Skip to main content

University of Reading Cookie Policy

We use cookies on reading.ac.uk to improve your experience. Find out more about our cookie policy. By continuing to use our site you accept these terms, and are happy for us to use cookies to improve your browsing experience.

Continue using the University of Reading website

  • Schools and departments
  • Henley Business School
  • University of Reading Malaysia
  • Applicants
  • Student
  • Staff
  • Alumni
Show/Hide navigation
University of Reading University of Reading
Mobile search categories
  • Study and life
  • Research
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • View courses
  • Home
  • Study and life
    • Clearing 2023
    • Study
    • Student life
    • Open Days and visiting
    • International students
    • Accommodation
  • Research
    • Themes
    • Impact
    • Innovation and partnerships
    • Research environment
    • Get involved
  • About us
    • Our global community
    • Business
    • Local community
    • Visit us
    • Strategy
    • Governance
  • Contact us
  • Applicants
  • Student
  • Staff
  • Alumni
  • Schools and departments
  • Henley Business School
  • University of Reading Malaysia
  • View courses
mask
CHOOSE A SUBJECT
2023/24
2024/25
Undergraduates
Postgraduates
Undergraduates
Postgraduates

Subjects A-B

  • Accounting
  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Animal Science
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Architectural Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Bioveterinary Sciences
  • Building and Surveying
  • Business and Management

Subjects C-E

  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Classical Studies
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management
  • Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
  • Creative Writing
  • Criminology
  • Drama
  • Ecology
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environment

Subjects F-G

  • Film & Television
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Foundation programmes
  • French
  • Geography
  • German
  • Graphic Communication and Design

Subjects H-M

  • Healthcare
  • History
  • International Development
  • International Foundation Programme (IFP)
  • International Relations
  • Italian
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Marketing
  • Mathematics
  • Medical Sciences
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Museum Studies

Subjects N-T

  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate Studies
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Psychology
  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Spanish
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Surveying and Construction
  • Teaching
  • Theatre & Performance

Subjects U-Z

  • Wildlife Conservation
  • Zoology

Subjects A-C

  • Accounting
  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Animal Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Business (Post-Experience)
  • Business and Management (Pre-Experience)
  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Ancient History
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management and Engineering
  • Consumer Behaviour
  • Creative Enterprise
  • Creative Writing

Subjects D-G

  • Data Science
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Energy and Environmental Engineering
  • Engineering
  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Film, Theatre and Television
  • Finance
  • Food and Nutritional Sciences
  • Geography and Environmental Science
  • Graphic Design

Subjects H-P

  • Healthcare
  • History
  • Information Management and Digital Business
  • Information Technology
  • International Development and Applied Economics
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Microbiology
  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Project Management
  • Psychology
  • Public Policy

Subjects Q-Z

  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Social Policy
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Strategic Studies
  • Teacher training
  • Theatre
  • Typography and Graphic Communication
  • War and Peace Studies
  • Zoology

Subjects A-B

  • Accounting
  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Architectural Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biochemistry
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Bioveterinary Sciences
  • Building and Surveying
  • Business and Management

Subjects C-E

  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Classical Studies
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management
  • Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
  • Creative Writing
  • Criminology
  • Drama
  • Ecology
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environment

Subjects F-G

  • Film & Television
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Foundation programmes
  • French
  • Geography
  • German
  • Graphic Communication and Design

Subjects H-M

  • Healthcare
  • History
  • International Development
  • International Foundation Programme (IFP)
  • International Relations
  • Italian
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Marketing
  • Mathematics
  • Medical Sciences
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Microbiology
  • Museum Studies

Subjects N-T

  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate Studies
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Psychology
  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Spanish
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Surveying and Construction
  • Teaching
  • Theatre & Performance

Subjects U-Z

  • Wildlife Conservation
  • Zoology

Subjects A-C

  • Accounting
  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Animal Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Business (Post-Experience)
  • Business and Management (Pre-Experience)
  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Ancient History
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management and Engineering
  • Consumer Behaviour
  • Creative Enterprise
  • Creative Writing

Subjects D-G

  • Data Science
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Energy and Environmental Engineering
  • Engineering
  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Film, Theatre and Television
  • Finance
  • Food and Nutritional Sciences
  • Geography and Environmental Science
  • Graphic Design

