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University of Reading

UCAS Code: R9Q3 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

B,B,B

A level English Literature or a related subject at grade B. Related subjects: English Language & Literature, English Language, Drama & Theatre Studies, Creative Writing.

Access to HE Diploma

D:18,M:27

Must include at least 12 level 3 credits in English Literature or a related subject. Related subjects: English Language & Literature, English Language, Drama & Theatre Studies, Creative Writing.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

M2,M2,M2

Principal subjects must include English Literature or a related subject. Related subjects: English Language & Literature, English Language, Drama & Theatre Studies, Creative Writing.

Extended Project

B

In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification provides to students for University study, we now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer.  Eligible applicants would receive two offers,  our usual offer plus an alternative offer of a B in the EPQ and one grade lower in their A level subjects

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Maths C (or 4), English Language or English Literature C (or 4).

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

Higher Level English Literature or a related subject at 5. Related subjects: English Language & Literature, English Language, Drama & Theatre Studies, Creative Writing.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM

Modules taken must be comparable to A level English Literature or a related subject. Related subjects: English Language & Literature, English Language, Drama & Theatre Studies, Creative Writing.

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B,B

Higher English Literature or a related subject at grade B. Related subjects: English Language & Literature, English Language, Drama & Theatre Studies, Creative Writing.

UCAS Tariff

120-141

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2025

Subjects

English literature

Modern languages

Study a modern language, and explore a variety of writers from across the globe, with our BA Modern Languages and English Literature degree.

This highly flexible degree enables you to study a modern language – choosing from our core languages of French, German, Italian and Spanish – alongside your studies in English literature. Optional modules also include introductory study of one of the following languages (subject to approval and availability): Arabic, British Sign Language, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, and Japanese.

You'll be taught by experts from the Department of Languages and Cultures and the Department of English Literature, both of which prioritise learning in small seminar groups. In the National Student Survey 2023, 98% of students in the Department of Languages and Cultures and 94% of students in the Department of English Literature said our teaching staff were good or very good at explaining things.This enables you to interact directly with your teachers and fellow students, and to add your own voice to discussions.

At the University of Reading, you’ll join a lively, multilingual community and study alongside students from all over the world. Learn from internationally recognised researchers whose wide-ranging expertise includes migration, literature, history, cinema, linguistics, publishing, and translation. 100% of our research is of international standing (Research Excellence Framework 2021, combining 4, 3 and 2* submissions – Modern Languages and Linguistics).

For more information, please visit the programme page: https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/languages-and-cultures-ug/ba-modern-languages-and-english-literature

Modules

The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2025/26. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change. Core modules on this course: Poetry in English; Theory and Practice of Writing; French, German, Italian or Spanish language modules, Study Abroad Year, Language and Power.

The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of final approved modules will be available in the summer of 2024. We suggest that you regularly revisit our course page during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme.

Check our website for more details about the course structure.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,535
per year
England
£9,535
per year
EU
£25,250
per year
International
£25,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,535
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,535
per year
Scotland
£9,535
per year
Wales
£9,535
per year

The Uni

Course location:

University of Reading

Department:

Languages and Cultures

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

93%
English literature
94%
Modern languages

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

86%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
83%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
74%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

70%
Library resources
85%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
76%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
21%
Male students
79%
Female students
91%
2:1 or above
13%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

Modern languages

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?

89%
UK students
11%
International students
29%
Male students
71%
Female students
90%
2:1 or above
15%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
A
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.

£24,000
med
Average annual salary
95%
high
Employed or in further education
65%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

21%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
9%
Other administrative occupations
9%
Other elementary services occupations

Others in language and area 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.

£28,000
high
Average annual salary
75%
low
Employed or in further education
50%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

27%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Teaching and educational professionals
9%
Public services and other associate professionals

This is a broad subject for a variety of European languages. No matter which you take, the general theme is that some graduates go to that country to work, often as English language teachers, some go into further study, often to train as teachers or translators, but most get jobs in the UK in education - most often as language tutors, unsurprisingly, or translators. Modern language grads can also be in demand in business roles where communication and language skills are particularly useful, such as marketing and PR, and in finance or law. But remember — whilst employers say they rate graduates who have graduates who have more than one language, you need to have them as part of a whole package of good skills.

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.

£20k

£20k

£26k

£26k

£28k

£28k

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.

Others in language 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.

£24k

£24k

£26k

£26k

£30k

£30k

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.

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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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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