BA English
Queen Mary University of London
About this course
BA (Hons) in English, an English degree spanning literature from early traditions to contemporary global texts. The first year establishes foundations through modules such as Myth, Romance, and Fairy Tale, London Global, Poetry, Reading, Theory and Interpretation, and Shakespeare. The second year continues historical exploration through Chaucer: Gender, Faith, Identity, Renaissance Drama, Romantics and Revolutionaries, Victorian Fictions, Modernism, and Postcolonial and Global Literatures, alongside optional choices like Global Shakespeare, Reading the Contemporary, and Representing London: The Eighteenth Century. The final year offers a broad selection of optional modules covering specialised topics, including Creative Writing Prose Fiction, Feminism(s), Jane Austen: Regency Novelist, and Writing Black and Asian Britain.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
English - BA (Hons): A-Level: Grades BBB at A-Level. IB: International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 30 points overall, including 5,5,5 from three Higher Level subjects. BTEC: See our detailed subject and grade requirements. Access HE: We consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall, with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 15 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher. Applications are considered on a case by case basis. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not make offers of study purely on the basis of meeting grade requirements. GCSE: Both GCSE English and Maths at grade C or 4 or an acceptable equivalent will be required. EPQ: Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification. For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq. Contextualised admissions: Our standard contextual offer: BCC Our enhanced contextual offer: CCC More information on our contextual offer criteria can be found on our contextualised admissions page . Please note that General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded from any A-Level offer and cannot be considered.
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What students say
Based on about 92 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 93%
- Learning opportunities: 89%
- Assessment and feedback: 85%
- Academic support: 90%
- Organisation and management: 86%
- Learning resources: 87%
- Student voice: 81%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 65%
- Left higher education: 15%
- Moved to a lower qualification: 15%
What graduates do next
Based on about 28 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 55%
- Working and studying: 10%
- Further study: 10%
- Unemployed: 20%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 20%
- Elementary occupations: 15%
- Administrative occupations: 15%
- Teaching Professionals: 15%
- Media Professionals: 15%
- Find their work meaningful: 70%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 55%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 240 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 4%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 2%
- West Midlands: 3%
- East of England: 8%
- London: 64%
- South East: 12%
- South West: 4%
- Wales: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 20 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 85%
- Baccalaureate: 5%
- Access course: 5%
- Other HE qualification: 5%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Bronze for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Myth, Romance, and Fairy Tale
- London Global
- Poetry
- Reading, Theory and Interpretation
- Shakespeare
- Chaucer: Gender, Faith, Identity
- Renaissance Drama
- Romantics and Revolutionaries
- Victorian Fictions
- Modernism
- Postcolonial and Global Literatures
- Global Shakespeare
- Reading the Contemporary
- Representing London: The Eighteenth Century
- Creative Writing Prose Fiction
- Feminism(s)
- Guillotines, Ghosts and Laughing Gas: Literature in the 1790s
- Heroes and Outlaws in History and Fiction from 1100 to 1600
- Jane Austen: Regency Novelist
- Laughing Matters: Comedy and Contemporary Culture
- Magical Narratives: Romance as Genre
- Reading Contemporary Arab(ic) Fiction
- Reading Late Victorian Literature
- Romantic Women Writers
- Victorian Sensation Fiction
- Shakespeare: the play, the word and the book
- Time, Narrative and Culture
- Writing Black and Asian Britain
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA English at Queen Mary University of London earn?
The median salary is £27,000 after 15 months, £25,500 after 3 years, £31,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £26,000 and £38,500. The £31,500 median after five years is £2,500 more than the UK median for English studies.
What do graduates of BA English at Queen Mary University of London do next?
70% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2022-23).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA English at Queen Mary University of London?
93% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2024-25.
What grades do I need for BA English at Queen Mary University of London?
The typical offer is BBB at A level, or 30 points in the IB. The average entrant had 143 UCAS points.
Does BA English at Queen Mary University of London include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on BA English at Queen Mary University of London?
65% of students continued into their second year, and 15% left higher education.