Subjects H-P

  • Information Management and Digital Business
  • Healthcare
  • History
  • Information Technology
  • International Development and Applied Economics
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Microbiology
  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Project Management
  • Psychology
  • Public Policy

Subjects Q-Z

  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Social Policy
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Strategic Studies
  • Teacher training
  • Theatre
  • Typography and Graphic Communication
  • War and Peace Studies
  • Zoology

BA Creative Writing and Theatre

  • UCAS code
    WW84
  • A level offer
    BBB
  • Year of entry
    2024/25 See 2023/24 entry
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  3 Years
  • Year of entry
    2024/25 See 2023/24 entry
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  3 Years

Develop and hone your writing skills, and explore the complex interplay between live performance and audience, with our BA Creative Writing and Theatre course.

Taught jointly by the Department of English Literature and the Department of Film, Theatre and Television, on this course you will:

  • explore your creative writing in small peer groups
  • examine theatre in its various contexts: as popular entertainment, theoretical discipline and art form
  • have the opportunity to develop your practical theatre skills.

Creative writing and theatre complement each other perfectly. Exploring a breadth of dramatic work and analysing creative choices will support the development of your own creative writing. Optional practical work will enhance your ability to create compelling characters and narratives.

Creative writing

Creative writing allows you to explore your creativity from all angles: creating characters, shaping poems, drawing on your imagination. 

We offer a specially curated group of English literature modules that are designed to complement your creative writing. You’ll gain knowledge of a variety of literary, dramatic and film texts, from a range of different periods. This course aims to foster your independent thinking, using the close reading and analytical skills that are fundamental to both English literature and theatre.

We place a strong emphasis on small-group learning within a friendly and supportive environment. Workshops are central to our creative writing community, helping you to form relationships with your peers and feel more confident about your work.

Your learning environment

Modules are taught by practising, published authors who have strong links with professional writing communities. We regularly invite authors to read from their work and participate in teaching.

We’ll help you develop your creative writing skills in a variety of settings:

  • lectures concentrate on specific, practical issues such as how to construct a character or tackle a specific literary form
  • seminars involve small group discussions, led by one of the teaching team, with short practical writing exercises
  • workshops allow you to explore and develop your writing in small peer groups.

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).

Creative community

The Department of English Literature fosters a creative writing community that is friendly, cohesive and committed. As well as learning from lecturers, you’ll learn from each other by sharing your work in progress. Outside the classroom, you can share your ideas with the University’s creative writing group, Scribblers, which is run by and for students from across the University.

You will also have the opportunity to publish your own work – and gain experience in editing and publishing – by participating in our annual Creative Writing Anthology.

Theatre

On your theatre modules, you will analyse and discuss the plays that you love with the opportunity to learn practical skills for your future career.

During your studies at Reading you will:

  • discover how directors, designers, writers and other theatre artists respond to and shape our rapidly changing world
  • explore the histories and techniques of devising, producing, designing and directing
  • learn how theatre works as an expression of real-world issues.

Through our partnerships and connections with the contemporary creative world, you will gain a rich and critically informed knowledge of the techniques that are shaping creative practice today.

You’ll have the opportunity to participate in group-based practical work, which will help you develop your creativity, storytelling and practical skills.

A key benefit of studying at Reading is our close proximity to London – undoubtedly the UK’s premier hub for all things film and theatre. You will have numerous opportunities to visit theatres and see performances as part of your degree.

Theatre facilities

Combine the study of ground-breaking theory with practical application, using our purpose-built £11m Minghella Studios facilities that feature:

  • three theatre spaces
  • a multi-camera film and TV studio
  • a digital cinema
  • dedicated recording studio and mixing suite.

Placements with BA Creative Writing and Theatre

Our innovative placement scheme gives you the chance to undertake an academic placement in commerce, industry or the arts. You can also take a placement module on languages and literature in heritage, in education, in theatre, and in the media.

Students on our Literature, Languages and Education module also undertake a short placement to explore the ways in which the skills and knowledge gained in their studies have direct application to the workplace.

