English and Creative and Professional Writing

English and Creative and Professional Writing is a degree that combines the close analysis of literature with active practice in writing, taking seriously both the reader's and the writer's perspective on how texts are made, what they do, and what they mean. English encompasses the study of literary tradition across historical periods and genres, examining how texts are shaped by the cultural, social, and intellectual contexts in which they are produced and received. Creative and Professional Writing extends this by developing your own practice as a writer across a range of forms, from fiction and poetry to journalism, copywriting, and professional communication.

At the University of Derby, this three-year, full-time programme is intellectually ambitious in scope, placing your studies within a wider cultural, theoretical, and historical perspective that includes art, film, philosophy, linguistics, and sociology alongside literary study and writing practice. You will engage with the industry from both the perspective of the writer and that of the publishing professional, gaining insight into how the publishing world operates and how writing reaches its audiences. The degree includes a foundation year for students who would benefit from additional preparation, alongside a sandwich year and work placements that connect your academic learning to professional contexts in writing, media, and communications.

Graduates of this combination pursue careers across a wide range of fields: publishing, journalism, content creation, copywriting, communications, marketing, public relations, education, and the creative industries are all natural directions. The skills in reading closely, writing clearly, thinking critically, and understanding how language works in different contexts are transferable to almost every professional field. Postgraduate study in creative writing, publishing, journalism, or English literature provides routes to further specialisation for those who wish to develop their craft or academic expertise.