English

English literature at its best is an invitation to see differently. It asks you to attend carefully to how language works, how stories construct the worlds we inhabit, and how texts produced in other times and places illuminate our own. At the University of Southampton, the BA in English is built on the conviction that our stories shape who we are, and that learning to read the books you love, and the world around you, with fresh eyes is one of the most valuable things a university education can offer.

You will study a wide range of literary texts across periods and forms, from medieval literature to contemporary fiction, developing the skills to analyse poetry, prose, drama, and other writing with precision and interpretive depth. The programme engages with literary history and with the critical and theoretical frameworks that illuminate how texts work and why they matter. Research methods, close reading, and extended essay writing are central to the degree, developing intellectual habits that are genuinely useful far beyond English studies.

The course includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement, making this a richly structured programme that gives you professional experience and international perspective alongside the academic content. The typical entry tariff is 136 UCAS points.

Graduates from English programmes go on to careers in publishing, journalism, education, communications, public relations, copywriting, the civil service, the charity sector, and arts administration. The reading, writing, and analytical skills the degree develops are highly transferable. Further study options include postgraduate degrees in English literature, creative writing, publishing, and education, as well as law conversion courses and professional qualifications.