BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing Bachelor's degree at Cardiff Metropolitan University
BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing at CMU. You'll work across core theory, research methods, applied practice and specialist options, culminating in an independent project where you direct your own enquiry.
About this course
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BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at CMU, based in Cyncoed Campus. It is studied part-time; duration varies by route.
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for English & Literature, see the sections below.
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 6 modules
- Reading Literature – From 'Beowulf' to 'The Bluest Eye'Core
Module details
This module will introduce you to a wide range of texts from the literary canon and give you a foundation in the study of literature.
- Shakespeare and his ContemporariesCore
Module details
This module explores Elizabethan and Jacobean theatrical practice by examining not only Shakespeare's dramas, but also his contemporaries' plays. You will examine the histories, comedies, city comedies, and tragedies before finally turning to modern productions of Shakespeare in the theatre and on the big screen.
- Stories Matter: Plot, Character & BeyondCore
Module details
This module will introduce you to the techniques of narrative construction. By focussing on writing short stories, you will have opportunities to explore the techniques of well-established masters of the form as well as contemporary writers experimenting with new ideas.
- Sex, Death and Everything in Between: Writing PoetryCore
Module details
This module offers a unique take on poetry and poetics where all the possibilities of the art form are considered. You will study craft, form and poetic movements and will be encouraged to experiment in order to find your own poetic voice and vision.
- Critical ApproachesCore
Module details
This module will introduce you to literary theory so that you become more alert and responsive to the ways in which texts work. You will also learn about the variety of critical and theoretical approaches there are to literature and have the opportunity to apply these approaches to your own creative work as well as key works in literary history, such as Emily Brontë's 'Wuthering Heights' (1847).
- Say it Out Loud: Writing for AudiencesCore
Module details
This module will introduce you to the conceptual, creative, and practical elements of writing for performance as well as the many audiences who might engage with performed work. You will have opportunities to write, perform and play with scriptwriting, slam poetry and more.
Year 2 6 modules
- Romantic and Victorian LiteratureCore
Module details
This module invites you to consider poetry, fiction and non-fiction as generic responses to some of the century's most pressing social questions. Alongside the formal aspects of these texts, you will examine important themes and debates of the period, such as the role of the Imagination, the Nation, urbanisation and industrialisation, evolution and madness, class, gender and sexuality.
- Make it New Modernist Literature and CultureCore
Module details
This module is an exploration of revolutionary writing and culture from the first half of the twentieth century. You will explore a range of Modernist texts, including canonical as well as lesser-known texts, in order to understand the revolutionary changes taking place in literature at this time.
- Urban and ContemporaryCore
Module details
This module encourages you to delve into the modern evolution of the novel, short story and poetry, looking at new books and radical techniques almost as soon as they are penned. This unique module will expose you to the cutting edge of modern writing while also giving you the freedom to experiment and truly hone your own literary voice.
- Ghosts in the Machine: Writing Immersive and Chaotic SelvesCore
Module details
This module will provide you with the practical skills necessary to construct digital self-narratives. You will learn to combine traditional storytelling skills with a digital and interactive environment in order to explore ideas of multimedia, non-linearity and the chaotic complexities of writing the self.
- Imaginary World and Possible FuturesCore
Module details
This module explores literature that creates and studies new worlds. With a focus on the future and 'the fantastical', you will read a range of texts from the Fantasy, Science Fiction, Utopian/Dystopian fiction genre and even try writing some of your own.
- The Professional Critic and Creative: Work PlacementCore
Module details
This module will provide you with the opportunity to experience professional environments and expectations. Based on your career interests, you will be invited to pursue an external placement, a personal publishing goal or an approved project in archiving, copywriting, reviewing and more.
Year 3 7 modules
- Hyper-contemporary Literature and the Book PrizeCore
Module details
From the Nobel Prize to the Costa Awards, this module will explore the qualities inherent in brand-new, hyper-contemporary literature and prize-shortlisted writing. You will analyse the importance of contemporary book-prize culture to the success of a written text, both in popular and critical estimations.
- Narratives of Place and BelongingCore
Module details
This module will consider the relationship between identity and place in a range of literary and cultural sources from nineteenth-, twentieth-, and twenty-first-century literature. Using a variety of texts, you will interrogate the politics of space and the impact this has upon identities and belonging.
