Information for Prospective Students
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Fees and Funding
UK & EU Fee
£9,000 (2013/14)
Overseas Fee
£14,750 (2013/14)
General Funding Notes
Details about financial support are available at: www.ucl.ac.uk/study/ug-finance
Contacts
Key Facts
Research Assessment Exercise
65% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
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Departmental website
More Information
English BA
UCAS Code: Q300
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.
Entry Requirements
A Levels
| Grades | AAA |
|---|---|
| Subjects | English Literature (or combined Literature and Language) required. |
| AS Levels | A pass in a further subject at AS level or equivalent is required. |
| GCSEs | 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
| Points | 38 |
|---|---|
| Subjects | A total of 18 points in three higher level subjects including English A1 grade 6, with no score below 5. |
Other Qualifications
For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:
Selected entry requirements will appear here
International Qualifications
International Qualifications
In addition to A level and International Baccalaureate, UCL considers a wide range of international qualifications for entry to its undergraduate degree programmes.
University Preparatory Certificates
UCL offers intensive one-year foundation courses to prepare international students for a variety of degree programmes at UCL.
The University Preparatory Certificates (UPCs) are 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
English Language Requirements
If English is not your first language you will also need to satisfy UCL's English Language Requirements. A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.
Degree Summary
Degree Benefits
- 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 one of the most highly regarded in the country.
- 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.
- 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.
Assessment
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.
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
Year Two
Year Three
Further details available on degree page of subject website:
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's, Waterstone's, 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.
Destinations
First career destinations of recent graduates (2009-2011) of this programme include:
- Journalist,The Sunday Telegraph (2011)
- Production Trainee, BBC (2011)
- Researcher, ITV London (2010)
- Journalism Intern,Time Out Magazine (2010)
- Legal Clerk, Ministry of Justice (2009)
Find out more about London graduates' careers by visiting the Careers Group (University of London) website:
Application
Your Application
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.
How to Apply
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.
Selection
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.
If you live outside the UK your application will be considered without interview, but we may contact you for further information.
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