Ranking
3rd
for English in the UK
Facilities for students in the College of Arts and Law
From podcasting to brain monitoring, our state-of-the-art facilities empower our students to create, perform, collaborate and explore in new and exciting ways.
Course overview
Whether you want to walk in Shakespeare’s footsteps or unpick the latest trends in romantasy, BA English Literature at the University of Birmingham will help you define your own literary adventure. Come to Brum and write the next chapter of your story.
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.
My favourite module has been Children's Literature - it was shocking to learn that I could study childhood books in university! It's been really interesting to explore children's literature from an analytical, adult and literary perspective and from a child's perspective, and then compare the two.
Approach your degree from another perspective with our BA Liberal Arts programme. This may offer you an alternative way to study modules in your preferred subject areas.
We're University of the Year 2027
By choosing Birmingham, you'll be joining the Daily Mail University of the Year 2027.
With outstanding graduate employability outcomes and high student satisfaction just two of the reasons for our success, there has never been a better time to join us.
Join our mailing list
Sign up to our mailing list to stay up to date with our latest events, scholarships and subject news.
Course highlights
- 3rd
for English in the UK
Guardian University Guide 2027
National Student Survey (NSS)
We are committed to providing high-quality teaching, learning and support. Our strong results in the most recent NSS (2026) show that our students are happy with their experience. The University of Birmingham has been ranked 1st in the Russell Group, with English among 16 subject areas that have been placed at number one.
For English, we have been ranked 1st in the Russell Group across three themes:
- Learning opportunities
- Assessment and feedback
- Organisation and management
At Birmingham, studying English Literature opens up a world of opportunity. Join in on everything from city-wide literature festivals to department exhibitions and archival work, learning from experts that regularly contribute to the modern media landscape.
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 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 connects our students and researchers to over 125 creative and cultural organisations. This network offers exciting collaborative opportunities for students, ranging from workshops and talks to exhibitions and performances, and from research projects to student work experience programmes.
Try before you apply!
We’ve partnered with Springpod to create a Subject Spotlight on English Literature, presented by our very own Professor John Holmes. This Spotlight provides a way for you to find out what it would be like to study an English Literature and Creative Writing degree.
Talk to our students
Hear more about studying at Birmingham. Chat to one of our friendly students to find out more about your favourite course, our beautiful campus and life in our vibrant and cultural city.
Course delivery
Study at the University of Birmingham and learn from world-class experts — leaders in global teaching and research experience.
Lecture
Seminar
Tutorial
- 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.
Module information
The modules listed for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods.
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.
Year 1
Year 1
Orients you in the study of literature at university, giving you a broad historical grounding alongside the critical and analytical skills to make sense out of anything you read. Expand your literary encounters through an ‘Approaches’ module.
2026/27 Session
The following must be taken:
Optional modules:
Students should choose one 'Approaches' option from the following list (parts A & B must be taken together):
Year 2
Year 2
Hone your interests through optional modules focussing on literary periods (e.g. Aspects of Modernism, Reading the Renaissance, Our Digital World) or on themes that cut across period (e.g. The Gothic, Sexuality and Gender Studies).
2027/28 Session
Students will be expected to complete 20 credits in each of four period families (Medieval, Early Modern and 18th C, the Long Nineteenth Century, and 20th-21st century) as well as Shakespeare in their first two years of study.
Students must choose three modules per semester. At least four English Literature modules must be taken.
Block A:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Gothic | 20 |
| Imagined Worlds: Genre Fiction and Popular Culture | 20 |
| Shakespeare: Elizabethan | 20 |
Block B:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Eighteenth-Century and Romantic Literature | 20 |
| Literature 1950-Present | 20 |
| Restoration and Revolution | 20 |
Block C:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Earliest English | 20 |
| Popular Fiction Before the Novel | 20 |
| Reading the Renaissance | 20 |
Block D:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Colonial/Postcolonial | 20 |
| Literature and Environment: Crisis and Resistance | 20 |
| Shakespeare: Jacobean | 20 |
Block E:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Our Digital World | 20 |
| Rags and Riches: Wealth and Poverty in American Literature and Culture | 20 |
| The Social Life of Literature | 20 |
Block F:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Aspects of Modernism | 20 |
| Gender and Sexuality Studies | 20 |
| Victorian Literature | 20 |
Students are able to follow a pathway in one of the following disciplines through stages 2 and 3:
• Creative Writing
• Film
• English Language
Students who choose to follow a pathway are required to take two modules in their chosen pathway at stage 2, one module in semester 1 and one module in semester 2. Students who choose to follow a pathway at stage 2 are not required to continue studying their chosen pathway at stage 3.
Students who do not follow a pathway at stage 2 will be unable to follow a pathway at stage 3.
It is not permissible to change pathway between stages 2 and 3.
Students not following a pathway may choose one Employability module.
Creative Writing pathway modules
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| British Theatre | 20 |
| Drama and Media Writing | 20 |
| Editing: Theory & Practice | 20 |
Film pathway modules:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Film Genre | 20 |
| Film Theory and Criticism | 20 |
English Language pathway modules
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Stylistics | 20 |
| The Structure of English | 20 |
Year 3
Year 3
Realise your ambitions through a 10,000-word dissertation on a topic you develop, alongside a series of optional, research-focussed modules, ranging from single-author studies (e.g. George Orwell, Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen) to thematic explorations (e.g. The Figure of the Witch: 1400-1700, Multiple Voices: New York City Poetics, 1960-a1985).
