university of hull creative writing online

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Undergraduate

BA (Hons) Creative Writing and English

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COURSE OPTION

• Standard course
• With a foundation year
• September 2025

Typical offer

120 UCAS points

80 UCAS points

What does this mean?

Hull’s been called the country’s “most poetic city”. Renowned poets and writers from Andrew Marvell to Philip Larkin, Stevie Smith to Tom Paulin, J.R.R. Tolkien to Winifred Holtby, all have ties to the University and city.

We’ll teach you how to harness the power of words to bring about positive change. You’ll work on real-world projects, and study global literature from medieval to contemporary.

Our current writing scene is buzzing. Join our thriving English Society and engage with world-leading authors. And share your unique voice at regular open mics and in student-run magazines.

1 million+ books

and journals available at the Brynmor Jones Library

1st in the UK

for Teaching on my course 1

Published writers

and scholars teach on this course

for Student Satisfaction 2

of teaching English, since 1928

About this course

You’ll hone your writing craft through practical workshops and seminar discussions. Developing core skills in characterisation, storytelling and creating a sense of place. And you'll experiment with different genres and forms. From fantasy and science fiction, to scriptwriting and short stories, to poetry and non-fiction.

You’ll also gain a solid grounding in English and American literature. From the medieval and Renaissance eras through to #MeToo and Black Lives Matter. You’ll cover a wide range of poetry, short fiction, drama and novels. And you’ll debate urgent issues including the environment and social justice.

There's a lot to get involved in outside of the lecture theatre, too. You can join our active, student-led English Society and HUWrites. HUWrites provides a platform for performance with showcases and student-led podcasts. You’ll also get the chance to design, edit and publish with our in-house magazines, Document 1 and Hull Scribbler .

Throughout your degree, you’re expected to study for 1,200 hours per year. That’s based on 200 hours per 20 credit module. And it includes scheduled hours, time spent on placement and independent study. How this time is divided across the year varies and depends on the module you are studying.

How you'll be assessed depends on the course you study, and the modules you choose. You may be assessed through a mix of examinations, coursework, presentations and group projects.

Choose your modules

Each year, you’ll study modules worth a certain number of credits, and you need 120 credits per year. Most modules are 20 credits – so you’ll study six modules each year. Some longer modules, such as a dissertation, are worth more. In these cases, you’ll study fewer modules - but the number of credits will always add up to 120. Some modules are compulsory, some are optional, so you can build a course that’s right for you.

• Foundation year
• Second year

Foundation in Data Analysis

Develop a strong foundation in data collection and analysis. This module will introduce you to qualitative and quantitative data and how to analyse it; the collection of primary and secondary data; the production of high quality graphics; and report writing.

Introduction to Study in the Humanities

This module equips you with a suite of analytical and theoretical tools to support you as you progress along your academic journey. You'll develop an interdisciplinary understanding of approaches to study in the humanities by working with a variety of resources, including novels, films and aspects of the visual arts.

Research in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Education

This module will equip you with the necessary skills to conduct and analyse research in a specific interest, supported by academics within your subject. You'll navigate through the research process, from identifying an area of interest to presenting their findings to your peers.

Group Challenge (Humanities)

Formulate and execute a group led enquiry into texts, cultural artifacts, film, music or dance. You'll explore their topics in groups at supervised workshops and develop questions on the cultural object relates to the living world of human experience, as well as developing your own methods to answer these questions.

Academic Writing Skills

Developing confidence in expression, oral as well as written, is a key feature of this module, which also aims to familiarise you with submission and assessment procedures in the context of Higher Education. This is a clear building block onto your degree programme and places you at a distinct advantage when you move into the following year.

Preparing for Learning in Higher Education

This module is designed to give you the best possible start to your university studies, making sure you have all the essential skills you need to succeed. Through lectures and workshops we will teach you how to write in an academic style, how to find quality sources, how to reference work, culminating in writing up a mini-research project.

Students who require Foundation Year study will register on the English with Foundation Year programme.

Upon successful completion with a score of 50% or above you will progress directly onto BA Creative Writing and English. The foundation year has been designed to prepare you for entry on the degree.

The Writer’s Toolkit

‘The Universe is made of stories, not of atoms’ – Muriel Rukeyser. This module will help you to nourish the writer within you, and introduce you to the key concepts that will allow your imagination to flourish through writing exercises, workshops and advice from published writers.

