BA in English with Creative Writing

Students undertaking English at Queen's explore literature in English in the widest possible sense and work with some of the leading writers working in the UK and Ireland. From the earliest writings in Anglo-Saxon to contemporary Irish, British, and 'global' literature, students study English in its historical, cultural, and material contexts. Our language modules explore the history, structure, and function of English; its day-to-day usage, including in the media; and the major influences that have shaped its development. Our creative writing modules allow students in this program to specialize in prose fiction, poetry, and scriptwriting.

English With Creative Writing Degree Highlights

Global Opportunities

English at Queen’s offers a range of Study Abroad opportunities, from the Erasmus program with a range of European partners to the chance to study at a number of partner institutions in the United States.

Industry Links

We regularly consult and develop links with a large number of employers, including, for example, BBC Northern Ireland, as part of our work-based learning initiatives.

Internationally Renowned Experts

Dr Garrett Carr has written three novels for young readers and is the author of The Rule of the Land (Faber), an exploration of the Irish border that reflects Garrett’s widely exhibited visual experiments in cartography. His innovative maps can be found in the National University of Ireland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Global Opportunities

Study USA: This involves 12 months of studying business-related courses at a U.S. church-affiliated university or college. Places are available at one of over 100 institutions from Florida to Montana or California to North Carolina. You don´t need to be from a business background to apply: Study USA is open to full-time pre-final year students of any discipline from Queen’s and other Northern Ireland higher education institutions. The Programme is intended to produce graduates with an international, business-orientated perspective capable of making a contribution in advancing the Northern Ireland economy. While on the program, you will take 5 business-related courses/modules along with another course of your choice. Study USA is accredited under the Degree Plus Award through the US Certificate in American Business Practice and is well-regarded by graduate employers. Applications are made online on the British Council Study USA website. The application form normally becomes available in late October/early November for participation in the program the following academic year. Students must apply for the program in their pre-final year and undertake Study USA just before the final year. Students from Medicine and Dentistry must apply for the program in Level 2 and undertake Study USA between the second and third years. Permission from your School is required. Information seminars will be held at Queen’s in the Autumn, immediately prior to the application deadline, and will be advertised in the events section of www.qub.ac.uk/myfuture when dates are confirmed. The Programme provides An opportunity to experience university life and study in the USA An outward-looking, international experience in a new and diverse culture. The chance to develop personal and career-related skills and abilities sought by graduate employers. An opportunity to set yourself apart from other students by taking part in an exclusive program.

Internationally Renowned Experts

Dr Leontia Flynn is a Forward Prize for Best First Collection and a Rooney Prize-winning poet. She has also had collections shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and the T.S. Eliot Prize and was named a ‘Next Generation Poet’ by the English Society.

Tim Loane created the Bafta-nominated Channel 4 series Teachers and directed the Oscar-nominated short film Dance Lexie Dance. He is currently writing the widely syndicated Versailles for the French television station Canal Plus.

Student Experience

From Personal Tutors to peer mentoring, we work closely with students to ensure they are supported at every stage of their degree.

Internationally Renowned Experts

Dr James McAleavey is one of Ireland’s leading playwrights, having completed commissions for BBC Radio Three and Four, RTE, the renowned Abbey Theatre in Dublin, and the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. He has two feature films presently in development.

Student Experience

A thriving cultural scene organized by our undergraduate and postgraduate communities, from the English Society and Poetry and Pints to the Lifeboat and the Yellow Nib, makes studying English with Creative Writing at Queen’s a unique proposition.

Internationally Renowned Experts

Professor Glenn Patterson is the Rooney Prize and Betty Trask Prize-winning author of ten novels. He is the Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre and writes regularly for BBC Radio Three and Four, The Guardian. His co-authored screenplay for Good Vibrations was nominated for a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.

Further Study Opportunities

Students can apply for cognate postgraduate taught modules in the Faculty such as:

• MA in English Literary Studies
• MA in Media and Broadcast Production
• MA in Poetry: Creativity and Criticism
• MA in Creative Writing
• MSc in Software Development (conversion course)
• MLaw (conversion course)
• PGCE in Education

Alternatively, we offer a research-led MRes in Arts and Humanities

Internationally Renowned Experts

Professor Nick Laird is a recipient of the Betty Trask and Eric Gregory Awards, whose most recent collection is Up Late (Faber, 2023). The central sequence from Up Late won the Forward prize for the best single poem. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and the New York Review of Books.