Program Overview

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English Literature and Publishing

BA (Hons)

Overview

Turn your passion for words into a practical skill set. Learn to shape stories, information and ideas for print, digital and beyond with our English Literature and Publishing degree.

Why choose this combination?

Learning to read, think about and interpret literature can inform and enhance the ways we communicate - and publishing is a natural outlet for expressing these different perspectives. Publishing is one of the UK’s largest creative industries, which shapes and presents content across a wide range of subjects and for a variety of publications, from books and magazines to innovative apps and websites.

What you'll learn

• Explore literature though diverse perspectives and communicate ideas in engaging and creative ways.
• Develop practical skills in copywriting, editing, layout, web and project management, and work on real-life projects and briefs.
• Graduates from this course have gone on to work with leading employers including Oxford University Press, Penguin Random House and Future Publishing.

Joint #5 in the UK and #1 in the South West for Graduate Prospects in English (Guardian University Guide 2025)

• #3 in the South West overall for English (Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)
• #3 in the UK for Satisfaction with Feedback in Journalism (Guardian University Guide 2025)
• #1 in the South West for Continuation in Journalism (Guardian University Guide 2025)

Course structure

Year one

The first year will introduce you to key elements and concepts in both subjects. You’ll develop your skills with a broad curriculum of core modules in Publishing and English Literature.

Year two

Alongside core modules in both subjects, you’ll be able to choose from a selection of Publishing and English Literature modules that cover a wide range of genres and topics, including a number that involve working with creative industries or local communities.

Year three

The final year follows the mix of required and optional modules from year two, but with an additional emphasis on developing your final projects. You’ll be encouraged to develop your individual approach as a creator, curator or project manager; your final Publishing portfolio will reflect this, showcasing your work for prospective employers. In your English studies, you can choose from a variety of final projects (previously, students have created digital resources, worked at literary festivals and produced educational materials, to name a few examples).

Optional modules cover book commissioning, children’s publishing, and cross-platform digital publishing.

Assessment

Assessment is based mainly on coursework. Depending on your module choices, coursework may include portfolios, essays, journals, feature articles, reflective commentaries, seminar presentations, collaborative magazines and reports. In some modules you’ll share your work through short, informal presentations.

Teaching

You’ll be taught through a mix of tutorials, creative workshops, skills labs, seminars and lectures. You’ll learn to be adept at project management and product development following a research and development process. We work on-screen and beyond: creating sketchbooks; making physical prototypes; getting out and meeting people; finding opportunities.

Throughout the course, you’ll work to briefs set by your tutors or industry collaborators, as well as working on your own projects.

Professional placement year

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Facilities and resources

The course is taught at our stunning Newton Park campus, where you’ll be surrounded by wildlife and beautiful eighteenth century landscaping.

You'll have access to a range of excellent facilities, including:

• Commons building with its state-of-the-art classrooms, study spaces and café
• Digital labs (Mac rooms) for students learning new media
• Virtual Learning Environment to support you in your modules
• Library and Digital Learning Spaces
• Writing and Learning Centre
• English Language Unit
• Specialist Library resources and dedicated Subject Librarian
• Courses on LinkedIn Learning.

Fees

2025 entry

• UK full time: £9,535
• UK part time: £4,768
• International full time: £17,430

Professional Placement Year

During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students.

• UK: £1,905
• International: £3,486

Additional course costs

You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.

Entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below:

• A Level – grades BBB-BCC including a Grade B in English or a related subject.
• BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) in a related subject.
• T Levels – grade Merit preferred in a relevant subject.
• International Baccalaureate – a minimum of 32 points are required with a minimum of grade 5 in English at Higher Level.
• Access to HE courses – typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, at Merit or higher).

If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.

English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants

IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.

Contact us

Admissions: +44 (0)1225 876 112 Email: admissions@bathspa.ac.uk

Course leader: Dr Stephen Gregg (English Literature) Email: s.gregg@bathspa.ac.uk

Course leader: Neil Baber (Publishing) Email: n.baber@bathspa.ac.uk

Related courses

• English Literature
• Publishing
• Journalism and Publishing
• Creative Writing

Key facts

• Award: BA (Hons) English Literature and Publishing
• School/s: School of Writing, Publishing and the Humanities
• Campus or location: Newton Park
• Course length: Three years full time, or four years full time with professional placement year. Part time available.
• UCAS codes: Institution Code: B20, Course Code: HH36 or HH37, Campus Code: A,BSU