Exploring English

In this introductory module you will focus on the key skills needed to help you transition from your pre-university studies to the work that you will do at university. You'll learn how to collaborate with your peers in practical skills workshops and start building up an academic support network. Your tutors will monitor your individual progress by means of an e-portfolio.

Poetry, Past and Present

Discover English-language poetry from across the globe – poetry that crosses continents and cultural perspectives and gives voice to the complexities of gender and sexuality. Learn about the key poetic concepts of metre and rhyme and about different verse forms, including sonnets, songs, and ballads.

Facts into Art

Discover how to convert real life into good storytelling. Extend your creative writing skills by generating ideas from daily life, and crafting them into well-conceived, skilled pieces.

Poetry, Performance, Play

Do you love the sound of words, the rhythm of poetry and the power of the human voice? Then this module is for you. Join us to learn how to craft your words into shape as you play with form and perform your own monologues, sonnets, haiku and more, letting your words travel out through the dark.

Drama, Conflict and Identity

Study landmark plays which highlight enduring issues of identity and human conflict. You will develop the critical skills, technical vocabulary, and knowledge of staging practices needed to analyse plays as text and performance, while discovering that drama is a malleable form where direction, performance and changing audiences can open up very different interpretations.

The Storyteller’s Art

Write your own tales of transformation and adventure, drawing on the world’s greatest stories studied in this module.

Writing the Environment

This module showcases the power of language, literature, and the creative word to shape and shift attitudes towards our planet and its future survival. It will encourage you to explore eco-writing and environmentalist discourse responding to three of today’s urgent environmental challenges: pollution, the climate crisis, and sustainability.

Scriptwriting

Learn about story, plot, characterisation, dialogue, structure and adaptation. Develop your skills in giving and receiving feedback on creative work. Learn how to work effectively in a group, sharing work, encouraging other writers and being encouraged by others to be the best scriptwriter you can be.

All the World’s a Stage: Shakespeare and Early Modern Theatre

Rather than studying Shakespeare in isolation, this module places him among the many inventive and influential playwrights of the time. You will be introduced to ground-breaking plays in key genres (tragedies and comedies) and sub-genres (such as revenge drama and city comedy) which flourished in the purpose-built commercial playhouses. This module explores the drama’s extraordinary legacy: a rich trove of plays of exceptional emotional reach, eloquence, invention, and imaginative daring. Provocative, moving and evocative—these plays form part of a golden age of English theatre.

Travel, Cultural Encounters and Conflict

Take the notion of travel in its broadest sense to explore the experience of individuals and groups who come into contact with each other. Starting in the eighteenth century with an exploration of Turkish painting alongside French and British Orientalist art, you will consider representations of countries such as Ireland in the Famine years, accounts of the Rwandan genocide, and Afghanistan at the turn of the twenty-first century.

Dystopian Fiction

Study exciting dystopian fiction from the past and right up to the present day. As well as reading and responding to a range of texts, you will have creative opportunities to build and explore new worlds, implementing your own survival strategies. The assessments include academic and creative options, giving you a range of opportunities to excel.

Writing Poetry Now

Do you want to take your poetry further? If you are ready to become a more skilled practitioner, able to present your work to an audience, and willing to go deeper into your study of contemporary poetry, then join us. Learn how exciting contemporary poetry is, and feel more confident in your own contributions to the poetry world.

The Short Story

Do you love reading, writing or listening to short stories? Immerse yourself in classic and contemporary stories, learn about how writers deliver their magic, using limited word counts to make every word sing. Go on to craft your own stories, drawing on the limitations of the form to turn it into a strength.

Secrets, Scandals and Rebellions

Explore the nature of secrecy, scandals and rebellions in eighteenth and nineteenth-century literature, and how aspects of these controversies are still live issues reflected in real-world scenarios. Consider a literary text of your own choice in the style of investigative journalism, and then collaborate with other students on a project linking a fictitious scandal of the past with something you identify as a continuing controversy today.

Love, Desire, Death

Trace the development of representations of love, desire and death in English poetry and drama over the course of almost three hundred and fifty years. Following on from ‘All the World’s a Stage’ in trimester one, this module will encourage you to deepen your engagement with familiar writers like Shakespeare and Marlowe, but will also introduce you to important Medieval writers and key Renaissance poets through the specific lens of their treatment of love, desire and death.

