BA

Creative Writing and the Publishing Industry

BA Creative Writing and the Publishing Industry Code W840 Attend an Open Day Attend an Open Day

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Key Facts

W840

  • UCAS Tariff

    120 - 104

  • Course duration

    3 years

Available for September start 2025

Further details on entry requirements

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Creative writing is a key skills that enriches all of our lives. On the BA Ysgrifennu Creadigol a’r Diwydiant Cyhoeddi (Creative Writing and the Publishing Industry) degree course at Aberystwyth University, you will have an opportunity to develop and refine your creative writing skills in a Department that has a long history of leading the way in this field. BA Ysgrifennu Creadigol a’r Diwydiant Cyhoeddi is an exciting and flexible course, and the attention it gives to the publishing industry as well as creativity makes this a dynamic and unique course as well. You’ll be able to develop your creative abilities and find your own voice as a writer. You’ll also develop transferable skills that will prepare you for a future in creative writing or editing, and you will have access to a variety of opportunities in those fields. Come to Aberystwyth University to start your creative adventure. 

Please note: This is a Welsh-medium course for which a grade B in A level Welsh 1st or 2nd language is required. 

Course Overview

The BA Ysgrifennu Creadigol a'r Diwydiant Cyhoeddi at Aberystwyth University is an exciting course that will allow you to develop your creative skills and get to know the creative world in Wales and beyond in all its variety.

You will have the opportunity to:

  • try your hand at a variety of different creative forms, from poetry to prose, to drama, and scripting
  • specialise in creative forms of your choice
  • be trained by lecturers who are also world-renowned poets and authors
  • understand the nature of the industry which will provide you with a variety of career paths, not only as published authors, but as professional people in the field of promoting and nurturing literature.

There are three available pathways: 

  • first language pathway with A-level
  • second language pathway
  • first language pathway without A-level.  

Join us on this course and let us lead you into a creative world in a location like no other where you will develop a thorough understanding of the world of creative writing and the publishing industry. You will have an opportunity to try your hand at a variety of different creative forms, from micro-literature to ekphrastic literature, while developing the ability to use them purposefully in the creative process. In addition to that, you will be introduced to the wide field of the publishing industry in Wales and beyond, with a particular focus on publishers and key agencies such as Literature Wales and the Books Council of Wales. 

All our academic staff are scholars who are active researchers and specialists in their respective fields, including publishing literature, editing and proof reading, and creative translation. On this course, you will benefit from the support of a Creative Writing lecturer who is a published poet and author. We also have strong links with publishers and local literary bodies and are part of a wider creative community for that reason. You’ll be able to take advantage of these links through undertaking a relevant work placement, eg with an editor or an editorial service, a publishing house or independent publisher. 

Public literature experiences will also play an important role in this degree and will provide a lively stage for the activities of the course, eg Kicking the Bar – a quarterly literary event at the Arts Centre, the yearly Noson Llên a Chân (Literature and Song NIght), and the literary magazine, Y Ddraig (The Dragon). 

Our Staff

All academic staff in the Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies are research active scholars and experts in their chosen fields of study, including the study of languages and literatures as well as creative writing.

Careers

With the BA Ysgrifennu Creadigol a’r Diwydiant Cyhoeddi at Aberystwyth University, you’ll be ready for a career in the writing or publishing industry of your choice.

By the end of the course, you’ll have creative, research, critical and communication skills of a high standard. You’ll be able to use these skills to enrich your cultural and professional life in a Welsh and bilingual context.

Excellent writing and communication skills are highly valued by employers in all areas. To succeed as a writer in today’s world, you’ll need many skills and experiences to enable you to be flexible so that you can make a living as a writer in whatever field appeals to you.

Here are some of the possible career areas: 

  • creative writing 
  • copywriting 
  • editing 
  • publishing 
  • communications 
  • blog/website content 
  • corporate communications 
  • public relations 
  • the Civil Service.

Learn about the jobs of some of our graduates on the page What job would suit you? 

What opportunities for work experience will be available while I study? 

Find out more about the different opportunities offered by the Aberystwyth University Careers Service. 

Improve your employment opportunities with GO Wales and the Year in Employment Scheme which are managed by the Careers Service.  

Teaching & Learning

On this course you will have the opportunity to: 

  • try your hand at a wide variety of creative forms, from poetry to prose to drama and scripting 
  • specialise in creative forms of your choice 
  • be trained by lecturers who are also world-renowned poets and authors 
  • understand the nature of the industry which will provide you with a variety of career paths, not only as published authors, but as professional people in the field of promoting and nurturing literature. 

Our core modules introduce a broad range of essential skills: an understanding of various basic literary forms and the ability to use them, being self-critical, writing correct Welsh in different registers, an understanding of the publishing industry in Wales and beyond and, above all, the ability to write concisely and purposefully. You can also study a wide variety of different optional modules that focus on language and literature. 

To find out more about the modules available on this course, see the ‘Modules’ tab. 

How will I be taught? 

In your first year, you will develop a strong foundation to nurture writing skills and you’ll build on this during your second and third years by working more independently with guidance. 

By the time you get to your third year, you will be able to specialise in one or two styles by working more independently in the Independent Creative Writing Portfolio. That path is supported throughout the degree course by both core and optional modules that will give you a strong foundation in language and literature to be able to complete the work. You will learn how to write concisely, purposefully and without using superfluous words; to critically evaluate your own work in a mature way; and to thoroughly analyse literary and professional texts. 

You will be taught through lectures, seminars, tutorials, language classes, lessons in reading texts, field work, work experience, workshops, extended essay or project (under supervision), taught learning, working independently, e-learning.  

How will I be assessed? 

You will be assessed through exams, tests and language exercises, course work (essays and reviews), project work (which can be collaborative), extended essay, aural assessment (which can be through formal presentations and contributions to seminars), work experience (including formal reports and keeping a reflective diary), activities that assess particular skills (including using literary formsm, IT, creating a bibliography and references, creating a questionnaire, arranging field work), folio work, including creative writing and translation exercises. 

Typical Entry Requirements

UCAS Tariff 120 - 104

A Levels BBB-BCC to include B in Welsh 1st or 2nd Language

GCSE requirements (minimum grade C/4):
English or Welsh

BTEC National Diploma:
DDM-DMM, plus B in A level Welsh 1st or 2nd Language

International Baccalaureate:
30-28, plus B in A level Welsh 1st or 2nd Language

European Baccalaureate:
75%-65% overall, plus B in A level Welsh 1st or 2nd Language

English Language Requirements:
See our Undergraduate English Language Requirements for this course. Pre-sessional English Programmes are also available for students who do not meet our English Language Requirements.

Country Specific Entry Requirements:
International students whose qualification is not listed on this page, can check our Country Specific Entry Requirements for further information.

The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma or T-level qualifications, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas or T-levels as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.
Our inclusive admissions policy values breadth as well as depth of study. Applicants are selected on their own individual merits and offers can vary. If you would like to check the eligibility of your qualifications before submitting an application, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for advice and guidance.

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