English Literature and Philosophy

A BA English Literature and and Philosophy degree equips you to express your thoughts and ideas in a creative and convincing way. You’ll combine persuasive expression in the study of English Literature with different philosophical perspectives, as you discover how literary culture and society have influenced each other.

Delve into a range of complementary topics across literature and philosophy, including:
Decadents and Moderns
Romantics and Victorians
Digital Futures
Enterprising English
The Use of Genre: Nefarious Plots, Cheap Thrills and the Search for Meaning
Utopia/Dystopia
Being Good and Doing Right: Issues in Contemporary Moral Theory
Global Bioethics
Minds, Brains and Computers: Issues in the Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Nietzsche
Prejudice, Race and Gender
Reason and Belief: Topics in Epistemology
Science and Nature

You’ll build a degree focused on your particular interests, developing your reasoning and analytical skills. Make use of our wide-ranging work-based placements and employability-focused modules, ensuring that you graduate with sought-after experience of the creative industries.

Why study this course?

BA English Literature and Philosophy is for you if you want to:

Get a head start in the graduate market - kick-start your career with our employability modules, including options that provide a minimum of 70 hours' work experience within a sector you're interested in, assist organisations with developing, planning and pitching their business proposals and get involved with public engagement projects.

Go beyond the printed book - take advantage of the wide ranging expertise within our academic community and delve into the study of social media, marketing, textual production, video games, comics, art, music and film and TV.

Enjoy fantastic module variety - the amount of optional modules on offer will allow you to specialise more as you progress through your degree course, so that you can study areas of the discipline that interest you the most. Some module examples include Minds, Brains and Computers: Issues in Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Reasons to Believe: Topics in Epistemology and Fantastic Beasts and How to Understand them and Topics in Philosophy of Biology.

Get on board with the bard - where better to study Shakespeare than in the town where he was born! Make use of our internationally renowned Shakespeare Institute based in Stratford-upon-Avon and collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company and take part in fun and interactive study trips, such as the Stratford Residential, which includes creative sessions led by RSC artists and tickets to an RSC performance.

Live in a city that values the Arts and Humanities as much as you do - did you know that inspiration for parts of The Lord of the Rings came from our very own campus (our clock tower Old Joe is thought to be the black tower of Isengard)! Explore Birmingham’s literary scene and get involved with the numerous on-campus writers groups, including our very own newspaper, radio and TV stations. Delve into the various city-wide literature festivals and take advantage of our exceptional resources, including our special collections and archives in the Cadbury Research Library and the Library of Birmingham, Europe’s largest regional library.

Top 15 for English in the Complete University Guide 2025

11th for Philosophy in the Complete University Guide 2025

First-year modules cover a broad base of the subject and are designed to introduce you to ways of studying at university. By the final year the modules you take will become more specialised and reflect the research expertise of the academic staff. More detailed module information can be found on the ‘Course detail’ tab on the University of Birmingham’s coursefinder web pages.