Creative Writing BA (Hons), sandwich with foundation year and work placement

Charles Dickens was born here, Sherlock Holmes was created here, H.G. Wells travelled here in his ‘time machine’, and many tourists wander our timeless shores inked with seaside tales. If there could be an ideal birthplace for your creative writing career, let it be Portsmouth.

Every lecture, seminar, and event on our Creative Writing degree course will inspire you to develop your writing voice, from stories and poetry to plays and screenplays. Learn about the theory behind the art of writing and discover the history of storytelling and narrative, guided by a team of industry and research experts spanning writing, media and performance. You can also broaden your writing experience by studying abroad and going on an optional professional placement.

By the end of the course, you’ll have the versatile writing skills to take you to any career destination within creative and communication fields.

Writing is one of the oldest forms of communication and has evolved and transformed over the ages. It thrives more than ever in our modern world where traditional and digital communication coexist, with its outlets continuing to expand. Spoken communication – such as storytelling, teaching, and poetry – is also on the rise.

After graduating from our Creative Writing degree course, you’ll be poised for numerous roles that rely on the powers of communication and the written word.

You can also continue your studies at postgraduate level and venture into research.

Graduate areas

Areas graduates from our Creative Writing courses have worked in include:

• creative writing (prose, poetry, script)
• advertising and marketing
• arts and events management
• local and community broadcasting
• teaching
• stand-up comedy
• travel industry

Graduate roles

Roles graduates from our Creative Writing courses have gone onto include:

• novelist
• poet
• playwright
• teacher
• copywriter
• journalist
• theatre manager
• editorial assistant

Ongoing careers support

Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience.

Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Careers and Employability Service to help you find your perfect role.

Placement year (optional)

After your second or third year, you can complete an optional work placement to gain professional experience and enhance your skills. It's also a great incentive for employers once you graduate.

You can work for a company, organisation or agency, or you can go self-employed and start your own business with fellow students or by yourself.

Whatever you decide – or even if you just want some employability advice – our Careers and Employability team can support you every step of the way.

Supporting your creative career

Our dedicated Careers and Employability team have extensive recruitment experience across a multitude of areas including the creative sector.

They can provide you with supporting and advice, including:

• Searching for the ideal job through their database of vacancies
• Giving tips on how to write an interesting CV that will catch employers' attention, no matter the role
• Organising mock interviews, so you can hone your technique and familiarise yourself with the recruitment environment
• Writing your startup business proposal – if you're going down the self-employment route
• Researching placement opportunities and applying for creative opportunities 

The team will continue to support you throughout your placement year and beyond, providing you with help for up to 5 years after your graduate.

What you can do on a placement year

If you're thinking of doing a placement but not sure what role to take or where to go, we can steer you in a direction that fits your aspirations.

Check out our Creative Careers team's blog to find out where fellow film, media and communication students have interned during their studies.

Read our blog post

Placement experiences

Placement students on our Creative Writing courses have worked in a variety of roles in commerce, publishing, entertainment, and education. Others have chosen to work for themselves.

Among these experiences are:

• Digital content creator at the head office of a major retailer
• Trainee editorial assistants at The London Magazine and Star & Crescent
• Writing and publishing novellas and poetry collections as a freelancer
• Content writer for a Brixton music promotion company
• Teachers in schools