BA (Hons) Creative Writing and Digital Media

Key information

Typical offer:
Entry requirements
Fees: See below
Full details
UCAS code: P902
Institute code: H36
Study abroad option
Work placement option
Find out more

Entry requirements

The University of Hertfordshire is committed to welcoming students with a wide range of qualifications and levels of experience. The entry requirements listed on the course pages provide a guide to the minimum level of qualifications needed to study each course. However, we have a flexible approach to admissions and each application will be considered on an individual basis.

UCAS points A Level BTEC Access Course Tariff IB requirement
112-120 BBC-BBB DMM-DDM Overall merit profile in 45 credits at Level 3 112-120 points

Additional requirements

GCSE: Grade 4/C in English Language and Mathematics
All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band.
If you do not have the required IELTS or equivalent for direct entry on to your degree programme, our Pre-sessional English and International Foundation courses can help you to achieve this level.
For more details on the University of Hertfordshire's entry requirements, please visit our Undergraduate Entry Requirements page.
Find out more about International Entry Requirements.

UCAS points A Level BTEC Access Course Tariff IB requirement
112-120 BBC-BBB DMM-DDM Overall merit profile in 45 credits at Level 3 112-120 points

Additional requirements

GCSE: Grade 4/C in English Language and Mathematics
All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band.
If you do not have the required IELTS or equivalent for direct entry on to your degree programme, our Pre-sessional English and International Foundation courses can help you to achieve this level.
For more details on the University of Hertfordshire's entry requirements, please visit our Undergraduate Entry Requirements page.
Find out more about International Entry Requirements.

UCAS points	A Level	BTEC	Access Course Tariff	IB requirement
112-120	BBC-BBB	DMM-DDM	Overall merit profile in 45 credits at Level 3	112-120 points

UCAS points	A Level	BTEC	Access Course Tariff	IB requirement
112-120	BBC-BBB	DMM-DDM	Overall merit profile in 45 credits at Level 3	112-120 points

Why choose this course?

Giving you up to date media skills and a great speaker programme
Accredited by PRCA (Public Relations and Communications Association)
Be taught by award-winning poets, writers and media practitioners

Find your voice, both critically and creatively, as you develop an in-depth understanding of the world of media. Today’s media is becoming more diverse and dynamic as digital and social media platforms thrive. Hone the skills you need to play your part.

Our practical course nurtures your hands-on technical skills, original creativity, and entrepreneurial attitude, giving you the versatility for a successful media career. You’ll develop the ability to critically comment on media practice and produce new creative work for websites, blogs, print, video, audio and multimedia. We’ll help you develop research, editorial, storytelling and targeting skills, building your confidence in creating, editing and submitting work.

You’ll learn about media both in the UK and internationally, starting with general modules such as Global Media and Telling Stories through Sound and Image, progressing to the opportunity to create your own media project with a client before you leave or studying how to create a PR campaign as well as the fascinating world of celebrity media.

You'll be taught by leading poets, fiction, and non-fiction writers. All your lecturers are active writers in their field - some are even internationally published authors. This means you’ll be learning from writers who have excellent industry connections and have the latest knowledge when it comes to trends, styles, and publishing guides giving you everything you need to become a published author yourself. Partner this with gaining the latest insights and skills within media, from podcasting to learning about PR.

You can take part in industry events and say your course is affiliated to the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), one of Britain's top trade organisations for PR professionals. You can attend our Media Matters guest lectures given by a range of media speakers from top journalists to our recent graduates. You'll have the opportunity to network with inspirational and well-known screen writers, biographers, poets, novelists, nonfiction authors and playwrights at our Creative Conversation events.

What's the course about?

The delivery of teaching varies according to the characteristics of each module. Workshops are used for modules where the degree of practical skills taught is enhanced by the supervision of experts in their field but there are also seminars and lectures. Attainment of learning outcomes is also assessed in a range of formats from traditional essays to presentations, creating adverts or campaigns or working in a small group to create a documentary.

In the first year, you’ll study the media industry now and the theories of communication and globalisation that underpin it alongside gaining practical skills in visual awareness, blogging and video. In Creative Writing you’ll start learning how to become a writer and how to write for films, as well as gaining a deeper insight into genre.

