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English Literature

Entry requirements


96 UCAS Points from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent), including grade C in English Language or English Literature.

UCAS Tariff Points accepted.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

3 GCSEs at grade 4 or above.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

96 UCAS Tariff points acquired from BTEC Level 3 Diplomas in a related subject are accepted.

UCAS Tariff points from Scottish Advanced Highers are accepted. UCAS Tariff points from Scottish Highers are accepted.

UCAS Tariff

96

From a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent), including grade C in English Language or English Literature.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

English literature

**Explore how literature has reflected and influenced different societies over the centuries and prepare for many careers – some you might not even have thought about yet – on our BA (Hons) English Literature degree in Cambridge.**

You’ll study classic literary texts alongside genres including sci-fi and children’s literature, and find out how English literature has been affected by, and influenced, culture, language, technology and economics.

You’ll draw on a range of other subjects, including history, politics, philosophy, religion, psychology and the history of art to develop an all-round understanding of the written works that have shaped our world.

Our English Literature degree will also help you develop many transferable skills valued by employers from all industries, including literacy, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, research, and working both independently as well as part of a team.

Our wide range of optional modules offer you the opportunity to learn about the publishing industry, develop your creative writing skills, and gain work experience. You could also improve your CV by studying abroad for a semester or learning a new language with our Anglia Language Programme.

Our lecturers are experts in their field and will support and guide you throughout your time at ARU. Your studies will be supported by our team of expert lecturers, including several published authors, such as Course Leader Cassie Gorman (The Atom in Seventeenth-Century Poetry); Dr Tory Young (Studying English Literature, a text used on many other university courses as well as our own); and Professor Eugene Giddens (Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass: A Publishing History).

You can also get feedback and support for your writing projects from our Royal Literary Fund Fellowship Scheme mentors.

The impact of our Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, and Film & Screen Studies research achieved 'world-leading' in the Research Excellence Framework 2021.

**Outstanding student support**

Join our student community and:
- benefit from award-winning learning facilities, including extensive library and IT resources

- learn from expert staff who will guide your research interests and career development

- access support, should you need it, with study skills, careers advice, health and wellbeing, and more.

**Careers**

Our BA (Hons) English Literature graduates go on to work in a variety of fields, including teaching, journalism, television, radio, the music industry, arts administration, gallery work, fundraising, personnel work, publishing, librarianship, marketing, local authority work, publicity, social work, tourism and IT-related industries.

We work with employers to make sure you graduate with the knowledge, skills and abilities they need; they help us review what we teach and how we teach it. The problem-solving, critical and creative thinking, judgement, research, analysis and communication skills our English Literature students gain are highly valued by employers. You’ll also learn to work well independently and as part of a team.

You could also learn more, develop a specialism or start an exciting career in research with our Masters degrees in English Literature or Creative Writing. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Modules

Year one, core modules: A History of English Literature 1: Writing Matters; A History of English Literature 2: Reading Literature and Theory; Myth, Miracle and Magic; Language and Society; Literature of the Fens. Year 2 core modules: Romantic Conflicts; The European Novel: Desire and Transgression; Reading Beyond Britain; Victorian Literature and Culture; Modernism and the City; Ruskin Module. Year 2 optional modules: Writing World War One: Trauma, Memory, Resistance; History of English; Science Fiction; Dialogue and Debate: Renaissance Literature; Contemporary Issues in Stylistics; Writing Short Fiction; Anglia Language Programme. Year 3 core modules: Major Project English Literature; Spectacle and Representation in Renaissance Drama; Contemporary Fiction. Year 3 optional modules: Elizabeth Gaskell and the Brontës; Romantic Ideals; Renaissance Magic; Language, Flesh, Philosophy; Writing Poetry; New Media Discourse; Working with English; Literature and Exile: Displacement, Identity, Self; Theorising Children's Literature; Anglia Language Programme.

Assessment methods

We’ll assess your progress using a combination of critical reflection, essays, portfolios, reviews, oral presentations, exams and discussion boards, as well as your final-year Major Project.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Cambridge Campus

Department:

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Literature in english

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

91%
UK students
9%
International students
16%
Male students
84%
Female students
77%
2:1 or above
2%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Literature in english

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
91%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

15%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
12%
Teaching and educational professionals
12%
Childcare and related personal services

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Literature in english

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£16k

£16k

£22k

£22k

£24k

£24k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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