Master of Arts in Creative Writing

at University of Southampton - Avenue Campus United Kingdom

From the Aztecs and Maya to Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire and the medieval world, you'll study the story of human activity and the origins of civilisation. You'll gain an understanding of how human societies came into being, how and why they changed over time, and the underlying reasons for human diversity today. In your final year, you'll develop in-depth knowledge and skills in a specific area of archaeology.

Archaeology is the study of the human past through its material remains. This integrated undergraduate and master's degree will teach you the many methods and techniques we use to find, excavate and investigate historical sites and materials.

During your master's in archaeology, you'll learn how to handle, describe and interpret archaeological objects and data. As you become more confident, you'll recognise and interpret your finds in the field and carry out advanced archaeological techniques.

The undergraduate grounding (following the framework of the BA in Archaeology) will give you a foundation in archaeology. The final postgraduate archaeology year enables you to develop your own interests in specialist fields so that you can target the career path you want to follow. For example, you could choose to explore the archaeologist profession in commercial archaeology or the museums and heritage sector.

This master's degree in archaeology is flexible so you can choose your own path. You'll have options to focus on areas like:

• Museums and heritage management
• Studying human and animal bones
• Environmental impact assessment
• Maritime archaeology

We have a purpose-built archaeology building, equipped with the latest science-based laboratories. You'll gain hands-on experience with archaeological artefacts and materials, and receive the practical training needed for a career in professional archaeology.

Postgraduate archaeology courses teach a wide range of transferable skills such as:

• Evidence-based reasoning
• Problem-solving
• Project management

We’re also offering up to 10 bursaries of £1000 each to incoming students (subject to criteria). These are from the Terry Mason Bursary and the University of Southampton Archaeology Bursary Fund.

Gain in-depth knowledge of the English language and its cultural impact on this BA English Language and Literature degree. Discover how English emerged, how it continues to change, and how it varies across its millions of speakers. You’ll explore writing in varieties of English from the early medieval period to the present day, as well as from around the world.

You'll combine both literary and linguistic approaches to the subject on this flexible course.

You’ll study topics such as:

• The history and development of the English language  
• The cultural significance of English and its unique global status
• Phonetics, language acquisition and the psychology of language (psycholinguistics)

Optional modules mean you can adapt the course to match your interests. Topics you can choose to study include:

• The Renaissance
• 18th or 19th century writing
• Arthurian literature
• Children's literature

You’ll learn from expert academics and graduate ready for a career across industries like:

• Education
• Mass media
• Advertising and marketing
• Speech therapy
• Writing and publishing

You’ll also be able to make use of our Lifelong Learning programme, which provides extracurricular teaching of some 12 languages.

Our degree programmes are informed by research carried out in our leading Research Centres, including the Centre for Linguistics, Language Education and Acquisition Research and the Centre for Global Englishes.

Explore how humans and our ancestors engaged with the world, and gain a fascinating insight into what it means to be human. This archaeology and anthropology with year abroad course combines aspects of the humanities and the sciences. You'll study global human diversity in time and space, in a truly interdisciplinary way. Along with studying the theoretical background, you'll do fieldwork as part of an active research project in the UK or abroad.

BA Archaeology and Anthropology with Year Abroad will give you an insight into how human societies came into being today, how they have changed over time, and the underlying reasons for human diversity today.

The degree integrates the disciplines of archaeology (the study of the human past through its material remains) and anthropology, which is made up of 3 areas:

• Social anthropology (exploring how people in different places create meaning and build communities)
• Biological anthropology (looking at the physiological and genetic diversity in present and past human and primate societies)
• Anthropological linguistics (the study of humans through the languages they use)

This course combines aspects of the humanities and the sciences. We have a purpose-built archaeology building, equipped with the latest science-based laboratories. You'll gain hands-on experience with archaeological artefacts and materials, and receive practical training for a career in archaeology or anthropology.