In your second year, you’ll study the publishing industry, choose between brand awareness and creating a video feature, magazine design and design for mobile, while in Creative Writing, you’ll learn about the art of telling non-fiction stories and how to write for the stage.

Work placement/study abroad option*: Between your second and final year, you’ll have the option to study abroad or complete a work placement for up to a year. Not only will this give you an amazing experience to talk about, but it will also give your CV a boost. If you would rather go straight to your final year, that’s fine too. You can decide in your second year with us, so there is still plenty of time to think about this.

In your final year, you’ll get the option of specialising in practical media modules, such as creating a project for a client, or learning about the PR and Advertising industry or the theory of celebrity and identity within media. In Creative Writing, you’ll get the chance to specialise in either poetry, prose or scriptwriting and think about how writing and reality conflict and complement.

For a full list of modules, see the section under ‘What will I study?’

Guest speakers and networking (Media Matters and Creative Conversations).

Each year the School of Humanities hosts a range of industry professionals, giving talks on their experience in the media and publishing industry. These lectures are recorded by our final-year students and available on our Taster Hub. Some of our previous speakers have included:

Andrea Thompson, Editor in Chief of Marie Claire
Richard Keith, Journalist for Edge Magazine and Publisher, PCGamer
Georgina Lawton of online ezine Gal-Dem for women and non-binary people of colour
Damian Barr, writer, literary editor and TV host
Steve Swann, investigative journalist, BBC
Inua Ellams, poet
Nell Leyshon, novelist and playwright
Tom Edge, screenwriter
Carl Rollyson, biographer

Your main campus is College Lane

This is where the creative arts, science and health-related subjects are based. This means you’ll share the campus with future nurses, scientists, artists and more. You can use the common rooms to relax with friends, work out in the 24-hour gym or have a drink in our on-campus pub or cafes. We also have restaurants for you to eat in or grab something on the go. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.

What will I study?

Degree programmes are structured into levels, 4, 5 and 6. These correspond to your first, second and third/final year of study. Below you can see what modules you’ll be studying in each.

Level 4

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
The Writer's Art: an Introduction to Creative Writing	15 Credits	Compulsory
This introductory module fires students' creativity, equipping them with knowledge of important literary strategies and techniques. To be successful creative writers, students need to be sensitive readers and critics, interested in devices other writers use to achieve particular literary effects. Set texts will be used as starting points for thinking about these issues alongside key craft elements e.g. plot, character, setting, voice, imagery, language and dramatic action. Weekly writing exercises are designed to help students practice these elements in their own writing.
Introduction to Media Communications	15 Credits	Compulsory
This wide-ranging and dynamic module presents an introduction to the fields of media and communications studies, covering media texts, producers and audiences. Students are supported to read, write and debate like a scholar, thus enabling them to develop skills which are essential for completing a university degree.
Global Media and Society	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module considers the relationship between the media and their social context. Students will explore ways media reflect and shape social attitudes and challenge their own assumptions about society and the media. By exploring issues such as class, race and gender the module will consider how different groups are represented in media. The module will also examine the public role of the media locally and globally, and students will be challenged to think critically about concepts such as free press, media impartiality or bias.
Genre Fiction: Building Worlds	15 Credits	Compulsory
Building compelling and convincing worlds is important in all fiction, but particularly crucial in writing genre fiction. When writing genre (or popular) fiction, writers must be critically aware of both the history of the genre and current trends in publishing to make their own narratives distinctive and ultimately sell-able. This module examines popular genres (such as fantasy, crime, sci-fi or romance), considering their history and future. Key questions of craft and motivation will be asked: how do contemporary writers play against the classics? How do you write a piece that fits in a genre and yet avoids cliché? How much can you diverge from the expected in genre fiction? What steps can be taken to build a complex world for your piece? Is plotting for genre fiction different than plotting for literary fiction? Authors studied may include E.L. James, Ursula Le Guin, Louise Fitzhugh, J.R.R. Tolkien, or Akwaeke Ezemi.
Writing for the screen	15 Credits	Compulsory
Writing for screen is an intensive 12 week course designed to introduce students to drama at level 4. Students will be introduced to all the elements of dramatic writing - dramatic action, narrative, structure, plotting and writing perfect scene hooks. Students will work practically in class, receiving weekly feedback on their work and developing their script to completion. Students will be able to edit and develop their final film towards completion as they workshop their scripts in the final 4 weeks of the module. Students will develop the skill of analysing the theory of screen writing and study short films, breaking them down for structure, narrative and plot. Students will learn how to understand their own practical method and be able to reflect upon their creative decision making. They will study craft texts and develop their skills in critical analysis. All students will complete the course having written a 10 minute short film displaying an understanding of all of the elements of dramatic writing.
Journeys and Quests: Adventures in Literature	15 Credits	Compulsory
From ancient Greek poems about mythic heroes, to the search for the Holy Grail, and recent stories about returning home, the quest narrative has been central to literary texts across time-periods and cultures. They have been used in reactionary and revolutionary formats. This module is interested in the narrative traditions, conventions and motifs of the quest, and we will pay close attention to literary form and content. We will also think how certain narratives are recycled and re-used by writers and filmmakers. We will move from ancient texts such as Homer's epic The Odyssey to more contemporary re-writings of this story, such as Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad (2005). Students are asked to think about how adaptations of both the form and specific narratives engage with current social, political and cultural debates around identity, heroism and the notion of 'home'.
Sound and Image Storytelling	15 Credits	Compulsory
The module supports students to develop practical audio and video skills. Students create audio content in the form of a podcast and discuss how to use sound for telling gripping stories. Students also learn how to record and edit a short video story, or reel, to be distributed online. Students learn professional skills such as audio and video editing to enable better production quality and user experience.
Visual Communication	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module provides students with computing and communication skills which will form a basis for future study in Media. The module aims to help students create attractive, eye-catching projects using images, text and other visuals for online delivery.

