Explore English language and literature to understand how they reflect and are influenced by the culture, technology and economics of different places and historical periods.
Study a range of texts including classic literary forms such as the novel, poetry, and plays, but also theatrical performances, films, essays, reviews, and critical and cultural works, developing your ability to read and respond critically.
You’ll explore the power of the English language in communication, and how it expresses and reflects global issues such as ideologies, culture wars, conflict, social justice, equality, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability.
Studying English will give you a broad interdisciplinary experience where you can develop your own areas of interest and expertise.
Dr Vahid Parvaresh considers imprecision in human communication in this 60 Second Seminar.
Why ARU?
Develop transferable skills valued by employers, including literacy, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and research
Study in Cambridge, home to major publishing houses and over 30 English language schools
Expand your network and your knowledge at events with professional writers, publishers and language teachers
I looked up to all my lecturers and the level of knowledge they had, the passion they put in...
Jyoti Singh, BSc (Hons) English Language graduate and Student Services Manager at Stafford House Language School
Gain vital skills particularly valued by business leaders, including narrative communication, empathy and perspective taking, critical analysis, synthesis of and managing complex data, creativity and imagination, and digital skills.
You’ll also develop transferable skills valued by employers from all industries, including literacy, creative thinking, problem-solving, research, and computer/digital skills.
Every year of the course, your core modules include employability sessions as well as live briefs, which allow you to devise solutions for industry professionals, giving you work experience and connections for your future career.
The skills you develop can transfer to a wide range of occupations, including journalism, teaching, business, law, consultancy, administration, librarianship, and the Civil Service.
Figures from the Department for Education show that English is the joint fourth subject for annual average wage growth at 6.2%, and a key contributor to the creative industries, the fastest growing part of the UK economy. 25% of SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy) graduates work in the creative sector – currently worth £84.1bn to the UK. By 2030, it’s expected that there will be 900,000 new jobs in this sector. (Source: Qualified for the Future (PDF), The British Academy).
BA (Hons) English Language graduate Jyoti Singh now works as Student Services Manager at Stafford House language school in Cambridge.
BA (Hons) English Language graduate Beth Restor now works for the US Department of the Air Force as a School Liaison Program Manager, and is studying for an MA in Communicative Disorders.
BA (Hons) English Language and Linguistics graduate Lettie Ndlovu has worked as a linguist on Amazon’s Alexa team and is now taking a degree apprenticeship as a Solutions Architect with Amazon Web Services.
The average graduate starting salary for English graduates is £18,000-£24,000, which compares well with subjects like Psychology (£18,000–£23,000), Law (£18,600–£23,000), Business Studies (£20,000–£26,000), and Chemistry (£19,000–£25,600). (Source: The Complete University Guide 2023)
Cambridge has a range of vibrant business and industry sectors, ranging from major publishing houses to technology companies, all of which require graduates with strong communication and analytic skills. It has over 30 English language schools.
Our business and industry partners provide opportunities for live briefs, placements and volunteering positions; they also give you a vital network for your future employment and projects. If you’re interested in teaching English, you might also be able to take up part-time work with them, and further develop your skills at the same time.
We want you to be a step ahead when you graduate, so we offer:
We’re here to help you develop your CV and find that all-important role after graduation. Our Employability Service offers tailored career appointments, advice on writing your CV, help to complete job applications, and much more. You’ll have 24/7 access to an online Careers Centre too, which is packed with useful resources.
The support continues after you graduate, with lifelong access to our Alumni Career Centre.
In Year 1 you’ll explore periods of literary history, learning to use writing as a tool for thinking and discovering approaches for your critical analyses.
You’ll also learn about semiotics and structuralism, sociolinguistics, and the development of the novel.
In Year 2 you’ll examine interpersonal communication in a culturally diverse world, consider what it means to be ‘woke’, and continue building your knowledge of literary history.
Finally, you’ll complete a major research project on a topic of your choice, and learn to communicate your ideas to a range of audiences through a variety of formats.
Student experience
Dr Jon Stone considers how poetry is changing in the digital age in this 60 Second Seminar.
Prof Eugene Giddens discusses one famous line and two things you may not realise in this 60 Second Seminar.
Dr Bettina Beinhoff explores how accents affect our sense of identity in this 60 Second Seminar.
