BA (Hons) English with Creative Writing

at Goldsmiths University of London

Program structure

Year 1

You take four compulsory modules:
 

You will also choose one of the following option modules.
 

Year 2

You will take one compulsory module.
 

You also choose three modules (totalling 90 credits) from a range characterised by wide literary, historical and contextual scope, of which at least one must encompass pre-1800 literature.

Modules may vary from year to year, but recent examples have included:
 

Year 3 (credit level 6)

You take one compulsory creative-writing module:

Project Development (30 credits)

This focuses on the development of your own writing skills in the context of a critical awareness of recent writing, recent literary concerns and cultural theory, and knowledge about writing and publishing issues. You are encouraged to interact within a community of writers supportive of the development of your work, small-group work in the first term leading into one-to-one surgeries to address concerns of writing practice as you prepare your portfolio of work in the second term.

You also choose modules (worth a total of 90 credits) from the full range offered by the Department. In addition, a rotation of single-term, 15-credit modules are also available.

Modules may vary from year to year, but recent examples have included:
 

We accept the following qualifications:

• A-level: BBB
• BTEC: DDM
• International Baccalaureate: 33 points overall with Three HL subjects at 655
• Access: Pass with 45 Level 3 credits including 30 Distinctions and a number of merits/passes in subject-specific modules
• Scottish qualifications: BBBBC (Higher) or BBC (Advanced Higher)
• European Baccalaureate: 75%, preferably including English.
• Irish Leaving Certificate: H2 H2 H2 H2

Additional requirements

Grade B in A-level English Literature/A-Level English Language and Literature/A-level English Language is required if you have studied A-Levels. Alternatively, an equivalent English subject will be accepted e.g. Grade 5 in IB Higher Level English.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for degree-level study.

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2022/2023 academic year.

From August 2021 EU/EEA/Swiss nationals will no longer be eligible for 'Home' fee status. EU/EEA/Swiss nationals will be classified as 'International' for fee purposes.

• Home - full-time: £9250

• International - full-time: £17560

Career Opportunity

Our poets’ successes have been matched in recent years by our prose writers. Four novels which began as creative writing dissertations and portfolios have since been published or acquired for publication: Sara Jafari’s debut novel The Mismatch was published by Penguin in 2021, started life on the Creating the Text module, while Marlowe Granados’ best-selling debut, Happy Hour, also published this year by Verso, formed part of Marlowe’s third year creative writing dissertation. Similarly, Abi Andrews debut, The Word for Woman is Wilderness, published by Serpent’s Tail in 2018, was first aired in a workshop taken during her third year on the BA Hons English Creative Writing programme, as did Paddy Crewe’s debut novel, Yip, which will be published in hardback in spring 2022 by Doubleday. Kandace Siobhan Walker’s short story Deep Heart, was winner of the 2019 4th Estate and Guardian short story prize (Kandace was also winner of the 2020 White Review Poetry Prize) and she is also working on her debut novel and collection of poetry; Goldsmiths Creative Writing BA and MA graduate, Dizz Tate’s debut novel Brutes is scheduled for publication by Faber in February 2023. Aside from literary forms, Goldsmiths undergraduate creative writing alumni also include a number of exciting non-fiction writers and journalists: Daisy Jones, who is Associate Editor of VICE UK and author of ALL THE THINGS SHE SAID: Everything I Know About Modern Lesbian and Bi Culture, published by Hachette in 2021; Charlie Brinkhurst Cuff is Award-winning journalist, book editor, columnist and podcast host. She is currently a Senior Staff Editor at the New York Times having enjoyed a celebrated tenure as Editor-in-Chief at gal-dem magazine. She has also written for the  Guardian, Observer, ipaper and Metro, and has worked as weekend editor and writer at Dazed. Excitingly, her debut collection of non-fiction, Black Joy will be published under the Penguin imprint in hardback on 2nd September 2021; Felix Petty, now executive editor at i-D Magazine, following on from his time as music editor for TANK.