Level 5

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Research Methods in Media Communications	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module teaches relevant research principles and skills in media and communications including choosing a research topic, formulating research questions, conducting a literature review, develop a research plan as well as select and apply appropriate methodologies from textual analysis to interviews, among others. Students learn how to structure and write a research report and will be introduced to a range of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The module covers all key aspects of media and communication, including analysis of media texts, production, audiences, and industries.
Poetry, Prose and Publishing	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module will introduce you to the world of literary magazine and anthology publishing, considering both print and online publications. In groups, you will work towards planning your own publications and developing your editorial skills. Key questions of craft and motivation will be asked: what are the attributes of a successful publication? What useful selection criteria might an editor employ? Publications studied might include Poetry Magazine, Granta, Ambit and the Paris Review. You will also spend around half the course producing and workshopping your own creative work (prose or poetry), and learning to identify suitable outlets for publication.
Real Stories Well Told	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module aims to develop understanding of how close reading of non-fiction, including forms such as travel and history writing, biography and memoir, can help develop students' own creative writing abilities within these genres. It aims to explore the nature of the self, its presentation in text, and the depiction of other lives, with the aim of helping students adopt different narrative structures and styles in their own work. The module explores the notion of place and voice in non-fiction writing and aims to give an understanding of how research informs practice. Students will be encouraged to develop an understanding and practice of the range of styles found within the various types of non-fiction writing, as well as gain an understanding of the current creative non-fiction market.
Social Media and Critical Practice	15 Credits	Compulsory
In this module students gain insights into the practical use and theoretical understanding of social media. They research and analyse the impact of social media in one area of society e.g. politics, health, entertainment or public relations. At the same time, students are expected to develop their communication skills through professional practice and reflection.
Writing for the Stage	15 Credits	Optional
Building on critical and practical skills developed at Level Four, this module continues the study of genre but also investigates writing as a collaborative process. Focusing on stage drama, we will analyse a selection of twentieth century and contemporary works. Theme-based workshops will explore character, dialogue, the world of the play, action, plot, narrative, and audience. We explore how the playwright evokes the 'World of the Play' through creation of the imaginary place, aspects of setting, music and props. Students will be expected to work collaboratively to workshop their own dramatic writing with a view to completing a short dramatic text and the final sessions will be spent in revising and preparing work for the final assessment.
Language and Imagination: The Art of the Poem	15 Credits	Optional
Building on previous work, this module will develop your knowledge and understanding of poetic craft and technique including voice, sound, patterns and shape, rhyme and rhythm, imagery and metaphor. You will develop your own creative writing through the use of exercises and create your own portfolio of poetry. You will be asked to practise reading and thinking about poems of many different styles and periods, for example, sonnets, villanelles and free verse. You will consider ways in which the material presentation of poetry is significant. For example, you might examine poetry that exists somewhere other than a printed page: written on a wall, as a film, as a performance, etc.
Video Feature	15 Credits	Optional
An important aspect of digital convergence is the use of video by media outlets to spark public dialogue and generate reader participation. This module is designed to give students understanding and skills to make effective videos. Students will look at current practitioners such as Mike Kepka at the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times 'Op-Docs' group and the MIT Open Documentary Lab. They will also examine the work of more traditional documentary makers, such as Errol Morris, Kim Longinotto and Nick Broomfield. There is, according to media artist Marilyn Freeman, "a digital storm that won't let up--of cat videos and self-surveillance videos and any thing or moment imaginably filmable". To stand out from the crowd, students must develop media literacy and skills in critical reflection. As there is an art of storytelling, students will be guided towards a clear understanding of the art of digital storytelling.
New Media Branding	15 Credits	Optional
The module is designed to teach graphic design and branding skills that facilitate the understanding of professional visual identities. The module will focus on understanding professional branding and identity and develop skills in visual design and graphics.
Employability Skills	15 Credits	Optional
Producing graduates who are highly employable is a key aim of the University of Hertfordshire. This module aims to help you bridge gaps between your specialist academic studies and the world of graduate employment. As well as allowing you to reflect on and further develop your employability skills we will explore the changing nature of employers' needs. Using case studies, we will consider a range of issues (legal, gender, equality) that can arise in recruitment and the workplace. The module will also focus on career planning and job searching, as well as recruitment and selection processes including the work of assessment centres and psychometric testing. Overall the intention is that you will be able to develop your job-market awareness and identify and explore potential career pathways. The module is worth 15 credits and may be chosen in place of a 15-credit subject module at Level 5, or as an additional module at Level 6, alongside 120 credits of modules in your subject(s).
The Short Story Workshop	15 Credits	Optional
"For sale, baby shoes, never worn." (very short story attributed to Ernest Hemingway).From flash-fiction to weird fiction, and from historical fiction to dirty realism, this module will deepen and expand the critical and creative study of the short story begun at Level 4. Key questions of craft and motivation will be asked: How does the content of a story relate to its form? What makes a successful anti-hero or -heroine? How do you build suspense? When does a short story become a flash fiction? We will read some of the best short stories from the UK, the US and around the world, and you will develop your own creative writing by working towards a portfolio of short fiction. Authors studied may include Lydia Davis, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chris Adrian, Sarah Hall, James Baldwin, Stephen King, Raymond Carver, Katherine Mansfield, Miranda July, Angela Carter, Jhumpa Lahiri and William Trevor.
Mobile Media Design	15 Credits	Optional
The module is designed to teach skills in research, planning, and design of apps for mobile devices using current UI design software. The module develops understanding of current practice and user experience through market and competitor research and explores what makes some apps successful and usable.
Magazine Design	15 Credits	Optional
There is more to magazine design than learning a software package. As well as giving hands-on systematic software training, this module unfolds various aspects of digital design for the page and screen, including the use of typography, colour and images. The module builds your confidence in the design process through presenting a clear understanding of layout and visual conventions, information design and contemporary visual style.

