BA (Hons) Creative Writing at Anglia Ruskin University

Whether you want to write science fiction, poetry, or for the stage or screen, our Creative Writing degree will support your development as a professional writer. Explore complex types of communication, digital literacy and innovative storytelling, developing your skills in these areas. You’ll become part of our vibrant ARU writing community, including postgraduates and alumni, helping you build your professional network and the entrepreneurial skills you’ll need for freelancing and portfolio careers.

Faculty: Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences  |  Department: Cambridge School of Art  |  Duration: 3 years; 4 years with placement  |  Study mode: full-time (placement year available)  |  Intake: September 2027  |  Location: Chelmsford, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

In your first year, you’ll take five introductory modules designed to bring all students to a similar level of subject knowledge and competence. Learn how to reflect on your own practice and assess your own writing work, developing skills around self-concept and personal narrative. Year 1: Introduction to Imaginative Writing, Screenwriting: The Short Film, Multiplatform Storytelling 1, Contemporary Publishing for Writers, Multiplatform Storytelling 2. Year 2: Ruskin Module, Writing Short Fiction, Careers in Writing: Editing and Copywriting, Writing for the Stage, Writing Creative Non-Fiction; options include Film Criticism and Reviewing, Science Fiction, Online Journalism, Cult Media. Year 3: Creative Industries Major Project, Worldbuilding, Writing Poetry, The Business of Being a Writer: Craft and Professional Practice; options include Crime and Detective Fiction, The Cultural Politics of Celebrity, Screenwriting: Writing and Selling the Feature Film, Novel Writing: Long-Form Prose.

Career pathways

The BA Creative Writing at ARU gave me an inextinguishable tool box of writing skills, critical reasoning, lateral thinking and big picture mindset that has carried through my career so far. At ARU, you’ll get invaluable feedback on all your written work from professional writers - including our Royal Literary Fund fellows - and other students, giving you the opportunity to consider a range of responses and sharpen your critical skills.

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