Making It New

Explore experimentation, radicalism and innovation in literature. Many writers of the 20th century rebelled against previous ways of writing, thinking these methods were no longer relevant to a rapidly changing world. You will have the chance to study a range of exciting, ground-breaking texts from the early 1900s to the 1990s.

Creative Writing Portfolio: Preparation

Everyone has a story to tell – through Creative Writing Portfolio: Preparation, you will research, plan and begin development of a creative project that is uniquely yours. Continue your development with masterclass seminars and writing workshops that will provide you with the skills needed to take your creative project from conception to completion.

Creative Writing Portfolio

You will intrigue us with your fascinating characters, move us as they tackle dilemmas, arcing across landscapes set in believable worlds. You will entice us with your lyricism and imagery, and draw us in with your control of language. As your stories and poems of the unexpected buzz across the page, you will make us want to read on.

Writing the Novel

Learn to read like a writer and write like a reader as we encourage you to develop the story that is smouldering inside you. This module reveals many of the secrets of how to plan, write, edit and rewrite long-form prose. Upon completion, you will have the skills, technique, drive and determination to begin writing a novel – your novel.

Crime Scenes

Engaging with a key genre within popular culture, you will analyse contemporary society via a number of prismatic themes, or re-framings of the ‘crime scene’: crime and its (social) environment; the status of the murdered body; the mind of the psychopath; crime fiction’s early engagement with LGBTQ+ issues, and with racial discrimination and oppression.

Unruly Subjects: Voices from the Margins

Study writing which was regarded with suspicion by the authorities and incorporates marginal figures, such as prostitutes, the poor, same-sex lovers and female adventurers. Our subject is unruliness: how it was defined, represented, attacked and, on occasion, celebrated in writing from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment.

Voyage Out: Navigating the Language and Literature of the Sea

This module introduces you to sea narratives from the eighteenth century to the present day. You will engage with a range of fictional and non-fictional representations of seafaring and maritime adventure, and diverse perspectives on the individual’s negotiation of the threshold between land and sea.

Writing Britain Now

Read and respond to texts written during the 21st century, novels, short stories and plays that focus on topical issues such as Brexit, immigration, racial inequality, climate change, and terrorism. You will also have an opportunity to reflect on the different perspectives diverse contemporary writers bring to the concerns of our time.

Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror: Writing the Wondrous and the Weird

A module for those for whom magic is real, technology is limitless and there are monsters hiding around every corner – Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror: Writing the Wondrous and the Weird will take you on a journey through your imagined world and encourage you to explore, to play and to craft high-quality genre fiction.

Writing the City

Do you want to write dystopian fiction? Or imagine how to make our cities happier, more democratic places to live? Then Writing The City is the module for you, with its opportunities for debate, writing, workshopping and editing your view of the city.

Intercultural Shakespeares

Examine four Shakespearean texts that dramatise or examine an intercultural encounter, and consider how these plays have been appropriated by and adapted in other cultures and by those intent on challenging dominant cultural norms. The module will be of interest to students who want to gain more understanding of Shakespeare’s plays, particularly in relation to debates regarding race, colonialism, gender and sexuality, and cultural appropriation.

Gothic Imagination

Explore the Gothic as a literary genre and cultural mode from its origins to its contemporary international manifestations. Gothic responds to the dominant culture of its time and represents an important mode of articulation for socially, politically, sexually marginalized groups. It responds to and negotiates racial, religious, gender and political issues and demonstrates an ongoing capacity to register the tensions that lie behind the surface of culture and identity.

Written on the Body

Feminist and gender criticism and theory are going through major developments in contemporary culture. At the same time, new and traditional gender identities, sexual orientation and intersectional, blended identities are raised and analysed in literary texts. This module will allow you to take account of the newest developments in its critical engagement with feminism and gender in relation to a range of contemporary texts.

All modules are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

Important information

Dr ed hurst, maya tyrrell, rising tide of the humber, life on campus.

• International

What do I need?

When it comes to applying to university, you'll need a certain number of UCAS points. Different qualifications and grades are worth a different amount of points. For this course, you'll need…

Use UCAS's calculator to work out your estimated points

Alternative qualifications

• IB Diploma: 30 points
• Pass Access to HE Diploma overall with a minimum of 118 UCAS tariff points

We consider experience and qualifications from the UK and worldwide which may not exactly match the combinations above.

But it's not just about the grades - we'll look at your whole application. We want to know what makes you tick, and about your previous experience, so make sure that you complete your personal statement.

Have questions? Our admissions team will be happy to help.

