Welcome to the Department of English Language and Literature at UCL

UCL’s English Department has, throughout its history, been a pioneer in the study of English language and English literature, from Old English to current literature. Our staff demonstrate a wide breadth of expertise across many literary periods (Medieval, Renaissance, Restoration, Romantic, Victorian and modern) and topics (such as London and American literature) as well as in language, both its history and its modern forms. The Survey of English Usage, based in the Department, is an internationally used resource for the study of present day English and a world leader in corpus linguistics.

The varied syllabus of the UCL English Department, with its shared emphasis on traditional literary skills and modern thought, has been one of the most enduring and highly regarded in Britain. UCL English students follow undergraduate programmes leading to BA English or BA Modern Language Plus degrees, and MA programmes in Medieval Literature, Shakespeare in History, English Linguistics or Issues in Modern Culture. The Department also offers MPhil/PhD supervision in a wide range of topics.

Follow the links from our Prospective Students page to learn more about the degrees on offer, including information supplementary to the UCL pages for prospective students; detailed information in our Current Students pages, including reading lists, lecture schedules, our Undergraduate and Postgraduate handbooks and our Course Guide for undergraduates, may also be of interest to prospective students. The Department was ranked third for English in the Times Good University Guide 2010 and in the Guardian University Guide 2010.

Our students enjoy the many benefits of UCL’s location in the Bloomsbury district of central London, with a wide range of libraries, museums and research institutes close to hand including the British Library and the Institute of English Studies (see our Resources page for links). Staff engagement with the wider, interdisciplinary research community is demonstrated by ventures such as the Bloomsbury Project: see our News and Events pages for details of this and other projects, along with lectures, seminars and social events, some open to the public and to our alumni (who are also invited to view our page for Former Students and to keep in contact with us).

Contact the Department

• General Enquiries Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 3849 Email: english-office@ucl.ac.uk
• Admissions Enquiries Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 7122 Email: english-admissions@ucl.ac.uk
  Fax +44 (0)20 7916 2054
• Administrative contact details
• Staff homepages, including contact details for all academic staff

Quick links

• Deadlines for UCL/ORS and AHRC funding applications
• Moveable Type Postgraduate Journal
• UCL Undergraduate Prospectus
• UCL Postgraduate Prospectus
• UCL Home

These pages are maintained by Anita Garfoot.