BA (Hons) English · University of PlymouthBachelor's degree · 3 years
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University of Plymouth · Undergraduate

BA (Hons) English Bachelor's degree at the University of Plymouth

BA (Hons) English at University of Plymouth received Gold for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 and is.

BA (Hons)
Award
3
Years
Full-time
Study mode
80%
in work/study (15m)

About this course

The BA (Hons) English with the University of Plymouth offers you an exciting variety of modules, including creative writing. With a strong focus on your academic and professional development, you'll be ready for a rewarding career path. From the provider’s course page.

BA (Hons) English is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at the University of Plymouth, based in University of Plymouth Campus. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.

For English studies graduates from this provider, 80% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 40% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £24,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)

For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for English & Literature, see the sections below.

Course evidence score

The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.

8.2
/ 10
Excellent
3 of 3 official measures
Student satisfaction
What students say in the National Student Survey
Excellent80

Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)

Graduate outcomes
In work or further study 15 months after graduating
Excellent80

Limited evidence Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 80% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)

Continuation
Students who continue past their first year
Excellent85

Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 85% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)

Curriculum & modules

Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.

Year 1 6 modules
  • Gods, Monsters, and Heroes: Myths and Legends in LiteratureCore20 credits
    Module details

    This immersive module provides an important grounding for new students studying English and Creative Writing. Based around some of the earliest written texts that underpin Western literature, the module engages with a number of issues to enable students to gain an understanding of the historical development of literature and the ways in which texts relate to each other over the centuries.

    Assessment: 100% Coursework

  • The Craft of Writing I: Prose Fiction and Non-FictionCore20 credits
    Module details

    This module introduces students to the key concepts and issues in creative writing through the practise of workshops. We will read classic contemporary works of fiction and nonfiction including autobiography, travel writing, poetry sequences, essays and reportage. We will produce our own works, and critically evaluate and contextualise them.

    Assessment: 100% Coursework

  • Rewritings: Contemporary Literature and its HistoriesCore20 credits
    Module details

    This module will examine how and why modern and contemporary authors have rewritten or reworkedinfluential literary texts of the past. Students will engage with a range of different literary forms,including fiction, poetry, drama and, where appropriate, film. By investigating the impulses behind suchintertextual acts, students will explore the ways in which literature engages with the cultural politics ofits times, focusing particularly on issues of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class and aesthe

    Assessment: 100% Coursework

  • Adventures in Criticism: Introduction to Critical TheoryCore20 credits
    Module details

    This module will introduce some key critical theories relevant to the study of English literature. It will familiarise students with a range of theoretical perspectives and enable them to develop an understanding of different ways of reading literature, and its wider contexts.

    Assessment: 100% Coursework

  • Make it New: Digital WritingCore20 credits
    Module details

    This module introduces students to writing digitally for, most notably, the Web, and its various platforms (from blogs to websites to Twitter etc). Students are invited to explore and expand ideas around authorship and audience and the writing (or images) that connects them as 'content', in its myriad of possible forms and formats. It will also introduce speculative and theoretical ideas about the relation between the self, writing, and digital forms. The module is taught through lecture, semina

    Assessment: 100% Coursework

  • Writing and the Modern World:1600-1800Core
    Module details

    This module considers 'modern' ways of writing, thinking, trading, seeing, and relating to others in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The literature of this period first explores ideas central to our own time and place and is crucial both to understanding literary history and to understanding ourselves.

Year 2 8 modules
  • Preparing for Dissertation ResearchCore
    Module details

    This module will prepare students in the History, Art History, ECW, and PIR cluster for Level 6 dissertation research. Lectures and workshops will explore key approaches to sources, and practical and theoretical aspects to research. Students will complete an independent research project. Lectures include some choice, and cover a range of topics including, but not limited to, research in archives / local studies/ digital resources, creative practice, and literary analysis.

  • Gothic Fictions, Villains, Virgins and VampiresCore
    Module details

    This module looks at eighteenth- and nineteenth-century novels to trace the variety and scope of literary contributions to the Gothic. It begins by discussing the origins of the Gothic novel, then moves to the heyday of the genre in the revolutionary 1790s, on to authors writing in the early and mid-nineteenth century, through to the decadence of the 1890s.