If you require a student visa to study or if your first language is not English you will be required to provide acceptable evidence of your English language proficiency level.

This course requires academic IELTS 6.0 overall, with no less than 5.5 in each skill. This course requires academic IELTS 6.0 overall, with no less than 5.5 in each skill. This course requires academic IELTS 6.0 overall, with no less than 5.5 in each skill. See other English language proficiency qualifications accepted by the University of Hull.

If your English currently does not reach the University’s required standard for this programme, you may be interested in one of our English language courses .

Visit your country page to find out more about our entry requirements.

Fees & funding

How much is it.

The amount you pay may increase each year, in line with inflation - but capped to the Retail Price Index (RPI).

Your tuition fees will cover most costs associated with your programme. There are some extra costs that you might have to pay, or choose to pay, depending on your programme of study and the decisions you make:

• Books (you can borrow books on your reading lists from the library, but you may buy your own)
• Optional field trips
• Study abroad (incl. travel costs, accommodation, visas, immunisation)
• Placement costs (incl. travel costs and accommodation)
• Student visas (international students)
• Laptop (you’ll have access to laptops and computers on campus, but you may want your own)
• Printing and photocopying
• Professional-body membership
• Graduation (gown hire and photography)

Remember, you’ll still need to take into account your living costs. This could include accommodation, travel, food and more.

How do I pay for it?

You can take out a tuition fee loan to cover the full cost of your course. One you’ve successfully applied for this, you don’t need to do anything else – the money is sent straight to us.

You can also take out a maintenance loan of up to £10,227 a year to cover your living costs, depending on your household income.

Remember, you won’t start paying your loans back until you’ve left University and earn more than £25,000 per year.

See our full fees and finance information for more details and to find out what support we can offer.

You can find more information on how to pay on our Money page. 

Discounts are available for International students. 

Fees for 2025 entry have not yet been confirmed and may change.

You’re taught by published poets, fiction writers, scriptwriters and scholars. People who bring their expertise, creativity and passion into everything you learn.

We’re part of the Larkin Centre research group. In REF 2021, 93% of our research was ranked world-leading or internationally excellent. 3

See more academics for this subject

Dr Chris Westoby

Chris’s debut novel, The Fear Talking: The True Story of a Young Man and Anxiety, explores his personal experiences of growing up with anxiety. He lectures in creative writing, gives guest lectures on mental health, and teaches reflective writing.

Kathleen McKay

Kath is a fiction writer and poet. She has published two novels, two full poetry collections and one poetry booklet, while her short stories have been anthologised and broadcast. Kath has won awards for poetry, short stories and a crime novel.

Take a look at our facilities

Brynmor jones library.

Our 7-storey library is home to 1 million+ books, extensive digital resources drawn from libraries and archives across the world, and stunning panoramic views of the city from the 7th floor.

Reading Room

You’ll find the Reading Room on the first floor of our library. It offers a comfortable space and a quiet environment to study – away from the hustle and bustle of the campus.

Our collection includes a variety of titles published between 1473 and 2002. Texts are in 18 languages. Places of publication range from Amsterdam to Zwickau, covering 26 countries on 5 continents.

Study Rooms

You'll find over 1,000 work spaces in our library. From boardroom-style meeting venues with big-screen PCs, to informal group-study areas and interactive whiteboards.

Hull counts poets Douglas Dunn and Roger McGough among its alumni. But an English and Creative Writing degree doesn’t just pave the way for a literary career. It trains you to analyse, research and communicate at a very high level. The ability to showcase a creative mind through writing is a rare skill and highly valuable to employers.

Our graduates develop skills that are prized in many professions, and acquire the adaptability to flourish in various arenas. They’ve gone on to work for a wide range of public and private sector companies and organisations, like East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Sainsbury, Marks and Spencer, the Ministry of Justice, and more.

Your next steps

Like what you’ve seen? Then it’s time to apply.

The standard way to apply for this course is through UCAS. This will give you the chance to showcase your skill, qualities and passion for the subject, as well as providing your academic qualifications.

Not ready to apply?

Visit our next Open Day, and see all that Hull has to offer for yourself. Talk to our lecturers about your subject, find out what university is really like from our current students, and take a tour of our beautiful campus and amazing facilities.

You may also be interested in…

Ba (hons) creative writing and film studies, ba (hons) english, ba (hons) secondary teaching studies (english).

