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English at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Birkbeck, University of London has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

If you are passionate about literature, culture, ideas and writing, our BA English offers you a varied and flexible course with teaching that builds on the rich literary and cultural history of the local area. You will study some of the most cutting-edge authors, deepen your analytical capacity, expand your knowledge and understanding, and become a skilled reader, writer and communicator. Why choose this course?

  • On this BA English, you will be supported to be the best thinker, reader and writer you can be. Our classrooms are inspiring, stimulating and welcoming, and our academics regularly receive teaching awards.
  • We offer you an exciting and varied curriculum with opportunities to choose modules that match your interests. You will have the opportunity to discover groundbreaking texts that include medieval, Gothic, Victorian and contemporary literatures.
  • We welcome and support an international and intergenerational community of students that want to explore the role of literature, the humanities and the arts, in addressing the most urgent issues of our times.
What you will learn We focus on three main approaches to studying English: storytelling, making stories and understanding texts. We pride ourselves on offering you a wide range of modules that expand the boundaries of literature and your understanding of the world, but also support your career aspirations. These span the medieval to contemporary periods and include creative writing, theatre, film, poetry, science fiction and more. You will study fiction, non-fiction, autobiography, biography, literary criticism, essays, poetry and plays in interdisciplinary contexts to understand how literature shapes, and is shaped by, our contemporary cultural climate as well as traditions and legacies of the past. How you will learn You will be taught in lectures, small seminar groups and workshops. You will engage in literary study in a cultural and global context while finessing your writing skills, and participate in events involving internationally acclaimed critics, writers, actors and philosophers. This course is available to study full- or part-time. It has an evening timetable with classes taking place in the evening. Foundation Year If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. Highlights
  • Birkbeck was ranked 2nd in the UK for its English Language and Literature research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
  • Birkbeck is located in the heart of literary London, in Bloomsbury, WC1. You could be studying in a building that was once home to Virginia Woolf and frequented by members of the Bloomsbury Group.
  • Based at the heart of one of the world's most exciting cities, we combine lectures, seminars and workshops with visits to theatres and other cultural and artistic institutions, and we frequently collaborate with leading arts, cultural, theatre and dance and performing arts organisations.
  • If you opt for the three-year full-time or four-year part-time course, you can apply to take part in a competitive industry placement module.
Careers and employability On successfully graduating from this BA English, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:
  • collaboration and group work skills
  • cultural understanding and communication skills
  • a sophisticated use of written and spoken English
  • an ability to understand, critique and defend complex and important ideas
  • planning and organisation skills.
You can find our graduates working in the creative industries, as well as education, law, civil service and business roles, pursuing careers in writing and journalism, publishing, editing or research.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment method

A mixture of continuous assessment of written work and examinations: one three-hour examination in Year 1 and two three-hour examinations in Year 2. In Year 3 only certain modules have examinations.

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Please select a course option – you will then see the application code you need to use to apply for the course.

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

International applicants

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

We welcome applicants without traditional entry qualifications as we base decisions on our own assessment of qualifications, knowledge and previous work experience. We may waive formal entry requirements based on judgement of academic potential. As part of the application process, you may be invited to complete a written task or attend an interview. FOUNDATION YEAR DEGREES Our 'with Foundation Year' route is designed to give you extra support as it provides you with an additional year (full-time) or two years (part-time) of supported study. This is an ideal route if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied this subject, or if you did not achieve the grades you need for a place on this degree. Once you successfully complete your Foundation Year studies, you will automatically advance onto the main degree.

Additional entry requirements

Admission tests

Institutions Own Test (IOT)

As part of the application process, you may be invited to complete a written task or attend an interview.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
60%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
80%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
International £18060 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases.
English at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS