English Literature and Creative Writing

English literature and creative writing is a combination that asks you to be both a reader and a writer, developing your critical understanding of literary tradition while also finding and refining your own creative voice. Literary study trains you to read with precision and analytical depth, to situate texts in their historical and cultural contexts, and to construct rigorous arguments about how and why literature means what it does. Creative writing invites you to inhabit the craft from the inside, experimenting with form, voice, structure and style, and learning from the works you read as much as from the writing community around you.

At the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, this three-year programme allows you to explore the treasures of literature while also training yourself as a writer, within a strongly creative community that values both intellectual rigour and artistic ambition. You will develop transferable skills in analysis, communication and creative production that enrich both your literary studies and your writing practice. The programme includes a sandwich placement year, giving you the opportunity to gain professional experience relevant to your career ambitions, a year abroad for additional international experience, and work placement opportunities that connect your studies to professional contexts in writing, publishing, education or the creative industries.

Graduates from English literature and creative writing programmes go on to careers in publishing, journalism, copywriting, content creation, education, arts administration, broadcasting and the creative sector. Many work as writers, either independently or in combination with other employment, producing fiction, poetry, journalism, scripts and digital content. Teaching at secondary and higher education levels is also a common destination, and many graduates pursue postgraduate study in creative writing, literary studies or education.

The analytical and expressive skills the degree develops are transferable to a wide range of professional contexts.