writing*

*Please note that our courses are subject to an annual review process in order to maintain their quality and enhance the student experience. As a result, Course Specifications may be amended for the coming year.

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Creative Writing

Key details

What do you want to write? Whatever mode or genre you wish to explore, this MA is structured in order to help you to become the writer you want to be.

Taught by internationally-renowned writers, this MA is designed to be as creative and practical as possible within the academic requirements of a postgraduate programme.

Our MA students are a diverse group, from recent graduates looking to enhance their professional qualifications in preparation for a career involving writing, to experienced writers aspiring to have their work published or those looking to explore their passion for writing later in life.

The Student Contract

About this course

This MA puts the emphasis on “creative,” giving you plenty of time to write and incorporating a creative element into every module. The course aims to develop your writing skills in either prose or poetry, as well as fostering your creative and critical reading and exploring key issues relating to the publishing business.

Individual modules help you to learn techniques from published works and put them into practice, and to bring your own work to a reading – and listening – public. Throughout, the focus is upon your development as a writer, and prose or poetry workshops, along with individual dissertation supervision, are designed to hone your writing skills in a supportive and stimulating critical environment.

Being a "writer" generally involves a mixed portfolio of skills and attributes, and this MA provides a foundation that extends beyond the writing itself. You will meet agents, publishers, and other professionals – alongside our internationally published staff team – in order to help you to reach your potential as a writer, and also negotiate your first steps towards getting your work out into the world.

Why study with us

• Creative elements and plenty of writing time are embedded into every module.
• Learn from internationally renowned writers, whose work has received critical acclaim from across the world.
• Opportunities to get published. Annual creative writing anthologies are published by Indigo Dreams Publishing under Leeds Trinity’s very own imprint, Wordspace, which was originally established by MA Creative Writing students for an assessment.
• Become part of a thriving creative writing community - this community comes together for our monthly Open Mic nights, book launches and readings, literature festival performances and our annual Leeds Trinity Writers’ Festival.

Course modules

You will study a variety of modules across your programme of study. The module details given below are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Core modules

You will study the following modules throughout your degree.

In these sessions, you will study a wide range of published works to consider the ways in which writers engage their readers. You will then experiment with these techniques yourself.

Visiting professionals from the literary world, alongside course tutors, offer insight into the business of being a writer, and provide support as you undertake a creative project that could involve anything from editing an anthology to researching publication platforms, via arranging events or planning and delivering workshops.

Building on the workshop modules, this provides one-to-one support as you complete a major piece of work in your chosen genre.

Option modules

You may study the following modules.

You will choose between either Prose or Poetry and will study two Workshop modules (1 and 2) in your chosen area. These small group sessions focus upon the development of works in progress in a supportive and critical environment.

Course structures

Learning and teaching.

Alongside timetabled contact hours, full-time students should expect to spend 35 hours a week on guided independent work, reading and writing; part-time students should allow half of this.

The workshop modules are assessed mainly on creative work, alongside an initial proposal and a reflective commentary; Reading as a Writer and Writing as a Profession are assessed on a portfolio of creative and critical work; and the Dissertation is assessed purely on creative work.

At Leeds Trinity we aim to provide an excellent student experience and provide you with the tools and support to help you achieve your academic, personal and professional potential.

Our Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy delivers excellence by providing the framework for:

• high quality teaching
• an engaging and inclusive approach to learning, assessment and achievement
• a clear structure through which you progress in your academic studies, your personal development and towards professional-level employment or further study.

We have a strong reputation for developing student employability, supporting your development towards graduate employment, with relevant skills embedded throughout your programme of study.

We endeavour to develop curiosity, confidence, courage, ambition and aspiration in all students through the key themes in our Learning and Teaching Strategy:

• Student Involvement and Engagement
• Integrated Programme and Assessment Experience
• Digital Literacy and Skills
• Employability and Enterprise

To help you achieve your potential we emphasise learning as a collaborative process, with a range of student-led and real-world activities. This approach ensures that you fully engage in shaping your own learning, developing your critical thinking and reflective skills so that you can identify your own strengths and weaknesses, and use the extensive learning support system we offer to shape your own development.

We believe the secret to great learning and teaching is simple: it is about creating an inclusive learning experience that allows all students to thrive through:

• Personalised support
• Expert lecturers
• Strong connections with employers
• An international outlook
• Understanding how to use tools and technology to support learning and development

Entry requirements

Leeds Trinity University is committed to recruiting students with talent and potential and who we feel will benefit greatly from their academic and non-academic experiences here. We treat every application on its own merits; we value highly the experience you illustrate in your personal statement.