Our anthropology and archaeology degree with year studying abroad gives you the chance to spend a year at one of our partner institutions such as the University of Malta or the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. This will give you the chance to discover theories and findings in exotic locations, boost your career opportunities and find out how to become an anthropologist or archaeologist.

This degree gives you the opportunity to study a minor subject alongside the main programme.

We’re also offering up to 10 bursaries of £1000 each to incoming students (subject to criteria). These are from the Terry Mason Bursary and the University of Southampton Archaeology Bursary Fund.

Become a highly proficient linguist in French, German and Chinese on this 4 year Modern Languages degree. You'll develop a strong understanding of the cultures and societies you study by spending a year abroad, before graduating prepared for professions in which these languages are a key requirement.

This programme will immerse you in international experiences. This is our broadest range of languages offered, and will prepare you to communicate and work in a range of diverse and multilingual contexts.

You will:

• Become highly proficient in French, German and Chinese
• Develop your knowledge and understanding of key aspects of the cultures and societies you study, enabling you to ‘read’ and interpret different cultural traditions
• Get to know foreign cultures first hand by spending a year abroad, either as a student or in a work placement
• Develop a range of communicative and intercultural competencies, as well as analytical, research and personal skills

Knowing a range of languages opens up many opportunities in today's globally interconnected economy. French is native to France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and the French Caribbean, and it’s an official language in much of Africa and Asia.

German has around 95 million speakers, and is spoken in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It also comes first in terms of first-language speakers in the European Union and the EU.

Chinese itself is spoken by a quarter of the world’s population, and both a command of the language and an understanding of cultural traditions can help set you apart in the context of global business.

This programme complements your language learning with modules on:

• History and contemporary society
• Literature and film
• Ethnography and anthropology
• Linguistic studies

You can choose to combine these areas of study for a broad-based curriculum or focus on the area that interests you most.

This French and History degree offers you flexibility and variety. You'll become fluent in an internationally important language, and gain a deep understanding of contemporary French culture. Your history modules will give you a global perspective on past societies. You'll spend a year in a French-speaking country to develop your language skills and boost your employability.

French is spoken in countries throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. Speaking the language with confidence will open up travel and work opportunities across the world.

You’ll start your language studies at the right level based on your existing ability in spoken and written French. You’ll have excellent resources to support you at the Centre for Language Study.

You can explore a wide range of topics in History, including conflict and culture in world histories, empires, and the First World War.

As well as studying French and History, you’ll develop advanced analytical skills.

A special module in year 2 will make sure you’re ready for working and studying abroad in year 3. You can spend the year in countries such as:

• France
• Belgium
• Switzerland
• Belgium
• Canada
• Guadeloupe
• Martinique
• La Réunion

At Southampton, English is an interdisciplinary course. You’ll see how literature connects with areas such as film, science, performance and politics. You can study everything from medieval travellers’ tales to modern fictions of globalisation.

With our advice, you can shape your BA English degree to suit your own development. For example, you can:

• Write avant-garde poetry
• Study Victorian sensation fiction
• Take a range of modules on women writers

Your studies will include critical analysis, presentations and group work. These will help you develop your conceptual thinking, communication and research skills.

As part of this course you can:

• Join one of 40 student-led performing arts groups
• Take part in writing workshops at Nuffield Southampton Theatres
• Use a unique collection of rare books at the Chawton House Library
• Learn a modern language at any level
• Explore experimental writing with our Entropics events
• Get one-to-one tutorials on writing from our Royal Literary Fund Fellows

You’ll have the opportunity to study abroad, spending a semester, a summer or even a full year at one of our global partner universities.

Explore another culture on this BA Ancient History and Archaeology with Year Abroad degree. Learn about the ancient world and understand the foundations of how we live today. You'll develop specialist knowledge in your chosen areas of study and learn in an engaging and supportive research environment. Research and archiving skills will prepare you for further study, or for a wide choice of careers, including heritage management and archaeological research.

