BA English Literature and Digital Media and Communications

Start date
September
Duration
3 Years
UCAS code
PQ30
Course Type
Undergraduate, Joint Honours combined
Fees

Annual tuition fees for 2024/25:
£9,250 (UK)
£22,860 (International)
More detail.

Investigate time-honoured stories and narratives alongside contemporary communication landscapes with a BA English Literature and Digital Media and Communications at the University of Birmingham. Your education will cover the many ways we talk to one another – face-to-face conversation, news and social media, classical literature, cinema and theatre and beyond.

This innovative degree path combines the timeless impact of literature with the dynamic variety of digital communications. At the University of Birmingham, you will engage deeply with diverse cultures and historical narratives through the lens of English Literature, all while honing your ability to engage critically with multiple forms of communication – from face-to-face conversation, the news, social media, TV, AI and beyond – and to explore how media shapes communication globally. 

You’ll explore a combination of literary specialisms and key principles in digital cultures, media studies and professional communication, with opportunities to study subjects such as: 

  • Creative practice, including filmmaking, podcasting and writing
  • Discourse analysis
  • Marketing and communications
  • Programming
  • Sustainability and environmental politics
  • Fantasy and fandom 
  • Shakespeare
  • Dystopian fiction
  • Women’s writing   

By offering you a balance of classroom-based study and practical, hands-on creative learning in our state-of-the-art facilities, including language labs, studio spaces and editing suites, this programme will get you graduate-ready for roles in sectors as varied as advocacy, the creative arts, journalism, media, marketing, publishing and many more.   

Unlock the potential to tailor your learning experience at an elite Russell Group institution through optional modules in Creative Writing, Film Studies, and English Language, as well as opportunities to explore diverse topics across departments. 

You may also be interested in the BA Digital Media and Communications programme.

International undergraduate scholarships available in the College of Arts and Law

We are proud to offer 10 scholarships to international students in the form of £3,000 tuition fee awards for year one entry only.

Learn more about our scholarships and apply

I love studying English at Birmingham. You are taught new fields of study and apply them to texts to see them in a new light. My favourite is postcolonial criticism, as you see how racial identities are portrayed across time and how they have changed.

David

Why study this course?

Our undergraduate BA English Literature and Digital Media and Communications degree is for you if you want to: 

  • Develop your love of literature - our staff will support you to you to share in their passion for literary writing of all kinds, from Shakespearean drama to Romantic poetry to postcolonial fiction.
  • Get a head start in the graduate market – take advantage of our workbased placements and employability focused modules and enter the workplace with the skills required to shape the digital and creative agendas of the future.
  • Go beyond the printed book - take advantage of the wide-ranging expertise within our academic community and explore the study of art, comics, film, marketing, music, social media, textual production, theatre, TV and video games.
  • Engage in interdisciplinary learning with the experts – draw on the unique specialisms of researchers and practitioners in the School of English, Drama and Creative Studies and blend theoretical learning with practice led teaching in digital studies, new media and communication from an elite Russell Group institution.
  • Live and study in a city that values literature as much as you do – explore our exceptional resources, including our 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. Get involved with  numerous on-campus writers' groups, including our very own newspaper, radio and TV stations and delve into the various citywide literature festivals.

Modules

Please note: You'll take 120 credits of modules in each year of study. The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. Unless indicated otherwise, the modules listed for this programme are for students starting in 2024. On rare occasions, we may need to make unexpected changes to compulsory modules; in this event, we'll contact offer-holders as soon as possible to inform or consult them as appropriate.

First year

Compulsory modules

  • Media History and Technologies 
  • Theories of Communication
  • English in the World
  • Poetry 
  • Prose
  • Reading English 
  • Discovering Creative Practice 

Detailed descriptions of compulsory first year modules

Second year

Optional modules

Students choose 120 credits of optional modules. Credits must be balanced evenly across semesters. Students must take a minimum of 2 English Literature and 2 Digital Media and Communications modules.

List of optional second year modules

Year Abroad

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.

More about a Year Abroad

Final year

Compulsory module

  • English Literature Dissertation OR
  • Digital Media and Communications Project

Optional modules

  • 80 credits of optional modules. Students must complete a minimum of 40 credits in both English Literature and Digital Media and Communications.  

Detailed descriptions of compulsory final year modules and list of optional modules

Fees

For UK students beginning their studies in September 2024, the University of Birmingham will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year. The fees for your first year of study will therefore be £9,250. Visit our tuition fees page for more information.

Fees for 2024/25 are as follows:

  • UK: £9,250
  • International: £22,860

Eligibility for fees can be verified with Admissions. Learn more about fees for international students.

For further information on tuition fees, living costs and available financial support, please see our pages on undergraduate fees and funding.


Tuition fees when studying abroad

For those spending a whole academic year abroad (where available):

  • Students who are classed as UK for fees purposes are required to pay 15% of their normal annual tuition fee
  • Students who are classed as International for fee purposes are required to pay 50% of their normal annual tuition fee

For those studying abroad for just one semester (where available), normal annual tuition fees apply.

Note - Study abroad opportunities vary between courses; please see the course description for details of study abroad options offered.

How To Apply

Standard offer

International Requirements



Number of A levels required:
3
Typical offer:
AAB
Required subjects and grades:
A level English Literature (English Language and Literature A level also accepted)
General Studies:
Not accepted.

IB Diploma:
6,6,5 in Higher level subjects, including English Literature or English Language and Literature, plus 32 points overall.

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.

Other qualifications are considered - learn more about entry requirements.

