English Literature, BA (Hons)

The English Literature program at Swansea University is designed to help students develop a deep understanding of literary texts and their cultural contexts. The program explores ideas that matter, both past and present, and equips students with critical thinking, reading, and writing skills.

Key Course Details

• UK/EU Fees: ｣9,535 (2026 entry)
• International Fees: ｣19,300 (2026 entry)
• Mode of Study: Campus-based
• Typical Offer: ABB-BBC (A-level)
• UCAS Code: Q300
• Location: Singleton Park Campus

Course Overview

The English Literature program brings the study of literature into the present by exploring texts within their cultural and historical frameworks. Students will experience literary 'travel' across time and place, exploring texts in English written in local and global contexts, from the medieval period to the present day.

Modules

The program consists of a range of modules, including:

• Theorising Gothic Texts
• Discovering Literature
• Who Sings America? Literature and Culture of the United States
• Approaches to Gender in English Literature
• Premodern Voices
• Debating Texts: Theory in Literature
• Revolution of the Word: Modernism
• Exploring the Bloody Chamber: Medieval to Postmodern
• Fragments of Union: The Cultural Making and Breaking of Britain
• Contentious Shakespeare
• Medieval Encounters

Entry Requirements

• A-level: ABB-BBC
• BTEC: DDM-DMM
• UK Access: 21 Distinctions and 24 Merits at Level 3
• T Levels: Merit
• Mixed Qualifications: 112-128 UCAS tariff points
• International Baccalaureate: 32 points

Careers and Employability

Graduates of the English Literature program at Swansea University have gone on to pursue careers in writing, publishing, education, and the media. The program equips students with a range of skills, including critical thinking, reading, and writing, which are highly valued by employers.

Additional Information

• Tuition Fees: Fees for full-time undergraduate UK students on classroom-based foundation programs will increase from Year 1, and in subsequent years, to the maximum regulated fee level set by the Welsh Government.
• Funding and Scholarships: The University offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support students with their studies.
• Academic Support: The University provides a range of academic support services, including the Centre for Academic Success, which offers courses, workshops, and one-to-one support in areas such as academic writing, maths, and statistics.
• Study Abroad and Global Opportunities: The University offers a range of study abroad and global opportunities, including semester and year abroad programs, international summer programs, and volunteering opportunities.

Degree Overview:

Studying English Literature at Swansea University cultivates sensitivity towards language and seeks to answer some provocative questions. It also opens up a range of exciting career possibilities by helping you to develop transferable skills, which are highly valued by employers. You will have the chance to explore over a thousand years of literature, from Beowulf to the present day. Our course covers national and global literature stretching from Renaissance literature, Gothic and genre fiction and 19th century literature through to modernity and contemporary fiction. Other exciting topics include gender and culture and creative and professional writing. You will have the chance to spend a semester studying in the USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong or Singapore, further improving your career prospects.

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Outline:

You can choose from a fascinating range of English Literature and creative writing topics to tailor your degree to your interests.

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Year One

• FHEQ 4 Undergraduate / HECert
• Students choose 120 credits from the following:
• Compulsory Modules
• Monsters, Theories, Transformations
• English Essentials
• The Stage Play World
• Optional Modules
• Guidance: Select at least two and a maximum of three modules.
In total, students must select no more than three modules per teaching block so need to select one module in TB1 and two modules in TB2.
• The sound system of English
• Approaches to Gender in English Literature
• Creative Writing: Fiction Genres
• Introduction to American Literature and Culture
• Literature and Society in Medieval Europe.
• Creative Writing: Styles of Fiction
• AND
• Optional Modules
• Guidance: If required, select one module ensuring no more than three modules in total have been selected in each teaching block.

Students who have selected a beginners language in TB1 may take the follow up course in TB2 at the discretion of the Programme Director

• A History of the English Language
• Mythbusters: beliefs and truths about language
• Of Gods and Heroes - Greek Mythology
• Medieval Europe: An Introduction
• French for Beginners I
• German for Beginners I
• Spanish for Beginners I
• Materiality and Meaning in the Visual Arts
• Introduction to Visual Culture
• Grammar and Meaning
• Language Teaching Methodology
• Ovid's Metamorphoses: The Transformations of Mythology
• Cinema in a World Context
• French for Beginners II
• German for Beginners II
• Spanish for Beginners II
• Hollywood: A History of American Film
• Visuality and Embodiment