Study ancient history and archaeology with year abroad to learn key topics in both subjects and experience another country.

You'll have the choice of a wide range of historical topics, from Ancient Egypt to the rise of Islam in the Middle East. You can also learn what happened during the conquests of Alexander the Great and at the end of the Roman Empire.

The complementary subject of archaeology is the study of the human past through its material remains. These include buildings, monuments, artefacts, biological remains, written sources and landscape.

On BA Ancient History and Archaeology Placement you can:

• Spend your third year at a partner university in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea or Australia
• Learn from experts in the ancient world (including history, archaeology, ancient and modern languages and literatures, philosophy and film)
• Use cutting-edge technology to discover and map new sites, or develop archival research skills
• Do at least 3 weeks of field work as part of an active research project, including excavating archaeological sites or collecting archaeological material from ploughed fields
• Challenge yourself by learning Latin and Ancient Greek

Develop a deeper understanding of the theory and practice of English Language Teaching (ELT) with this master’s degree.

You can apply for this course if you have experience in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and want to gain skills for leadership roles in ELT.

If you don’t have experience as an EFL teacher and want to begin your career as one, you can apply for our MA English Language Teaching TESOL Studies course.

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) give people all over the world the ability to communicate fluently in English. This MA degree will give you the tools you need to teach English effectively. Throughout the programme you'll study topics such as:

• How to analyse language for ELT
• Current issues in language teaching methodology
• Critical appraisal of language teaching

This master’s degree in English Language Teaching is offered by our Centre for Applied Language Research.

Staff contributing to the programme are involved in:

• direct teaching of EFL and other languages
• research and development work in applied linguistics and language learning
• sociolinguistics and cultural studies

This blend of theoretical expertise and ongoing practical experience is one of the distinguishing features of our programme.

On completion of the course, you’ll be ready for a rewarding career as a language teacher, language teaching educator, or applied linguistics researcher.

On this joint BA Philosophy and Music degree you’ll study some of the biggest questions in philosophy and develop skills in musical performance, composition and analysis. You’ll have the freedom to work on your own interests through optional modules covering varied topics. These include existentialism, studio techniques and nineteenth century Italian opera. You'll also get to spend a placement year abroad.

In your degree you can:

• Develop an understanding of philosophical questions such as ethics, reason and responsibility
• Study a range of music from European music in the Renaissance and Baroque periods through the music of the twentieth century and global hip hop
• Understand the principles of Western tonal music, including harmony and counterpoint

You can also improve your musical skills and performance through:

• Individual tuition on instruments or voice
• Workshops with professional performers
• Submitting original compositions
• Developing and running music workshops
• Managing the administration of public music events

At Southampton you’ll learn in small groups in a relaxed and friendly environment. Visiting performers and academic staff research feeds into the course content. You can take modules from other disciplines, too. These include anthropology, psychology, studying a language, or choosing from a range of cross-disciplinary modules.

Some of the greatest mathematicians have also been philosophers, and vice versa. On this joint BA Philosophy and Mathematics degree you’ll explore the close relationship between the two, tackling some of the biggest questions in philosophy - is there a god? What is morality? What does it mean to be human? - while developing advanced maths skills. You'll get to spend a placement year abroad at a university in Europe.

This degree will give you an excellent education in mathematics and philosophy. In your degree you can:

• Develop an understanding of philosophical questions such as ethics, reason and responsibility
• Gain a thorough understanding of key mathematical areas, including linear algebra, calculus, statistics and differential equations
• Apply philosophical thought to language, morality, sex and other important aspects of life
• Learn skills in mathematical investigation and research
• Study abroad at one of our partner institutions

You’ll be taught in small groups in a relaxed and friendly environment, and benefit from the expertise of academic staff whose researches feed directly into the course content.

You can take modules from other disciplines such as anthropology or psychology, studying a language, or choosing from a range of cross-disciplinary modules. These include topics such as social enterprise, risk management, and living and working on the web.