English

Overview

Study English with us and you will develop a highly sought-after critical vocabulary.

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Through analysing world-changing writing from medieval epic to the latest fiction and poetry, your English degree can take you into a wide range of careers within the media, creative industries and beyond.

An English degree also encourages you to read in new ways. By studying English at QMUL, you will become a thoughtful, thorough and active reader who thinks intelligently about both what people have written (and are still writing) and about what it means to read and interpret their work.

You will be introduced to a wide range of critical and theoretical approaches to literary and non-literary texts, and you’ll discover how history, philosophy, psychology and a range of other disciplines can inform our understanding of literary works.

Why study English at Queen Mary?

English at QMUL has an international reputation for excellence. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), we were ranked first in the UK for Research Intensity. This means that throughout the Department we are producing world-leading research. But our academics are not just influential researchers; they are also dedicated teachers who are actively engaged in presenting a diverse range of themes in an accessible, friendly way.

We are a big English department, with lots of specialist staff, so you can personalise your degree and study the topics that most interest you. You’ll have tailored staff support, including plenty of individual help and advice on your work.

You’ll also get the opportunity to take modules in creative writing, and to contribute to student publications from student newspapers to literary anthologies.

Several members of staff are stars in their own right: for example, Professor Jerry Brotton, Professor Margaret Reynolds and Dr Shahidha Bari are regularly heard on radio and seen on TV discussing their ground-breaking work. You may have seen Jerry Brotton’s series on BBC4 on the history of maps. And we host literary events, festivals and poetry readings on campus.

Teaching takes place at our scenic Mile End canalside campus and our English degree makes full use of the literary and cultural resources London offers. This includes trips to the world’s most treasured cultural organisations, such as Shakespeare’s Globe, Victoria & Albert Museum, the British Library and the Museum of London.

Teaching and Assessment

You will be taught through a mixture of lectures and seminars. Lectures are given by our in-house experts, and can also feature guests such as industry experts, poets, curators and performers. Some lectures can also be reviewed as video podcasts. Modules may also include field trips, tutorials and workshops. These will often be free, although some trips will incur minimal costs for students, including travel within London and the purchasing of tickets to exhibitions and events (often at a group discount rate).

Most modules are assessed by coursework, often in the form of essays, but sometimes involving extended projects, presentations, log books and portfolios. Only a handful of modules are assessed by traditional exams.

For full information about life in the School and the programmes we offer, please see the School of English and Drama Website.

Study abroad

You can choose to apply for a four-year version of this degree with a full year abroad. We have links with universities around the world, including Europe, North America, Australia, and Asia (specific partnerships for each programme may vary).

While there are no extra tuition fees associated with these placements abroad, you will need to cover the cost of your transport to your destination and your living expenses, including accommodation.

Find out more about study abroad opportunities at QMUL.

Structure

This list gives some general guidance on which modules you will study during your degree, although these may vary from year to year. Visit our website to read fuller descriptions of these modules.

Year 1

Compulsory modules:

• Shakespeare
• Reading, Theory and Interpretation
• Literatures in Time: Texts and Contexts from the Eighth to the Sixteenth Century
• Poetry
• Narrative
• English in Practice 

From 2017 we are introducing the QMUL Model to all our degrees. In your first year, you’ll meet the requirements of the QMUL Model through the compulsory module Reading, Theory and Interpretation: approaches to the study of English Literature. In your second and final year, you’ll be able to choose modules from the School of English and Drama, and, depending on your degree programme, the School of History, or the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film, and elsewhere at Queen Mary. These modules will provide you with opportunities to develop skills related to networking, interdisciplinarity, global perspectives, and entrepreneurship. For further information on this initiative please visit QMUL Model.

Year 2

In your second year, you will select one module from each of Lists 1-3 (these lists reflect the broad range of periods covered at Queen Mary: List 1 offers Medieval and Early Modern options; List 2 offers Eighteenth-Century, Romantic, and Nineteenth-Century options; and List 3 offers Modern, Contemporary, and Postcolonial options). You will also take an additional 30 credits, either from List 4 modules or by selecting an additional module from Lists 1-3.

List 1

Arthurian Literature: From Geoffrey of Monmouth to Game of Thrones (ESH283) [30 credits]

Renaissance Literary Culture (ESH267) [30 credits]

Renaissance Drama (ESH280) [30 credits]

List 2

Representing London: Writing the Eighteenth Century City (ESH288) [30 credits]

Romantics and Revolutionaries (ESH286) [30 credits]

Victorian Fictions (ESH279) [30 credits]

List 3

Architexts (ESH243) [30 credits]

Modernism (ESH213) [30 credits]

Postcolonial and Global Literatures (ESH285) [30 credits]

List 4

List 4 comprises of a wide range of optional modules. You can get a sense of what might be on offer by viewing our English module directory.

Final Year

In your final year you take the English Dissertation. The remainder of the modules in your second and final years are optional, and you can choose from a list of optional modules which reflect your own particular interests.

Entry requirements

General Admission Entry Requirements can be found below.

2018 Entry requirements

Learning and teaching

Learning and Teaching:
We teach our programmes in a variety of ways, some traditional, some new. In your first year you will spend some of your time in lectures, which are always followed by smaller seminar groups.

