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BA Philosophy and English Literature

  • UCAS code
    VQ53
  • Typical offer
    BBB
  • Year of entry
    2023/24 See 2022/23 entry
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  3 Years

With our BA Philosophy and English literature course, develop your critical and analytical skills and apply them to a variety of philosophical and literary texts. Our students become expert at presenting arguments clearly and persuasively.

In philosophy, we will give you an understanding of the central philosophical principles, concepts, problems, texts and figures. You will be taught by leading experts whose research strengths lie especially in moral philosophy and the philosophy of the mind and language. You will also have the chance to explore non-Western philosophies, such as Indian philosophy. In 2022, we achieved a 95% satisfaction score for BA Philosophy (National Student Survey 2022).

Your first year will introduce you to the general skills required for all philosophy. You can also select modules from outside the department. In years two and three you will have the opportunity to explore your chosen topic in more depth, with modules such as Ethics and Animals, Philosophy of Crime and Punishment and the Philosophy of Religion.

In your English Literature modules, you will read more of authors and genres that you may already know (from tragedy to Gothic, from Shakespeare and Dickens to Plath and Beckett). But you will also encounter 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.

As you progress through your degree, your module choices become 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 the English 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 our research and its impact outside the classroom. We place a strong emphasis on small-group learning within a friendly and supportive environment. In your first and second years, you will have a mix of lectures and seminars.

In both subjects, you will be taught in small interactive seminar groups, encouraging discussion and debate with teaching staff and peers. Our small class sizes ensure that you will receive dedicated, individual attention.

We encourage you to undertake work placements as they provide you with a chance to put your newly acquired knowledge and skills into practice as well as allowing you to gain valuable real-world experience. You can undertake a placement at any point in your degree and work in a company or charity relevant to your final year studies. For example, a previous student worked at a zoo to learn more about the ethical treatment of animals. Other students have chosen to study abroad for one term in their second or final year. Partner institutions include universities in Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan or Australia. You may decide to learn a language to complement your study abroad later on in your degree.

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

Specialist career modules throughout the degree will give you the chance to think about what career you would like and what skills you will need for it.

Studying philosophy enables you to develop a range of transferable skills. In particular, skills in clear thinking, logical analysis and the critical assessment of argument are greatly valued in a variety of professional careers such as law, politics, management and marketing. 91% of graduates from the Department of Philosophy are in work or further study 15 months after the end of their course [1].

Past graduates have found employment in the civil service, journalism, consultancy, finance, local and central government, and previous employers have included the Ministry of Defence, Cambridge University Press, local authorities and other universities.

Some of our graduates choose to continue their studies at postgraduate level, or through conversion courses and teacher training.

[1] Graduate Outcomes Survey 2018/19; First Degree responders from Philosophy.