Creative and Professional Writing and Entrepreneurship

Creative and professional writing combined with entrepreneurship is a degree that addresses a genuine reality of the writing life: producing good work is only half the challenge. Writers who succeed professionally also understand markets, manage projects, build audiences, develop proposals, and often run their own businesses or freelance operations. Combining the craft and critical study of writing with a grounding in entrepreneurial thinking gives you both the creative capability and the commercial awareness to build a sustainable career in the writing industry and beyond.

At the University of Derby this three-year full-time programme develops your writing and editing skills while also exploring the contexts in which writing is produced and sold. You will study business themes including innovation, marketing, and enterprise alongside fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting, content creation, and professional copywriting. The course includes a sandwich placement year and a work placement component, giving you structured professional experience in writing or related commercial contexts before you graduate.

The typical entry tariff of 32 points reflects the very broad and inclusive access policy of the programme.

You will develop your voice as a writer alongside the entrepreneurial mindset needed to identify opportunities, respond to briefs, manage creative projects, and build professional relationships. The combination is genuinely distinctive and practical in a field where most writers need to be self-starters and self-promoters.

Graduates pursue careers in publishing, content creation, copywriting, journalism, public relations, marketing, broadcast media, arts administration, and teaching. Many build portfolio careers combining several writing-related activities. Postgraduate study in creative writing, publishing, or marketing is a natural continuation for those seeking further specialist development.