Study abroad

In your second year, you can spend a semester studying abroad at one of our partner institutions in the USA, Canada, Australia, or countries across Europe. To find out more, visit our Study Abroad site.

Overview

Develop and hone your writing skills, and explore the complex interplay between live performance and audience, with our BA Creative Writing and Theatre course.

Taught jointly by the Department of English Literature and the Department of Film, Theatre and Television, on this course you will:

  • explore your creative writing in small peer groups
  • examine theatre in its various contexts: as popular entertainment, theoretical discipline and art form
  • have the opportunity to develop your practical theatre skills.

Creative writing and theatre complement each other perfectly. Exploring a breadth of dramatic work and analysing creative choices will support the development of your own creative writing. Optional practical work will enhance your ability to create compelling characters and narratives.

Creative writing

Creative writing allows you to explore your creativity from all angles: creating characters, shaping poems, drawing on your imagination. 

We offer a specially curated group of English literature modules that are designed to complement your creative writing. You’ll gain knowledge of a variety of literary, dramatic and film texts, from a range of different periods. This course aims to foster your independent thinking, using the close reading and analytical skills that are fundamental to both English literature and theatre.

We place a strong emphasis on small-group learning within a friendly and supportive environment. Workshops are central to our creative writing community, helping you to form relationships with your peers and feel more confident about your work.

Your learning environment

Modules are taught by practising, published authors who have strong links with professional writing communities. We regularly invite authors to read from their work and participate in teaching.

We’ll help you develop your creative writing skills in a variety of settings:

  • lectures concentrate on specific, practical issues such as how to construct a character or tackle a specific literary form
  • seminars involve small group discussions, led by one of the teaching team, with short practical writing exercises
  • workshops allow you to explore and develop your writing in small peer groups.

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).

Creative community

The Department of English Literature fosters a creative writing community that is friendly, cohesive and committed. As well as learning from lecturers, you’ll learn from each other by sharing your work in progress. Outside the classroom, you can share your ideas with the University’s creative writing group, Scribblers, which is run by and for students from across the University.

You will also have the opportunity to publish your own work – and gain experience in editing and publishing – by participating in our annual Creative Writing Anthology.

Theatre

On your theatre modules, you will analyse and discuss the plays that you love with the opportunity to learn practical skills for your future career.

During your studies at Reading you will:

  • discover how directors, designers, writers and other theatre artists respond to and shape our rapidly changing world
  • explore the histories and techniques of devising, producing, designing and directing
  • learn how theatre works as an expression of real-world issues.

Through our partnerships and connections with the contemporary creative world, you will gain a rich and critically informed knowledge of the techniques that are shaping creative practice today.

You’ll have the opportunity to participate in group-based practical work, which will help you develop your creativity, storytelling and practical skills.

A key benefit of studying at Reading is our close proximity to London – undoubtedly the UK’s premier hub for all things film and theatre. You will have numerous opportunities to visit theatres and see performances as part of your degree.

Theatre facilities

Combine the study of ground-breaking theory with practical application, using our purpose-built £11m Minghella Studios facilities that feature:

  • three theatre spaces
  • a multi-camera film and TV studio
  • a digital cinema
  • dedicated recording studio and mixing suite.

Placements with BA Creative Writing and Theatre

Our innovative placement scheme gives you the chance to undertake an academic placement in commerce, industry or the arts. You can also take a placement module on languages and literature in heritage, in education, in theatre, and in the media.

Students on our Literature, Languages and Education module also undertake a short placement to explore the ways in which the skills and knowledge gained in their studies have direct application to the workplace.

Study abroad

In your second year, you can spend a semester studying abroad at one of our partner institutions in the USA, Canada, Australia, or countries across Europe. To find out more, visit our Study Abroad site.

Entry requirements A Level BBB

Select Reading as your firm choice on UCAS and we'll guarantee you a place even if you don't quite meet your offer. For details, see our firm choice scheme. 

Typical offer

BBB including a grade B in English Literature or a related subject. Related subjects include: English Language, English Language and Literature, Drama and Theatre Studies, and Creative Writing.

International Baccalaureate

30 points overall including 5 in English at higher level.

Extended Project Qualification

In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) provides to students for University study, we can now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer.