- Fact or Artful EnterpriseCore
Module details
This module will explore the blurred line between fiction and nonfiction. It provides a literary overview and analysis of writing in the auto/biographical modes encompassing memoir, life-writing, diary-writing, biography, autobiography, creative nonfiction and fiction inspired by life.
- Publishing and Digital HumanitiesCore
Module details
This module will provide you with the knowledge and skills your need to enter the creative and professional industries. You will build practical skills in the creation and publication of digital technologies; explore tools in practical, hands-on workshops and online tutorials; and work together to publish the annual 'Met' anthology.
- DissertationOptional
Module details
This year-long dissertation module will offer you the opportunity to undertake a sustained, rigorous and independent project within the contexts of Creative Writing or English Literature.
- The Major Project: Exploring Big IssuesOptional
Module details
This module uses literature and creative work to explore contemporary issues like gender inequality, decolonisation, climate change and more. Although the topic and big issues change, this taught module will provide you with the opportunity to undertake a sustained, rigorous and independent project within the contexts of English Literature or Creative Writing.
- Writing for WellbeingOptional
Module details
This unique module will consider how writing can be used for improving wellbeing in your own and others' lives. You will explore a variety of conceptual, theoretical, ethical and creative frameworks used for writing for wellbeing.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
You'll study English literature and creative writing together, moving from literary foundations through specialist options to independent research. A course like this typically begins with close reading across poetry, prose and drama, alongside critical theory and literature in historical contexts, medieval through contemporary. In the middle stages, you'll encounter modern and global writing, often through workshop-based creative practice. Later, you'll choose specialisations such as Shakespeare and early modern literature, contemporary fiction, critical theory, world literature, or publishing pathways, combined with advanced seminars and a substantial dissertation or independent project. Throughout, the emphasis falls on both textual analysis and your own writing craft.
Who it's for
You're suited to this course if you read widely, enjoy discussing what makes writing work, and want to develop your own voice as a writer. You'll thrive if you're curious about how literature reflects and shapes society, and comfortable both analysing published texts and creating your own. The part-time structure suits those balancing study with work or other commitments. You should be prepared for sustained independent reading and writing, this is intellectually demanding but genuinely rewarding if you love language and storytelling.
Careers & job market
Nationally, 85% of graduates in English and Literature courses are in work or further study within 15 months of graduating. Among those working, 55% are in highly skilled roles or pursuing further study. Earnings vary: starting salaries (15 months post-graduation) typically fall between £23,000 and £30,000 nationally; after five years, the range widens to £24,650–£34,800. Prospects depend on your specific career path, publishing, education, communications, arts administration and cultural institutions all employ English graduates, as do sectors valuing analytical and writing skills more broadly.
University & format
This BA (Hons) is offered by Cardiff Metropolitan University, a university based at Cyncoed Campus in Cardiff. The course is taught part-time in English. As a recognised UK degree-awarding body, the degree is nationally recognised.
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
Part-time application dates vary by provider. UCAS dates
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Work placement. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Opened 2 July 2026; last choice 19 October 2026. Check vacancies now. A cached page never claims a place is still available.
Entry & how to get in
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code XEC2). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by Apply directly to the provider
Part-time application dates vary by provider. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Set under Wales's student-finance system; the provider's page is authoritative.
Check fees at CMU →If you normally live in Wales
2026/27 total maintenance support from Student Finance Wales. How much of it is grant and how much is loan depends on household income; the total does not. If you normally live elsewhere, use your home funding body.
Check your entitlement with Student Finance Wales →Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: paid directly to the university by Student Finance Wales.
- Maintenance support: a mix of grant and loan from Student Finance Wales, weighted to household income.
- Repayment: only above the income threshold, and written off at the end of the plan term.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
Wales runs its own system through Student Finance Wales; check studentfinancewales.co.uk for current rates.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What English & Literature graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in english & literature · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs English & Literature nationally
National figures for English & Literature graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
Job market & outlook
How English & Literature graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where English & Literature graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Publishers
- Media & broadcasters
- Marketing & PR agencies
- Charities & public sector
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit English & Literature graduates.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Language and area studies across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Cyncoed Campus
506 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is English & Literature right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to CMU from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by CMU; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check CMU’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with CMU and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at CMU
English & Literature at other universities
Common questions
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates earn?
What will it cost me?
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