BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing with Foundation

Don’t worry if you’ve missed the UCAS January deadline. 

If you want to study with us in September 2018, contact us for advice about available spaces on this course.

Get in touch with our friendly admissions team on +44 (0)1752 585858 or email us at admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

The final deadline for UCAS applications is 30 June 2018.

The importance of employability is reflected in our pedagogy which offers you access to all the employability initiatives open to students on the BA programmes: a wide range of internships and placements including a series of paid and volunteer opportunities in sectors including schools (primary/secondary); archives and libraries; heritage sector including museums, NT properties; opportunities to contribute to INK (the English and Creative Writing magazine) and other university publications; attend events run by the Writer in Residence; work experience opportunities.

Your personal tutor and University careers advisers will help you reflect on your career aspirations and encourage you to make full use of the extra-curricular opportunities offered by the department, the University and the city of Plymouth, as well as offering guidance on practical skills such as the writing of CVs and interview techniques.

Our students progress to a wide range of careers in, for example, publishing, print and broadcast journalism, teaching, professional writing, advertising, marketing, the heritage industry, law, arts management, archival and library posts, graduate management training schemes, the public sector, and postgraduate study.

This four-year programme is designed to give you the grounding necessary to progress through your undergraduate studies in BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing, and through the many opportunities we give you,

find the best possible direction to grow your love of learning. 

Your first year will: 

• welcome you to an exciting and eclectic curriculum which will develop your knowledge of the disciplines of English literature, creative writing and history while also engaging with lively interdisciplinary enquiry across a wide range of historical periods and literary forms.
• provide training in all the skills required for a successful passage through your undergraduate study: research, use of digital resources, essay-writing, academic argument, presentations, independent study.
• introduce you to supportive and accessible academic staff in a welcoming community.
• immerse you in an academic environment offering a wide range of field trips, access to free cultural events through Peninsula Arts, student-led magazines, internships and extra-curricular work experiences.
• give you access to state-of-the-art facilities, library and learning resources on our city-centre campus.
• enable you to find a route for you, whether you are returning to education after a break or if you come with qualifications other than A levels.

When you join the BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing with Foundation, you’ll: 

• Choose from a wide variety of specialist modules, including period and cultural studies and creative writing in your 2nd, 3rd, and final years.
• Receive free set texts for all core modules throughout your four years.
• Benefit from assessment through coursework, with no written exams.
• Boost your career prospects by working with a publishing house, literary agent, arts organisation or magazine on our work-based learning module or extra-curricular internships.
• Make use of our open-door policy and talk to your lecturers in a friendly and supportive learning environment.
• Learn from internationally recognised research-active staff, including published creative writers.
• Experience other cultures by studying or working abroad in either Europe or the US.
• Write and be published as part of INK, the BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing student-run magazine.
• Access resources at any time with the University library, open 24 hours 365 days a year, offering a vast range of electronic and print materials, including a rare books collection.
• Make the most of a rich cultural life with Plymouth University’s Peninsula Arts programme and the University’s links with local arts organisations, like the Theatre Royal.

• Year 0

• KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, CONFIDENCE

  In your first year, you’ll you acquire the knowledge and skills you’ll need to progress through your studies and become a confident, independent learner. You’ll take four modules focusing on the interplay of history, literature, and culture in the past and the present, examining the historical and literary stories that have shaped our world.

  The autumn semester contains two discipline-specific 30 credit modules, one in English and creative writing and one in history. The spring semester comprises an interdisciplinary module that broadens out the meaning of the humanities and an independent study project module. All modules will have a strong focus on study skills related to the progression to higher education.

  Core modules

  • HUM001 Stories that Changed the World

    This module explores the key texts and voices that have changed the ways in which we think and write the Humanities. From the formation myths of the ancient world and the poets of the Renaissance to Imperialism, Marxism and Feminism in the modern world, we will investigate how thinkers, poets and writers have shaped our contemporary world, and the ways in which we study it. The module will have a distinct strand of study skills to assist students in acquiring the tools needed for progression to Higher Education. This module will contain a particular focus on reading, note-taking and essay writing.

