American Studies and English
University of Nottingham
UCAS Code: QT37 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Including English.
Pass with 60 credits overall; 45 at level 3. Of the level 3 credits, at least 21 should be passed at Merit or above and this must include 9 credits of English graded Distinction.
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
Including English.
Extended Project
If you have already achieved your EPQ at Grade A you will automatically be offered one grade lower in a non-mandatory A level subject. If you are still studying for your EPQ you will receive the standard course offer, with a condition of one grade lower in a non-mandatory A level subject if you achieve an A grade in your EPQ.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Including English Higher Level 5 points.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
This qualification is considered alongside other UoN accepted qualifications such as A Levels and must include English.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
This qualification is considered alongside other UoN accepted qualifications such as A Levels and must include English.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
This qualification is considered alongside A Level English grade B (or UoN accepted equivalent).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
This qualification is considered alongside other UoN accepted qualifications such as A Levels and must include English.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Including English. This qualification is only acceptable when combined with Scottish Higher grades ABBBB.
Scottish Higher
This qualification is only acceptable when combined with Sottish Advanced Highers at grades AB including English.
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
This qualification is considered alongside other UoN accepted qualifications such as A Levels and must include English.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
A course for literature lovers seeking to cross geographic and cultural boundaries predominantly through writers. On this unique degree, you study a wide range of authors, genres and periods. In English, you can choose to study a mix of language, literature and drama. You will combine this with options from American and Canadian film, music, art, politics, history and culture.
The two disciplines are brought together through a range of modules including
- African American literature,
- English language in a global and digital age,
- Immigrant writing,
- American and British theatre,
- Transatlantic and postcolonial literary cultures,
- Women's writing
- LGBTQ+ literature
You can also experience North America by choosing to study abroad for a year at a US or Canadian university.
Modules
In your first year you will be introduced to the key authors and texts of American literature. In English, you will have a choice of three core modules from English language, modern English literature, medieval studies and drama. In your second year in American studies, you will undertake a survey of North American regions, and select specialised modules from a range of periods, texts and events. In English, you will choose from a range of options to develop deeper understanding of the issues and critical approaches across at least two areas of the discipline. During your final year in American studies, you will write a dissertation and choose from a selection of advanced level modules in history, literature and culture. In English, you will choose from a range of advanced-level options.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University Park Campus
Department of American and Canadian Studies
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.
English studies (non-specific)
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)
American and australasian studies
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.
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
English is one of the most popular degree subjects and in 2015, more than 11,000 students graduated with English degrees - although this does represent a fall from recent years. As good communication is so important to modern business, you can find English graduates in all parts of the economy, although obviously, you can't expect to get a job in science or engineering (computing is a different matter - it's not common but good language skills can be useful in the computing industry). There's little difference in outcomes between English language and English literature degrees, so don't worry and choose the one that suits you best. More English grads took another postgraduate course when they finished their degree than grads from any other subject - this is an important option. Teacher training was a common choice of second degree, as was further study of English, and journalism courses. But many English graduates changed course and trained in law, marketing or other languages -or even subjects further afield such as computing, psychology and even nursing. This is a very flexible degree which gives you a lot of options
American 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
Just 615 UK students graduated with American studies degrees in 2015, so it's one of the smaller subjects in terms of student numbers and has lost numbers in recent years. Most graduates stay in the UK once they graduate - quite unusual for graduates in languages and studies of overseas cultures - and about one in six go into further study, mostly to take Masters degrees in subjects like journalism, languages, teaching and law. Graduates tend to go into any general graduate jobs, in industries such as education, advertising, social care and media and publishing. There might not be many jobs that specifically require a degree in American studies, but the skills you learn are useful in many roles.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
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.
£19k
£25k
£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.
Languages and area 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.
£22k
£27k
£33k
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 is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
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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