| UCAS code | Q310 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 years |
| Entry year | 2025 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | English |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: A*AA |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: AAB |
Overview
- Three-year programme with your second year spent at one of our partner universities in Canada or the USA. Combined study of diverse modules, focusing on American literature and culture. Choose from locations like New York, Florida and Vancouver.
- You’ll develop your expertise in subjects ranging from medieval to contemporary literatures. We offer diverse optional modules so you can build a programme reflective of your literary interests.
- Our English department includes world-class experts in the subfields of film studies and creative writing.
- Excellent facilities on campus include our Special Collections relating to world-renowned writers, The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum which is a unique film and popular culture resource and our Digital Humanities Lab. Exeter has also recently been awarded UNESCO City of Literature status.
- Participate in events involving internationally acclaimed authors, actors and filmmakers.
Top 15 in the UK for English
11th in the Complete University Guide 2025; 14th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Top 50 in the world for English Language and Literature
QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
Unique on-site resources: Exeter’s Special Collections archive and the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
Top 15 in the UK for English
11th in the Complete University Guide 2025; 14th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Top 50 in the world for English Language and Literature
QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
Unique on-site resources: Exeter’s Special Collections archive and the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
Entry requirements (typical offer)
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| A-Level | A*AA | B in English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language |
| IB | 38/766 | HL5 in English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language |
| BTEC | D*DD | Applicants studying a BTEC Extended Diploma will also require GCE A-Level English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language Grade B. |
| GCSE | C or 4 | English Language |
| Access to HE | 30 L3 credits at Distinction Grade and 15 L3 credits at Merit Grade. | To include at least 12 L3 credits at Merit Grade in an acceptable English Literature and English Language subject area. |
| T-Level | Distinction* | Applicants studying a T-Level will also require GCE A-Level English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language grade B |
| Contextual Offer | A-Level: AAB |
Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers. |
| Other accepted qualifications | ||
| English language requirements |
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country. |
|
NB General Studies is not included in any offer.
Grades advertised on each programme webpage are the typical level at which our offers are made and provide information on any specific subjects an applicant will need to have studied in order to be considered for a place on the programme. However, if we receive a large number of applications for the programme we may not be able to make an offer to all those who are predicted to achieve/have achieved grades which are in line with our typical offer. For more information on how applications are assessed and when decisions are released, please see: After you apply
My year studying abroad was one of the best times of my life! I made lasting friendships during my time in America. My roommate Katie was a freshman from Louisiana. We still continue to talk and I will always have that friendship. She was my rock throughout the entire study abroad. I will never forget the friendships I made.
I’ve been really lucky with the lecturers I’ve had in Exeter. My seminar leader in first year pushed me and guided me to learn more and be inquisitive. He lit a fire underneath me. During the first term of first year there was a lot of information to understand but my lecturer made it make sense!
Beth
BA English with Study in North America
Course content
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
90 credits of compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional modules
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EAS1032 | Approaches to Criticism | 30 |
| EAS1035 | Beginnings: English Literature before 1800 | 30 |
| EAS1038 | The Poem | 15 |
| EAS1040 | Academic English | 15 |
Optional modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EAS SH Stage 1 Option Modules 2024-5 | ||
| EAS1035 | Beginnings: English Literature before 1800 | 30 |
| EAS1037 | The Novel | 15 |
| EAS1041 | Rethinking Shakespeare | 15 |
| EAS1042 | Write after Reading | 30 |
| EAS1044 | Imagine This: Prompts for Creative Writing | 15 |
| EAS1016 | Digital Cultures: Narrative, Creativity, Industry | 15 |
Your year abroad will take place in Year 2.
Year Abroad in North American Institution - 120 credits of compulsory modules
You will take the number of modules usually required of students in an academic year at the host university. Two must be in North American literature and/or culture, and at least 75% of your studies must be in English or American literature and culture. The marks for the year's work will count as 120 credits towards the degree result. For each of the two semesters spent abroad, the average of the semester's marks will be treated as a single 60-credit module mark.
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EAS2110 | North American Study Term 1 | 60 |
| EAS2111 | North American Study Term 2 | 60 |
Subject, to taking 120 credits overall: 60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional English modules. Of the 60 credits of optional English modules, at least 30 must have substantial North American content.
a - You must select one of the following. Either EAS3003 Dissertation, or EAS3122 Creative writing Dissertation, or EAS3510 Dissertation by Collaborative Project (you cannot choose more than one module from this group).
b - You must select one of the following. Either EAS3195 Acts of Writing From Decolonisation to Globalisation, or EAS3179 Life and Death in Early Modern Literature, or EAS3234 Citizens of the World
c - You must select at least one module from this group of modules with substantial North American content.
