School of Social Sciences and Humanities

BA (Hons) Creative and Professional Writing and Media with Foundation Year

BA (Hons) Full-time 4 years, Part-time 8 years

Creative and Professional Writing with Media seeks to provide an active, supported and stimulating environment in which students can confidently experiment with and develop different forms and styles of writing.

Creative and Professional Writing with Media seeks to provide an active, supported and stimulating environment in which students can confidently experiment with and develop different forms and styles of writing.

Award
BA (Hons)
Start date(s)
September 2024
UCAS Code
W802
Course specifications
Course length
Full-time (4 years),Part-time (8 years)
Campus location
University: City Campus
School
School of Social Sciences and Humanities
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

Creative and Professional Writing with Media seeks to provide an active, supported and stimulating environment in which students can confidently experiment with and develop different forms and styles of writing. The programme offers a disciplined engagement with both creative and professional writing, teaching the art of writing within a range of media from radio, TV and newspapers to multimedia platforms and mobile phones. The study of Creative and Professional Writing with Media will help you develop the ability to communicate more effectively in writing; you will learn about the ways in which media shape both our understanding of the world, and our perceptions of our place in that world.

The Foundation year prepares students for university level study. Successful completion of our Foundation course permits access to any of our Humanities or Media BA (Hons) degree courses, which include English, English Language, Creative Writing, Linguistics, Media, Philosophy and Religious Studies — many of which can be taken singly as specialist degrees or together as ‘joint’ degree routes. The Foundation year begins with modules aimed at providing transferable study skills and then, in the second semester, gives students the opportunity to study more specialist modules, with a focus on various aspects of Humanities and Media.

The course also seeks to enable independent critical thinking and judgement, and to hone students' powers of imagination and invention in the creation of literary and non-literary texts. Students will develop a range of subject specific and transferable skills, including higher order communication skills, IT awareness and digital literacy, of immense value in graduate employment.

What's unique about this course?

  • The Foundation year prepares students for university level study
  • With a real emphasis upon employability, we are passionate about nurturing new voices and encourage you to explore the subjects and stories you want to write about.
  • The programme offers a disciplined engagement with both creative and professional writing, teaching the art of writing within a range of media from radio, TV and newspapers to multimedia platforms and mobile phones.

What happens on the course?

Your writing modules will fall broadly into three categories: Craft of Writing modules, Reading as a Writer modules, and Working as a Writer modules. Craft modules focus on you as a writer and are designed to help you explore your creative imagination whilst developing the skills required to express it. Reading as a Writer modules are designed teach you how to read with an eye for technique: the emphasis here will be on what you can learn from other writers across a spectrum of styles and genres. Working as a Writer modules have a vocational dimension and offer the opportunity to develop skills that will enhance your employability as a writer. 

 

We are currently reviewing our foundation course to enhance student learning and success. Course details may be subject to updates. Please keep an eye on our pages for updates.

Course Modules

Potential Career Paths

Students studying Creative and Professional Writing and Media have gone on to work in the media industry (production and presentation), journalism, public relations, corporate communications and local government. Others are employed as teachers and writing tutors, while some have opted for postgraduate study at prestigious institutions throughout the world.

Comments from our External Examiner on employability

For Creative and Professional Writing:

"The programme offers an impressive range of subjects which fully prepare students to undertake creative and professional writing".

For Media Studies:

"Here I have to say there is a wonderful variety of methods of assessment which are all appropriate and bring an intellectual strength and broader transferable set of skills to the degree".

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

The course is taught by published writers whose books cover a wide range of creative, professional and critical disciplines (fiction, poetry, non-fiction, etc).

Special visiting lecturers from the world of publishing are invited to speak on modules, as are internationally renowned authors.

The Media element of this course allows you to investigate the relationship between forms of media, and their producers and consumers, in order to discover how communication processes operate in a variety of social contexts. Media industry seminars are organised every year to enable you to meet with media practitioners and discuss current media issues with them. You will also have the opportunity to undertake practical work, including the possibility of industry placement thereby gaining valuable practical experience. Many of the tutors on our courses have themselves worked in media.

Comments from our External Examiners on provision:

For Creative and Professional Writing:

“The team in themselves are highly active and productive as writers - their publications in contemporary fiction, humour writing, literary criticism and creative writing pedagogy are important contributions to their respective fields and ensure the relevance and currency of their teaching.“

For Media Studies:

"There is much excellent practice evident on the modules I assessed. Especially striking is the excellent range of options available to students, including practical modules, which give the degrees a high intellectual and transferable skills based nature".

The members of academic staff who lead this course are Paul McDonald & Manuel Hernandez

On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

  • produce artistically coherent, original and technically adept writing,
  • articulate both orally and in writing knowledge and understanding of texts, theories, discourse conventions and strategies relevant to creative and professional writing and media and communication, within a multicultural context,
  • think critically, reflectively and creatively about writing, media and communication,
  • source, research, assimilate and articulate material relevant to media and communication and the production of creative and professional writing,
  • understand different modes of communication and the issues that surround them within their social context,
  • demonstrate key employment skills (e.g. self-management, IT, digital literacy, enterprise, working in groups).

Location Mode Fee Year
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2022-23
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2023-24
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2024-25
Home Part-time £3120 per year# 2022-23
Home Part-time £4625 per year# 2023-24
Home Part-time £4625 per year# 2024-25
International Full-time £13450 per year 2022-23
International Full-time £14450 per year 2023-24
International Full-time £14950 per year 2024-25

The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed

# Undergraduate part-time fees for 50% rate of study

Prepare for Foundation Pathway:- We will consider applicants who have not achieved 48 UCAS points (equivalence) from prior level 3 qualifications, if you have a keen interest in this subject area or hold relevant experience. You will be required to attend and pass a compulsory Prepare For Foundation assessment day where you will take part in a variety of activities which will assess your suitability for the course. If you would like more advise and guidance about this admissions pathway, please contact the Gateway team to discuss and support you in making an application to us.

Contact the Gateway - University of Wolverhampton (wlv.ac.uk)

”I can honestly say that the three years I spent studying CPW at Wolverhampton University were the best of my life. I did not dislike a single module I studied, and I feel that I learned something important from each one. I cannot believe how much my writing as improved, and not only have I learned valuable writing skills, but also important life skills.” Megan Hallowell (CPW graduate 09)

“Before enrolling on CPW at the University of Wolverhampton I was an aspiring writer with an interest in horror only. Since then I've learned about new styles and genres: humour writing, travel writing, journalism, short stories, novels, writing for children and much more. There is so much diversity on this course I was never bored and I learned so much about the world of writing, and about myself as a writer.” Andrew Heaton (CPW graduate 09)

Tuition Fees Loan (Home Fee Status):

Most students will be able to apply for a loans to pay for these subject to eligibility. To find out more information please refer to the government Student Finance website.

Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as having Overseas Fee status. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) click here.


Self-funding:

If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: See How to pay.

For more information please contact the Gateway.


Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund.

for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


Bursaries and Scholarships:

In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

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