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BA ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE Q301
Full Time: 3 Years
On the BA English Language and Literature programme, you develop your understanding of English as a living and dynamic global language while exploring a diverse range of literary texts from Britain, America and elsewhere.
Our teaching in English Language places a strong emphasis on applying theory to real-life situations, and on transferable skills such as problem-solving, team-working and data-analysis. You will learn about how to research issues in the social sciences and how to conduct fieldwork. You will enhance your knowledge of grammar and phonetics as well as learning about how language is used in different social settings, how language is acquired by children and adults, and how our uses of English are being re-shaped by the media. Our department has been a leader in the field for fifty years.
You will study the same number of modules in English Literature as in English Language. Our literature curriculum has everything you would expect from a department with a century-long reputation for innovative research. You will read more of major authors like Shakespeare and Dickens, Sylvia Plath and Samuel Beckett, but you will also be able to explore the most exciting contemporary writing from Britain, America and the Caribbean. Whether your interests are in creative writing, publishing studies or children’s literature, you will be able to develop your own interests with expert help.
In your first year, you study six modules, three in English Language (‘English language and society’, ‘Sounds, grammar and meaning’ and one optional module e.g. 'Globalisation and language') and three modules in English Literature (‘Genre and context’, ‘Research and criticism’, and a choice of either ‘Poetry in English’, ‘Creative writing’ or ‘Persuasive writing’).
Your second year modules in English Language build your skills in grammar, phonology and sociolinguistics. In Literature, you choose modules that range from Renaissance lyric poetry to contemporary fiction.
In the third year, your module choices are more diverse and specialised: from ‘editing the Renaissance’ to ‘Class matters’, from ‘English in the world’ to 'Child language development and 'Language and migration'. In English Language, the core module 'Language and communication in professions' will enable you to understand how language is used in various professional contexts. You will also research a dissertation on a subject of your choosing, in either English Language or English Literature, with one-to-one advice and support from your supervisor. Alternatively, if you are more focused on the practical sense of your degree, you may choose to carry out a Professional Communication Project. By the end of your three years with us, you will be an independent learner and a confident communicator.
Placement
Throughout your degree you will be thinking about the career choices that will enable you to thrive after graduation: we will help you put in place the skills and experience that you need to launch that career. Our innovative placement scheme gives you the chance to undertake an academic placement in commerce, industry or the arts. You can also take a placement module on languages and literature in education and in the media. Our students have been very successful at winning places on the University’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme, and have worked on real research projects on multilingualism, child language development, digital editing and archive studies.
Quick look entry requirements A Level ABB-BBB | IB 30-32 pts overall
What will you study?
How much will it cost?
How much will it cost?
New UK/EU students: £9,250* per year
New international students: £16,415 per year
* UK and EU Fee Changes
UK undergraduate fees are regulated by the government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK and EU** students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.
Information on this page is based on 2019/20 figures and is likely to change slightly for 2020/21 entry. We will publish up-to-date information about 2020/21 entry as soon as it becomes available.
From 2020, the UK government may link tuition fees to the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).
**EU students in 2019/20
EU home students starting in the academic year 2019/20 will pay the same fees and have the same eligibility for loans and grants as UK home students for the duration of their course. The situation for students starting in 2020/21 is not yet known and may be affected by UK Government policy following the outcome of any negotiations regarding the UK’s exit from the European Union. The UK Government will confirm future arrangements for EU students in due course.
Additional Costs
These course fees cover the cost of your tuition. Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.
Financial support for your studies
You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK and other EU countries may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.
* UK and EU Fee Changes
Subject to the Government passing legislation to raise the minimum fee cap, we will raise undergraduate tuition fees from £9,000 to £9,250 for new UK/EU students applying to start courses in the 2017/18 academic year. You will not be affected by this rise if you have deferred entry to the 2017/18 academic year. The Government will confirm future arrangements for EU students in due course.
The tuition fee will remain £9,000 per year for the full duration of this course if you start in the 2016/17 academic year or have accepted an offer but deferred your entry until the 2017/18 academic year. This is unlike other institutions who are planning to raise fees midway through courses.
For further information, please see our webpage on the Teaching Excellence Framework and future tuition fees.
Additional costs
These course fees cover the cost of your tuition. Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.
Financial support for your studies
You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK and other EU countries may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.
What career can you have?
What career can you have?
The interdisciplinary scope of this degree prepares you for a wide variety of professions. As an English graduate, you will enter the job market with highly developed research and communication skills. You will know how to access reliable information on any topic and how to present your findings in clear and persuasive language: valuable assets in today’s economy, where information and communication skills are vital. You will have the critical and cultural awareness necessary for working in the public sector and the media. Our innovative placement modules and Professional Track scheme will ensure that you have the complete package that employers are looking for: a good degree, workplace skills and experience.
Overall, 97% of our English literature graduates are in work or further study within six months of graduation, (DLHE survey, 2016–17). Our graduates work in publishing and the media, (Oxford University Press, the BBC and ITV). They also work as communication experts in large organisations like the NHS, in banks and in government; others are now working as teachers in the UK and as teachers of the English Language in China and Japan (among other places). Many of our students decide to continue their studies at postgraduate level too.
Your communications skills, your ability to research a problem thoroughly, to manage data and documentation, and to present ideas and policies clearly and persuasively, will equip you for the career you want.