Level 6

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Tell It Slant: Writing and Reality	15 Credits	Compulsory
'Write what you know' is often the first instruction given to new writers of fiction. But just how may we do so, and how far may we go? This module examines the aspects, strategies and approaches as well as the ethical quandaries that come from writing fiction 'from reality' from the world and the lives around us. What exactly is the line between fact and fiction and how can they feed one another creatively? What happens when a writer crosses the line, and who decides? Authors studied may include Marcel Proust, Annie Ernaux, JM Coetzee, Rachel Cusk, Marguerite Duras, Awaeke Emezi, Ayad Akhtar, Toni Morrison, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Sheila Heti and Ocean Vuong among others.
Advertising	15 Credits	Optional
This module will interrogate advertising and ways it constructs desire for specific products. It will explore the social function of adverts in relation to, for instance, gender, race, and sexuality. The module will consider why adverts for certain types of products are placed in specific locations and explore market segmentation and TV scheduling. Students will have opportunities to apply their theoretical knowledge to the practical creation of advertisements The module will examine the relationship between advertising and other media forms.
Corporate Communications	15 Credits	Optional
Essential for those wishing to work in the field of media and communications, Corporate Communications offers students a wide-ranging education in the ways that companies utilise the media to manage their reputation. We cover everything from branding to public relations, developing practical skills and understanding the theory of corporate communications.
Representation and Identity in Contemporary Media	15 Credits	Optional
Using different theories of political communication, students examine the subject of media representation, mediatization and the politics of cultural identities in the twenty-first century. Students engage with key theories and concepts of representation and media framing to illuminate an understanding of identity as a political concept.
Creative Writing Project Poetry	30 Credits	Optional
The Creative Writing Project module is the culmination of your three years of study of the subject. Over two semesters, you will meet in fortnightly intensive three hour workshops to develop and hone your writing. The workshops will, where possible, be genre specific and all workshops will be led by professional writers. Workshops will also cover how to work as a writer professionally, including how to submit your work to competitions, agents, publishers, producers, etc. You will devise, plan and produce an extended piece of creative writing in a genre of particular personal interest. You will finish the module having a substantial piece of writing you can either submit professionally or continue working on after graduation. The module is also an excellent preparation for pursuing an MA in Creative Writing.
Creative Writing Project Prose	30 Credits	Optional
The Creative Writing Project module is the culmination of your three years of study of the subject. Over two semesters, you will meet in fortnightly intensive three hour workshops to develop and hone your writing. The workshops will, where possible, be genre specific and all workshops will be led by professional writers. Workshops will also cover how to work as a writer professionally, including how to submit your work to competitions, agents, publishers, producers, etc. You will devise, plan and produce an extended piece of creative writing in a genre of particular personal interest. You will finish the module having a substantial piece of writing you can either submit professionally or continue working on after graduation. The module is also an excellent preparation for pursuing an MA in Creative Writing.
Creative Writing Project Script	30 Credits	Optional