  • HUM002 Imagining the Past: Voyages into Time, Space, and Experience

    This module will introduce three concepts central to historical study in the Humanities: Time; Space; and Experience. Students will work with a range of sources to understand how historians engage with the past. With a distinct emphasis on study skills, students will develop the tools needed for progression to Higher Education, with a particular focus on analysing textual materials and essay-writing.

  • HUM003 Writing the Now: Literature, History and Visual Culture

    This module examines the role of the Humanities in the contemporary world exploring the ways in which literature, art, film, media, memory and heritage impact on history and writing today. Students will examine a range of contemporary literary texts as well as visual and media sources and consider the role of technologies in the Humanities. The module will be constructed around the exploration of key themes, for example gender and sexuality, faith, war, and race and ethnicity, using interdisciplinary approaches to identify how they have shaped the Humanities of the 21st century. The module will have a distinct strand of study skills to assist students in acquiring the tools needed for progression to Higher Education. This module will contain a particular focus on collaborative work, presentation skills and the Digital Humanities

  • HUM004 Independent Project

    Students will undertake, with supervision, an individual project. A choice of topics, based upon the specialisms of HPA staff will be provided. It can be an extended critical essay in English or History, or a creative writing project supported by a substantial critical reflection. The module includes a core of taught research skills sessions with an additional focus on work planning and time management.

• Year 1

• READ, WRITE,…

  In your second of four years, you'll study historical, theoretical, and aesthetic approaches to literary analysis. You’ll read literature which investigates the making of the modern world; engage with exciting theories of reading such as eco-criticism, psychoanalysis and Marxism; and write creatively in a wide range of genres including prose, poetry, drama and professional writing. You will also learn key research and essay-writing skills.

• Year 2

• THE MANY FORMS OF CREATIVE WRITING

  In your third year, you’ll write creatively in many forms including theatre and script-writing, autobiography and biography, travel writing, and literary adaptation. You will hone your skills as a writer in weekly workshops with tutors and peers. You’ll also study the writers who've shaped our literary canon, taking core modules in Romantic and Victorian literature, and selecting from a range of specialist creative, literary and work-based learning options.

• Final year

• YOUR WORDS, YOUR VOICE

  In your final year, you’ll refine your reading and writing, undertaking workshops to polish your skills in research and revision. Core modules will bridge your writing and reading experience, as you study widely-differing examples of the short story and contemporary poetry. You’ll have further opportunities to write creatively and critically, including your own year-long project – a 12,000 word creative dissertation, which you'll work on with the focused support of your personal supervisor.

Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest course structure and may be subject to change:

BA Hons English and Creative Writing with Foundation Programme Specification 2018 19 6434

Don’t have 48 UCAS tariff points? We will consider ‘non-standard’ applications on a case-by-case basis.

A levels: minimum of 2 A levels excluding General Studies. (Note these programmes will accept AS levels).

18 Unit BTEC National Diploma/QCF Extended Diploma: PPP Refer to tutor, however BTEC are usually only considered with another qualification ie A level.

International Baccalaureate: 24 overall

All Access courses:   Pass a named Access to HE Diploma (e.g. Preferably English, humanities or combined), including GCSE English and Mathematics grade C/4 or above or equivalent.

GCSE English: Grade C/4 or above, if your grade is lower then please refer to the institution for further advice.

We are looking for applicants with good potential including with non-standard qualifications and background, so will consider every application on a case by case basis.

Get in touch with our friendly admissions team on +44 (0)1752 585858 or email us at admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

There are two ways to apply for the foundation course. 

Route 1: applications can be made through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). 

UCAS will ask for the information contained in the box at the top of this course page including the UCAS course code and the institution code.

To apply for this course and for more information about submitting an application including application deadline dates through this route, please visit the UCAS website.

Route 2: non-standard applications. If you come with other qualifications and/or do not have 48 UCAS tariff points, please get in touch with our friendly admissions team on +44 (0)1752 585858 or email us at admissions@plymouth.ac.uk. 

We will consider all applications on a case-by-case basis. 

International students: Support is also available to overseas students applying to the University from our International Office via our how to apply webpage or email international-admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

Not quite got these qualifications, or you bring with you other relevant experience? We will consider ‘non-standard applications’.   

Get in touch with our friendly admissions team on +44 (0)1752 585858 or email us at admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.