English Literature BA

Go beyond books and immerse yourself in reading art, comics, film, marketing materials, music, social media, theatre, TV and video games. Study the literature you love with a personalised degree suited to your passions and interests.

Our academics and researchers

Our academics and researchers explore texts and ideas that span seven centuries and thousands of literary works, from medieval poems to twenty-first century digital media. Their contributions and insights often feature in news articles, television programmes, and books.

• Professor Louise Curran featured in the BBC documentary Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius. She teaches on a variety of undergraduate modules, including third-year options on Jane Austen covering her teenage writings, major novels, letters, and the afterlife of her fiction in TV and film.
• Professor Nathan Waddell has recently published a biography of George Orwell, and also leads a podcast on the author. His expertise is shared in a final-year undergraduate module called ‘Orwell’s Books’, which introduces students to Orwell’s work and cultural legacies.
• Dr Toria Johnson has led a heritage project for the renowned Birnam Oak, aiming to protect the ancient tree and help tourism in the area made famous by Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
• Alexandra Harris, Professor of English Literature, has recently been awarded the Rose Mary Crawshay Prize by the British Academy for her book The Rising Down: Lives in a Landscape.

Our English Literature students

Our English students embrace opportunities across the university: from making the leap to study away from home, to joining societies and getting involved in festivals and events.

• First-year student Annayi shares her journey moving to Birmingham from India.
• Zoe shares her favourite extracurriculars including Dance Club Latino, film screenings, and poetry nights.
• Grace offers advice for securing student employment, and talks about her roles as student ambassador, content creator, and internship.
• Sophie goes behind the scenes of Birmingham Literature Festival.

Life in a creative city

As the UK's second city, Birmingham is a cultural and creative hub. Our industrial roots paved the way for a rich offering of museums, shops, restaurants and venues. Discover our city for yourself!

• Take a tour of Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter with English and Creative Writing student Zoe.
• Explore Birmingham's creative quarter: Digbeth with Liv and Grace.
• Searching for cute brunch spots and high street shopping? Check out Harborne with Liv.

English literature in the city:

• Birmingham Literature Festival: Taking place every Autumn, the Birmingham Literature Festival is a leading festival in the Midlands. It brings together the very best writers, speakers, thinkers, activists and artists from the UK and across the world.
• Sarehole Mill: JRR Tolkien grew up across the road from this watermill, and is said to have drawn on its rural surroundings to inspire Middle-earth.

Department facilities and activities

Study in a department that covers a huge selection of literary specialisms across the full historical range to the present day. With Shakespearean connections and access to archives and texts, our degrees offer a wealth of resources.

• Our exclusive partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company offers unique access and collaborative opportunities to our students and researchers.
• Our Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon hosts world-renowned academics and a biennial international conference, and is part of global network of Shakespearean organisations in Japan, China, Europe and North America.
• Access our exceptional resources, including the Cadbury Research Library, consisting of over 200,000 rare books dating from 1471, as well as the Library of Birmingham, Europe’s largest regional library.
• Culture Forward brings the University, City, and region's cultural and community organisations into closer and more creative collaborations. Opportunities for students range from workshops and talks to exhibitions and performances, and from research projects to student work experience programmes.

• Lectures: These give you an insightful, expert introduction to key topics; they also provide guidance to support your reading and assessments.
• Seminars: These are small group discussions where you share and test ideas with your academic tutor and your peers. Seminars help you understand topics better and build confidence in sharing your thoughts.

Support during your studies

At Birmingham, you’ll have plenty of support to help you adjust to university life:

• Personal Academic Tutors: You'll have a tutor assigned to you who will guide and support you throughout your studies.
• Wellbeing Officers: The Wellbeing team help with extensions, disabilities, extenuating circumstances, or any personal challenges. They’ll also connect you with further support on campus or elsewhere.
• Academic Writing Advisory Service: Tutorials, workshops and support in  structuring an argument and developing your own academic voice.
• Student Experience Team: They offer research opportunities, and cultural, intellectual and social activities to enhance your university experience.

Contact hours

Your degree is designed to help you achieve 120 credits per year, which equals about 40 hours of learning each week. This includes lectures, seminars, workshops, independent study, revision, and assessments.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed in different ways to suit each module. At the start of a module, you’ll be told how and when you’ll be assessed. Methods will vary but may include coursework (e.g., essays), group or individual presentations and projects, exams, reports or computer-based assignments.

