Is the BA Storytelling and Narrative Studies a creative writing degree?

It shares some content with creative writing but its scope is broader — narrative across fiction, non-fiction, audio, screen and applied forms. Students who want a fiction-only or poetry-only focus should consider a more specialist Creative Writing programme; the BA Storytelling and Narrative Studies is built for cross-form work.

Does the BA Storytelling and Narrative Studies include game narrative?

Yes. The narrative design strand covers branching narrative, interactivity and the ethics of player agency in game and immersive contexts. It does not teach technical game development — but it does teach the narrative craft game studios specifically hire for.

What is the final portfolio on the BA Storytelling and Narrative Studies?

A substantial piece in your chosen form — a novella, a narrative non-fiction longread, an audio drama, a short film script — supported by a critical commentary explaining and defending the structural choices you made. Portfolios are typically picked up by agents, editors or producers from the year-end showcase.

Will the BA Storytelling and Narrative Studies prepare me for publishing?

Yes — both the literary side (agent submission, manuscript craft) and the editorial side (story editing, narrative development) are covered. Several graduates each year move into editorial assistant or junior agency reader roles in UK publishing.

Can I study the BA Storytelling and Narrative Studies online?

Yes. The reading, writing and workshop-led nature of the BA Storytelling and Narrative Studies translates well to fully-online delivery with synchronous workshops, recorded craft sessions and the same portfolio requirement. Distance learners work on extended deadlines with named tutor support.

BA Storytelling and Narrative Studies | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA Storytelling and Narrative Studies at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree built around the craft of narrative across the forms it now takes — long-form non-fiction, fiction, documentary, brand work, game and immersive theatre. You will read narrative theory closely, study story structures from the ancient to the contemporary, write and rebuild your own pieces across forms each year, and graduate with a portfolio that demonstrates range as well as range's hardest test, restraint.

The BA Storytelling and Narrative Studies is taught in dialogue with the Society of Authors and the Royal Television Society's Narrative Group. It is a degree for the people who have always wanted to know why a story works — and to build ones that do.

Key Features

UK honours degree in storytelling and narrative studies — three years full-time, with online and distance routes.
Narrative theory core — story structure, voice, character, conflict, mythic and post-mythic frameworks.
Cross-form practice — every year covers fiction, non-fiction, audio narrative and screen/visual narrative.
Brand and applied narrative module — the working craft of telling a story for a commercial or institutional client.
Narrative design strand for game and immersive work — branching narrative, interactivity, the ethics of player agency.
Final portfolio — a substantial piece in your chosen form plus a critical commentary defending the structural choices you made.

What You Will Learn

The BA Storytelling and Narrative Studies is structured around the working competences of a narrative practitioner — analytical reading, structural craft, voice development, editorial discipline and the ability to move credibly between forms. You graduate able to read a story analytically, write one yourself across multiple forms, and explain to a client or editor why your structural choices serve the work.

Story structure — classical, post-classical and contemporary narrative architectures.
Voice and character — first, second and third person, point-of-view discipline, character interiority.
Conflict, stakes and pace — what drives a reader through a piece and what loses them.
Long-form non-fiction craft — narrative journalism, memoir, narrative history.
Fiction craft — short story, novella, novel architecture.
Audio narrative — narrative podcast, audio drama, fiction-podcast structure.
Screen and visual narrative — short-film script, graphic narrative, basic screenplay form.
Brand and applied narrative — commercial and institutional storytelling with editorial integrity.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers with strong A-Levels who already write seriously and want a degree that builds craft across many narrative forms.
International students seeking a UK honours degree in narrative practice with both literary and applied content.
Career-changers from journalism, marketing, teaching or game development moving into narrative-led roles.
Mature applicants with a writing practice but no formal undergraduate qualification.

Career Pathways

Narrative practitioners work across publishing, broadcasting, podcast production, game and immersive media, brand and applied storytelling, and education. Typical post-BA destinations include:

Narrative Designer (game studio, immersive theatre company, brand experience agency)
Story Editor (publisher, broadcaster, podcast network)
Brand Storyteller (in-house brand newsroom, agency, charity)
Documentary Writer (broadcaster, podcast network, longform digital publisher)
Story Consultant (agency, in-house comms team, broadcast development team)
Editorial Producer (longform podcast, narrative non-fiction publisher)

Graduates progress to a Master's in Creative Writing, Narrative Non-Fiction, Storytelling or a related literary specialism at LSJHML or a partner university.

Entry Requirements

Three A-Levels at BBC or above (or international equivalent — IB 28 points, BTEC DMM, or accepted national qualification).
GCSE English Language at grade 5 or equivalent English proficiency test.
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement and a written sample (approx. 1,000 words) of your own narrative work in any form.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with a portfolio and short interview.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.