  • Revolutions: Romanticism and Victorian LiteratureCore
    Module details

    This module traces the rich diversity of literary texts that grew from a period of radical and revolutionary change from the 1770 to 1900. Engaging with literary texts from the Romantic and Victorian period, the module introduces you to literary texts and radical ideas about the self and society that came to define generations of writers and shaped the way we remember their world.

  • Literary transformations: Modernism and contemporary literature in the 20th and 21st centuriesCore
    Module details

    This module explores traces the evolution of literary form and cultural expression from the early twentieth-century period of modernist experimentation to the contemporary moment. In this module, you'll examine how writers have responded to shifting historical, social, technological and environmental contexts, and how literature has continually reinvented itself in response to the challenges of modernity.

  • Brave New Worlds: Sci-Fi, Fantasy and PoliticsOptional20 credits
    Module details

    Science Fiction seems to be a field or mode that is particularly difficult to define, in part because it crosses over with many other forms. But it is also one of the most popular types of literature easily ranging from the highbrow to the low. This module will explore SF writing since 1960, with a particular focus on the hybridity of the field and the ways in which it intersects with fantasy writing, to explore a range of political issues in the contemporary world. SF is 'a wide-ranging, multiv

    Assessment: 100% Coursework

  • Professional Writing for Different MediaOptional20 credits
    Module details

    In the context of this module, Professional Writing refers to commercial content for a variety of media outlets including advertising and marketing, as well as other 'businesses' which students have imagined and created themselves. Students will experiment with creative formats such as posters, reviews, reports, 'copy', interviews, the op-ed (opinion-editorial). The module is taught through lecture, seminars, and workshops where students are asked to submit and feedback to peers and tutors on a

    Assessment: 100% Coursework

  • World LiteraturesOptional
    Module details

    This module examines literatures written in English from around the world, explore what literature can tell us about cultural imaginaries of world, globe and planet in an era in which global interactions have increasingly come to shape our lives.

  • Stage 2 Professional Development, Placement Preparation and identifying opportunitiesOptional
    Module details

    This module is for students in the School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences who are interested in undertaking an optional placement in the third year of their programme. It supports students in their search, application, and preparation for the placement, including developing interview techniques and effective application materials (e.g. CVs, portfolios, and cover letters).

Placement Year 1 modules
  • School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Placement YearCore
    Module details

    Students have the opportunity to gain work experience that will set them apart in the job market when they graduate by undertaking an optional flexible placement year. The placement must be a minimum of 24-weeks (which can be split between a maximum of two different placement providers) and up to a maximum of 48-weeks over the course of the academic year. The placement is flexible and can be undertaken virtually, part or full time and either paid or voluntary. Students will have the option to un

Year 3 5 modules
  • DissertationCore40 credits
    Module details

    The student will complete, under tutorial supervision, a significant project in critical or creative writing. Maximum length 9,000-10,000 words or equivalent in creative form.

    Assessment: 100% Coursework

  • Modern and Contemporary LiteratureCore20 credits
    Module details

    This module will explore a number of themes through an examination of writing published in the approximate period 1910-1930. The themes will include structural and linguistic experimentation, historical and artistic influences, the First World War and literary networks.

    Assessment: 100% Coursework

  • University of Plymouth Literature FestivalCore
    Module details

    Students apply their passion for English and Creative Writing and develop professional and collaborative skills by planning and delivering a cultural festival celebrating Plymouth and/or the South West. This module enables students to sharpen employability skills and gain experience in project planning, management, audience engagement, and event production/implementation.

  • American Crime WritingOptional20 credits
    Module details

    This module considers the development of twentieth-century American crime fiction from hard-boiled detectives, to myths of the mafia, and postmodern reinventions of the genre. This module will explore the cultural contexts of American crime writing, prevailing conventions of the genre, as well as challenges to those conventions.

    Assessment: 100% Coursework

  • Eco-Dystopia: Literature, Culture and Environmental CrisisOptional
    Module details

    This module explores the ways in which contemporary literature and culture are res

Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.

Course in depth

What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.

