English Literature

English literature is the study of written works in the English language as objects of aesthetic, cultural and historical interest. It asks you to read carefully, to think about the relationship between literary form and meaning, and to understand texts as products of particular times and places while also engaging with them as enduring imaginative achievements. It is a discipline that develops some of the most transferable intellectual skills a university education can offer.

At Northumbria University in Newcastle you will follow this three-year full-time programme, reading widely across literary history from the early modern period to the contemporary, developing close reading skills alongside the ability to situate texts within broader cultural and historical frameworks. The programme includes a placement year, which introduces a professional dimension to your literary training and allows you to apply the analytical, communication and research skills you have developed in a real-world context. A year abroad is also part of the programme, broadening your perspective by immersing you in a different academic culture and expanding your understanding of how English literature looks from outside the UK.

Together these features make the degree considerably more than a purely academic exercise.

The subject trains attentiveness to language in all its dimensions, the capacity to build and sustain a well-reasoned argument, and the intellectual confidence to engage with complex and ambiguous material. These are capabilities that prove useful across an enormous range of careers and professional contexts.

Graduates from English literature programmes work in publishing, journalism, broadcasting, education, law, marketing, public relations, the civil service, the cultural sector and many other fields. The degree is also a strong foundation for postgraduate study in literary studies, creative writing, cultural history, education or any discipline that requires the ability to research, analyse and communicate effectively.