BTEC Extended Diploma

DDM (Modules taken must be comparable to subject specific requirement)

English language requirements

IELTS 7.0, with no component below 6.0

For information on other English language qualifications, please visit our international student pages.

Alternative entry requirements for International and EU students

For country specific entry requirements look at entry requirements by country.

Pre-sessional English language programme

If you need to improve your English language score you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.

  • Find out the English language requirements for our courses and our pre-sessional English programme

Structure

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3

The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2024/25. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change.

Compulsory modules:

  • Introduction to Creative Writing
  • Poetry in English
  • Analysing Theatre and Performance
  • Radical Forms in Theatre and Performance 

Optional modules:

  • Introduction to Drama
  • Shelf Life
  • Modern American Culture and Counterculture
  • Thinking Translation: History and Theory
  • What is Comparative Literature?
  • Exploring the Studio
  • Comedy on Stage and Screen
  • Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP)

The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of final approved modules will be available between May and July 2023. We suggest that you regularly revisit this webpage during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2024/25. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change.

Compulsory modules:

  • Identity, Performance and Culture

Optional modules:

  • Creative Writing: Creative Non-fiction
  • Myth, Legend and Romance: Medieval Storytelling
  • Critical Thinking
  • Creative Writing: The Short Story
  • Victorian Literature
  • Writing America: Perspectives on the Nation
  • Contemporary Fiction
  • Exploring Location
  • Placement and Employment Skills
  • Documentary
  • Reworking Shakespeare in Performance
  • Directing and Dramaturgy
  • Television and Contemporary Culture
  • Film Forms and Cultures
  • Creative Writing: Poetry
  • Early Modern Literature
  • Modernism in Poetry and Fiction
  • Enlightenment Revolution and Romanticism
  • The Business of Books
  • Writing in the Public Sphere
  • Institute-Wide Language Programme (IWLP)

The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of final approved modules will be available between May and July 2023. We suggest that you regularly revisit this webpage during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2024/25. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change. 

Optional modules:

  • Creative Writing Dissertation
  • Theatre Dissertation
  • Creative Research Project
  • Creative Writing Masterclass: Poetry
  • Lyric Voices, 1340-1650
  • Placing Jane Austen
  • British Black and Asian Voices: 1948 to the Present
  • From Romance to Fantasy
  • Decadence and Degeneration: Literature of the 1890s
  • Performance and Design
  • Advanced Scriptwriting
  • Screen Bodies
  • Literature and Mental Health
  • Children's Literature
  • The Bloody Stage: Revenge and Death in Renaissance Drama
  • Modern and Contemporary British Poetry
  • Creative Writing Masterclass: Prose
  • Writing Women: Nineteenth-Century Poetry
  • Adaptations across Stage and Screen
  • Musical Theatre
  • Film Festivals and Programming
  • Institute-wide Language Programme (IWLP)

The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of final approved modules will be available between May and July 2023. We suggest that you regularly revisit this webpage during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Fees

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.

Careers

As a creative writing graduate, you will enter the job market with well-developed communication, research and writing skills, together with a high level of cultural literacy and critical sophistication. According to the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020/21, 95% of our leavers are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation*.

Our flexible degrees are designed to develop the skills valued by both creative and commercial industries, providing you with a diverse range of career opportunities following graduation.

To prepare you for the future, an emphasis on professional skills is built into all of our courses. You will graduate with a breadth of knowledge as well as many transferable skills for work in a wider range of sectors.

Many of our alumni work in the creative industries, in roles such as:

  • theatre director
  • arts management
  • actor
  • playwright
  • critic.

Graduates also go on to work in:

  • commercial marketing and media 
  • advertising 
  • journalism 
  • teaching.

*Based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2023, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020/21; includes first degree English Literature responders.

Study Creative Writing at the University of Reading

Contextual offers


We make contextual offers for all our courses.

Take the next step



How to apply for 2024 entry

Come to an Open Day

Get a prospectus

Ask us a question

Chat to our students

Related Subjects


  • Creative Writing
  • English Literature
  • Drama
  • Theatre & Performance

Ready for more?

How to apply
Visit an Open Day
Get a prospectus
View courses
  • Charitable Status
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Terms of use
  • Sitemap

© University of Reading