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EAS3003 | Dissertation [see note a above] | 30 |
| EAS3122 | Creative Writing Dissertation [see note a above] | 30 |
| EAS3510 | Dissertation by Collaborative Project [see note a above] | 30 |
| EAS3195 | Acts of Writing: From Decolonisation to Globalisation [see note b above] | 30 |
| EAS3179 | Life and Death in Early Modern Literature [see note b above] | 30 |
| EAS3234 | Citizens of the World [see note b above] | 30 |
| EAF3501 | American Independent Film [See note c above] | 30 |
| EAF3515 | Something to See: War and Visual Media [See note c above] | 30 |
| EAS3421 | Picturing the Global City: Literature and Visual Culture in the 21st Century [See note c above] | 30 |
| EAS3252 | Poison, Filth, Trash: Modernism, Censorship and Resistance [See note c above] | 30 |
| EAS3500 | American Counterculture in Literature [See note c above] | 30 |
Optional modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| English Final Stage Option Modules 2024-5 | ||
| EAS3128 | Writing the Short Film | 30 |
| EAS3131 | Advanced Critical Theory | 30 |
| EAS3181 | Visual and Literary Cultures of Realism | 30 |
| EAS3182 | Encountering the Other in Medieval Literature | 30 |
| EAS3191 | Writing for Children and Young Adults | 30 |
| EAS3198 | The Death of the Novel | 30 |
| EAS3219 | Virginia Woolf: Fiction, Feeling, Form | 30 |
| EAS3225 | 'Reader, I Married Him': The Evolution of Romance Fiction from 1740 to the Present | 30 |
| EAS3237 | The Rise of Science | 30 |
| EAS3245 | The 21st Century Museum | 30 |
| EAS3252 | Poison, Filth, Trash: Modernism, Censorship and Resistance | 30 |
| EAS3311 | Piracy in Early Modern Literature, 1570-1730 | 30 |
| EAS3408 | Poetry and Politics | 30 |
| EAS3414 | Jane Austen: In and Out of Context | 30 |
| EAS3415 | The Development of British Childrens Literature | 30 |
| EAS3416 | Feeling Bodies: Emotions in Early Modern Literature and Culture, 1500-1700 | 30 |
| EAS3417 | Sex, Scandal and Sensation in Victorian Literature | 30 |
| EAS3420 | Staging Space: Dramatic Geography and Audience Experience | 30 |
| EAS3421 | Picturing the Global City: Literature and Visual Culture in the 21st Century | 30 |
| EAS3502 | Shakespeare and Crisis | 30 |
| EAS3503 | Migration, Literature and Culture | 30 |
| EAS3501 | Fiction Matters | 30 |
| EAS3100 | Hardy and Women Who Did: the Coming of Modernity | 30 |
| EAS3500 | American Counterculture in Literature | 30 |
| EAS3504 | Surrealism and its Legacies | 30 |
| EAS3228 | Romance from Chaucer to Shakespeare | 30 |
| EAS3509 | From Pen to Printed Page: Exeter's Literary Archives | 30 |
| EAS3511 | 'Mad': cultures, histories, phantasies, imaginaries of mental distress | 30 |
| EAS3312 | Adventures in Technique (Poetry) | 30 |
| EAS3196 | Charles Dickens: Novelist, Journalist and Reformer | 30 |
Your year abroad
This is a three year programme and the second year is spent studying with one of our renowned partner universities in the USA or Canada.
Current Study Abroad universities
Canadian universities
- Carleton (Ottawa, Canada)
- Toronto (Ontario, Canada)
- Victoria (British Columbia, Canada)
USA universities
- Iowa State (Ames, Iowa)
- Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas)
- Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
- Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, New York State)
- William and Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Participating students
In November of their first year, participating students will be invited to attend a series of meetings at which they will meet the International Officer, and also final year students who have just returned from their year abroad. They will then be asked to give three choices in order of preference and places will be allocated based upon grades, personal statement and references.
Marks obtained at the host university will be converted to Exeter marks. The conversion criteria will be found on the Year Abroad Intranet.
Fees
Tuition fees for 2025 entry
UK students: £9,535 per year
International students: £24,700 per year
Scholarships
The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*. Financial support is also available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.
* Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.
Learning and teaching
How will I learn?
