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Gain the skills you need to get a job in the booming Creative Industries, while developing your own personal writing ambitions. Become the writer you want to be, and that others need.

  • Rated top three nationally for Student Satisfaction in 2023 Complete University Guide
  • Opportunities for collaborative projects and developing skills in constructive criticism of creative work
  • Regular visits from professional publishing industry figures
  • 91% teaching satisfaction among English and creative writing students at St Mary's (Guardian Uni League Tables 2019)

Why study Creative and Professional Writing?

University is a time to develop your own subject-specific knowledge and learning in-depth while also gaining the key skills you need to get ahead in the jobs marketplace.

Creative and Professional Writing gives you the opportunity to grow as a thinker and creator through the medium of the written word in its myriad forms, while honing your writing and critical thinking skills to the highest degree.

Creative writing anthology

We publish an anthology of work submitted by our Creative and Professional Writing students. Read the anthology...

Why St Mary's?

Our goal on the St Mary’s Creative and Professional Writing programme is threefold:

  • to help students develop into the writers they want to be
  • to hone the core writing skills that will give them an entry into jobs marketplace in the creative and many other industries
  • to give them a general introduction to the diverse publishing world and literary scene in the UK and beyond

There's no snobbery in the teaching of creative writing at St Mary’s. We're open to all kinds of writers with a wide array of interests, from science fiction to screenplays and from rap to romance. We recognise that the way we read and write is changing, and we try to reflect new developments, from social media to video game writing. You tell us what you want to write and we will help you to write it as well as you can.

In the Creative and Professional Writing programme we expect you to read and write. A lot. We give students regular writing exercises to guide them towards their assignments, and we encourage wide reading.

Most of the set texts on the course are contemporary – from the last 20 years – so that students learn how people are writing now. Much of what they read is very recent. We want our students to be up to date on what is happening in the creative writing world now.

At St Mary's we are friendly and supportive and get to know our students very well. We operate an open door policy in the department, and are always ready to meet students to discuss their writing and their reading inside and outside the course. There is a lively Professional and Creative Arts Society, and regular informal reading evenings, where students share work with each other.

Our teachers are all practising, published novelists, poets and writers. There are fantasy and horror writing experts, acclaimed book critics and literary novelists, international journalists and TV scriptwriters. 


Course lead

Dr Russell Schechter headshotDr Russell Schechter
Senior Lecturer

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Entry requirements

96-112UCAS points required

Check how many points your grades are worth

Calculate your total UCAS points

80 UCAS points should include at least two B grades at A Level (or equivalent).

We will make you an offer if you are within the tariff band range and you meet subject-specific requirements (where applicable).

For undergraduate programmes we will take into account subjects studied at Level 3, your GCSEs (or equivalent) profile, relevant non-academic achievements outlined in your personal statement, references, and your motivation for study.

International requirements

International students should check our country-specific pages for equivalents. If English is not your first language you will need to achieve an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in any section (or equivalent).

UCAS Personal statement support

Create your UCAS personal statement through our online builder and we'll email you a copy of your completed version at the end.

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Course content

At St Mary's University we promote an interdisciplinary approach to the Humanities and this is an important and unique part of our offer.

Unlike other Humanities degrees, if your choose to study Creative and Professional Writing at St Mary's you can expand your knowledge by exploring modules across English, History, Liberal Arts, Theology, Film and Politics.

Year one

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Year two

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Year three

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Please note: it is possible that a module listed on the website will not be able to run due to reasons beyond our control. For more information please refer to our course information disclaimer.

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Career opportunities

Our students go onto a wide range of graduate level careers and postgraduate study. There are challenging career opportunities in publishing, journalism, advertising, the media, editing and creative writing, teaching. 

The programme is useful for all careers. We teach critical skills as well as those transferrable skills of being able to write well and articulate ideas, as well as gain confidence in advanced communicative skills. It is excellent preparation if you would like to pursue further specialised training at postgraduate level and increasingly valued in a wide variety of professions.

The Careers Service has more information on careers and postgraduate study options available to Creative and Professional Writing students who have started their studies at St Mary’s.

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How the degree is taught

Teaching methods

You'll be taught on our beautiful and historic campus located in Twickenham, London.

The Creative and Professional Writing programme is taught by means of lectures, seminars, workshops and individual tutorials. Enthusiastic student participation is essential to success in the programme.

Students are encouraged to start creative writing at a very early stage in the course and to regularly share their work with colleagues. There are opportunities for collaborative projects and developing skills in constructive criticism of creative work. Jonathan Gibbs (Programme Director, Creative & Professional Writing) has written an article on the role of the short story in teaching creative writing.

Class sizes range from 15 to 35 students, depending on the module.

Teaching breakdown

Learning on the course is made up through a combination of:

  • Contact time: 18%
  • Independent study: 82%

Independent study is a key feature of your degree and is crucial to furthering your knowledge.

You will receive your timetable a week before teaching is due to start at the latest.

Assessment methods

With no exams, the programme - by its very nature - places a premium on practical exercises, coursework and projects, so skills will be assessed by a diverse range of methods. 

Modules are assessed on the basis of creative writing portfolios, course workbooks and presentations. Attendance and active participation in writing workshops is an essential aspect of assessment for some modules. All assessment is coursework based, with no examinations.

In the final year of the programme it's possible for you to be assessed in large part on lengthier-scale projects. These will be produced within the framework of a special study or portfolio, under the close supervision of a specialist tutor.

Feedback

We adhere to the university’s policy of providing feedback on assessments within three weeks.

See how your final degree mark is calculated...

Compensated passes

Please refer to the information on compensated passes throughout your degree as outlined in the academic regulations.

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Facilities

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Fees and funding

2023/24 fees

  • Home: £9,250
  • International: £14,850

*Please note: these fees are annual and may increase in line with inflation each year subject to the Governments review of Higher Education Funding.

Information about tuition fees, student loans, and funding your studies can be found within our fees and funding section.

Additional costs

Your tuition fees will cover the cost of all mandatory elements of your programme.

Additional costs could be incurred depending on optional modules chosen and other projects undertaken.

For further information about additional costs please see our additional costs webpage

Scholarships

A range of scholarships and bursaries are available to new undergraduate students. This includes:

Living costs

A guide to your living costs has been created by our Student Funding Team.

Accommodation costs vary depending on whether you opt for an en suite room and on-site catering. Take a look at our accommodation options and the prices you can expect to pay.

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Further information


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Visit the campus

Upcoming open days

Meet current students, explore our green campus, and find out why St Mary’s could be the place for you.

You'll also get a chance to:

Staff from various teams, including the Student’s Union, Student Funding, and Admissions, will also be around to discuss any questions you may have about studying at St Mary’s.

Book your place now

Campus tours

There are plenty of opportunities for you to explore the campus, even if you can't make it to an Open Day. We run campus tours every Wednesday at 12pm. If you'd like to join us for one of these tours please register your place for your preferred day.

Virtual tour

We know that for it's important to you to see where you'll be living and studying before you make your decision. However, we also know that for many people it's not always easy to make it to the campus.

That's why we've developed a virtual tour of campus, allowing you to explore that facilities and the beautiful views that we have to offer.

Launch the virtual tour

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UCAS Application Timeline