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Philosophy and English Literature [with Foundation Year]

Entry requirements


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About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2024

Subjects

English literature

Philosophy

**Explore the big questions and the works of English literature that have engaged 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 top in the UK for 'Satisfied with Feedback' (The Guardian University Guide 2021).

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.

You’ll gain valuable research skills by using bibliographies, databases and information technology to answer important questions about literature and you’ll also develop your problem solving, critical thinking and judgement skills by analysing major philosophical ideas.

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.

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 and taking part in live briefs with our partner organisations. Some of our students recently worked with CamYOGA, creating media resources to increase public awareness of the benefits of yoga for well-being.

**Outstanding student support**

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

- learn from inspiring tutors on a course ranked top in the UK for ‘Satisfied with Feedback’ (The Guardian University Guide 2021)

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

**Careers**

Our BA (Hons) 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 or Creative Writing. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

**Employability and personal career development**

Informed by employers, our courses support an integrated approach to employability. You’ll have opportunities to develop the skills and abilities they are looking for and gain a deeper understanding of how your academic learning relates to the world of work through Live Briefs and Ruskin Modules. You'll need to dedicate time outside of your course to develop your employability, through placements, internships, volunteering or our partner scheme Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE). You can evidence this on your CV and talk about it in interviews to give you an all important edge.

Modules

Year 1 core modules: Interactive Learning Skills and Communication; Information and Communication Technology; Critical Thinking; Intercultural Studies; Psychology; Ethics; Composition and Style; Social Perceptions. Year 2 core modules: Reason and Argument: An Introduction to Philosophy; World Philosophies; A History of English Literature 1: Writing Matters; A History of English Literature 2: Reading Literature and Theory. Year 3 core modules: Ethics in Theory and Practice; Modernism and the City; The European Novel: Desire and Transgression; Philosophy of Art and Image; Ruskin Module. Year 3 optional modules: Descartes and the Rationalists; Romantic Conflicts; Reading Beyond Britain; Writing World War One: Trauma, Memory, Resistance; Science Fiction; Contemporary Issues in Stylistics; Kant and the Empiricists; Victorian Literature and Culture; Dialogue and Debate: Renaissance Literature; History of English; Writing Short Fiction; Modernism and the City; Professional Placement; Mind and Consciousness; Anglia Language Programme. Year 4 core modules: Undergraduate Major Project - Philosophy; Spectacle and Representation in Renaissance Drama; Concepts of Good and Evil. Year 4 optional modules: Nature and the Absolute; Writing Poetry; Elizabeth Gaskell and the Brontës; Renaissance Magic; Knowledge, Truth and Doubt; Careers with English; Language, Flesh, Philosophy; Theorising Children's Literature; Romantic Ideals; Contemporary Fiction; Feminist Debates and Activism; Issues in Modern Philosophy; Research Communication; Anglia Language Programme. Modules are subject to change and availability.

Assessment methods

We’ll assess your progress using 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:

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

Philosophy

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?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
49%
Male students
51%
Female students
74%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
C

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

Philosophy

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
89%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

13%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
13%
Media professionals
13%
Other elementary services occupations

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.

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.

Philosophy

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

£21k

£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.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of East Anglia UEA | Norwich
English Literature and Philosophy
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 128-153
Nearby University
University of Essex | Colchester
Philosophy and Literature (Including Placement Year)
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 128
Lower entry requirements
Anglia Ruskin University | Cambridge
Philosophy and English Literature [with Placement year]
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 96
Same University
Anglia Ruskin University | Cambridge
Philosophy and English Literature
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 96

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here