Feedback: You will receive timely feedback on each assessment, so you can learn from it and improve your performance in future assessments.

The optional module information listed for this programme is intended to be indicative, and the availability of optional modules may vary from year to year. Where a module is no longer available, we will let you know as soon as we can and help you to make other choices.

You can apply to study abroad for a year in an approved university around the world. If you achieve a grade of 2.1 or above in your first year, you will be eligible to apply for a Year Abroad in your second year. If your application is successful, you will go abroad in your third year and return to us for your final year.

To secure a place at Birmingham, you'll need to meet our general entry requirements as well as those specific to your course.

Number of A levels required: 3

BTEC qualifications

• BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM, plus a B at A level in the required subject/s mentioned above.
• BTEC Diploma: DD, plus a B at A level in the required subject/s mentioned above.
• BTEC Subsidiary Diploma: D, plus AB at A level, including the required subject/s mentioned above.

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

Applicants who take the EPQ and meet our offer criteria will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower plus a grade A in the EPQ. This offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice.

Core Maths qualification

Applicants who take the Core Maths qualification and meet our offer criteria will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower plus a grade A in Core Maths. If you are also taking A-level Maths, you will not be eligible for an alternative offer through studying Core Maths. This offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice.

English language requirements

If you are an international student, you will need to demonstrate you have a suitable level of English proficiency, usually through the form of an IELTS or equivalent qualification or a Presessional English course.

• TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing.
• IELTS: 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any band.
• Pearson Test of English (PTE): PTE 67 with no less than 64 in all four skills.
• Cambridge English(exams taken from 2015): Cambridge English: Advanced Minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component
• Language Cert ESOL SELT (UKVI): B2 ‘Communicator’ with no less than 33 in each skill
• Trinity ISE II: Not applicable
• Trinity ISE III: Pass in each Skill

Presessional English courses

If you have a conditional offer for Birmingham where English is a requirement, you can take a Presessional English course as an alternative to retaking IELTS or a similar qualification. We offer on-campus courses all year round starting from September, including additional online courses in the summer term. Teaching takes place in small classes with no more than 18 students to maximise class participation.

*The University will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year. If Parliament agrees on an increase in tuition fees, the University will increase fees for each year of study, normally in line with these changes and will communicate any change in the fees to you without delay. The fee for September 2025 entry was £9,535 for UK students. If you are applying for 2026 entry, you will be advised of the annual tuition fee once it is confirmed by the Government.

Undergraduate loans

To help with the cost of studies, undergraduate students from the UK can apply for student finance through the Student Loans Company. The support available is made up of a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan which helps to cover living costs.

Scholarships, grants and bursaries

At Birmingham, we believe that financial worries should not be a barrier to accessing higher education. That’s why we offer a range of additional financial support for students through scholarships, bursaries and other awards.

View further information on how to apply for undergraduate courses, including advice for UK and overseas applicants.

• Intellectual analysis
• Critical thinking
• Articulate expression
• Oral presentation skills

These skills last a lifetime and qualify you for many possible career sectors, such as:

• Editorial
• Marketing
• Sales
• Events
• Law
• Teaching

Our English Literature students have gone on to secure roles such as 'Founder', 'Marketing Executive', and 'Project Manager', working for organisations such as:

• Penguin Random House
• BBC
• Amazon
• NHS

The University has commissioned Cturtle as our data partner for tracking our alumni destinations. The data above is a subset from 43,666 alumni who completed their course up to 31 July 2024.

Careers Network

Our aim is to make sure that success in your studies leads you on to a fulfilling career. Whatever you plan to do after your degree, the Careers Network offer support to help you identify your options, develop your skills and gain access to opportunities that propel you towards your career goal.

Our bustling campus with its beautiful grounds, friendly community, and excellent facilities will quickly make you feel at home. We offer you a huge variety of accommodation options in the UK’s second city, exciting activities to get involved in outside your studies, as well as all the support and advice you need.

Flexible programmes to suit you

Not sure what you want to study?

Explore your options for combining subjects and shape your degree around your interests, whilst developing key skills for the world of work.