Dr Tory Young discusses the use of second-person in Ali Smith's short story 'May' in this 60 Second Seminar.
Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.
Year 1
How Texts Work
Introduction to the Study of Literature and Writing
Deconstructing Communication
Language, Communication and Society
The History of the Novel
Into ARU
Year 2
Ruskin Module (15 credits)
Bridging Cultures
Woke Wars
From Modernism to the Millenium
Sounds and Communication *
Podcasting *
Nineteenth Century Literature and the Environment *
Nineteenth Century Afterlives and Adaptations *
Professional Placement *
Digital Media Theory: Social Media, AI, and the Cultures of the Internet *
Online Journalism *
Crocodiles, Pirates and Moon-men: Renaissance Encounters *
Science Fiction *
Performing Shakespeare *
Writing Short Fiction *
Philosophy of Art and Image *
Key Paradigms 2: Sociology and Politics *
Writing Creative Non-Fiction *
Cult Media *
Digital Stylistics *
Anglia Language Programme (15 credits) *
Year 3
Prejudice and Ideologies
Research Communication
Major Project
New Media Discourse *
Communication Disorders *
The Cultural Politics of Celebrity *
Spectacle and Representation in Renaissance Drama *
Literature and Exile: Displacement, Identity, Self *
Crime and Detective Fiction *
Renaissance Magic *
Writing Poetry *
Language and the Law *
Communication, Flesh, Philosophy *
The Making of Modern Media *
Life Writing *
Key Paradigms 3: International and Global Perspectives in Education *
You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.
A foundation year prepares you for the rest of your course, and focuses on general skills such as researching and referencing, numeracy and ICT, and communication. We'll also start to look at some more subject-specific topics.
Your placement year is a chance to put everything you’ve learnt in Years 1 and 2 into practice. Spend typically 9-12 months working for an organisation, developing your skills and gaining valuable work experience. Our Placements Team is here to help you secure a placement.
We’ll use a range of methods to assess your progress, including essays, portfolios, self-reflection, and presentations.
These will allow you to engage with multidisciplinary resources in a collaborative and structured manner, and with practical or ‘real world’ contexts in which you can explore and evaluate concepts and arguments. Alongside tools such as open-form project work (including creative multimedia outputs) and peer assessment, they will also help you develop key transferable skills.
The Major Project acts as the capstone for your degree. You’ll work on a detailed piece of research that builds on earlier course materials and perspectives to create a final project in a format agreed with your supervisor, but equivalent to 10,000 words.
Read profiles of teaching and research staff on this course.
Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.
Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course; please email [email protected] for further information. Applicants to undergraduate courses can also check our information about undergraduate entry qualifications.
You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.
We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.
Important additional notes
Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.
Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course; please email [email protected] for further information. Applicants to undergraduate courses can also check our information about undergraduate entry qualifications.
You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.
We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.
Important additional notes
Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.
Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course; please email [email protected] for further information. Applicants to undergraduate courses can also check our information about undergraduate entry qualifications.
You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.
We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.
International students
We welcome applications from international and EU students, and accept a range of international qualifications.
This course includes an optional placement year. The placement year fee is:
£1,500 (2025-26)
£1,700 (2026-27)
You will be responsible for covering the cost of travelling to your placement during your placement year. This cost could vary significantly depending on where your placement is located, where you live during your course and how you travel.
Living at university
We understand that affordability is an important issue when you’re thinking about studying at university.
The overall cost of university can vary depending on where you’re studying and which course you’re taking.
Costs may also be lower if you're living at home. However, some of the main costs you’ll want to think about include:
accommodation
bills
internet, mobile phone and calls
travel
food and drink
socialising and going out
study materials.
Most full-time UK students can apply for a Maintenance Loan to help cover living costs. More about maintenance loans.
Our Money Advice Service is on hand if you’d like to chat about living costs, budgets and managing your money. You can also find out more about student finance at one of our Open Days.
We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries, which provide extra financial support while you’re at university.
If you're eligible for a scholarship, you'll generally receive it automatically – there's no need to apply.
Our campus employment bureau, ARU Temps, can help you find part-time work that fits around your studies. It's a great chance to enhance your CV and boost your income while you study.
Dr Vahid Parvaresh
Dr Cassie Gorman
Dr Tory Young
Dr Bettina Beinhoff