The Creative Writing Project module is the culmination of your three years of study of the subject. Over two semesters, you will meet in fortnightly intensive three hour workshops to develop and hone your writing. The workshops will, where possible, be genre specific and all workshops will be led by professional writers. Workshops will also cover how to work as a writer professionally, including how to submit your work to competitions, agents, publishers, producers, etc. You will devise, plan and produce an extended piece of creative writing in a genre of particular personal interest. You will finish the module having a substantial piece of writing you can either submit professionally or continue working on after graduation. The module is also an excellent preparation for pursuing an MA in Creative Writing.
Writing Serial Drama	15 Credits	Optional
This is an intensive 12 week module created to enable you to create and write your own pitch and pilot episode for a serial drama. You will learn the craft skills required to create compelling serial drama or comedy and create a pitch document suitable to send to production companies. You will watch episodes and read screenplays from current successful serials, analysing the technique required to create a successful drama series. You will workshop your ideas and pilot scripts under the guidance your module leader. You may write anything from a Netflix serial, continuing BBC Drama or online comedy series for your final submission.
Writing for Popular Fiction Markets	15 Credits	Optional
The module will explore a selection of different popular fiction genres (for example romance, historical, crime, fantasy, horror) looking at examples which illustrate the development of their specific market. The examples will be taken from book texts but also film and television in the various genres covered. You will learn how an analysis of the features and narratives used in these can be used to inform writing practice. Practice at writing for popular genres will be central to the module's syllabus which will practice and consider self and peer review within the delimited markets and genre tropes. Each genre discussed will be given a designated two week block with the block providing a combination of knowledge presentation, practice, reflection and work-shopping. You will be encouraged to contextualise your own work within the popular genres that we consider and gain awareness of its commercial positioning and opportunity. Authors whose work we explore typically may include Agatha Christie, Margaret Atwood, HG Wells, Audrey Niffeneger and Bram Stoker, TV shows may include Dexter, Game of Thrones and Poldark, and Films may include Doctor Zhivago, The Prestige, Blade Runner and Let the Right One In. Please note that all of these titles are indicative and subject to regular updating.
Professional Media Practice Project	30 Credits	Optional
This module is designed to help students develop the skills needed for the working in a professional media production environment. The module will lead students through the production of a professional quality media package in an active learning environment and develop design, self-management, production and communications skills.
Music, Celebrity and Media	15 Credits	Optional
This module looks at emergent forms of media, particularly the influence of digital technologies on traditional forms of media, such as film and journalism. Students will have the opportunity to critically analyse the impact of the digital revolution, from HDTV to virtual realities, from citizen journalism to Wikileaks and cyber-criminality, from music downloads to E-books. Using a range of critical theorists, students will explore the challenges of these developments for established media as well as the creative opportunities that new and emerging media platforms provide.
Web Design for Media Professionals	30 Credits	Optional
Students develop their knowledge and understanding through a series of lectures, online presentations and problem-solving exercises, gradually building their design skills within the framework of portfolio assessments. Students are encouraged to create a unique and refreshing publications and their documentation and project planning will be guided by real-life examples. This module will develop and extend students understanding of visual and interactive communication skills and introduce you to a range of techniques for creating engaging publications for specific audiences.