1.Creative Writing is ranked number 1 in the UK (HEIs) for teaching on my course. National Student Survey (NSS) 2024, HEIs only.

2. Creative Writing is ranked in 1st place for Student Satisfaction (out of 50 institutions.). Complete University Guide 2025

All modules presented on this course page are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

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MA in Creative Writing (Online) University of Hull

Course options

Qualification.

MA - Master of Arts

University of Hull

Distance / Online

JAN-25, MAY-25

• TUITION FEES
• ENTRY REQUIREMENT
• UNIVERSITY INFO

Course summary

What you learn

Transform your passion for reading into the ability to produce prose worthy of public recognition. Whatever your genre of preference, be it literary fiction, nonfiction, or the likes of fantasy, mystery or romance – you will have the opportunity to hone your creative writing skills and discover the techniques seminal writers have used to significant effect:

push your creative boundaries and give shape to a strong and original creative voice

expand your knowledge of the literary canon and acquire the art of reading as a literary writer

gain an in-depth knowledge of structure which will help you towards a deeper understanding of your writing process

become conversant with a range of textual elements such as the use of dialogue, point of view, perspective and sensory detail and apply learned technique to your preferred writing genre

take your place within the international creative writing community. Critique the work of others and engender the view of published writers as colleagues from who you can learn

develop your practice as a creative writer, understand the editing and re-drafting process necessary to produce prose of a publishable standard.

Career prospects

By studying this course, you should gain the confidence and practical skills necessary to produce creative writing of a publishable or near-publishable standard, in your genre of choice.

Module Options

Tuition fees.

• Afghanistan
• Antigua & Barbuda
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Burkina Faso
• Central African Republic
• Congo (Democratic Republic)
• Czech Republic
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Ivory Coast
• Korea DPR (North Korea)
• Liechtenstein
• Marshall Islands
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Northern Ireland
• Palestinian Authority
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Puerto Rico
• Republic of Ireland
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Saudi Arabia
• Sierra Leone
• Solomon Islands
• South Africa
• South Korea
• South Sudan
• St. Kitts & Nevis
• Switzerland
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Turkmenistan
• United Kingdom
• Vatican City
• Western Samoa

£ 5,300 per year

Tuition fees shown are for indicative purposes and may vary. Please check with the institution for most up to date details.

University information

University league table, campus address.

University of Hull, Admissions Office, Cottingham Road, Hull, Kingston Upon Hull, HU6 7RX, England

Subject rankings

Subject ranking.

14th out of 50

Entry standards

Graduate prospects

Student satisfaction

Suggested courses

Creative Writing MLitt (Online)

University of Glasgow

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MA in Creative Writing (Online)

Want to know what it's like to study this course at uni? We've got all the key info, from entry requirements to the modules on offer. If that all sounds good, why not check out reviews from real students or even book onto an upcoming open days ?

Different course options

MA - Master of Arts

University of Hull

Distance/Online

JAN-25, MAY-25

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JAN-25, M..

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Course info

Entry requirements, tuition fees.

What you learn

Transform your passion for reading into the ability to produce prose worthy of public recognition. Whatever your genre of preference, be it literary fiction, nonfiction, or the likes of fantasy, mystery or romance – you will have the opportunity to hone your creative writing skills and discover the techniques seminal writers have used to significant effect:

push your creative boundaries and give shape to a strong and original creative voice

expand your knowledge of the literary canon and acquire the art of reading as a literary writer

gain an in-depth knowledge of structure which will help you towards a deeper understanding of your writing process

become conversant with a range of textual elements such as the use of dialogue, point of view, perspective and sensory detail and apply learned technique to your preferred writing genre

take your place within the international creative writing community. Critique the work of others and engender the view of published writers as colleagues from who you can learn

develop your practice as a creative writer, understand the editing and re-drafting process necessary to produce prose of a publishable standard.

Career prospects

By studying this course, you should gain the confidence and practical skills necessary to produce creative writing of a publishable or near-publishable standard, in your genre of choice.

Module Options

A minimum 2.2 Bachelor Honours degree or international equivalent. Applicants who do not meet this requirement may still be considered, but will need to present examples of relevant published work with their application.

Students living in

£5,300 per year

Students from Domestic

Total course fees: £10,600

Students from EU

Students from International

University of Hull , Hull

The University of Hull is one of the most innovative and influential institutions located in the north of England....

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Cug ranking.

Admissions Office Cottingham Road Hull Kingston Upon Hull HU6 7RX

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