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English Literature and History

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

3 GCSEs at grade C/4 (or equivalent) including English Language.

UCAS Tariff

104

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

History

English literature

The pairing of English Literature and History develops skills in critical thinking and analysis in response to a range of different types of texts. History is beneficial as a mode of engagement and inquiry in relation to literary texts, and literature can help historians to analyse the past. You might find yourself referring to historical sources as part of your literary studies, as well as reading literary works as a way of developing your understanding of history. Studied together, these subjects allow students to gain a detailed understanding of the written word in all its forms, from historical sources and documents to contemporary literary texts.

English Literature
In English Literature, our philosophy is simple: words matter. Words shape the world we live in (books can and have changed the world) and the connections between the written page and the concerns of the ‘real’ world are a crucial part of the programme. Overall, the degree will enable you to develop your expertise as a reader and critic of a range of literary materials, whilst also supporting you in the development of a portfolio of professional skills which will aid you in the wider job market. As you become adept at independent learning, you will become a more sophisticated reader of texts, and you will find that your confidence as a writer and as a critic will increase as your degree progresses.

English Literature is a rich and vibrant area of study. At York St John University, we are a dynamic, engaged, and research-active team who are committed to providing our students with cutting-edge education. By studying English Literature, you will have the opportunity to learn about a range of different genres, historical periods, and literary forms.

History
On the History programme, you will experience a wide range of teaching methods and techniques. From lectures and interactive workshops to seminars with other students, we encourage both independent and collaborative learning. In class contact time, you will examine arguments made by historians and the key debates between them. You will interrogate primary sources in print and in other media. You will learn how to advance your own arguments and think critically about the past. There are also opportunities to go on field trips within the historic city of York and beyond, to uncover the past in fantastic archives and the built environment all around us.

The History programme at York St John University offers a diverse range of modules, from medieval to modern history, with global scope. Studying history is not simply to understand the events of the past. Our team actively encourages your critical thinking and analytical skills to develop your abilities as an independent historian.

Modules

Modules may include: Level 1: Reading Texts 1; Forms of Narrative; Writing for Academic Success; Gender & Writing; The Making of Britain; War & Society; America’s Century; The Visible Past; Popular Protest. Level 2: Gothic & Horror; Cultures of Childhood; Literary Theory; Imaginary Worlds, Science Fiction; Romantic Period Writing; The Flowering of the Middle Ages; Plague, Piety & Power; The Age of Nationalism, 1848-1914; The Age of Anxiety the USA 1929-1960; China 1911-97; History, Film & Television. Level 3: American Literature in the 20th Century; Gender & Sexualities; Shakespeare: Perspectives; The Origins of World War II; The War of the Roses; Late Victorian & Edwardian Britain; The Great Society: America in the 1960s; Conflict on the East Asian Mainland; Dissertation.

Assessment methods

https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/joint-honours/english-literature-and-history-ba-hons/

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£14,000
per year
International
£14,000
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:

York St John University

Department:

Interdepartmental

Read full university profile

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.

81%
History
98%
English literature

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.

History

Teaching and learning

92%
Staff make the subject interesting
97%
Staff are good at explaining things
83%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
77%
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

72%
Library resources
86%
IT resources
77%
Course specific equipment and facilities
81%
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?

99%
UK students
1%
International students
51%
Male students
49%
Female students
64%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
C

Literature in english

Teaching and learning

98%
Staff make the subject interesting
98%
Staff are good at explaining things
89%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
86%
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

88%
Library resources
98%
IT resources
89%
Course specific equipment and facilities
93%
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?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
20%
Male students
80%
Female students
81%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
B

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.

History

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.

£16,615
low
Average annual salary
93%
med
Employed or in further education
37%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Other elementary services occupations
14%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
11%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

History is a very popular subject (although numbers have fallen of late) — in 2015, over 10,000 UK students graduated in a history-related course. Obviously, there aren't 11,000 jobs as historians available every year, but history is a good, flexible degree that allows graduates to go into a wide range of different jobs, and consequently history graduates have an unemployment rate comparable to the national graduate average. Many — probably most — jobs for graduates don't ask for a particular degree to go into them and history graduates are well set to take advantage. That's why so many go into jobs in the finance industry, human resources, marketing, PR and events management, as well as the more obvious roles in education, welfare and the arts. Around one in five history graduates went into further study last year. History and teaching were the most popular further study subjects for history graduates, but law, journalism, and politics were also popular postgraduate courses.

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.

£17,000
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

20%
Teaching and educational professionals
14%
Other elementary services occupations
11%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

History

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£14k

£14k

£19k

£19k

£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.

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

£20k

£20k

£23k

£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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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:

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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