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Year Two

• FHEQ 5 Undergraduate / HEDip
• Students choose 120 credits from the following:
• Compulsory Modules - Selective - Group A (Teaching Block 1)
• Guidance: Students must select at least TWO modules.
Students may select all three modules which would complete their credits in semester two. Students must not take more than three modules in total in any one teaching block
• Debating Texts: Theory in Literature
• Revolution of the Word: Modernism
• Exploring the Bloody Chamber: Medieval to Postmodern
• AND
• Compulsory Modules - Selective - Group B (Teaching Block 2)
• Guidance: Students must select at least TWO modules.
Students may select all three modules which would complete their credits in semester one. Students must not take more than three modules in total in any one teaching block
• Fragments of Union: The Cultural Making and Breaking of Britain
• Contentious Shakespeare
• Medieval Encounters
• AND
• Optional Modules
• Guidance: Students may (but do not have to) choose one or two modules to make up 120 credits for the year.
Do not select more than three modules in total in any one semester.
• Language Teaching in Context
• Child Language and Literacy
• The Greek Romance: Sea, Sun and Sex
• Introduction to Writing Poetry
• Introduction to Writing Fiction
• Race and Ethnicity: American Perspectives
• Techniques of Seeing
• Discourse Analysis
• World Englishes
• Roman Love Poetry
• Introduction to Writing Drama
• American Word / American Image
• Writing a Short Film

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Year Three

• FHEQ 6 Undergraduate / Honours
• Students choose 120 credits from the following:
• Compulsory Modules - None found
• Optional Modules
• Guidance: Select a minimum of 80 credits, and a maximum of 120 credits.
Students must either select three modules in each semester, or the Dissertation module and two modules in each semester.
• Dissertation - English Literature
• Welsh Gothic / Gothic Wales
• Staging the Image: Drama and Visual Culture
• Written in Blood: Reading the Vampire
• Graphic Novel
• Beyond Shakespeare
• African American Literature 1910-1940: The Harlem Renaissance
• Chaucer
• Reading/Writing Trauma
• Stylistics
• Plato's Republic
• Crime Fiction since 1920
• Madness, Malady and Melancholia: Literature and Medicine from Genesis to Genomes
• The Swansea University International Dylan Thomas Prize Module
• Contemporary American Fiction
• Science Fiction and Media
• AND
• Optional Modules
• Guidance: Select up to 40 credits if required to fulfill 120 credits in total for the year.
. One 20 credit module in each semester maximum. Students must have completed a Creative Writing module if you wish to select EN-3026. Students MUST NOT select EN-3031 and EN-3026. Students must not exceed 60 credits in any one teaching block.
• Further Fiction Writing
• Further Creative Non Fiction
• Creative Writing Personal Project
• Further Poetry Writing

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Year Four (with a year abroad)

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Year Three

• FHEQ 5 Undergraduate Sandwich Year
• Students choose 120 credits from the following:
• Compulsory Modules
• Study Abroad (English Literature and Creative Writing)

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Year Four

• FHEQ 6 Undergraduate / Honours
• Students choose 120 credits from the following:
• Compulsory Modules - None found
• Optional Modules
• Guidance: Select a minimum of 80 credits, and a maximum of 120 credits.
Students must either select three modules in each semester, or the Dissertation module and two modules in each semester. NOTE: please note that acceptance on the English Literature dissertation is subject to the submission of a suitable proposal towards the end of year 2.
• Dissertation - English Literature
• Welsh Gothic / Gothic Wales
• Staging the Image: Drama and Visual Culture
• Written in Blood: Reading the Vampire
• Graphic Novel
• Beyond Shakespeare
• African American Literature 1910-1940: The Harlem Renaissance
• Chaucer
• Reading/Writing Trauma
• Stylistics
• Plato's Republic
• Crime Fiction since 1920
• Madness, Malady and Melancholia: Literature and Medicine from Genesis to Genomes
• The Swansea University International Dylan Thomas Prize Module
• Contemporary American Fiction
• Science Fiction and Media
• AND
• Creative Writing - Optional Module Choices
• Guidance: Select up to 40 credits if required to fulfill 120 credits in total for the year.
. One 20 credit module in each semester maximum. Students must have completed a Creative Writing module if you wish to select EN-3026. Students MUST NOT select EN-3031 and EN-3026. Students must not exceed 60 credits in any one teaching block.
• Further Fiction Writing
• Further Creative Non Fiction
• Creative Writing Personal Project
• Further Poetry Writing

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Year Four (with a year in industry)

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Year Three

• FHEQ 5 Undergraduate Sandwich Year
• Students choose 120 credits from the following:
• Compulsory Modules - None found
• Optional Modules
• Year in Industry - School of Culture and CommunicationAcademic Year