What you'll study

This BA (Hons) English places a strong emphasis on creative writing alongside rigorous literary study and professional development. You'll usually begin with foundations in close reading, critical theory and literary history, moving from medieval texts through to modern and contemporary work. In your second year, you'll typically pursue workshop-based creative or applied writing, whilst continuing to study literature from the Enlightenment onwards. In your final year, you can specialise through options such as creative writing, Shakespeare & early modern literature, contemporary fiction, critical theory, world literature, and publishing pathways, before undertaking an extended independent research project. Throughout, you'll develop both analytical and practical skills for careers in writing, publishing, education and beyond.

Who it's for

This course suits students interested in deepening their knowledge of English language and literature. Most accepted students held A-levels or equivalent qualifications; typical entrants had a UCAS tariff of 96–111 points. Check the university's funding pages for bursaries and scholarships.

Careers & job market

Nationally, 85% of English and Literature graduates are in work or further study within 15 months of graduating. Of those working, 55% are in highly skilled roles or undertaking further study. National Graduate Outcomes data shows starting salaries (at 15 months) typically range from £23,000 to £30,000, rising to £24,650–£34,800 after five years. Ninety per cent of students continue past their first year.

University & format

The University of Plymouth is a University located in Plymouth. This BA (Hons) English is a full-time, 3-year degree taught in English. The University is a recognised UK degree-awarding body, so the degree is nationally recognised. The university holds Gold status in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 for teaching quality.

Student satisfaction

How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.

The teaching on my course
93%
Learning opportunities
84%
Assessment and feedback
84%
Academic Support
90%
Organisation and management
60%
Learning resources
80%
Student voice
70%

Share of students responding positively.

Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)

Applicant information

The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.

Application timelineWhat happens next
  1. 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted

    Your application needs a reference before you can send it.

  2. 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications

    Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.

  3. 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice

    Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.

  4. 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline

    18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.

Show 5 later dates
  1. 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens

    Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.

  2. 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers

    Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.

  3. 2027 entryClearing opens

    Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.

  4. 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications

    Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.

  5. 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice

    Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.

Published entry104 UCAS points typical offer

Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.

Entry & how to get in

Typical offer (from the provider)The university’s course page lists a typical A-level offer of 104 UCAS points and around 104 UCAS points. Always check the provider for the current offer and subject requirements.
Most entrants held A-levels or equivalent85% of accepted students came in with A-levels or equivalent (entrants over recent years).
Typical UCAS tariff: 96 - 111 pointsThe most common UCAS tariff band among accepted students. This is what entrants had, not a stated requirement.
Entry requirements are set by the universityGrades, subjects and contextual offers vary. Check the University of Plymouth's official course page for the current offer.

Who gets in

What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.

UCAS tariff of entrants

Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.

Qualifications held on entry

QualificationShare
A-levels or equivalent85%
another higher-education qualification15%

Entry & your chances

An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.

Accessible entry

Accepted students came in with a broad spread of qualifications and UCAS points. If you're worried about grades, this course has historically taken a wide range, and contextual offers may apply.

Will you get in? Plot your grades

Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.

Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.

Add your grades to see where you land

Your points will drop onto the distribution above, with an honest above / within / below read.

Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.

How to apply

Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.

Apply by13 January 2027, 18:00 UK timefor this course
Typical gradesAABA-level equivalent admitted students held
  1. 1
    Register on UCAS Hub

    Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.

  2. 2
    Write your personal statement

    A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.

  3. 3
    Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time

    UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.

  4. 4
    Reply to your offers

    When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.

  5. 5
    Results day & confirmation

    On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.

💡 Many universities make a contextual (reduced-grade) offer, for example based on your school’s results, time in care, or where you live. Ask University of Plymouth whether you’re eligible before you apply; it can lower the grades you need.

Fees & funding

What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.

Tuition per year

Homeup to £9,790 / yr
International£9,790 / yr

Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).

Check fees at University of Plymouth →

For students who normally live in England

illustrative Maintenance Loan per year
£9,790tuition used per year, illustrative full-time England fee-cap scenario
illustrative borrowing over 3 years

2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.

Starting on or after 1 January 2027?

