This course takes an innovative, modern approach to literature, focusing on drama, prose, fiction and poetry from the 17th century to the present – balancing the traditional with the modern. 

Flexibility is key to our approach and as your course progresses you’ll be able to choose course units to suit your own particular interests, such as creative writing, film and cultural theory. Or why not focus geographically and culturally on writing from the USA, Ireland, Africa, India and the Caribbean?

Our placement route offers you the opportunity to spend your third year on an industry placement, allowing you to apply university-based knowledge, skills and understanding to the world of work, and giving you an advantage when you begin looking for your first job after graduation. Or you may have the opportunity to spend a year expanding your horizons, studying with one of our partner universities overseas. In your final year, you’ll get a chance to explore your interests in depth with a substantial piece of project work presented in a thesis, building on the knowledge and skills you’ve been developing over previous years.

Our lively department is home to internationally renowned writers and critics, and there’s a strong research culture, creating a learning environment that is both supportive and intellectually challenging. And with our extensive cultural links both in Manchester and further afield, you’ll be in the right place to begin building a creative network for your future.

Placement options

Placement opportunities may be available both in the UK and abroad, in a variety of roles and sectors.

Our dedicated placement team have developed excellent links with various industries. You will be offered support through a preparation programme of activities, including guidance on selection procedures, working overseas, CV preparation, interview and selection techniques.

Graduates enter a wide range of careers, especially media work and teaching, where their transferable skills are particularly relevant. Recent graduates have become school and college teachers, and some have gained employment in fields as diverse as banking, finance, manufacturing and retail.

There is also the opportunity to engage in further study and professional training, for example some of our graduates go on to study MA English Studies at postgraduate level where you have the opportunity to build your own bespoke masters experience, reflecting your interests in the further study of English. Alongside this we offer MA Publishing, delivered in collaboration with industry professionals, and many of our students go on to study MA/MFA Creative Writing at our Manchester Writing School, one of the largest and most successful of its kind in the UK.