Study abroad

An opportunity for an amazing experience, which will help make you stand out from the crowd. With more and more companies working internationally, experience of living in another country can make a great impression on future employers.

This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a sandwich year abroad. The University has partnerships with universities around the world, including the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and closer to home in Europe.

If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee to the partner university and no tuition fee to us either. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.

Find out more about Study abroad opportunities

Please note Erasmus+ funding is only available until May 2023. For students starting their course in September 2022 and wishing to study abroad in 2023-24 or 2024-25, please refer to the Turing Scheme.
Work placement

Graduate with invaluable work experience alongside your degree and stand out from the crowd.

This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a work placement sandwich year. It’s a chance to explore career possibilities, make valuable contacts and gain sought after professional skills.

Our dedicated Careers and Employment team are here to help guide you through the process.

If you take up a work placement between your second and third year of study, at the University of Hertfordshire you’ll pay no tuition fee for this year. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.

Find out more about work placements
What if I need support?

You will be allocated a personal tutor to monitor and advise on overall academic and personal development supplemented with drop-in skills sessions and specialist tutors to refine and polish your writing.
For help with study skills, including referencing, essay writing and presentations, you will also have access to our Academic Support Services (ASU). You can attend workshops, 1-to-1 sessions and online tutorials. Both our Learning Resources Centres (LRCs) run drop-in study skills sessions.

Alumni Stories

Kate Stephenson

Meet Kate Stephenson who has excelled in the publishing industry since graduating. She currently works as the Education Editor at National Geographic Kids magazine.

Read more stories BA (Hons) English Language and Media

Current job role	Education Editor
Year of graduation	2013
Course of study	BA (Hons) English Language and Communication with Journalism and Media Cultures

University experience

Kate always knew that she wanted to work in the media and her unique degree gave her the flexibility to understand the logistics behind magazines as well as develop her writing and communication skills. The variety of topics and modules covered in her course enabled her to understand a lot about her dream career and enable her to develop valuable skills for working in the industry.

While studying, Kate took every opportunity offered to her. Her lecturers gave her opportunities to network with their colleagues for the industry enabling Kate to secure work experience and explore different career opportunities upon graduation.

She also worked as part of the Students’ Union student media, called Triden Media, writing regularly for their newspaper and magazine. Kate says, ‘Take advantage of every opportunity while it’s on offer and dive in as much as possible.’

The future

In the future, Kate hopes to further develop and grow the project she is working on at National Geographic and their educational content. One of her recent projects was launching their Primary School resource service by writing the curriculum.

Alumni Stories

Eleanor Pilcher

Meet Eleanor Pilcher who since graduating in 2016 has taken the publishing industry by storm. Eleanor currently works as a Marketing Manager at Avon, HarperCollins Publisher.

