Master of Business Administration (Islamic Finance)

at University of Bolton United Kingdom

Islamic finance is one of the fastest growing sectors in the financial world, estimated to be worth over US$1.5 trillion. This postgraduate qualification offers a suite of contemporary modules designed to prepare those with previous management or business experience for work in this dynamic sector.

Whatever area of industry or commerce you currently work in, this MBA course will assist you in gaining essential skills to work in Islamic finance. In addition, the programme aims to provide a critical understanding of the problems and challenges facing enterprises and organisations and equip you with the analytical and critical faculties to identify potential innovative solutions. These qualities are highly sought by prestigious international employers.

The course will cover how to evaluate and develop good practice in key areas of business management and in the commercial development of general and Islamic finance products and services. You’ll have the opportunity to acquire the skills needed to work effectively, independently and as part of a team.

Highlights

• This MBA course offers you the chance to join a well-established postgraduate community engaged in preparing themselves for a career in executive management in the Islamic Finance Sector.
• Teaching and supervision is delivered by a dedicated team of experienced and well-qualified staff drawn from the Centre of Islamic Finance and the Institute of Management at the University of Bolton.
• The University’s excellent libraries, 24/7 IT facilities, WiFi and learning areas are freely available for your use.
• You’ll be given access to a research and study skills module which will assist in your studies.
• Guest lecturers from the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) will be held on the need for holistic approaches to strategy, risks, key stakeholder interests and financial performance.

Key Features

• You’ll have the opportunity to gain an advanced knowledge and understanding of strategic management and Islamic Finance issues in a global business environment.
• The course aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the methodologies and concepts of Islamic Law and the application of legal principals within Islamic business transactions.
• Teaching is conducted by a highly-dedicated team with specialist knowledge in Islamic law and banking.
• Course materials are available online, allowing students to prepare work at home and also ensuring that in-class learning is highly interactive.

Professional recognition

• On successful completion of the MBA Islamic Finance programme you may apply for membership to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Please note that terms and conditions apply. More details are available at www.managers.org.uk

Construction project management requires highly skilled individuals who can lead and integrate multidisciplinary teams of professionals. That could be you.

This challenging, industry-focused course gives you the opportunity to not only develop the academic and technical knowledge you’ll need to be a ‘CPM’, but also the management and interpersonal skills so essential for success in this career.

You’ll get to build on the knowledge and experience you’ll have acquired in your undergraduate studies, or in work experience, while we help you prepare to take on the strategic responsibilities that come with managing construction projects. The course is based on the Chartered Institute of Building’s definition of construction project management, which encompasses the whole project lifecycle, from ‘inception to recycling’. As such, sustainability is a key element of this course.

Our teaching staff bring vast industry experience to the course, and many are involved in leading research as part of their own professional development – which means they’re currently involved directly in today’s construction industry, here and all over the world.

Highlights

• You can examine and investigate real practical issues from industry in an academic context.
• The course aims to develop your skills through extensive use of case studies, seminars and discussion groups.
• You’ll benefit from regular small-group tutorials with professional staff, and have the opportunity to ask for one-to-one advice from subject experts.
• Guest speakers from across the construction industry support your learning.
• We pledge to mentor you beyond successful postgraduate qualification, into a professional role that befits your knowledge, skills and management abilities.

Key Features

• We encourage your commitment to lifelong learning through continuing professional development and professional body membership.
• We’ll support you to develop systematic and innovative thinking in your approach to problem solving and decision making in construction project management.
• You’ll also have numerous opportunities to develop your understanding of the sustainability agenda, linking lower carbon to lower cost.
• You’ll have the chance to learn how to evaluate the effects of global changes on the construction industry.
• You can find out how to support theoretical knowledge with analytical thinking and information gathering as you resolve complex operational problems.

Professional recognition

• The programme is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). Successful graduates, with appropriate experience, may then to apply to the CIOB for full corporate membership and use the designatory letters ‘MCIOB’ after their name.