Alternative offers through our Pathways to Birmingham programmes and our Contextual Offer scheme

Students who are eligible and successfully complete a Pathways to Birmingham programme will receive special consideration from admissions tutors and an alternative offer (typically two grades below the standard offer). In addition, our Contextual Offer Scheme recognises the potential of students whose personal circumstances may have restricted achievement in school or college. If you are eligible to benefit from the contextual offer scheme, you will receive an offer which is one grade lower than the standard offer.

International Students

We welcome applications from international students and invite you to join our vibrant community of over 4500 international students who represent 150 different countries. We accept a range of qualifications, our country pages show you what qualifications we accept from your country.

Depending on your chosen course of study, you may also be interested in one of our foundation pathways, which offer specially structured programmes for international students whose qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to UK universities. Further details can be found on Birmingham International Academy web pages.

Support

You will have access to a comprehensive support system to help you make the transition to higher education when you start at Birmingham. 

Personal tutors – You will be assigned your own personal tutor who will get to know you as you progress through your studies. They will provide academic support and advice to enable you to make the most of your time here at Birmingham.

Wellbeing Officers –You will also have access to dedicated wellbeing officers who provide professional support, advice and guidance to students across a range of issues. They can meet with you to discuss extensions, disabilities, reasonable adjustments, extenuating circumstances, or to talk through any problems you might be experiencing, and help you access wider support on campus and beyond if you need it.

Our Academic Skills Centre helps you to become a more effective and independent learner through a range of high-quality support services. The centre offers workshops on a range of topics, such as note-taking, reading, academic writing and presentation skills.

The Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) provides guidance on writing essays and dissertations if you need it. You can receive individual support from an academic writing advisor and meet with postgraduate tutors who specialise in particular subjects too.

Our Student Experience Team will help you get the most out of your academic experience. They offer research opportunities, study skills support, and help you prepare for your post-university career. They also organise social events, including trips.

Teaching staff

Students at the University of Birmingham are taught by a mixture of professors, senior lecturers, lecturers and doctoral researchers, thereby receiving a rich diversity of academic knowledge and experience. Many of our teaching staff have published important works about their areas of expertise, whilst others have taught at international institutions and can offer unique perspectives of their subjects.

You can find out more about the members of staff (including their qualifications, publication history and specific areas of interest) in their academic profiles linked below.

Contact Hours

All Birmingham degrees are set within a credit framework designed to measure your academic achievements. We expect all students to accumulate 120 credits in each full year of study which is equivalent to 40 hours of learning a week. Learning is considered to include contact learning (lectures and seminars), private study, revision and assessment.

For this programme, those 40 hours are estimated to be broken down and split into lectures, seminars and other guided teaching opportunities and then independent study. This is a general rule across the entire academic year and may change week by week.

  • Year 1: 20% Lectures, seminars or similar and 80% Independent study
  • Year 2: 15% Lectures, seminars or similar and 85% Independent study
  • Year 3: 10% Lectures, seminars or similar and 90% Independent study

Assessment Methods

Assessments - you will be assessed in a variety of ways to help you transition to a new style of learning. At the beginning of each module, you will be given information on how and when you will be assessed. Assessments methods will vary with each module and could include:

  • coursework, such as essays
  • group and individual presentations
  • and exams

Feedback - you will receive feedback on each assessment within three weeks, so you can learn from each assignment. You will also be given feedback on any exams that you take. If you should fail an exam, we will ensure that particularly detailed feedback is provided to help you prepare for future exams.

The teaching, assessments, employability modules and work placements throughout our BA Digital Media and Communications and English undergraduate degree are designed to prepare you for the world of work.

You’ll develop the capacity to think critically about a range of topics, argue, defend and advocate for your positions in presentations and written work and respond creatively to real-world tasks. You’ll have the optional opportunity to study on a number of challenge-based modules, responding to live briefs from local, national and international partners, as well as spending time on placement with one of our local partner organisations in the creative arts, heritage, social enterprise or charity sector.

Past graduates from the School of English, Drama and Creative Studies have gone on to work in editing, literary agency, publishing, advertising, commerce, events management, law, marketing, media, public services, PR, teaching and TV production. Employers have included the BBC, Cosmopolitan, Headline Publishing Group, Mirror Group Newspapers, Oxford University Press and STUDIOCANAL.

Developing your career

The University of Birmingham is the 3rd most targeted university by the country’s top graduate employers according to The Graduate Market 2023 report [PDF - 1.4MB]. Our Careers Network are here to offer you tailored, expert advice on your career plans and support you with finding and applying for jobs, internships and further study. There are hundreds of events to help you meet potential employers and learn more about the breadth of opportunities and career sectors available to you.

Support will be offered to you covering the whole job application process, including CVs, LinkedIn, application forms, interviews and assessment centres.  You can also email our experienced Careers Advisors and College Teams to review your applications or answer any careers related question, alongside our on campus and online 1:1 appointments.

We have a number of exclusive Internship Programmes such as our Cultural Internships, which will give you paid, professional experience to set you apart in the graduate market. We also offer work experience bursaries, which allow you to apply for funding to support you during any unpaid internships. 

First years can take part in The Birmingham Project, with themes including celebrating arts and culture and shaping a global society. There’s also a successful Mentoring Programme, where you can gain access to experienced Mentors who can empower, inspire and inform you about their experiences.  As a University of Birmingham student you will also be given access to LinkedIn Learning giving free access to real world training courses to kick-start your careers.

If you want to earn money WorkLink advertises convenient part-time job opportunities on campus to fit round your studies.  

Extra-curricular activities

To enhance your career prospects even further, you may want to engage in extra-curricular activities to broaden your skills and your network of contacts. Our employer-endorsed, award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme.

There are more than 500 student groups and volunteering opportunities offered by the Guild of Students (our Students’ Union) so you’re bound to find activities that you want to be involved in whilst meeting friends who share your interests.