The following information is designed to give you a general overview of the qualifications we accept. If you are taking qualifications that are not included below, please contact our Admissions Office who will be happy to advise you.

• A good 2:1 in Creative Writing, English or a related subject and a personal portfolio of creative writing (2,000 words or equivalent).
• Applicants with other qualifications will be considered on their own merit. Places will be offered subject to an informal interview.

For more information on meeting English language requirements and academic requirements by country, visit our International Applicants page.

Please contact us for personalised advice on 0113 283 7123 or at  [email protected]

Fees and finance

Uk home students:.

For information about our tuition fees please visit our Student Fees and Finance pages.

If you studied your undergraduate degree at Leeds Trinity University, you may be eligible for a discount of up to 50% on the cost of your tuition fees.

International Students, including EU Students:

Visit our web page for international students .

Leeds Trinity Alumni Discount

Some Leeds Trinity graduates are eligible for a tuition fee discount on postgraduate courses of up to 50%, excluding PGCE Delivery Partner Model and Lead Partner Model, and Masters by Research courses. You will need to achieve a 2:2 or above in a Leeds Trinity undergraduate course to qualify.

How to apply

There is no official closing date for applications, but the course will be closed when it is full. We therefore encourage you to make your application as early as possible.

Please ensure you complete the application form in full and supply all the required supporting documentation when you make your initial application. Incomplete applications may be rejected.

If you need advice on your application, please contact our admissions team on  0113 283 7123  (Monday to Thursday, 9.00am to 5.00pm, or Friday 9.00am to 4.00pm) or  [email protected]

Home applicants - How to apply

Applicants who require a Student Route Visa

If you require a Student Route Visa in order to study in the UK, then you must apply to us by Friday 18 July 2025 .

Part-time study is not available for international students on a Student Route Visa.

For additional information, including academic requirements by country, visit our country and region page .

International applicants - How to apply

What happens next?

Our admissions team will acknowledge receipt of your application by email.

Where applications are submitted but references are still in progress, admissions will wait for the reference(s) to be received and then will process it, and forward it to the relevant Programme Leader within five days of receipt of the reference(s).

The Programme Leader will make a decision based on your application. You may be asked to provide a reference to demonstrate your academic and non-academic experiences, or you may be invited to attend an interview. If you are successful and are made an offer, the conditions will be outlined in your offer letter. 

Applications will be acknowledged within five working days. Applicants will be contacted within 15 working days with a request for additional information, invite to an informal interview or an application decision.

Made an offer?

You should accept or decline your offer by emailing  [email protected] .

If you accept, you'll need to prove you satisfy the conditions outlined in your offer letter.

You may be asked to present the relevant supporting documentation in person to the student information point on campus, if originals are not needed you’ll be contacted and given details of how to provide the supporting documentation.

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Undergraduate BA (Hons)

English and Creative Writing

Let your imagination take flight and develop your own creative voice. You’ll produce short stories, autobiographical writing, poetry and script.

Course Overview

Institution code

Main location

As part of this course, you’ll:

• Examine literatures past and present, and from around the world
• Be taught by award-winning writers
• Have the chance to work on an extended creative writing project as you collaborate with your peers to produce an anthology and plan a related launch event
• Explore a range of literary and writing contexts to develop the ability to respond creatively to the world around you
• Join a vibrant creative community of students and lecturers with connections to literary festivals and events in the region
• Get the chance to work with our range of industry professionals in the city and beyond   

We’ll nurture your passion by developing your creative and critical thinking. You’ll benefit from:

• Inspired teaching and intellectual debate
• Interaction with award-winning authors and playwrights
• A rolling programme of media industry professionals, published lecturers and world-renowned researchers

Study in a cultural centre

Leeds is the Northern heart of culture and the arts. Your campus sits in the very centre of the city, surrounded by museums, art galleries, theatres, film production companies and recording studios. We work directly with Leeds museums and galleries and many regional events, including Leeds Lit Fest, poetry performance events and the Leeds West Indian Carnival.

Our links with industry

Our location has enabled us to develop relationships with employers and cultural industries in the city and across the region. Former students have completed placements in the editorial team at Hallmark Studios, with the Yorkshire Food Guide and with Peepal Tree Press, an internationally renowned publisher based in the city.

Why study the English & Creative Writing course at Leeds Beckett University?