From alien spaceships to samurai swords, and body parts to ancient statues, special and visual effects uses physical artefacts to inject reality into computer generated action, as well as provide a sense of place, time and atmosphere for actors and audiences. Our Special Effects Modelmaking for Film and Television degree is designed to train the talented artists and craftspeople this highly creative industry needs. We focus on preparing you for a career as a skilled artisan, creating visually stunning pieces that help bring on-screen productions to life.

We offer an intensely practical education in special effects modelmaking. We’ll encourage you to experiment with materials and tools, and practice contemporary and long-established modelmaking techniques. We’ll support you as you learn the principles of scale representation and how to create bigatures. We’ll lead you in an exploration of how models and props can combine with 3D computer graphics to create spectacular on-screen environments.

This highly creative industry demands transferable skills too – communication, project and time management, team-working and entrepreneurship are all needed for success in this often freelance profession. We aim to support you to develop these attributes, alongside the imagination, flair and curiosity that will enable you to help make the unbelievable, believable.

Highlights

• You don’t have to worry about the cost of the tools and materials needed to complete your studies – we provide these for you. This means you can concentrate on learning how to use expensive industry-standard materials, like silicones and resins, rather than worrying about how you are going to pay for them!
• Neill Gorton, multi-award winning artist/designer and founder of the world-renowned Millennium FX Company, is our Visiting Professor of Special Effects. His astonishing range of professional experience, knowledge of cutting-edge techniques and industry contacts brings enormous benefits.
• You’ll have your own personal bench space and locker in our dedicated special effects studio, providing a secure base for your studies. You’ll also have access to our fantastic range of facilities, including our casting and moulding room, boutique film studio, 3D workshop, heavy engineering and woodworking facilities, and composites laboratories.
• We’re committed to helping develop your employability and career network. You’ll be encouraged to attend guest lectures that enhance your learning and help you make contacts in the industry. For instance, the modelmaking masters Artem have recently shared their expertise with students on our SVFX courses.
• Alongside your special effects modelmaking skills and knowledge, we’ll support you to develop a broader understanding of production design, including concepting, cinematography and composition. This will help you appreciate the roles, skills and expectations of other professionals working in the industry.
• We’ll encourage you to research, analyse, design and develop modelmaking techniques so that you can take an idea from a brief or script scene and find the most time-efficient, cost-effective and visually impressive way to turn that vision into reality.

Key Features

• The course is designed in collaboration with professional special effects modelmaking designers and artists. This ensures that the content is industry-relevant and includes the latest techniques, materials and innovations.
• We’ll help and support you to develop a portfolio of work/show reel that demonstrates your skills in readiness to impress potential employers.
• Course assignments and projects mimic industry pipelines and standards so your experience is a realistic preparation for a career in special effects modelmaking.
• Our dedicated staff team have a wide range of professional experience, industry knowledge, technical expertise and academic credentials, offering you a variety of perspectives and broadening your horizons.
• We offer a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
• We prefer to keep lecture and practical classes relatively small, so that you have plenty of opportunities to us ask questions and get individual help, as well as benefit from the ideas and support offered by your classmates.

You are unique and we want to help you gain the skills and self-belief to showcase your worth and realise your potential. The University of Bolton's MA (Specialist Title) for Creative Industries: Extended course focuses on helping you learn to compete with confidence for your dream job or build your own successful business from the ground up. We’ll guide you as you gain a strategic blend of academic, analytical, creative and professional skills. As a graduate of this course, you’ll possess an impressive all-round combination of creative practice, commercial awareness and business-relevant knowledge. Overall, this course offers you the opportunity to develop projects in your specialist area of creative practice coupled with essential skills development for business and leadership that will take your CV to the next level.

