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2023/24
2024/25

BA Art and Creative Writing

  • UCAS code
    QW32
  • A level offer
    BBB
  • Year of entry
    2024/25 See 2023/24 entry
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  4 Years

Develop as an artist, curator and writer with our BA Art and Creative Writing programme.

This four-year, joint honours course reflects recent developments in art and culture. For example, you will:

  • learn about new digital art and publishing platforms
  • expand your understanding of contemporary literature and art theories
  • develop your skills in art writing.

Art and creative writing are a stimulating combination at degree level – they enhance and inform one another. Additionally, studying theories and practitioners across the art and literature disciplines will inspire and influence your own art and writing as you hone your technique and form.

Art

Studying at the Reading School of Art allows you to explore a vast range of media and experiment with emerging art forms.

Over the course of your four years of study, you will:

  • work with academics who include artists, curators and researchers
  • be encouraged to participate in exhibitions, public art commissions and events
  • receive dedicated studio space, accessible 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and a studio tutor to help develop your individual and professional practice.

You will complement your practical art with modules in contemporary art theory and the history of art. Through the lectures, seminars and studio teaching – as well as weekly visiting artist talks – you will be exposed to the language, vocabulary and debates that have emerged historically and evolved to forge contemporary art.

Creative writing

Explore literature creatively as you develop characters, shape poems, and draw on your imagination. 

You will learn from prize-winning authors and academics who are committed to teaching through the workshop model. These small group sessions are the heart of Reading’s writing community: guided by one of our lecturers, you and your fellow students will gain confidence as your share your writing and help each other improve.

You will also have the opportunity to publish your work – and gain experience in editing and publishing – by participating in our online creative magazine.

Find out more about our creative writing studies, including information about our academics, on our Department of English Literature’s creative writing webpage.

Your learning environment

You will learn through a mixture of:

  • seminars
  • lectures
  • studio teaching
  • group workshops
  • technical inductions
  • one-to-one tutorials
  • museum and gallery visits.

You will also receive academic guidance through oral and written feedback.

Your creative writing modules will place a strong emphasis on small-group learning within a friendly and supportive environment, and you will have access to our resident professional writer who advises our students individually.

94% of students in the Department of English Literature said our teaching staff were good or very good at explaining things (National Student Survey, 2023).

For your art modules, you will have access to our range of facilities. These include:

  • studios for construction, printing and casting
  • darkrooms for photography
  • digital tools for film and video editing, imaging, sound and web building
  • a dedicated audio-visual room and sound-recording booth.

Placement

You will be encouraged to undertake academic placements during your studies.

The Department of English Literature has an innovative placement scheme, and previous art students have:

Study abroad

In your third year, you can spend a term studying abroad at one of our partner institutions. To find out more, visit our Study Abroad site.

 

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250

New international students: £22,350

UK/Republic of Ireland fee changes

UK/Republic of Ireland undergraduate tuition fees are regulated by the UK government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.

EU student fees

With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

Placement year fees

If you spend a full year on placement, you will only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee for that year. For more information, please see our fees and funding pages or contact placements@reading.ac.uk.

A degree in art and creative writing will prepare you to enter professions across the cultural field. For example, you could choose to work in:

  • museum and gallery education
  • publishing
  • postproduction
  • theatre
  • television
  • public relations.

You will enter the job market with practical experience and highly-developed research and communication skills. You will know how to access reliable information and present your findings in clear and persuasive language. These are valuable skills in today’s economy, where information and communication skills are vital. You will also have the critical and cultural awareness necessary for working in the public sector and the media.

Some of our students decide to continue their studies at postgraduate level; others have successful careers in fields as diverse as law, business administration, web design, teaching, and journalism.

In the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020/21, 95% of our leavers are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (Based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2023, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020/21; includes first degree English Literature responders).

Past art and literature graduates have gone on to work for employers such as:

  • Tate
  • Whitechapel Gallery
  • The Burlington Magazine
  • Christies
  • Microsoft
  • BBC
  • The Telegraph
  • Oxford University Press
  • Waterstones
  • Cisco Systems
  • Royal Mint.