The English and Cultural Studies degree offers the opportunity for a broadly-based study of English and culture. This degree also offers an excellent opportunity to develop foreign language skills.
This course is taught in person. We welcome applications from anyone who will be able to commit to these sessions.
The degree is designed to be fully supportive to those who are new to university study, whatever your age.
You follow a central core of modules taught by the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies, but can choose other relevant modules from other departments.
Entry requirements
There are no prescribed entry qualifications for the degree. Applicants are normally interviewed by the course selector in the Department of English, who will look for evidence of academic ability and commitment and, in addition, for evidence of serious interest in the study of literature. This evidence might be obtained from study of literature in an Access, A-Level, or via a less formal engagement with literature.
Modules
Note that the module catalogue is subject to change for future years of study, as we evolve our courses in response to the latest developments in academia and industry. If optional modules are listed below, these can vary from year to year.
While this degree offers flexibility, it is highly recommended that students complete 120 credits of Level 4 modules prior to Honours Level (5 and 6) study in order to prepare well for this.
The degree requires you to take 120 Level 4 credits, followed by a further 240 Honours Level credits. At Level 4, there is one compulsory module, Modes of Reading, which is taken by all Warwick students, full and part-time, taking degrees in English.
The module offers an introduction to the practices of criticism and will address form, genre and literary inheritance. You are strongly encouraged to take a second module in English to increase your knowledge and skills in literature. The following are offered:
Modern World Literatures
Epic into Novel
Medieval and Early Modern Literature
Other introductory modules in English and Cultural Studies are offered by the Departments of Film and TV Studies, History, Classics and Ancient History, History of Art and the Language Centre.
At Honours Level, you must take a minimum of four of the eight Honours Level modules available from the English Department (or the equivalent totalling 120 CATS, most modules are 30 CATS unless specified below). This is an indicative list of the modules that have been offered:
The European Novel
Romantic and Victorian Poetry
Seventeenth Century Literature
Literary and Cultural Theory
Arthurian Literature and its Legacy
Modern American Poetry
Devolutionary British Fiction
Explorations in Critical Theory
Literature, Environment, Ecology
European Theatre
American Fiction since 1918: Genre and History
Shakespeare and Selected Dramatists
Dissertation
English Literature and Feminisms 1799-1899
Eighteenth Century Literature
Crime Fiction, Nation and Empire: Britain 1850-1947
Literature and Psychoanalysis
States of Damage
Restoration Drama - 15 CATS
Early Modern Drama - 15 CATS
Disasters and the British Contemporary
Queer and There: Queer Theory and the History of Sexuality in the Global Context - 15 CATS
Literature, Theory and Time
Remaking Shakespeare
Commodity Fictions: World Literature and World-Ecology
Global City Literature: Image, Theory, Text
You may take optional modules from other departments in the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences with the agreement of the course director and academic coordinator.
*The modules mentioned above may be subject to change.
The University of Warwick is not currently sponsoring students on part time or distance learning courses with a Student Visa (formerly known as Tier 4 visa) and so if you require a visa to study a part time/distance learning course in the UK which is longer than 6 months, you may wish to consult the 'right to study' section on Student Immigration & Compliance.
Teaching and learning
There are a variety of assessments and these may include coursework assignments, formal examinations, presentations and research projects. You can study between 30 and 90 credits per year. This could be a combination of 30 CATS modules that run for the full academic year or 15 CATS modules that run for 1 term.
You can expect to commit to around 10 hours a week for each module you take, which includes contact time and independent study.
There are a variety of assessments and these may include coursework assignments, formal examinations, presentations and research projects.
Careers
Graduates pursued roles such as:
Journalists
Newspaper and periodical editors
Publishers
Creative directors
Arts officers, producers and directors
Authors, writers and translators
Musicians and composers
Teachers
Advertising accounts managers
Business sales executives
Solicitors and legal associate professionals
Management consultants and business analysts
Marketing associate professionals
Academics and researchers
In addition to a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant to support students studying English Literature, students also take an Academic Enrichment Programme in their first year focused on career skills, academic writing, and how to prepare for a future career while studying. Our Careers consultant also offers impartial advice and guidance, together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:
Careers following your English and Comparative Literary Studies Degree
You can find and apply for a work placement in the UK or abroad, and the English and Comparative Literary Studies careers consultant is also able to provide support.
Studying (or even working) in another country can add to your skill set and broaden your outlook – both within study and beyond. All students have the opportunity to apply for a year abroad during their second year, which transforms your degree into a four-year course. You’ll need to discuss this with your tutors of course, but we encourage you to consider exploring this option.
Life at Warwick
This is where your journey begins. Our campus is the heart of it all. It’s more than just a campus - it's the places you visit, the people you meet, the fun that you have; the experiences you have here will be transformative.
Within a close-knit community of staff and students from all over the world, discover a campus alive with possibilities.
Our campus is where all the elements of your student experience come together in one place. You won't be short of ways to spend your time on campus - whether it's visiting Warwick Arts Centre, using our incredible sports facilities, socialising in our bars, nightclub and cafés, or enjoying an open-air event. Or if you need some peace and quiet, you can explore lakes, woodland and green spaces just a few minutes’ walk from central campus
Follow our students around campus on our social channels to see their experiences first-hand.
Teaching facilities
Our campus is designed to cater for all of your learning needs. You will benefit from a variety of flexible, well-equipped study spaces and teaching facilities across the University.
Oculus, our outstanding learning hub, houses state-of-the-art lecture theatres and innovative social learning and network areas
Different study spaces offering you flexible individual and group study spaces, computers, printing and scanning facilities, multimedia resources and more
Supporting you
Our continuous support network is here to help you adjust to student life and to ensure you can easily access advice on many different issues. These may include managing your finances and workload, and settling into shared accommodation. We also have specialist disability and mental health support teams.
Whether you live in a campus residence or in partnership accommodation off campus, you’ll be part of a community to get the most from your experience at Warwick.
Societies and sports play a huge part in community life at Warwick. With over 300 to choose from, getting involved is one of the easiest ways to make friends and share in experiences. Whether you’re into films, martial arts, astronomy, gaming or musical theatre, you can instantly connect with people with similar interests.
Your university experience is defined by far more than your course or the career path you follow. At Warwick, it’s where you discover who you could become.
74th
Warwick is ranked 74th in the world and top 10 in all major UK league tables
Our alumni community still call Warwick home. From a few hundred in 1965 to more than 310,000 alumni, and it's ever-growing.
As Warwick graduates, our students have access to employability support for two years after graduation, including access to careers appointments, job vacancies and professional networks.
We’re fond of freedom at Warwick. Freedom to learn, through an enormous array of modules to suit your interests, and through a range of innovative assessment techniques. You’re also free to explore the award-winning Warwick Arts Centre on campus, travel further afield and visit the home of Shakespeare in Stratford, or immerse yourself in the cultural scene in Leamington Spa and Birmingham.
We were ranked in the top 10 for research environment in the latest Research Excellence Framework 2021, which means you’ll feel well connected and ahead of the game.
The department recently moved into our Faculty of Arts Building.
As an Arts student at Warwick you’ll find your home amongst excellent teaching, learning and social spaces, including specialist facilities, all designed to support collaborative working and to enable your creativity and innovation to flourish.
The sustainably built, eight-storey building is located next to the refurbished Warwick Arts CentreLink opens in a new window in the heart of the University’s creative and cultural arts quarter.
This information is applicable for 2027 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our web page 'Important information to consider before making an application' in advance of applying to Warwick.
Next steps
Experience campus at an Open Day. Can't visit? Receive regular email updates or ask current students and staff questions about life at Warwick.
