English Literature and Politics
Lancaster University
UCAS Code: QL32 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
* Why Lancaster?*
- Develop your critical voice through exploring literature alongside a wide range of contemporary political issues
- Discuss with published literary critics and experts in politics in Britain, Europe, the Middle East and beyond in regular small-group seminars
- Get involved with our student-run literary journals: Cake, Lux, Flash and Errant
- Hear from visiting speakers hosted by our Politics Society and at our many literary events, on campus, online and in Lancaster’s historic Castle Quarter
- Graduate with skills in analysis, communication, and persuasion that will make you stand out in the job market
Explore how both literature and politics address fundamental human questions – such as right and wrong, power, and freedom. Learn to read literature with attention to political themes and explore politics with attention to literary themes. This interdisciplinary programme offers a distinctive way to engage with the skills of analysis and critique.
**A fresh approach to understanding the issues of our time**
In literature you will explore many and varied social, political and environmental issues. You might, for instance, investigate themes of Englishness and Empire in Dickens, or the strangeness of power and law in Kafka.
In politics, you’ll be guided by experts who actively contribute to national and global policy debates through our in-house research centres like the Lancaster University China Centre. Grappling with a wide range of pressing contemporary issues. from the war in Ukraine to the cost of living and climate crises, you’ll build a future-facing outlook on our world.
**Developing your skills and expanding your horizons**
Beyond your formal studies, you’ll be encouraged to broaden your perspective through a wide range of events and travel opportunities. In literature, some modules incorporate trips to local theatres, or to the nearby Lake District; and the University offers short study trips abroad – past destinations have included New York and India.
You might also choose to pursue an internship with the Richardson Institute for Peace Studies, based in our Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion. This could allow you to build on the analytical skills and political knowledge you develop in your studies by working on a real-world research project. Previous interns have worked on projects with think tanks, charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The Uni
Lancaster University
English Literature and Creative Writing
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.
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)
Politics
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.
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.
Top job areas of graduates
Politics
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
The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.
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.
£17k
£23k
£27k
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.
Politics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£20k
£26k
£29k
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 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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