English Literature and Creative Writing

Why choose this course • Engage in intellectually challenging teaching in literature and creative writing, with acclaimed writers and scholars as well as enthusiastic and experienced teachers who convey ideas and explain techniques and methodologies enthusiastically and accessibly.

• As a student of English Literature and Creative Writing BA (Hons) at Surrey, you will become part of a community of literary and cultural scholars, writers, and creative practitioners, and will be able to explore the opportunities and challenges of studying, practising, and producing critical and creative forms of expression.

• We have a firm eye on your future employability. We’ll equip you with skills that employers value – clear and compelling communication skills, independent thinking and collaborative working. If you choose to take one of our award-winning Professional Training placements, you’ll be able to enhance your readiness for employment.

What you will study On our English Literature and Creative Writing BA (Hons) course, you’ll study vital and influential works of literature, you'll read and discuss contemporary writing as well as classics in a wide range of genres.  

You’ll explore canonical as well as more experimental forms, texts, and authors alongside perspectives, world views, and creative practices that have been historically silenced, marginalised, or endangered. Throughout the programme, you’ll develop sensitivity and appreciation for a diverse range of cultures and forms of artistic expressions, as well as emotional and cultural intelligence when discussing them with your peers and tutors. 

The programme includes innovative modules Science-Fiction and Renaissance Lives, plus a new Creative Writing poetry module and identities module, alongside our excellent existing creative writing and period-based literary modules in Medieval, Early Modern, 19th century, Modernist and Contemporary Studies.  

You’ll develop a wide range of creative writing skills and knowledge, looking at forms such as novels, short stories, poetry, plays, screenplays, graphic novels and writing for games.  

You will study classic works like those of Shakespeare and George Eliot, as well as writing by contemporary authors including Kazuo Ishiguro, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Jhumpa Lahiri.  

Genres you’ll study include travel writing, 19th-century theatre and fiction, science-fiction, contemporary global literatures, medieval literature, romantic literature, early modern, modernist and contemporary literatures.  

Our creative writing modules will develop your understanding of the techniques used and challenges faced by the writers you study on your English literature modules. You’ll assess the potential and challenges of forms of artistic expression that are increasingly central in contemporary culture and society, such as digital storytelling, video-gaming, blogging and podcasting. Your studies will also help you find inspiration and root your own creative work in the authors and literary traditions you’ll be exploring. 

You’ll gain professional and transferable skills in communications, writing, and critical thinking. You’ll learn how to write at a professional level in a variety of modes: analytical commentary and interpretive analysis, literary criticism, prose fiction, poetry, and writing for stage, screen, gaming and beyond. These skills are paramount in a wide range of professional environments and career paths, such as writing, editing, copywriting, teaching, publishing, marketing, journalism, social media and communications roles.