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Year Four

• FHEQ 6 Undergraduate / Honours
• Students choose 120 credits from the following:
• Compulsory Modules - None found
• Optional Modules
• Guidance: Select a minimum of 80 credits, and a maximum of 120 credits.
Students must either select three modules in each semester, or the Dissertation module and two modules in each semester. NOTE: please note that acceptance on the English Literature dissertation is subject to the submission of a suitable proposal towards the end of year 2.
• Dissertation - English Literature
• Welsh Gothic / Gothic Wales
• Staging the Image: Drama and Visual Culture
• Written in Blood: Reading the Vampire
• Graphic Novel
• Beyond Shakespeare
• African American Literature 1910-1940: The Harlem Renaissance
• Chaucer
• Reading/Writing Trauma
• Stylistics
• Plato's Republic
• Crime Fiction since 1920
• Madness, Malady and Melancholia: Literature and Medicine from Genesis to Genomes
• The Swansea University International Dylan Thomas Prize Module
• Contemporary American Fiction
• Science Fiction and Media
• AND
• Creative Writing - Optional Module Choices
• Guidance: Select up to 40 credits if required to fulfill 120 credits in total for the year.
. One 20 credit module in each semester maximum. Students must have completed a Creative Writing module if you wish to select EN-3026. Students MUST NOT select EN-3031 and EN-3026. Students must not exceed 60 credits in any one teaching block.
• Further Fiction Writing
• Further Creative Non Fiction
• Creative Writing Personal Project

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Teaching:

• Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.
• Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations.
We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching.
• Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions.
Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.

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Careers:

Graduating with an internationally recognised degree in English will put you in a great position to succeed in a wide range of careers. We offer varied and flexible course content, so you can shape your course to your own interests, whether in Gothic and genre fiction, gender and culture, Renaissance literature, national and global literatures, modernity and contemporary writing, 19th century literature, or creative and professional writing. You will develop excellent oral and writing skills, strong research and analytical skills, learn to present your ideas in a range of formats, solve problems, make informed decisions and manage your time and workload effectively. All this expertise will ensure you can compete successfully in the job market. Our graduates enter careers in a wide range of sectors including:

• Education
• Marketing
• Social Media
• Project Administration

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3 Year Full Time Start Date UK International September 2023 £ 9,000 £ 16,650 September 2024 £ 9,000 £ 17,500 4 Year Full Time With a Year Abroad Start Date UK International September 2023 £ 9,000 £ 17,500 4 Year Full Time With a Year Abroad Start Date UK International September 2023 £ 9,000 £ 16,650 September 2024 £ 9,000 £ 17,500 4 Year Full Time With a Year In Industry Start Date UK International September 2023 £ 9,000 £ 16,650 September 2024 £ 9,000 £ 17,500 Fees for full time Undergraduate UK students may be increased in subsequent years of study by an inflationary amount determined by Welsh Government. Fees for full time Undergraduate EU/International students will increase by 3% for each subsequent year of study. During a sandwich year (e.g. year in industry, year abroad or placement year) a lower fee will apply. For more information visit our tuition fees page. You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page. You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page. Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page. Funding and Scholarships Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page. Funding and Scholarships You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page. Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page. Additional Costs Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up. You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to): Travel to and from campus Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks) Purchase of books or texts Gowns for graduation ceremonies

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Overview:

• Founded in 1920 as University College of Swansea
• Received its Royal Charter in 1948, becoming Swansea University
• Consistently ranked among the top 30 universities in the UK
• Home to over 20,000 students from over 140 countries
• Notable achievements include:
  • 2019 Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its work in developing and delivering innovative teaching methods
  • 2018 Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community
  • 2017 Research Excellence Framework (REF) results showed that 90% of Swansea University's research was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent

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Student Life:

• Over 150 student clubs and societies
• Sports teams in a variety of disciplines, including rugby, football, and basketball
• Student support services include:
  • Counseling and mental health support
  • Disability support
  • Financial advice
  • International student support
• Campus facilities include:
  • Bay Campus: Modern campus with state-of-the-art facilities, including a library, sports center, and student union
  • Singleton Campus: Historic campus with a mix of traditional and modern buildings, including the iconic Singleton Abbey
  • Tycoch Campus: Home to the College of Engineering and the School of Management

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Academics:

• Academic resources include:
  • Over 400 undergraduate and postgraduate programs
  • World-class research facilities
  • Extensive library resources
• Faculty:
  • Over 1,000 academic staff, including internationally renowned researchers and industry experts
• Teaching methodologies:
  • Focus on student-centered learning
  • Use of innovative teaching methods, such as problem-based learning and flipped classrooms
• Academic support services:
  • Academic skills workshops
  • Writing center
  • Math and statistics support
• Unique academic programs or initiatives:
  • Swansea Employability Academy: Provides students with opportunities to develop employability skills
  • Swansea University Global: Offers international study and research opportunities

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Top Reasons to Study Here:

• Top 30 UK university
• Excellent teaching and research
• World-class facilities
• Strong industry connections
• Vibrant student life
• Notable alumni include:
  • Michael Sheen, actor
  • Catherine Zeta-Jones, actress
  • Sir Terry Matthews, entrepreneur

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Services:

• Counseling and mental health support
• Health center
• Housing services
• Library resources:
  • Over 1 million books and journals
  • Access to online databases and e-resources
• Technology support:
  • Free Wi-Fi across campus
  • Computer labs and printing facilities
• Career development services:
  • Career counseling
  • Job search assistance
  • Employer networking events