English

English at Queen's University of Belfast is a degree that explores literatures in English in the widest possible sense: from the earliest Anglo-Saxon writings through medieval, Renaissance, and Romantic periods to contemporary Irish, British, and global literatures. It is a discipline that takes literature seriously as both art and historical record, examining texts in their cultural, historical, and material contexts and developing the close reading, critical analysis, and written argumentation that rigorous literary study demands. The programme at Queen's also engages with the history, structure, and everyday function of the English language itself, alongside creative writing modules that allow students to develop their own practice in prose fiction, poetry, and scriptwriting.

This three-year full-time programme places you in a city with a rich and complex literary heritage. Belfast has produced significant writers across all periods, and the connections between the literature of Ireland and the broader tradition of literatures in English make it a particularly fertile location for the discipline. You will work with some of the leading writers working in the UK and Ireland alongside the academic study of literature, giving the programme a living connection to contemporary creative practice.

You will develop sophisticated reading and interpretive skills, the ability to construct and sustain extended analytical arguments, research competence in literary and archival sources, and clear, precise academic writing. The language modules add a further dimension, developing your understanding of how English works as a system and how it has changed over time.

Graduates from English programmes at a research-intensive university pursue careers in publishing, journalism, education, the civil service, law, arts administration, writing, and a wide range of other fields. Postgraduate study in English, creative writing, or a related humanities or professional discipline is a natural continuation for those who wish to develop further.