Course summary
Are you passionate about storytelling and want to build a career doing what you love? The BA (Hons) English: Creative and Professional Writing degree is for you. We'll help you find your unique voice, grow your writing skills, and prepare for an exciting future.
This course will help you thrive as a modern writer. It blends the best of a traditional English degree with links to the creative industries. You'll explore fiction, non-fiction, poetry, scriptwriting, and storytelling. Teaching is delivered by published authors and academic experts.
As a reader and writer, you’ll explore literary themes such as gender, identity, post-colonialism, and eco-criticism. There's a strong focus on practical creative writing and employability through each stage. You'll develop career-ready skills including:
- Effective writing
- Editing and proofreading
- Building your brand
- Storytelling through social media
- Pitching work to publishers.
In your second year, you'll complete a placement tailored to your own career goals. This helps you gain crucial real-world experience. In your final year, you'll produce a major piece of writing to reflect your own interests. You'll receive support and guidance from both your lecturers and industry professionals.
You’ll also have access to our mediaHUB, Spark Sunderland radio station, guest talks from creative professionals, and literary field trips. In 2025/26, we partnered with Pan Macmillan. Our students visited their London offices to learn about the different stages of publishing a book and meet Steph McGovern. We'll encourage you to build your professional network through a packed programme of author and publisher visits.
When you graduate, you’ll be well-prepared to go into a range of roles such as:
- Novelist or poet
- Social content editor
- Features writer
- Publisher or publishing assistant
- Copywriter
- Games narrative designer
- Freelance writer
- Publicist
- Advertising executive.