2028/29 Session
The following must be taken:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Dissertation in English Literature | 40 |
Students must choose two modules per semester. Optional modules: Students must choose at least two English Literature modules. Optional modules: A maximum of one module from each of English Literature Blocks A, B, C and D can be chosen. Optional modules: Students who chose to follow a pathway at stage 2 may continue to follow the same pathway at stage 3. Students following a pathway must choose two modules in their chosen pathway at stage 3, one in each semester. Optional modules: Students not following a pathway may choose one Employability module.
BLOCK A
BLOCK B:
Block C:
BLOCK D:
Employability Modules:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Professional Skills | 20 |
| Professional Skills - Freelance | 20 |
Film pathway modules
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Adaptation: Theory and Practice | 20 |
| Children's Film and Television | 20 |
| Film and Television Authorship | 20 |
| Screen Performance | 20 |
| Screenwriting: Film | 20 |
Creative Writing modules
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Adaptation: Theory and Practice | 20 |
| Extreme Fictions | 20 |
| Sympathetic Texts | 20 |
English Language modules
Professional Skills module
The Professional Skills Module allows students to take part in an internship that they can apply for from a bank of placements provided by the college, or an internship that they land by themselves externally, as a means of promoting hands-on learning.
Intercalated opportunities
In the College of Arts and Law, we're committed to helping you become career-ready. With our intercalated options, we offer undergraduate students the opportunity to take an additional year and dive into industry, language and more.
Entry requirements
To secure a place at Birmingham, you'll need to meet our general entry requirements as well as those specific to your course.
- A Level
AAB - see below for full requirements.
- IB
6,6,5 - 32 points overall.
- BTEC
BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM.
Number of A levels required: 3
A levels
We prefer applications from students with at least one A level in an Arts, Humanities or Social Science subject.
If an applicant is not taking either A Level English Literature or A level English Language and Literature, then we require at least a grade 7 in GCSE English Literature.
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 B 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 B 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.
Music performance
Applicants who have achieved (or who will achieve) any level 3 graded examination in music performance at grade 8 or above (e.g. ABRSM, Rockschool, Trinity College London) and outline that on their UCAS application will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower plus the Music qualification. This alternative offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice.
High-level sports
Applicants who play sport at county level or above will be made the typical offer for their programme of choice, plus an alternative offer which will be one grade lower. This alternative offer would apply if you make Birmingham your firm choice. If you have already received a one grade reduction through one of our performance athlete schemes (e.g. our Elite Dual Career Athlete Pathway programme), then you will not receive an additional reduction - we will apply a maximum one grade reduction on an offer.
International entry requirements
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 iBT tests taken before January 2026: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 20 in Listening, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing.
- TOEFL iBT tests taken from January 2026: 4.5 Overall with no less than 4.5 in two skills and 4 in two skills
- 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.
Alternative Offers
Students who are eligible and complete a Pathways to Birmingham programme will receive an alternative offer, which is typically two grades below the standard offer.
Our Contextual Offer scheme
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. You don’t need to apply for this – it will be assessed and applied at the point of application if you’re eligible.
- Pathways to Birmingham
BBB and successful completion of the Pathways to Birmingham scheme.
- Contextual Offer
ABB You'll need to be eligible to receive a Contextual Offer.
Fees and scholarships
The University tuition fee covers the cost of your tuition, examination and graduation, and includes membership of the Guild of Students.
- £10,050
per year for domestic (UK) students for 2027/28
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.
Financial support for Home students
If you're a UK student and starting university in September 2026, find out more about what financial support is available to you.
Financial support for International students
We want to help you reach your full potential. Explore our wide variety of scholarships available for international students.
Application process
Whatever your journey to university looks like, we’re here to support you every step of the way. For all undergraduate courses at Birmingham, you apply online through UCAS. The UCAS website has lots of information and advice around the process.
- 14 January 2026
Application deadline for September 2026 entry. Applications close at 18:00 GMT.
View further information on how to apply for undergraduate courses, including advice for UK and overseas applicants.
Ask us a question
If you have a question about our admissions process, including how to apply, your offer and how to track your application, please speak to our team.
Career opportunities
Studying a degree in English at Birmingham is an unparalleled opportunity to not only engage with a diverse cultural, textual and linguistic discipline, but also to develop highly sought-after skills:
- 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.
- 2nd
We’re consistently one of the top UK universities targeted by leading graduate employers
High Fliers ‘Graduate Market in 2026’ report
Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique.
Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations.
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.
Built in Birmingham. Forged for the future.
Hear from some of our inspiring alumni who have gone on to work for leading employers such as the UK Space Agency and BBC Sport.
Upcoming events
There are currently no upcoming events
Student experience
Your experience studying at Birmingham will give you the opportunity to discover new experiences, develop different skills and make friends for life.
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.
Accommodation
Coming to Birmingham to study might be your first time living away from home. In our student accommodation, you can enjoy your independence in safe, welcoming and sociable surroundings.
Birmingham: a city built for students
Our cosmopolitan city has a unique history and so much to see and do. With an ever-changing food and drink scene, a vibrant nightlife and plenty of culture, our city is more than somewhere to study.
Student support
Whoever you are and wherever you come from, we are committed to providing the best possible support to our students, both before you start and throughout your time on campus.
Campus life
Our beautiful campus is the place where our diverse community comes together to learn and socialise. Like a town of its own, it’s just minutes from the hustle and bustle of the UK’s second city.
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.
Intercalated years
Our intercalated opportunities offer the chance to take a year out from your existing course to study within another field. This takes place usually between year 2 and year 3 of your programme.
Take a virtual tour
Explore our beautiful campus from wherever you are. Get a feel for the wide range of historic and modern spaces and state-of-the-art facilities.