Gain the skills and confidence to achieve your career ideals
The creative industries are highly competitive so we want to help you stand head and shoulders above the crowd. Throughout the programme, we’ll use tried and tested, research-informed coaching and training methods to support your development of key skills that are highly relevant to the creative industries. These will range from postgraduate-level skills in research, problem-solving, professional presentation and synthesis to interpersonal and business-relevant skills such as innovative thinking, collaboration, leadership and project management, the effective use of technology, public speaking and professionalism. Together, these will help you to develop your profile in your chosen creative industry and ensure your work reaches your desired audience.

Pursue your own creative practice
Our expert team will support you to develop your unique body of creative work, express your creative style and refine your practice. We’ll support you as you learn to design, plan and deliver projects that are as individual as you are. We’ll guide you as you set and achieve your own personal, academic and professional goals, helping you to develop and demonstrate an original and distinctive approach to your specialised creative area. We’ll work to stimulate your creative thinking and enhance your professional practice through a challenging programme of study which promotes critical self-awareness.

Strengthen your understanding of context
To use your knowledge to best effect, you need a sound understanding of context. To inform your creative practice, you’ll explore historical and contemporary concepts and theories relevant to the creative industries and artistic practice during this course. In addition, you’ll also need an in-depth understanding of the commercial and professional creative industries environment you wish to join. This course will help you identify the creative practice, employability and transferable skills you’ll need to gain entry to your chosen field and support you to develop those very skills.

Mastering your vision
You’ll have the opportunity to independently plan and deliver a professionally relevant project at master’s level. This is known as the Professional Dissertation and may take a variety of forms such as a large-scale technical or creative project that results in an online or physical exhibition, a live project working with industry or in the community, an event or a publication. For many students, this is the most exciting element of the course and the culmination of their studies. It will allow you to demonstrate the full range of your skills and knowledge and impress potential employers, clients or collaborators.

An ideal course for graduates and professionals of creative industries
This course should appeal to (but is not limited to) graduates and professionals in areas such as Animation, Art and Design, Creative Writing, Dance, Fashion, Fine Art, Games Art and Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Media, Performance, Photography, Special and Visual Effects, Textiles and Surface Design.

Would you prefer to complete your course over a different timeframe?
We also offer this course full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months. For details of the 12-month course, please visit our full-time MA (Specialist Title) for Creative Industries course search web page. Alternatively, to find out more and apply for the 24-month course, please visit our part-time MA (Specialist Title) for Creative Industries course search web page.

Highlights

• Dr Selva Pankaj, the author of ‘Thinking into Character – A Proven Methodology for the Creation of Success & Self-Fulfilment’, is a valued partner of the University whose work will support you in the development of business and career planning, confidence and knowledge.
• You may choose to focus on a single discipline or combine several areas of practice to follow an interdisciplinary route. When you successfully complete the master's, your degree title will be chosen to reflect the focus of your studies.
• Our industry?engaged staff are practising artists, writers and performers. You'll benefit from our strong industry links with a range of arts, cultural and creative organisations across Greater Manchester and the North West region, offering opportunities for industry masterclasses and lectures, joint projects, and networking.
• You'll be able to make use of industry-standard specialist facilities across the University of Bolton's Faculty of Engineering, Arts and Creative Technologies to develop high-quality creative outputs.
• This MA is part of the University of Bolton’s ‘Career Development Masters’ suite, which offers shared modules designed to give you a wider business perspective, including tax self-assessment, invoicing, intellectual property and risk assessments, as well as knowing how to start a business and to take advantage of opportunities for enterprise development.

Key Features

• Teaching and supervision are delivered by dedicated staff chosen for their expertise and experience in fields relevant to your creative practice and professional development needs.
• We offer an engaging programme of visiting speakers and practitioners that gives you opportunities to network with and learn from successful professionals working in the creative industries.
• We'll offer you opportunities for interdisciplinary work and collaboration, to take part in live projects and to showcase your work to the public and potential employers or clients.
• You'll benefit from our strong industry links with local and regional arts, culture and trade organisations, studios, galleries, games and film FX companies, publishers, manufacturers and companies specialising in creative art and design practice.
• Your final master’s degree title will reflect your specialist area(s) of practice (please note that the final award title will be selected in agreement with the University within the parameters specified in programme documentation). For example, if your specialist area of practice is Media Production, you could graduate with a degree called MA Media Production for Creative Industries.

