English Language and Creative Writing (Placement Year)

BA Hons

  • UCAS code Q4WV
  • Entry year 2025
  • A level requirements AAB
  • Duration Full time 4 years

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • 3

    3rd for Linguistics

    The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (2025)

  • 6

    6th for Creative Writing

    The Complete University Guide (2025)

  • 7

    7th for Creative Writing

    The Guardian University Guide (2025)

We are one of the largest departments for the study of language in the country and one of the most highly rated in the world (3rd for Linguistics in the QS World Rankings, 2024).

Do you want to combine creating original fiction with an in-depth study of the English language? Then this is the degree for you.

At Lancaster, all Creative Writing students combine writing with study in another subject. You’ll be taught Creative Writing through lectures, readings, practices and discussion in regular tutor-led workshops by practising writers. As a student on the English Language and Creative Writing degree, you’ll join a thriving community, where you can get involved with the Writing Society, poetry nights, and spoken word events in the city. You’ll have the chance to develop your writing skills, cultivating a strong feel for words and their meaning within context.

Our Linguistics and English Language department is one of the largest in the UK. You could be analysing sound patterns or learning more about the tones, nuances and registers of the English language. The two different focuses of this degree reinforce and complement each other perfectly.

In your first year you’ll study the core modules of English Language and Introduction to Creative Writing. You will build up a writing portfolio throughout the year, which counts towards your final mark, and you will have the opportunity to work in small groups to offer supportive constructive criticism on each other’s work. In the second year you’ll move on to Stylistics and Intermediate Creative Writing Workshop. You’ll also be able to select modules such as Discourse Analysis, Creative Non-Fiction: Genre and Practice and English Phonetics. We also offer a series of lectures on the business of being a writer.

Your final year is made up of an Advanced Creative Writing Workshop and options such as a dissertation, Forensic Linguistics or Poetry and Experiment.

Many English Language graduates go on to work in education, publishing, the media and information technology. It is a subject that is useful in fields involving international communication, such as science, trade and international relations. As well as writing, this degree combination is particularly well-suited for careers in publishing, journalism, editing and PR.

Careers

Your degree encourages you to cultivate a highly creative approach to projects and fosters a keen sense of imagination, as well as skills in data analysis, and the synthesis and presentation of results. These are the kinds of skills that today’s employers value.

Typically, our graduates are interested in jobs in:

  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Teaching (primary, secondary, and English as a foreign Language abroad)
  • Journalism, Media and Publishing
  • Speech Technology
  • Public Relations
  • Publishing
  • Management

Some of our graduates continue their studies at Lancaster or other institutions and undertake postgraduate studies or professional training in the field of languages or linguistics.

Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, but that you also graduate with relevant life and work based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development. Visit our Employability section for full details.

Entry requirements

Grade Requirements

A Level AAB

IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For other English language qualifications we accept, please see our English language requirements webpages.

Other Qualifications

International Baccalaureate 35 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects

BTEC Distinction, Distinction, Distinction

We welcome applications from students with a range of alternative UK and international qualifications, including combinations of qualification. Further guidance on admission to the University, including other qualifications that we accept, frequently asked questions and information on applying, can be found on our general admissions webpages.

Contact Admissions Team + 44 (0) 1524 592028 or via ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

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Fees and funding

Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12-month session, starting in the October of your year of study.

Our Undergraduate Tuition Fees for 2025/26 are:

Home International
£9,250 £24,700

Fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status:

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

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