Program Overview

As our world hurtles from political upheaval to medical and climate emergencies, our English Literature degree helps you understand the stories that underpin our contemporary crises.

From society and race in classics like Shakespeare or Austen to modern American culture, and from twenty-first century gothic to love and criminality in the eighteenth century, our literature degree is relevant, vibrant, and inspiring. Its unique selling point is the work we do through our cultural partners to give students the chance to apply their literary study outside the university.

What stories will you learn to tell in our changing world?

Studying Literature at Northumbria lets you bring together your passion for human stories while making practical steps into your future career.

You will engage with the heritage industry in a unique module designed with a major regional gallery. And we introduce you to the world of publishing and book-making , potentially leading to our unique MA in Publishing with partners Hachette and New Writing North.

Meanwhile, for those looking to inspire the next generation of literature lovers, you can opt to begin your teaching experience with a module focused on learning how to be a tutor of students in schools or colleges.

Your voice is vital in our seminar groups and small discussions. We bring students together to read and talk about texts and stories from day one. We introduce you to themes of huge relevance today, such as gender and equality, or the power of poetry to capture a cultural moment or a new social obsession. All your work leads up to your major project, a dissertation where you make your own mark in the world of literary studies.

Students will also have the option to extend their studies, either taking a placement year in industry or opting to study abroad in the likes of mainland Europe or North America.

The uniqueness of our Literature degree lies in how it brings together the study of stories and how we tell them across hundreds of years, with a contemporary focus on your career, helping you take your cultural understanding into the twenty-first century world of work.

90% of students believed that this course provided them with opportunities to explore ideas and concepts in depth. (NSS, 2022).

See other similar courses you may be interested in: English Literature and Creative Writing