English Literature

You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. The course requires a considerable amount of directed independent learning, consisting of reading primary and secondary sources, writing formative and assessed essays, and preparing tutorial and seminar assignments.

Teaching is research-led from the outset, with a gradually increasing focus on the development of your own research skills as you progress through your degree.

Weekly lectures are supplemented by small-group tutorials. Your skills in specialist research, analysis and writing are developed in formative essays and individual feedback sessions, which play a key role in the delivery of the degree and in academic progression.

Assessment

Most modules will be assessed by summative essays and end-of-year examinations.

You should have developed the ability to interpret different ideas and values represented in literature, to test the ideas of others and to pursue ideas of your own.

In the third year you will write a 10,000-word dissertation on a subject of your choice related to English Literature. The dissertation is a double-weighted module (worth the credit of two modules).

A level offer – A*AA

Contextual offer – AAB

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – D*DD and A level requirements as above.

IB Diploma score – 38 with 666 in higher level subjects, including English Literature or English Literature/Language.

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

• We also consider other level 3 qualifications, including T-levels.
• We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or from those who may have had a break in their study.
• If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take an International Foundation Year pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.
• We welcome enquiries regarding applications for deferred entry which may be considered in special circumstances. Please contact our Admissions team.

including English Literature (or the combined English Literature and Language).

including A in English Literature (or the combined English Literature and Language).

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications 

• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.

English language requirements

Country specific information

The fees for this academic year have not been confirmed yet.

Full-Time Study

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full-time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full-time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and will be subject to an annual inflationary increase expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only; fees for subsequent years will be confirmed not less than 3 months before the start of the academic year to which the increase is intended to apply and will be published on the Finance webpages.

In deciding the annual level of increase, the University will take into account inflationary pressures on the costs of delivery. Tuition fees will rise annually by up to the higher of:

• 6%, or
• the latest annual percentage increase in the Consumer Prices Index.

Part-Time Study

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of part-time study and are charged proportionately to the Full-Time fee. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Academically, we inspire our students to develop as analytic, sensitive and creative readers and writers, yet an English Studies degree is worth much more. We aim to transform students into independent thinkers with the ability to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively. It is this skill set, coupled with effective organisational and research skills, that makes them so highly valued across a range of work environments. Outside of the classroom, we offer regular lectures and workshops that focus on personal development and key employability skills.

Graduates progress into a diverse range of careers and sectors, including roles in arts and theatre management, broadcasting, publishing and journalism, technical writing, business, marketing and advertising, teaching, higher education, law, the third sector and government.

Of those students who graduated in 2020-21:

• 89% in work or further study.

Of those in employment:

• 87% in highly and medium skilled employment.
• £27,225 is the average salary.

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

Spanning texts from Chaucer to Shakespeare, from Jane Austen to Virginial Woolf, and American poetry to twenty-first century novels, English Studies at Durham will appeal to those with a sensitivity to language, a love of reading and a sense of intellectual adventure.

English Studies is a popular and highly regarded subject that will give you a broader and more balanced understanding of how the world works, politically, psychologically and sociologically. It also develops the highly transferable linguistic, critical and analytical skills that are sought after in the contemporary workplace. 

An English degree at Durham provides a comprehensive grounding in literary theory. The wide range of modules allows you to explore a variety of literary forms and challenge the way you think about the role of literature in the world, from the classics to contemporary texts. We are home to a vibrant and active research department and take a research-led approach to teaching and learning which informs all levels of academic enquiry, including undergraduate ‘special topic’ seminar modules developed around key research themes and areas of expertise. 

You can choose to focus purely on English literature or combine the study of English with either Philosophy or History. We also offer English Studies named routes through a Combined Honours or Liberal Arts degree. You can further tailor your study with an optional year abroad or work placement in the third year.

We are consistently ranked as one of the leading English departments in the UK, so when you choose to study English at Durham you can be assured of the highest quality learning experience.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

• 4th The Complete University Guide 2025

• 4th The Guardian University Guide 2025

• Top 40 The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see our department web pages.

Facilities

We are located close to Durham city centre with most of the Department’s teaching and research taking place in two buildings: the Georgian listed building, Hallgarth House and Elvet Riverside, which stands beside the River Wear.

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