Program Overview

English Language and Literature BA

The English Language and Literature BA course is a unique integrated degree that explores how language and literature influence, inform, and inspire each other. Students can build a degree that follows their interests with a range of modules that focus on each discipline separately, as well as those that explore the relationship between the two.

Course Description

Throughout this course, students will learn from experts in the field, with world-leading research influencing the teaching. The course is designed to help students become adept researchers, critical thinkers, and digital media creators, with skills that will set them apart after graduation. Students will have the opportunity to grow their understanding of both the written and spoken word, developing their own writing, exploring that of others, and learning to present their ideas to a range of different audiences.

Modules

The course structure includes a range of core and optional modules. In the first year, all students take four core language modules worth a combined total of 60 credits. The remaining 40 credits can be used on modules from the list of optional English modules. Core modules include:

• Sounds and Structures of English
• Style in Language
• Contemporary Literature
• Reading Theatre and Film

Optional modules include:

• Hybrid Forms: Reading Genre
• Myth, Scripture and Story: Biblical and Classical Sources in English Literature
• Wonders, Warriors, and Werewolves: Intro to Medieval Literature and Language
• Early Englishes
• Darwin, Marx, Freud
• Language and Creativity
• Living Englishes
• History of English
• Linguistic Theory

In the second year, students will continue to build their fundamental knowledge of English Language and Literature, looking in depth at materials and developing their research skills. Example core modules include:

• History of Persuasion
• Narrative Experiments
• Literature and Critical Theory
• Language and Cognition

In the third year, students will hone their skills and work towards becoming an expert in the English Language and Literature, putting what they’ve learnt into practice with their final project. Example core modules include:

• Research Project 1
• Research Project 2

Learning and Assessment

Students will learn through a mix of lectures and group discussions (seminars). The school believes seminars are the best way to stimulate discussion and debate, ensuring every student has the opportunity to speak. Students will be assigned a personal tutor who will be on hand to support them through their studies with regular catch-ups.

Assessment will include a wide range of innovative methods, such as creating digital narratives, delivering presentations, developing practical research projects, and designing informative posters, in addition to traditional essays and exams.

Entry Requirements

The A Level entry requirements for this course are AAB. Other qualifications, such as International Baccalaureate, BTEC Extended Diploma, and Access to HE Diploma, are also accepted. Evidence of interest in language and linguistics, demonstrated through the Personal Statement, is also required. English language requirements include GCSE English Language at grade 4/C or an IELTS grade of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component.

Graduate Careers

Graduates of the English Language and Literature BA course have gone on to work in a variety of fields, including academic publishing, communications, copy editing, and copywriting. Companies that have employed graduates include the BBC, Boots UK, National Trust, Crown Prosecution Service, Good Things Foundation, and CNN.

Department

The School of English at the University of Sheffield is one of the largest English departments in the UK. It is a research-intensive school with an international perspective on English studies. 90% of the school's research is rated as world-leading (REF 2021).

University Rankings

The University of Sheffield is a world top-100 university, ranked 92nd in the QS World University Rankings 2026. It is also ranked as the number one university in the Russell Group for student experience, based on aggregate responses in the National Student Survey 2025.

Fees and Funding

Tuition fees for the English Language and Literature BA course are £9,535 for home students and £23,810 for overseas students. The university offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to help fund study, including automatic scholarships worth up to £10,000 for overseas fee-paying students.

Placements and Study Abroad

Students may have the opportunity to add an optional placement year as part of their course, converting the three-year course to a four-year Degree with Placement Year. The university also offers study abroad opportunities, with over 250 University partners worldwide. Popular destinations include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.