• 98% of students were positive about the teaching on BA (Hons) English with Creative Writing*
• Develop your creative practice
• Applied Humanities practical module option
• Work with award-winning practising writers and active researchers
• Strong and meaningful partnerships with industry and community organisations

*National Student Survey 2024

Explore videos and blogs

Leeds Beckett University Literature in English courses ranked 1st in England for teaching

National Student Survey 2024

BA (Hons) English & Creative Writing - student view BA (Hons) English & Creative Writing students Maisie and Briony share their course experiences and opportunities.

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

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.

Keep up to date with the latest from our school

Blog | School of Humanities and Social Sciences

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

points required

If you’re unsure how to work out your UCAS points we have a UCAS Tariff Calculator which will do it for you. All you need to do is enter your qualifications and let the UCAS Tariff Calculator do the maths.

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.

UCAS Tariff Points: 104 points required.

(Minimum 64 from two A Levels or equivalent, excluding General Studies.).

Access to HE Diploma

Scottish awards, irish leaving certificate, international baccalaureate.

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

How we assess your application.

• Your completed qualifications (such as GCSEs, A Levels, and their equivalents).
• Your predicted grades in future examinations.
• Your personal statement.

*We operate a contextual admissions policy, which means we consider a range of additional factors when we assess a student’s application. Applicants who meet at least one of our contextual admissions criteria may be offered a place on this course with lower (predicted or achieved) UCAS Tariff Points than our published tariff.

• 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).

Our place as an Anchor Institution

Mature applicants, additional entry requirements:, teaching & learning.

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.

The course specification for 2025/6 will be available at the end of March 2025. The link below is to the 2024/5 course specification which provides an overview of the current course structure. No changes will be made, which will have significant impact on the content for 2025/26 delivery,  without prior consultation with applicants.

Our silver status in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework, reflects our commitment to deliver high-quality teaching, learning and outcomes for our students.

There are no traditional exams on this course. 

What you'll learn, option modules may include, fees & funding.

International 2025

The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2025/26 is £16350.

For students entering in 2025

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

• Educational visit costs will vary and will be dependent on details and location. Costs you'll need to pay could include travel, accommodation and subsistence.
• Work experience, placements, study related to live brief projects and/or any additional course experiences may involve travel. You'll need to pay for any additional travel or dual accommodation costs. You'll also be encouraged to make use of contacts in Leeds or your hometown to minimise these costs.

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.

of students were positive about the teaching on BA (Hons) English with Creative Writing

Facilities | Broadcasting Place

Voted one of the best tall buildings in the world (CTBUH, 2010), Broadcasting Place is packed with the latest technology and will provide you with a creative and contemporary learning environment.

Facilities | Sheila Silver library

Leslie Silver is home to three lecture theatres and eight high-spec computer training rooms. It's also where you'll find our Sheila Silver Library, providing students and staff an effective and inspiring learning environment, as well as a range of support and resources to support your studies.

Facilities | City campus gym

Our Woodhouse Gym is located directly above The Hive within the Students' Union. The gym offers a range of cardio equipment, free weights, machines and squat racks.

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.

Career Prospects

You’ll develop sought-after transferable skills across a wide range of areas including:

• Collaborative problem solving
• Creative communication
• Written and verbal presentation
• Reading and critical analysis
• Teamworking
• Creative thinking 
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Flexibility

You’ll have the skills employers seek in a wide range of sectors including editing and publishing, public relations and marketing, copywriting and journalism, and education. Your writing and organisation skills will equip you for a freelance career as a professional writer.  

Dr Alison Taft

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.

• 0113 812 0000
• [email protected]

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

We are ranked 13th Best UK University for Careers Service (Student Crowd Awards, 2024 – the only awards based entirely on student reviews). 

Find out why...

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.

With over 4000 rooms, in a wide range of accommodation types, we know you’ll find the right place for you.

At Leeds Beckett our student support teams will work together to give you the help you need, whenever you need it.

Student Support

Leeds - best place to live in the north and northeast*.

From music venues and art galleries to parks, shopping and transport – we’ve got it all. We also have the best-paying jobs outside of London.

*The Sunday Times Best Place to Live guide, 2024.

Have a question about a course, accommodation or student life at Leeds Beckett University?

Chat to one of our student ambassadors

Many of our courses offer you the opportunity to travel abroad to study or volunteer, you can even do this virtually!

Find out more about our global mobility opportunities

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. 

Kick-start your career

• Come to an Open Day
• Order a prospectus

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