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.

Paying for it

  • Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
  • Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
  • Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
  • Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.

England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.

Funding matched to this course

Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for

All University of Plymouth funding →
No verified named award is shown for this provider yet.

That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.

We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.

StudyKit · free

Still deciding what to study?

StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.

Career quizApplication walkthroughSalary & CV check

Careers & earnings

What English & Literature graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.

Graduate earnings: this course

WhenMedianTypical rangeGraduates
15 months after£24,000£21,000 – £28,00015
3 years after£19,500£15,500 – £23,000120
5 years after£24,500£18,500 – £30,500135

Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23.

Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course

80%
in work or further study 15 months on
40%
in highly skilled work or study
85%
continue past their first year
75%
find their work meaningful
65%
say work fits their future plans
  1. 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
  2. 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in english & literature · 2–5 yrs
  3. 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
  4. 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs

How pay grows: this course vs English & Literature nationally

Starting (15 months) HESA GO
£24,000
£23,000 – £30,000
After 3 years LEO
£19,500
£19,975 – £28,200
After 5 years LEO
£24,500
£24,650 – £34,800
national rangethis course’s medianaxis £18,000 – £36,000

National figures for English & Literature graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.

Work out your pay

Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.

What happened to 100 students?

Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.

80 of 100

were in work or further study

15 months after graduation

60% working15% working and studying10% in further study40% in highly skilled work or study

Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2021-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.

Value compared with similar courses

How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with English & Literature courses at the same study level.

This course £24,500Peer median £29,000Middle 50% £25,500–£31,500
13th percentile

Compared with 1,436 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.

UK occupations graduates enter

Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.

  • Sales occupationsSOC 2020 71 · 25% of published destinations · ASHE median £15,975
  • Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
  • Administrative occupationsSOC 2020 41 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £27,006
  • Teaching ProfessionalsSOC 2020 231 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £42,660

Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 65; response rate: 55%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.

Job market & outlook

How English & Literature graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.

85%
in work or further study 15 months after graduating, across English & Literature courses nationally.
Graduate Outcomes
55%
of working graduates are in highly skilled work or further study.
highly skilled
90%
of students continue past their first year (still enrolled or completed).
continuation

How AI is changing the work

AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.

What AI takes off your plate

  • Routine information gathering
  • First-draft writing and summaries
  • Standard analysis and admin
  • Repetitive processing tasks

More human than ever

  • Judgement and original thinking
  • Working with and leading people
  • Owning and sense-checking AI output
  • Ethics and accountability

The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.

Roles & employers

Where English & Literature graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.

Where they work

  • Publishers
  • Media & broadcasters
  • Marketing & PR agencies
  • Charities & public sector

Is this course right for you?

The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.

💷

Student finance

For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.

📈

Where graduates go

80% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £24,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.

🎯

Your entry chances

Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.

Official-data snapshot

Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.2 out of 10: NSS 80.1% · in work or study 80% · continued 85%.

Who studies here and in this subject?

Provider- and UK subject-level context.

University of Plymouth

All students17,945
International11.9%
Aged 25+29.8%

Language and area studies across the UK

Students75,355
Aged 25+23.7%

HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.

Local crime-data context

A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.

Around University of Plymouth Campus

3,218 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.

Violent Crime 1377Anti Social Behaviour 487Shoplifting 312Criminal Damage Arson 243Public Order 222

Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.

Is English & Literature right for you?

Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.

International students

What applying to University of Plymouth from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.

Tuition fees

International tuition is £9,790 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.

English language

Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.

Student visa

You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.

Scholarships & funding

Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Plymouth’s funding pages.

Living costs

Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.

Working while you study

A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.

Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Plymouth and gov.uk before you apply.

Common questions

Entry is historically accessible, accepted students came in with a broad spread of qualifications. The most common tariff band among recent entrants was 128 - 143 UCAS points. Use the calculator on this page to see where your predicted grades would put you; many universities also make lower contextual offers.
Set by the University of Plymouth. Most accepted students held A-levels or equivalent. Check the university's course page for the exact offer.
For English studies graduates from this provider, 80% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 40% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £24,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years. See Fees & funding on this page to work out your numbers.
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