The nature of learning at university involves considerable self-guided study and research. You will be taught through a combination of lectures and discussion-based seminars. We also support the development of team-based learning by organising students into study groups, and we make full use of both traditional learning resources and our virtual learning environment. Lecturers and tutors are all available to provide further support in one-to-one consultations.
Most of your work will be done in group and self-directed study: reading or viewing module material, writing essays or preparing for your seminars. Active participation in seminars develops important transferable skills such as good verbal and visual communication and effective interaction with other people. You will also develop a range of professional abilities, such as time management and team working, plus valuable critical, analytical and communication skills.
We are actively engaged in introducing new methods of learning and teaching, including the increasing use of interactive computer-based approaches to learning. Through our virtual learning environment, you can access detailed information about modules, and interact through activities such as discussion forums. You will also have access to online subscription databases and websites, such as Early English Books Online (EEBO), Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO), MLA FirstSearch and JSTOR.
How will I be assessed?
You will be assessed in a variety of ways but primarily through exams and coursework. Coursework includes essays, a dissertation and presentation work. The ratio of formal exam to coursework is on average 40:60. Your first year doesn’t count towards your final degree classification, but you do have to pass it in order to progress.
Other/extra-curricular opportunities
We provide an exciting range of special lectures and seminars by visiting academics and renowned writers, actors and film directors. In addition to your academic work, the student-run English Society organises book and poetry readings, film screenings and social events, providing an opportunity to meet students who share a love of literature, culture and the arts. Students from the English department are always active on the University student newspapers, radio and TV station and in the University’s drama groups.
Optional modules outside of this course
Each year, if you have optional modules available, you can take up to 30 credits in a subject outside of your course. This can increase your employability and widen your intellectual horizons.
Proficiency in a second subject
If you complete 60 credits of modules in one of the subjects below, you may have the words 'with proficiency in [e.g. Social Data Science]' added to your degree title when you graduate.
- A Foreign Language
- Data Science
- Entrepreneurship
- Innovation
- Law (Penryn Campus only)
- Leadership
- Management
- Social Data Science
Facilities
Students in the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
We are exceptionally lucky to have some fantastic facilities and resources on the Streatham Campus.
Special Collections
We have Special Collections relating to writers such as Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier, and William Golding, and we integrate these into our teaching so students can share the excitement we have when discovering new insights from manuscripts, letters, and business papers.
The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
Our unique film and popular culture resource, contains items going back hundreds of years. We regularly take students into its archives and think about the study of literature in relation to visual texts.
Digital Humanities Lab
Digital Humanities is increasingly important in all areas of humanities research, including history, archaeology, literatures and languages. This research space enables the examination, preservation and analysis of historical, literary and visual material. Facilities in the lab include:
- a flagship seminar room equipped with a 4.2-metre video wall, encouraging interactive engagement in a shared display space
- two state-of-the-art photography labs, including provision for the 2D digitisation of heritage material and primary sources
- an audio-visual lab with a recording studio and sound editing suite
- a MakerSpace equipped with 3D scanning and printing equipment
Your future
Employer-valued skills this course develops
An English degree puts you in a great position to succeed in a range of careers. Oral and written communication is at the heart of our programme and you will learn to present your ideas in a variety of formats. You will also develop strong research and analytical skills and the ability to problem solve and make informed decisions. Through a balance of independent study and teamwork you will learn to manage your time and workload effectively.
Professional experience
With practical modules on offer and opportunity to undertake professional placements, a degree in English will give you plenty of opportunity to develop your professional portfolio which will give you the skills and experience needed to be successful in your chosen career.
Career paths
Our students have progressed to a broad range of work sectors including education, arts management, publishing, journalism, marketing, finance and events management, working for companies such as:
Recent Graduates are now working as*:
- Actor
- Assistant Brand Manager
- Assistant Director
- Copywriter
- Data Analyst
- Journalist
- Policy Adviser
- Product Manager
- Radio Producer
- Youth Worker
Recent Graduates are now working for*:
- European Parliament
- Rolls Royce
- Oxford University Press
- Warp Films
- Oxfam
- Estee Lauder
Other recent graduates have progressed to postgraduate courses in:
- MA Cultural Heritage Management
- MA English Literary Studies
- PGCE English primary
- MA Magazine Journalism
- Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Skills
* This information has been taken from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Surveys 14/15, 15/16, 16/17 and 17/18. Please note that, due to data protection, the job titles and organisations are listed independently and do not necessarily correspond.
