Creative Writing and English

The study of creative writing alongside literary criticism offers something that neither discipline achieves alone: you read as a writer and write as a reader, and the dialogue between those two positions deepens both. Understanding what literature has done historically, what choices authors made and why they were effective, changes how you approach your own work. Equally, the practical experience of trying to construct a convincing sentence, a coherent narrator, or a poem that holds together makes you a sharper literary analyst, attentive to effects that close reading alone might miss.

Birkbeck's programme is designed for students who are already committed to developing a writing practice and want to ground it in serious engagement with literature. The course is studied part-time, which is particularly well suited to students who are managing work or other commitments alongside their studies. You will work across creative forms, including fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction, while studying literary texts from a range of periods and traditions.

The analytical and evaluative skills you develop will be as important as your creative output, and Birkbeck's reputation as a provider of high-quality evening education for adult learners makes this a genuine route back into study for those who did not follow a conventional path.

Graduates from creative writing and English programmes pursue a wide range of careers in which language and communication are central. Publishing, editing, journalism, copywriting, and content creation are common directions, as is teaching at secondary or further education level. Many graduates go on to write professionally in some form, often alongside other work, building a practice that evolves throughout their careers.

Postgraduate study in creative writing, English literature, or related fields is a natural next step for those who want to develop their practice further or pursue academic research.