LONDON'S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
English BA
UCAS code: Q300
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/english
English BA
This programme aims to provide a historically
based overview of the literature of all periods,
together with opportunities to specialise in
particular periods of literature, in modern
English language, and in non-period courses.
Students are encouraged to develop their own
interests and may choose from a wide variety of
specialisms.
Degree summary
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Studying English at UCL provides you with an inspired setting: central
London has long been the centre of British literary life and you will be
surrounded by world-class libraries.
•
UCL was at the forefront of the establishment of English literature as
a university subject and the department is regularly ranked first in the
country (for example in the Guardian University Guide)
•
The English Department has a strong tradition of links with the literary
world. Practising writers are invited to give readings and there is a
writer-in-residence programme.
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In addition to core courses on Shakespeare and Chaucer the
undergraduate syllabus offers a wide range of optional courses in
many historical periods.
The first year of the English BA acts as a foundation for the two following
years, covering major narrative texts from the Renaissance to the
present, background texts from Homer to Freud and Barthes,
Anglo-Saxon and medieval writings and the study of critical method.
In the second and third years you will study compulsory courses on
Chaucer and Shakespeare, and will choose six further courses from a
wide range of options. American literature and literature in English from
other countries outside Europe feature strongly on several courses and
attention is paid to the study of film.
Your learning
We teach through lectures, seminars and tutorials. Our one-to-one
tutorial teaching is, we think, a unique provision in English departments in
the UK. Tutorials provide the opportunity to discuss with your tutor your
individual written work and academic progress, and for you to raise any
concerns or queries about your courses or other matters.
Most courses are assessed by three-hour question papers, but some
courses are examined by six-hour examinations with plain texts provided
of the author's complete works. You will be assessed in your third year by
a 6,000-word essay on a 'Special Subject' chosen by you with guidance
from your tutor.
Your career
Good graduates in English are articulate, can write clearly, undertake
research and can present evidence for and against a case, all of which
will make you highly employable.
Traditional career paths include publishing, journalism and teaching, but
English graduates are also sought by the civil service, local government,
finance, business, the media and film. Some of the destinations in recent
years have included Deloitte, Waterstones, Oxford University Press, the
BBC, Granada TV, Sotheby's and Reuters in New York.
Graduates have gone on to Master's or doctoral degrees and to teacher
training and law courses.
First career destinations of recent graduates (2010-2013) of this
programme include:
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Civil Servant (Fast Track), UK Government
Production Assistant, BBC
Publisher, Random House
Editorial Assistant, Vogue
Journalist, the Sunday Telegraph
Degree structure
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual courses,
normally valued at 0.5 or 1.0 credits, adding up to a total of 4.0 credits for
the year. Courses are assessed in the academic year in which they are
taken. The balance of compulsory and optional courses varies from
programme to programme and year to year. A 1.0 credit is considered
equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
Year One
Compulsory courses
Narrative Texts
Criticism
Intellectual and Cultural Sources
Introduction to Medieval Language and Literature
Optional courses
All first year courses are compulsory.
Year Two
Compulsory courses
Chaucer and his Literary Background
Optional courses
You will normally select 3.0 credits of optional courses (see list below).
Year Three
Compulsory courses
Shakespeare
Special Subject Essay
Course Assessment
Optional courses
You will normally select 3.0 credits of option courses, one of which would
normally be Commentary and Analysis.
Optional courses in the second and third years may include:
American Literature to 1890
Civil War and Restoration
History of the Language since Chaucer
Literary Linguistics
Literary Representation and the History of Homosexuality
London in Literature
Middle English Language
Modern English Literature
Old English Literature
Old Icelandic
Renaissance Literature
The Eighteenth Century
The Modern Period
The Romantic Period
The Victorian Period
Entry requirements
A levels
A level grades
AAA
A level subjects
English Literature (or combined Literature and
Language) required.
AS levels
For UK-based students a pass in a further subject
at AS level or equivalent is required.
GCSE
English Language at grade B, plus Mathematics
at grade C. For UK-based students, a grade C or
equivalent in a foreign language (other than
Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin) is
required. UCL provides opportunities to meet the
foreign language requirement following
enrolment, further details at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/ug-reqs
IB diploma
Selected UK-based candidates, whose UCAS applications meet our entry
criteria and include a strong personal statement, will be invited to
interview with two members of staff. After the interview you will be asked
to write a critical commentary on an unseen passage of prose or verse.
Fees
UK/EU fee
£9,000 (2016/17)
Overseas fee
£16,130 (2016/17)
Notes
Details about financial support are available at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/study/ug-finance
Contacts
Contact
Admissions Officer
Email
james.phillips@ucl.ac.uk
Telephone
+44 (0)20 7679 7122
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/english
IB points
38
Prospectus entry
Subjects
A total of 18 points in three higher level subjects
including English A1 grade 6, with no score below
5.
Key facts
Other qualifications
Full lists of all degree programmes and other entry requirements can be
found on our website at: www.ucl.ac.uk/otherquals
Undergraduate Preparatory
Certificates
UCL's Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPCs) are intensive
one-year foundation courses for international students of high academic
potential, who are aiming to gain access to undergraduate degree
programmes at UCL and other top UK universities.
For more information see our website: www.ucl.ac.uk/upc
Your application
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at
school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however,
applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United
Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
The personal statement on your application is of great importance as we
see it as an indicator of your ability to think and write about literature, and
your capacity and curiosity to learn. You should aim to give the fullest
possible account of your literary interests, and indicate the extent of your
reading outside your A level or other qualifying studies.
PDF Updated: February 19, 2016
Information correct at time of going to press. See website (www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/english) for latest information
Mr James Phillips
REF
85% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3*
(‘internationally excellent’)
Department
English Language and Literature
Faculty
Arts & Humanities