Read more stories Find out more about this course

Current job role	Marketing Manager
Year of graduation	2016
Course of study	BA (Hons) History and Creative Writing

University experience and employability

Eleanor is a keen writer with great creative ambitions. During her degree she undertook a six-month internship at a literary agency in her final academic year. In 2016, shortly after her studies, Eleanor landed a placement at Penguin before getting a job in publishing recruitment. After developing her skills within the industry and amassing and impressive amount of knowledge and experience, Eleanor began her current role at HarperCollins Publishers.

Eleanor's degree encompassed a broad spectrum of critical, analytical and evaluative skills and helped shape her as a writer. Throughout her studies she had been writing a novel, which she submitted to literary agencies after being encouraged by her tutor to do so. It was Eleanor's passion for writing that uncovered her interest in working for a literary agency. Due to the fantastic lecturers on her course and the invaluable industry networks available to students, Eleanor managed to secure impressive opportunities in her chosen industry that have informed her career.

Sher recognises the impact the University has had on getting her to where she is today. 'For me the advice and feedback I received on both my History essays and Creative Writing finals was incredibly useful to my academic and professional development. I learnt to take criticism and to harness it and also write more because of it.'

Ambitions for the future

Eleanor has established herself in her chosen industry yet still has ambition to continue pursuing new goals. On her hopes for the future, she says: 'I hope to run a marketing department within a publishing company, possibly the one I'm at now. I hope to publish a novel and continue my freelance writing and public speaking on the side.'

View our Alumni profiles

Kate Stephenson Eleanor Pilcher

Course fact sheets
BA (Hons) Creative Writing and Digital Media	Download

Programme specifications
BA (Hons) Creative Writing and Digital Media	Download
Media (Joint and Minor) Programme specification	Download
Creative Writing (Joint and Minor) Programme Specification	Download

Additional information
Sandwich placement or study abroad year	Optional
Applications open to international and EU students	Yes
Course length	Full Time, 3 Years Sandwich, 4 Years
Location	University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

International/EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Apply through our international/EU application portal

Home and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

Apply using the links below:

2024

Start Date	End Date	Link
23/09/2024	31/05/2025	Apply online (Full Time/Sandwich)

2025

Start Date	End Date	Link
23/09/2025	31/05/2026	Apply online (Full Time/Sandwich)
22/09/2025	31/05/2026	Apply online (Full Time/Sandwich)

2026

Start Date	End Date	Link
21/09/2026	31/05/2027	Apply online (Full Time)

Fees and funding
Fees 2024
UK Students

Full time
- £9250 for the 2024/2025 academic year
EU Students

Full time
- £15500 for the 2024/2025 academic year
International Students

Full time
- £15500 for the 2024/2025 academic year
*Tuition fees are charged annually. The fees quoted above are for the specified year(s) only. Fees may be higher in future years, for both new and continuing students. Please see the University’s Fees and Finance Policy (and in particular the section headed “When tuition fees change”), for further information about when and by how much the University may increase its fees for future years.

View detailed information about tuition fees

Read more about additional fees in the course fact sheet

Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

Book a campus tour

Get info and updates

BA (Hons) Creative Writing and Digital Media

Key information

Typical offer:

Fees: See below

UCAS code: P902

Institute code: H36

Study abroad option

Work placement option

Additional requirements

Additional requirements

Why choose this course?

What's the course about?

Guest speakers and networking (Media Matters and Creative Conversations).

Your main campus is College Lane

What will I study?

Alumni Stories

Meet Kate Stephenson who has excelled in the publishing industry since graduating. She currently works as the Education Editor at National Geographic Kids magazine.

University experience

The future

Alumni Stories

Meet Eleanor Pilcher who since graduating in 2016 has taken the publishing industry by storm. Eleanor currently works as a Marketing Manager at Avon, HarperCollins Publisher.

University experience and employability

Ambitions for the future

International/EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Home and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

2024

2025

2026

Fees 2024

UK Students

Full time

EU Students

Full time

International Students

Full time

Other financial support

Living costs / accommodation

Your main campus is College Lane