Increasingly, we are making lectures available by video podcast so that you can refresh your memory of what was said and shown. All your teachers have weekly office hours and you are encouraged to make use of these for advice. We try to vary our teaching as much as possible so that you learn by encountering different situations and points of view. Many of our modules feature guest lecturers (professional writers and publishers, for example). Others make use of the unrivalled resources that London offers by taking you out of the classroom.

As you progress, you’ll spend more time in smaller classes where you’ll be expected to take more responsibility for your learning as you develop confidence and skills. But whatever the format, you’ll be taught by experts in their field who are passionate about their subject and committed to good teaching.

Independent Study:
For every hour spent in classes you will be expected to complete a further 2-3 hours of independent study. Your individual study time could be spent preparing for, or following up on formal study sessions; reading; producing written work; completing projects; and revising for examinations.

The direction of your individual study will be guided by the formal study sessions you attend, along with your reading lists and assignments. However, we expect you to demonstrate an active role in your own learning by reading widely and expanding your own knowledge, understanding and critical ability.

Independent study will foster in you the ability to identify your own learning needs and determine which areas you need to focus on to become proficient in your subject area. This is an important transferable skill and will help to prepare you for the transition to working life.

Assessment:
You will be assessed in a variety of ways. Some modules will be assessed by traditional exams, but the majority are assessed by coursework.

Coursework can mean essays, projects, individual or group presentations, log books, oral or memorisation tests. All coursework is compulsory because each piece of coursework contributes towards the final mark for a module.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees for Home and EU students

2018/19 Academic Year
Full-time £9,250

Tuition fees for International students

2018/19 Academic Year
Full-time £15,400

Graduate employment

Graduates from our English degree programmes go on to work in a wide variety of roles in a range of sectors, including teaching, the arts, publishing, the media, heritage and charitable organisations.

The national 2015 destination survey confirmed that 95 per cent of the School’s English graduates were in employment or study six months after graduation, with 80 per cent of this group already working or studying at graduate level.

Some of our most well-known alumni include writers Sarah Waters, JG Ballard, Conn Iggulden and TV comedy writer James Lamont.

The broad range of skills gained through our programmes, coupled with multiple opportunities for extracurricular activities and work experience, have enabled our students to move into careers in the arts, education, business and culture for world-renowned organisations such as:

• British Council
• Harper Collins
• Curzon PR
• Shakespeare’s Globe
• Historic Royal Palaces
• The Independent
• Rough Guides

Throughout the course, you have access to bespoke careers support to prepare you for graduate-level work.

A third-year module, Livelihoods in English, provides you with structured opportunities to consider and make action plans for the transition from university to working life by researching career, entrepreneurial, and further study opportunities for graduates of English, as new entrants into the world of work.

Careers support includes:

• Workshops tailored to help you identify your career options, train you in recruitment and selection methods and offer you networking opportunities. The careers programme has previously included: a journalism panel, with alumni speakers from the NME and the Huffington Post, public relations and publishing.
• Career Conversations: panels of alumni speaking about their roles and networking with students.

• Online support and vacancies: a dedicated Careers section online for both English and Drama, which has up-to-the-minute job opportunities, resources and advice.

• In-person support: one-to-one appointments with a Careers Consultant or Application Adviser for tailored careers advice and ongoing support.

• Careers events: with over 120 employer-led events a year.

• Access to opportunities: you can find jobs with smaller and specialist employers via QRecruit, in-School events and QM JobOnline.

• Enterprise support: for people interested in running their own commercial or social enterprise and those already doing it. For further details, please see page visit careers.qmul.ac.uk/enterprise

Work experience

We encourage you to build your work experience throughout your period of study. QProjects, our award-winning work experience scheme has a range of options open to you, from internships to part-time work, full-time jobs and volunteering.

You can also volunteer for our Students’ Union’s media outlets, which include QMTV, Quest Radio, The Print newspaper and CUB magazine.

Read more about our careers programmes and range of work experience opportunities on the QM Careers and Enterprise Centre pages.

Profiles

GRADUATE PROFILE

Name: Ruth Ingamells
Studied: BA English

Why did you choose to study at Queen Mary?
I chose to study at Queen Mary because I was interested in studying forms of narrative and exploring literary theory. I liked the wide range of topics, and the stress on coursework rather than exams.

What was the highlight of your time at Queen Mary?
The highlight of my time at Queen Mary has been the hands-on attitude to my dissertation. It by no means has been a spoon-feeding experience, but I have enjoyed the help and have greatly appreciated the advice I have been given. Overall, Queen Mary has helped me become an all-round better scholar.

How did you find life on campus?
I have really enjoyed my time on campus, especially because it means less travel. Having a campus university means it’s easier to make friends and see tutors.

What surprised you most about your course?
The wide range of topics I didn’t even know existed.

Which of the modules that you studied was your favourite?
‘Time, Narrative, and Culture’, ‘Post-Colonial Literature’ and ‘Palestine/Israel’, because I love the literature studied on these modules, and the way each one bleeds into modern political and philosophical thought.

Please visit the School of English and Drama website for more student and alumni profiles.