Designed to assist the next generation of managers in developing the necessary knowledge and skills for career development, our Master’s in International Management aims to offer a comprehensive overview of global management theories and practices, with a focus on the different national and cultural contexts in which companies operate.

Stimulating and challenging, this course combines elements of research, innovation and application, with a view to building your academic and professional skillsets and opening up development opportunities in careers and areas of further study. A key course focus is global decision-making and exploring the role of management in a cross-cultural context, including the concepts and issues relating to diversity and human resource management.

You’ll study across a range of relevant subject areas, such as strategy formulation, sustainable business development, innovative marketing, and finance and accounting for a firm foundation in management skills that can be applied in an international setting.

Highlights

• In an increasingly international business world, awareness of global management practices is desirable among employers. You’ll have the opportunity to build cross-cultural management skills that could assist you in the international employment market.
• Teaching is provided by staff with a specialist knowledge in a range of management areas, with close links to business and industry.
• You can access course materials online and prepare for lessons in advance, allowing for more interactive lessons.
• On successful completion of this course you will be awarded an MSc in International Management.

Key Features

• The programme provides a significant grounding in international management theories and practices.
• You’ll have access to excellent facilities, including our 24/7 library and IT resources, WiFi and comfortable learning areas.
• Join our well-established postgraduate community preparing for careers in executive management.
• We’re committed to helping you develop your employability and career network. You’ll be encouraged to attend guest lectures that enhance your learning, help you make contacts in industry and contribute to your professional development.

Professional recognition

• Holders of our MSc International Management can apply for the status of Member (MCMI) or Fellow (FCMI) of the Chartered Management Institute. The point at which you can be accepted will depend on factors other than qualifications, such as your responsibilities at work. Full details are available on the CMI website: http://www.managers.org.uk/

Motorsport is exciting – for the drivers, for the spectators and for the engineers and technicians involved. If the idea of a career striving to achieve optimal performance and efficiency in race car design and set-up gets your motor revving then this is the course for you.

At the University of Bolton you can study in the classroom, in the laboratory, in the workshop and on the race track. We want to help you gain a sound understanding of the engineering principles and theories essential in motorsport technology, and develop your practical expertise in our industry-standard facilities and while working with our partner racing teams.

On this course you'll look at all aspects of race cars and motorsport. Modules cover aerodynamics, performance optimisation, aspects of safety and much more. We work to help you develop skills in motorsport-focused computer aided design (CAD), engineering, mathematics, business and management. This combination of technical knowledge, practical experience and transferable skills will help you get ready for success in this high-octane industry.

If you don't have the appropriate qualifications to start this course, a four-year version that includes a foundation year is available.

Highlights

• This degree is fully accredited by the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) as meeting the academic requirements leading to Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status.
• We want to help you learn what it takes to run a race and championship-winning team on every level, from engineering cars to dealing with the challenges of a race meeting.
• Our workshop is designed so that you can develop your ideas from initial thought through to production and testing, mimicking the research and development process used in industry.
• We offer exciting opportunities for you to work with motorsport and automotive industry experts so you can gain impressive experience that is highly valued by employers.
• Based in the brand new, purpose built National Centre for Motorsport Engineering (NCME).

Key Features

• The University of Bolton has a distinguished history in engineering.
• The course is designed to meet industry needs and focuses on helping you develop in-demand motorsport-specific and transferable skills.
• Our course aims to help you learn from top industry professionals, such as international racing teams and supercar manufacturers.
• We have dedicated computer workstations equipped with the latest CAD and simulation software.

