English Literature

Studying an undergraduate English degree at the University of Birmingham will enable you to explore past and present cultures and societies, through a wide range of perspectives and in a variety of different literary genres.

Our internationally renowned academic staff offer a huge range of literary specialisms across the full historical range to the present day. Our degree offers you an exciting core programme in English Literature, while also giving you the opportunity to explore pathways in the closely related fields of Creative Writing, Film Studies and English Language. You will have access to unparalleled resources for the study of Shakespeare, through our world leading Shakespeare Institute, not only looking at the poetry and plays of Shakespeare himself, but how these works have been interpreted, reworked and reimagined by diverse audiences.

Why study this course?

Personalise your degree – read and write about the writing and authors that mean most to you: our course gives you the option to study everything from Old English to last year's novels; you can also incorporate optional modules across a vast range of literary genres.

Do more than read books – take advantage of the wide ranging expertise within our academic community and delve into the study of art, comics, film, marketing, music, social media, textual production, theatre, TV and video games.

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 and study in a city that values literature as much as you do – explore our exceptional resources, including our Cadbury Research Library, consisting of over 200,000 rare books dating from 1471, as well as the Library of Birmingham, Europe’s largest regional library. Get involved with the numerous on-campus writers’ groups, including our very own newspaper, radio and TV stations and delve into the various citywide literature festivals.

12th for English in the Complete University Guide 2024

26th for English Language and Literature in the QS World Subject Rankings 2024

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