Graduates from our course go on to secure local teaching placements or pursue a variety of postgraduate degrees. This degree opens the door to a wide range of future careers, including:
Are you creative with words? If you want to develop and hone your craft as a writer, our BA (Hons) English Literature with Creative Writing degree is the course for you. Taught by published authors, academics, and practising creative professionals, this degree blends practical assessment with critical thinking to help you turn your passion into a profession.
Your Journey as a Writer: Our curriculum builds your skills progressively, with a consistent focus on employability:
Year One: Master the Fundamentals: You’ll be introduced to the craft of writing, covering stylistics, genre, narrative, characterisation, creative non-fiction, and critical writing.
Year Two: Hone Your Craft: Develop your writing across different genres and gain the skills needed to succeed as a creative practitioner in the industry.
Year Three: Prepare for Postgraduate Employment: Apply your knowledge with career-focused modules such as Publishing in Practice and Working in English, Film and Media. You’ll also contribute to a published writing anthology, with past successes including Peterborough: True Voices and The Written Woman.
Why Study in Peterborough?
Peterborough has a vibrant literary culture, with a Poet Laureate, an established literary festival, and a thriving spoken word scene—making it an inspiring place to study creative writing. Our annual Literary Festival welcomes established authors and poets, free for students and the public.
At University Centre Peterborough, you’ll study in smaller class sizes compared to other universities, with typical groups of under 20 students.
Read The Open University regulations
Malcolm Bradbury Grant
Through our partnership with the Malcolm Bradbury Trust, students can apply for the Malcolm Bradbury Scholarship Bursary worth £7,500. Learn more.
YEAR 1 - Level 4
YEAR 2 - Level 5
YEAR 3 - Level 6
88 UCAS Points from a related subject and 5 GCSE grades C/4 or above including English and maths.
Mature students or students who do not have the above qualifications can contact our admissions team on 01733 214466 or admissions@ucp.ac.uk to discuss equivalent qualifications or relevant work experience. For more information on EU and overseas qualifications, UCAS, accreditation of prior learning and failure to meet the entry requirements please visit www.ucp.ac.uk
When studying this course at University Centre Peterborough, we will timetable your lectures as two full days a week over two semesters per year (part-time will be one to two full days a week over two semesters per year).
We are able to offer this convenient timetabling to our students as we are a smaller institution so we can timetable our staff and resources more efficiently.
Over the duration of your course, teaching will be delivered by the following methods:
Year one for full-time students (Level 4)
Year two for full-time students (Level 5)
Final year for full-time students (Level 6)
There are two semesters per year and each semester is up to 15 weeks which includes up to 12 teaching weeks and 3 assessment weeks.
If studying full-time you will be in classes, seminars and tutorials for approximately 15 hours per week and will spend the rest of your time in independent study and extra-curricular activities including work placement if not embedded in your course. We recommend that full-time students allow an additional 30 hours per week for additional study.
The campus is open Monday to Friday throughout the year and you will also have 24/7 access to a virtual learning environment (VLE) with e-books, journals and abstracts plus teaching resources and interactive tools.
Timetables are available at least 6 weeks before registration and you can refer to the academic calendar for examination weeks and resit periods.
The days of the week you study may change each year and in some circumstances one of the full days might have to be split into two half days, but we aim to keep these as full days where possible.
Throughout the duration of your course you will be assessed by the following methods:
Year one for full-time students (Level 4)
Year two for full-time students (Level 5)
Final year for full-time students (Level 6)
Your final degree classification is calculate as an average of all Level 5 and Level 6 credits with the Level 6 credits given twice as much weighting as the Level 5.
Visit our published documents and policies page for The Open University regulations.
There may be additional costs for this course which are not covered by the tuition fee.
As part of the Working in English, Film and Media module in the final year, students on this course will undertake a 120 hour work placement with an arts or media organisation.
As the course is timetabled as full days during the week when studied full-time, this also gives you the flexibility to find a work placement, internship or volunteering opportunity which will improve your employability after you graduate. All students are encouraged to identify work experience in addition to their work placement to aid their career development.
Dr Andrew McDonnell is the Course Leader for the BA (Hons) English Literature and BA (Hons) English Literature with Creating Writing degrees at University Centre Peterborough. He joined University Centre Peterborough in April 2016 and teaches widely across the degree programme. Andrew has been teaching English Literature & Creative Writing since 2003 at various institutions as both a sessional lecturer and assessor, such as University of East Anglia (UEA), Anglia Ruskin and Birkbeck.
His first degree is in Cultural Studies with what was then Norwich School of Art & Design, before taking an MA in Creative Writing at UEA. He holds a doctorate in English and Media from Anglia Ruskin and a PGCHE teaching qualification.
He has been published widely and is the poetry editor for Gatehouse Press, home to Lighthouse Literary Journal as well providing leisure classes in arts and languages in Norwich. His current research is in and narrative point of view in working class literature as well as contemporary fenland literature. He is working on his first novel.
Q310
Peterborough
September
The tuition fees for full-time undergraduate students for 25/26 will be £8,500 per year, which is lower compared with many other universities.
Fees for part-time study are pro-rata depending on the number of credits you are studying (i.e. 90 credits per year will be 75% of the tuition fee).
For further financial support check your eligibility for the Malcom Bradbury Bursery.
Full-time: 3 years (2 full days a week over two semesters per year)
Part-time: 4 years (1-2 full days a week over two semesters per year)
The Open University
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Our partnership with The Open University ensures that a significant number of our foundation diplomas and undergraduate degrees are validated by one of the UK’s most respected institutions, enhancing the credibility and recognition of your qualification.
Each course validated by The Open University undergoes rigorous quality assurance checks, guaranteeing that our curriculum meets high academic standards and delivers an exceptional educational experience.
Through our collaboration with The Open University, students at University Centre Peterborough benefit from flexible learning options and expertly designed courses that support both part-time and full-time studies, tailored to accommodate diverse student needs.
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