Professional recognition

• Our BSc (Hons) Motorsport Technology degree is fully accredited by the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) as meeting the academic requirements leading to Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status. Please see the Engineering Council UK website for further details.

Business management qualifications open doors and are considered essential whether you are looking to pursue a career in business, or achieve higher levels of responsibility in your current work.

Our BSc (Hons) in Business Management (People Management) offers a strong grounding in an essential range of contemporary business management subjects combined with the opportunity to focus your studies in the final year. When you successfully complete the course you’ll also receive the CMI Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management.

By studying core modules that are common between all our BSc (Hons) Business Management programmes, you’ll be exposed to key concepts in leadership and people management and areas such as business law, marketing, strategic management, information systems and big data, project management, finance, innovation and enterprise. This solid foundation will support your advanced studies into specialist areas including international human resource management, learning and development, and the employment relationship.

Developing your employability is a key focus of this dynamic and flexible programme. Real-life case studies, guest speakers and industry visits are designed to help you to understand the business environment and the needs of employers in local, national and international contexts. We’ll support you to develop sought-after skills such as communication, data analysis, time management, team working and problem solving.

We also aim to help you develop lifelong learning skills so that you can take ownership of your professional development for the future, maximising your potential for success.

Highlights

• Our team of highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic business management lecturers offer face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support, ensuring you can access help and advice when you need it.
• On successful completion of this dual award course you’ll receive both an academic degree and a professionally-recognised management qualification – the CMI Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management. You don’t need to take extra exams or coursework to achieve the Diploma – we combine our degree module and CMI assessments streamlining your route to both qualifications.
• This course is part of our Business Management suite of degrees. All students study the same modules at the first two levels of the course to gain an in depth knowledge of the major business disciplines. At Honours level, you can follow the specialist pathway in People Management, choose to transfer to one of our other specialist pathways in Law, Enterprise, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing or Retail, or follow the core Business Management route.
• Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support is offered by our team of highly experienced and enthusiastic lecturers who have worked in a wide range of businesses ranging from multinational organisation to SMEs.
• The University offers excellent 24/7 library and IT facilities, WiFi, and well-appointed learning areas.

Key Features

• This course is offered within our vibrant Institute of Management environment in Bolton town centre.
• We use small group and tutorial teaching, so you have the opportunity to benefit from the excellent support offered by our teaching staff.
• We regularly invite guest speakers who hold senior positions in industry and practice, enabling you to benefit from their knowledge and advice.
• Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
• Contemporary research findings are woven into our teaching. We offer a robust academic underpinning to your studies of business management.
• Our dedicated team will support you as you develop critical thinking and research skills and apply these during your final year dissertation.

Professional recognition

• Graduates of the BSc (Hons) Business Management (People Management) pathway will receive a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management from the CMI (Chartered Management Institute).
• The Level 5 Diploma is the CMI’s benchmark qualification and offers the quickest exemption route towards Chartered Manager (CMgr MCMI) status. Chartered Manager status is only awarded by the CMI and is the highest status that can be achieved in the management profession.

Business management qualifications open doors and are considered essential whether you’re looking to pursue a career in business, or achieve higher levels of responsibility in your current work. We’ll support you to enhance your existing Foundation Degree or HND-level knowledge and skills, ready to achieve the status of BSc (Hons) Business Management (People Management) Top-up graduate. You can study advanced aspects of business, management and leadership, enhance your professional skills, and boost your employability.

Building on your prior studies, we’ll guide you as you explore advanced topics such as international human resource management, learning and development, and the employment relationship. This Honours-level programme will also support you to gain knowledge of strategic management, and develop critical inquiry and research skills to improve your work and enhance its quality. As a graduate, you’ll also receive the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management, helping you stand out to employers.

Developing your employability is a key focus of this dynamic and flexible programme. Real-life case studies, guest speakers and industry visits are designed to help you to understand the business environment and the needs of employers in local, national and international contexts. We’ll support you to develop sought-after skills such as communication, data analysis, time management, team working and problem solving.

