BA English and History
Queen Mary University of London
About this course
BA (Hons) in English and History is an undergraduate English and History degree focusing on literary texts alongside political and social developments across different societies. Core topics include Research Methods. The course spans three years of full-time study and connects historical contexts with literary study. The first year introduces foundational themes through compulsory modules such as Poetry, London Global, Myth, Romance, and Fairy Tale, History in Practice, History Essay 1, and History Essay 2, alongside optional modules including Unravelling Britain: British History since 1801 and Global Encounters: conquest and Culture in World History. The second year features the compulsory History Research Project alongside a range of optional modules such as Chaucer: Gender, Faith, Identity, Renaissance Drama, and Modernism. The third year offers extensive optional modules spanning various periods and themes, including options like English Research Dissertation, History Special Subject, and Shakespeare: the Play, the Word and the Book.
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 and History - 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 137 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 92%
- Learning opportunities: 89%
- Assessment and feedback: 88%
- Academic support: 94%
- Organisation and management: 87%
- Learning resources: 86%
- Student voice: 86%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 220 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 87%
- Left higher education: 6%
- Moved to a lower qualification: 7%
What graduates do next
Based on about 127 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 55%
- Working and studying: 15%
- Further study: 11%
- Unemployed: 10%
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: 69%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 54%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 41%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 215 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 3%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 1%
- East Midlands: 3%
- West Midlands: 3%
- East of England: 8%
- London: 69%
- South East: 8%
- South West: 4%
- Scotland: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 120 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 87%
- Baccalaureate: 5%
- Access course: 3%
- Foundation course: 1%
- A degree: 1%
- Other HE qualification: 1%
- Other qualifications: 2%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Bronze for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Poetry
- London Global
- Myth, Romance, and Fairy Tale
- History in Practice
- History Essay 1
- History Essay 2
- Unravelling Britain: British History since 1801
- Global Encounters: conquest and Culture in World History
- Chaucer: Gender, Faith, Identity
- Renaissance Drama
- Romantics and Revolutionaries
- Victorian Fictions
- Modernism
- Postcolonial and Global Literatures
- Global Shakespeare
- Representing London - the eighteenth century
- Reading the Contemporary
- History Research Project
- A Century of Extremes: Germany 1890–1990
- Angels, Spinsters and Whores: British Women and Gender from Victoria to the Vote
- Chartists, Rebels and Suffragettes: Democracy in Britain, 1830–1928
- London on Film: Representing the City in British and American Cinema
- Race in the United States: Plantation Slavery to # BlackLivesMatter
- The Soviet Union: Red Flag Unfurled, 1917-1991
- Freedom and Nation: The State in Post-Colonial Africa, 1956-2006
- Violence and Modernity in Twentieth-Century India
- Women and Gender in Medieval Islam
- English Research Dissertation
- History Special Subject
- Beer, Porcelain, Longbows: Rewriting the History of Medieval and Early Modern Object
- Internationalisms: People, Power and Politics Beyond Borders
- A History of Palestine, 300-1800
- From Pinny to Hot Pants? Women in Britain, 1945-1970
- American Film History: Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan
- Feminism(s)
- Guillotines, Ghosts and Laughing Gas: Literature in the 1790s
- Shakespeare: the Play, the Word and the Book
- The Modern Caribbean: Migration, Radicalism and Revolt
- Victorian Sensation Fiction
- American Horror Stories: The Fiction and Film Worlds of Stephen King from Carrie to It
- Empire and Political Thought
- Islam in Africa and the Indian Subcontinent: Conquest, Islamisation and Co-existence
- Time, Narrative, Culture
- Witches, Demons and Magic in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe
- Writing Black and Asian Britain
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA English and History at Queen Mary University of London earn?
The median salary is £27,500 after 15 months, £27,000 after 3 years, £33,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £27,500 and £40,500. The £33,500 median after five years is £4,500 more than the UK median for English studies.
What do graduates of BA English and History at Queen Mary University of London do next?
81% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2022-23).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA English and History at Queen Mary University of London?
92% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2024-25.
What grades do I need for BA English and History at Queen Mary University of London?
The typical offer is BBB at A level, or 30 points in the IB. The average entrant had 140 UCAS points.
Does BA English and History 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 and History at Queen Mary University of London?
87% of students continued into their second year, and 6% left higher education.