Philosophy and English Literature
UCAS Code: VQ53
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
96 UCAS Tariff 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 C, or grade 4, or above.
UCAS Tariff
UCAS Tariff points from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent), including grade C in English Language or English Literature.
About this course
Explore the big questions and the works of English literature that have enthralled people for centuries by studying our BA (Hons) Philosophy and English Literature degree in Cambridge.
Study Philosophy and English literature together, and learn to make your point of view stand out with substance, as well as style.
You’ll consider big questions such as ‘Who are we?’, ‘What can we know?’, and ‘What should we do to lead worthwhile lives?’ and discover how great minds have tried to answer them.
Alongside this, you’ll explore how English literature is shaped by its historical and cultural context, and how, in turn, it influences readers and society. In doing this you’ll also explore other subjects such as history, politics, religion, psychology and history of art.
Your studies will be supported by our expert lecturers, who offer one-to-one tutoring and personalised feedback. This support helped our philosophy courses rank first in the UK in the National Student Survey 2020, and top in the UK for “Satisfied with Feedback) (The Guardian University Guide 2021).
You’ll develop your problem solving, critical thinking and judgement skills by analysing major philosophical ideas alongside classic literary texts in a range of genres including science fiction and children’s literature.
You’ll gain valuable research skills by using bibliographies, databases and information technology to answer important questions about literature.
You can also choose to focus on areas of particular interest to you, such as Victorian literature, poetry, contemporary fiction, and the work of philosophers including Kant, Descartes and Heidegger.
These are important skills, with the World Economic Forum ranking complex problem solving and critical thinking among the top ten skills needed to succeed in today’s job market (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-10-skills-you-need-to-thrive-in-the-fourth-industrial-revolution/).
You can also engage in philosophical discussions and debates through our student-led Philosophy Society, attend events such as our Royal Institute of Philosophy lecture series or boost your employability by learning a language with our Anglia Language Programme.
**Careers**
Our BA Philosophy and English Literature graduates go on to work in a variety of fields, including teaching, journalism, local government, publishing, charity administration and management, librarianship, digital and media, project management, PR and marketing, start-ups and online companies.
The problem-solving, critical and creative thinking, judgement, research, analysis and communication skills our Philosophy and 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, Children’s Literature, Creative Writing and Publishing. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.
Modules
Year one, core modules
Introduction to Literary Criticism
Ancient Philosophy
Western Civilisation 1: Antiquity to the Renaissance
Western Civilisation 2: Reformation to the Modern Age
A History of English Literature, from the present to 1789
A History of English Literature from Chaucer to Equiano
Year one, optional modules
Current Topics in Ethics
Year two, core modules
Ethics
Philosophy of Art
Existence and Authenticity
Shakespeare and Performance
Dialogue and Debate: More to Milton
Year two, optional modules
Applied Ethics
Mind and World
Romantic Conflicts
The Victorian Experience: Texts and Contexts
Myth and Medievalism
Special Topic 1: Bible and Literature
News and Feature Writing
The Rationalists: Early Modern Philosophy
Postcolonialism
The Empiricists
The History of the Book
Year three, core modules
Major Project
Year three, optional modules
Varieties of Scepticism
Special Topic 2: Modernism
Contemporary Fiction
Modern Science Fiction
Film, Modernity and Postmodernity
Reason and Religious Belief
Adaptations and Afterlives: the Art of Rewriting Stories
Media and Philosophy
Concepts of Good and Evil
Working in English and Media
Philosophy Special Subject
Optional modules available all years
Anglia Language Programme
Assessment methods
You’ll show your progress through a combination of exams, essays, portfolios, presentations, reviews and reports, as well as your final-year Major Project.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Cambridge Campus
Humanities and Social Sciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
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.
Philosophy
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Literature in english
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Historical, philosophical and religious studies
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.
Top job areas of graduates
Although there aren't a lot of jobs around for professional philosophers, philosophy degrees are a relatively popular option, with more than 2,000 students graduating in a philosophy-related subject in 2015 - a little down on previous years, but still healthy. Nearly a quarter of philosophy graduates take a postgraduate qualification, and it's a relatively common subject at both Masters and doctorate level — so if you think academic life might be for you, think ahead about how you might fund further study. For those who go into work, philosophy grads tend to go into teaching, accountancy, consulting, journalism, PR, housing, marketing, human resources and the arts while a few go into the computer industry every year, where their logical training is highly rated.
English studies
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.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Philosophy and religious studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£21k
£22k
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.
English studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£17k
£20k
£23k
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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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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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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