We also aim to help you develop lifelong learning skills so that you can take ownership of your professional development for the future, maximising your potential for success.

Highlights

• The Institute of Management Greater Manchester – and the wider University – provide a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
• On successful completion of this dual award course you’ll receive both an academic degree and a professionally-recognised management qualification – the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management. You don’t need to take extra exams or coursework to achieve the Award – we combine our degree module and CMI assessments streamlining your route to both qualifications.
• This course is part of our Business Management suite of degrees. At Honours level, depending on your prior studies, you can follow this specialist pathway in People Management, choose the core Business Management route, or select one of our other specialist pathways in Enterprise, Law, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing or Retail.
• Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support is offered by our team of highly experienced and enthusiastic lecturers who have worked in a wide range of businesses ranging from multinational organisation to SMEs.
• We’ll introduce you to your course and new study environment through a bespoke induction programme focused on helping you transition smoothly and effectively to Honours-level study.

Key Features

• This course is offered within our vibrant Institute of Management environment in Bolton town centre.
• We use small group and tutorial teaching, so you have the opportunity to benefit from the excellent support offered by our teaching staff.
• We regularly invite guest speakers who hold senior positions in industry and practice, enabling you to benefit from their knowledge and advice.
• Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
• Contemporary research findings are woven into our teaching. We offer a robust academic underpinning to your studies of business management.
• Our dedicated team will support you as you develop critical thinking and research skills and apply these during your final year dissertation or work-based project (if you’re in suitable employment).

Professional recognition
Graduates of our BSc (Hons) Business Management (People Management) Top-up course will receive the Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management from the CMI (Chartered Management Institute).

Education is a highly complex and increasingly competitive sector. Schools, colleges, universities and other training organisations are under constant pressure to achieve greater successes with fewer resources. The need for inspiring, effective and knowledgeable leaders is greater than ever and a multitude of opportunities are available to appropriately qualified individuals.

Aimed at existing education professionals, this course offers in-depth knowledge and understanding of the principles and theories that underpin educational leadership, as well as an enhanced and critical awareness of current issues facing educational leaders.

We offer a supportive environment in which you can explore the role of leaders and leadership in educational settings, including understanding and interpreting educational data, how to present data to a team and how to work collaboratively with education stakeholders. We’ll encourage you to reflect on your own professional practice and guide you in your journey towards becoming a perceptive, responsive and decisive educational leader.

Highlights

• Our students are drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds – sharing the individual and unique educational insights and perspectives of your peers help to enrich your learning experience.
• We promote research and critical enquiry helping you learn to make sound, evidence-based independent judgements.
• You’ll have the chance to develop enhanced key skills in line with your personal and professional development needs; for instance, autonomy, and professional accountability in relation to educational leadership and in leading learning communities.
• We’ll support you as you learn to critically reflect on and evaluate your own leadership skills, and develop innovative solutions for improvement considering national and local contextual influences.
• Intensive use of learning technologies and multimedia resources, such as virtual learning environments and eLearning tools, enhance your ICT skills and raise your awareness of resources from across the educational spectrum.

Key Features

• Our team of highly experienced, enthusiastic and dedicated experts offer face-to-face and blended sessions as well as one-to-one support.
• We embed the concepts and practice of inter-professional working throughout the programme.
• Our academic team is actively involved in educational research, helping you to explore issues from a robust research-informed knowledge base.
• We’ll support you to develop critical thinking and research evaluation skills and apply these during your independent master’s-level project.
• Our well-stocked library offers a comprehensive selection of relevant texts and access to an extensive online database of multimedia sources including eJournals, podcasts, vodcasts and eBooks.

Our BA (Hons) Creative Writing degree explores ‘how to put the best possible words in the best possible order’. Your imagination is boundless and we’ll help you to focus and control your ideas to give them shape, energy and structure. Our dedicated team of professional writers and lecturers will guide you on a journey through the worlds of prose, poetry and drama, and contemporary creative practice.

