English Literature with Creative Writing
English literature with creative writing combines the study of how great writers have used the language with the practice of developing your own voice and craft. Literature study trains you to read closely, to understand how texts are constructed, and to situate writing in its historical, cultural, and theoretical contexts. Creative writing develops the skills of storytelling, characterisation, voice, and form in fiction, poetry, and other modes, under the guidance of experienced writers and through sustained workshop practice.
The combination is genuinely synergistic: learning to analyse great writing closely makes you a better writer, and writing regularly sharpens your critical reading.
At the University of Manchester, this three-year full-time degree draws on one of the UK's leading English departments, with research strengths that span medieval to contemporary literature and a creative writing provision connected to Manchester's rich literary culture. You will study texts from across periods, genres, and traditions, engaging with critical and theoretical approaches to literature alongside your own sustained creative practice. Workshop sessions give you regular feedback on your writing from tutors and peers, and you will develop the discipline and resilience to revise and improve your work that all serious writers need.
The programme encourages you to think about how literature works and why it matters, and to bring that understanding into your own creative practice.
Graduates from English literature with creative writing programmes go on to work in publishing, journalism, content writing, education, communications, marketing, the arts, and broadcasting. Many work as writers, editors, copywriters, or content producers, and some continue to postgraduate study in creative writing or literary studies to deepen their practice. The close reading and analytical skills the degree develops are valued across any career where language, persuasion, and clear thinking matter.