Course summary

As a student of English Language and Literature, you will discover the complex and fascinating relationships between literature, politics and history and study language analysis and language use across different contexts. This three-year degree opens up a range of exciting career possibilities by helping you to develop transferable skills which employers want. The course covers how we acquire language, how language works, how societies communicate and over a thousand years of literature, from Beowulf to the present day. You will have the chance to study national and global literature, Renaissance literature, Gothic and genre fiction, 19th century literature, modernity and contemporary fiction, gender and culture, creative and professional writing. You will have the option of taking the internationally recognised Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) during your second year, further improving your student experience and career prospects. Based on our stunning Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula. English at Swansea University is ranked: 11th in UK for Research Impact (REF2021) Top 20 in the UK for Teaching Satisfaction (Guardian University Guide 2025) Top 101-150 in the World (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025) You will learn from experienced, established writers whose work has been widely published, broadcast and performed and our academic staff are internationally recognised for their research. We offer varied and flexible course content, so you can shape your course to your own interests, whether in national and global literature, Renaissance literature, Gothic and genre fiction, 19th century literature, modernity and contemporary fiction, gender and culture, creative and professional writing, language analysis, sociolinguistics, the study of dialects or teaching English as a foreign language. Wales has a rich lyric tradition and Swansea is the birthplace of Dylan Thomas. You can get involved with projects with the Dylan Thomas Centre and the National Theatre Wales. In the second year, you will have the opportunity to take the highly respected CELTA qualification for teachers of English as a foreign language. You will also have the option of a semester in the USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong or Singapore. Some of our students have been published in international journals and presented at international conferences. You will also have a personal tutor for any pastoral and academic support you need, and the English Student Society at Swansea organises a range of lively literary, social and cultural events.