We’ll nurture and support you in exploring the rich, expressive potential of the English language and your development of the crafts of writing. Alongside this, we’ll examine, from a writer’s point of view, a wide range of creative work in various forms. Small group teaching and one-to-one support are central to our approach, allowing our expert team to offer personalised guidance that’s tailored specifically for you.

You’ll have opportunities to refine and develop your skills at every stage, from initial concept, through planning, background research and first drafts, to editing, re-writing and self-critique. The final year combines the creative, the critical and the practical. You’ll write a significant piece of creative work: a calling card script, collection of poetry or an extended piece of fiction; you’ll research and analyse a chosen area of creative practice; and you’ll undertake a work placement in an area associated with your individual career goals. Throughout the course, you’ll gain confidence, skills and knowledge, preparing you for a successful career in a multitude of industries.

Highlights

• The Guardian University Guide 2020 ranks the University of Bolton as second in the UK for the study of English and Creative Writing.
• Also, our Creative Writing courses are top in the North West and second in the UK for student satisfaction according to The Complete University Guide 2020.
• Our dedicated lecturers are active professional writers and researchers whose work continues to be published, or produced on stage, screen or radio. They bring this wealth of expertise and practical knowledge to their teaching.
• We have excellent industry contacts and strong links with external creative organisations such as publishers, production companies, theatres, libraries, art galleries, schools, funding bodies and arts development agencies that allow us to offer work experience placements in a wide variety of settings.
• In particular, our partnership with the nationally acclaimed Octagon Theatre, Bolton means you have opportunities for privileged access to rehearsals, dress rehearsals, professional actors and directors, and discounted tickets for productions.
• In your final year, you’ll have the opportunity to enter the Octagon Student Prize. Awarded annually for outstanding achievement in writing drama, the winning piece is given a professional presentation with practitioners.
• We’ll encourage you to submit your work to our ISSN recognised literary magazine ‘The Bolton Review’, and to our annual poetry competition.
• The annual New Writing Showcase offers you a chance to perform your work at the Bolton Octagon Studio or similar venue.
• As a Creative Writing student, you'll be eligible to enter work for the Carcanet Poetry Prize and for the And Other Stories Fiction Prize.

Key Features

• All our lecturers are professional writers and researchers who’ve produced and continue to publish poetry, prose, plays and papers with national and international periodicals and imprints.
• Experimentation is encouraged and you’ll be introduced to many different types of writing, from creative to critical, to help you develop your voice and gain awareness of the enormous variety of careers that creative writing skills support.
• We offer a friendly and supportive intellectual community. You’ll be encouraged to get to know your peers from other subjects such as English, Theatre and Media, Writing and Production, with whom you’ll be participating in a variety of external creative events and/or collaborative projects.
• There’ll be guest lectures from professionals from all aspects of the writing industry: producers, scriptwriters, poets, novelists, agents, publishers, promoters, and directors. Names you may recognise such as Sally Wainwright, Patrick Ness and Jenn Ashworth have given presentations in recent years.
• ‘Live Literature’ is our well-established, vibrant series of readings from published poets, fiction writers and playwrights, held in conjunction with Bolton Library and Museum Services.
• We’ll work to help you develop a range of skills alongside your writing that are highly valued by employers, such as creative thinking, problem-solving, communication, team working, time management, research and critical analysis, IT, cultural awareness and lifelong learning.

Professional recognition

• The University of Bolton is linked via creative partnerships with Bolton’s own Octagon Theatre and Carcanet, a leading and prize-winning poetry publisher based in Manchester. The university is currently fostering links with South Yorkshire’s leading literary development organisation, The Poetry Business.
• Writers and lecturers who teach on the course have established links with a variety of media and organisations, including The Guardian, The Poetry Society, NAWE, The British Council and Arts Council England.