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BA English Literature

  • UCAS code
    Q300
  • Typical offer
    BBB
  • Year of entry
    2023/24 See 2022/23 entry
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  3 Years

Clearing hotline

Please call 0118 402 0900

Clearing is now open at the University of Reading. For information about available courses, please visit our Clearing pages.


Explore a range of writers from across the globe and every period of history, from the middle ages right up to the present, with our BA English Literature course.

Our English Literature degree will enable you to examine in greater detail authors and genres that you may already know (from tragedy to Gothic, from Shakespeare and Dickens to Plath and Beckett). But it will also introduce you to aspects of literary studies that may be less familiar to you, from children's literature to publishing studies and the history of the book. Our academics have published research on everything from medieval poetry to contemporary Caribbean and American fiction, and they will help you to develop your own literary enthusiasms.

Our first year core modules ensure that all of our students have the advanced skills in literary analysis necessary for undergraduate work. We explore the different ways that literary texts respond to their cultural context (Genre and Context); we trace the development of poetry in English over time and across the globe (Poetry in English); we examine how literary texts accrue new meanings in the process of interpretation (Research and Criticism). You can take additional modules in other subjects in your first year, but you also have the option to study creative writing; non-fiction persuasive writing, or twentieth-century American literature. In the second year, you choose modules that range from Renaissance lyric poetry to contemporary fiction. In the third year, your module choices are more diverse and specialised: you can do archive work on Studying Manuscripts, or look at the politics of literature in Writing Global Justice. Everyone in our department, from new lecturers to professors, teaches at every level of the degree: this gives you the benefit of our expertise and makes you part of the conversation about the ways that English Studies is developing. The 2022 National Student Survey results are out and 88% of students on the BA English Literature course agreed they were satisfied with the teaching.

On this course, you will have the option to study creative writing modules throughout your degree. Our lecturers and professors of creative writing are all writers who work at the highest professional levels.

Throughout the degree, we prioritise small-group learning within a friendly and supportive environment. In your first and second years, you will have a mix of lectures (which can be quite large) and seminars.

We believe that the study of English Literature is a discursive process in which we learn by sharing our ideas. For this reason, all our third year teaching takes place in seminars taught by research-active experts in the field. We will provide detailed and thorough feedback on your written work. This is crucial to your development as a writer, whether you intend a career in creative or professional writing.

For more information, please visit the Department of English Literature website.

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 heritage, in education, and in the media. Students on our Communications at Work module also undertake a short placement to explore the ways in which the skills and knowledge gained in their studies have direct application to the workplace.

Study abroad

In your second year, you can spend a term studying abroad at one of our partner institutions in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe and the USA. To find out more, visit the Study Abroad website.

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250*

New international students: £20,300

*UK/Republic of Ireland fee changes

UK/Republic of Ireland undergraduate tuition fees are regulated by the UK government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.

EU student fees

With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.

Additional costs

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 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.

Flexible courses (price per 10 credit module)

UK/Republic of Ireland students: £750

International students: £1275

As an English literature 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: these are valuable skills 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.

Some of our students decide to continue their studies at postgraduate level; others have successful careers in fields as diverse as law, business administration, web-design, teaching and journalism. In the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019-20, overall, 89% of graduates from English Literature are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation*. Past graduates have gone on to work for employers such the BBC, The Telegraph, Oxford University Press, Waterstones, Cisco Systems and the Royal Mint, as well as local authorities and schools.

*Based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2022, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20; includes first degree English Literature responders.