English - BA (Hons)

About this course

About

Taking your love of reading as the one essential ingredient, we aim to broaden your knowledge and cultivate your abilities as a thinker, writer and communicator.

We will introduce you to the basics of critical writing and literary theory in year one, allowing you to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for success in your later work. Following the groundwork of this introductory year, you will be able to choose from a wide range of options reflecting the interests and expertise of the UU English teaching team. Subjects that we teach include women's writing, narratives of slavery, historical fiction, modern drama, detective novels, gothic and romantic writing, the Victorian novel, modern Irish writers, contemporary fiction and love poetry.

We very much enjoy sharing our enthusiasms, making our lectures engaging and stimulating. Even more importantly, we want you to develop your own interests and follow your own passions. UU English allows you to construct your own path to success, writing on whatever engages you most, whether that be Shakespeare or 'Game of Thrones'. Having had many opportunities to share ideas with like-minded friends and sympathetic teachers, UU English students graduate as creative, free-thinking communicators; they often go on to do very interesting things... Join us and free your imagination!

More detail is available from the Course Director, Dr Kate Byrne (k.byrne@ulster.ac.uk) – please feel free to send an email!

Associate awards

Diploma in Professional Practice DPP

Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS

Diploma in Professional Practice International DPPI

Attendance

The course normally lasts for three years (four years if you choose to do a placement). During this time, there will be a number of different teaching and learning experiences for you to enjoy. Teachers will talk about the books you are reading in lectures, and you will get the chance to share your views with other students in small group seminars. One-to-one tutorials, video and email consultations are also offered so that you can ask your lecturer the questions that really matter to you. Timetabled sessions usually amount to about 9 hours per week, but we hope you'll spend much more time that than reading!.

Start dates

• September 2025

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Teaching is mostly based on regular lectures(various sizes) and seminars(up to 15 students), although other methods - such as workshops, individual and small group tutorials, for example - are also common. Lectures allow the teacher to enthuse about their subject and flag up interesting and significant issues; seminars give you the opportunity to ask questions and share your insights; tutorials allow for a more detailed interaction specially tailored to your own needs.

There are several methods of assessment, although the most common are coursework essays (usually 2000 words long) and ten-minute oral presentations. Some modules also include an element of assessed seminar participation, rewarding your contributions to the module discussions. We even assess by podcast!

You will need to pass all modules in order to progress - the pass mark is 40% - but why not aim high? If you average 70% across your final year you will be awarded a First Class degree, and be fully prepared for your Postgraduate study!

Attendance and Independent Study

The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.

Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:

• the relevant generic national Qualification Descriptor
• the applicable Subject Benchmark Statement
• the requirements of any professional, regulatory, statutory and accrediting bodies.

• Attendance and Independent Study

  As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.

  Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.

  The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.

  Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.

  Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.

• Assessment

  Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes.  You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.

  Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.

  Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.

• Calculation of the Final Award

  The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).

  Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.

  All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.

  In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.

  Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.

Academic profile

The teaching of English is driven by the research expertise of some brilliant lecturers, all of whom publish books and articles regularly and are pushing the boundaries of knowledge within their respective fields.

Professor Richard Bradford is a well-known and highly-regarded literary biographer. Creative writing is taught by published authors including Dr Frank Sewell(an expert on Irish poetry). Dr Kate Byrne has published books and articles on Victorian literature and medicine, and on period drama . Dr James Ward works on (amongst other things) Swift, Eighteenth-Century writing and narratives of slavery. Dr Andrew Keanie, an expert on Romanticism, has recent publications on Thomas de Quincey and Hartley Coleridge. Dr Kevin De Ornellas writes on Renaissance drama. Prof Jan Jedrzejewski is an expert in Victorian fiction (especially Thomas Hardy and George Eliot). Dr Frank Ferguson, Director of the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies, has published extensively on Ulster Scots literature. Dr Kathryn White is a Samuel Beckett scholar (and fanatic!). Dr Tim Hancock works on twentieth-century English poetry. Dr Willa Murphy's main area of expertise lies in the field of Nineteenth-Century American studies. Dr Stephen Butler writes on crime fiction and contemporary fiction.

It's a great team of people expert in their areas and highly experienced in teaching.

Modules

Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.

Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.

Year one

University English Literature: An Introduction

Year: 1

Status: C

This module offers students a basic introductory guide to literary criticism and interpretation, focusing upon the ways in which the formal structures of poetry, fiction and drama contribute to a diversity of effects and levels of meaning.

Theory and Other Monsters

Year: 1

Status: C

The module offers an introduction to the practice of reading and criticism. It aims to enable students to work with a variety of critical approaches, and to develop an informed awareness of the analytical possibilities available to them as readers and critics.

Professional and Creative Writing: An Introduction

Year: 1

Status: C

On this module, students actively engage in diverse genres of writing, developing and reflecting on their writing and reading experience in particular genres and for particular audiences, including employers. Reading and critical analysis of sample texts and of texts about each genre are essential elements of the module.

Irish Literature and Society: An Introduction

Year: 1

Status: C

An introduction to some of the key texts and themes of the Irish literary tradition, this module places the texts in their social, historical, and political contexts. Reading a selection of fiction, poetry and drama, students will explore issues such as gender and the nation, rebellion and violence, folklore and the heritage industry, religion and the gothic, language, and identity. Beginning with the Act of Union in 1800, this module will investigate the ways that writers have responded to, and helped to create, modern Irish identity.

Writing Matters

Year: 1

Status: C

The module introduces students to various shorter literary genres (literary essay, short story, poem, autobiography / memoir, detective story, science writing, book review and other forms of journalism), exploring questions of genre and examining key themes and issues that have 'mattered' to writers and that have made writing 'matter' from the Renaissance to the present. Students will gain insight into various literary eras, writers, their work, and its contexts; and will further develop their own study, communication, and employability skills.

Pandemic Prose in the Viral Village

Year: 1

Status: C

In the late 1990s, post-apocalyptic fiction, and, in the 21st century, climate fiction or 'cli-fi' have been some of the bestselling literary genres. This module explores how such works address current environmental concerns and allow readers to reflect on the impact of climate change and the pandemic, and to speculate on ways to deal with future problems and the toll they will take on people both socially and psychologically.

Year two

Early Modern English Culture 1509-1659: Poetry, Prose, Drama

Year: 2

Status: C

The module introduces students to the culture of Renaissance England. Canonical and non-canonical poetry, prose, and drama as well as artefacts (such as paintings, jewelry, coins, seals, architecture, and clothing) will be studied within a framework of instruction on the sweeping changes brought to England by sectarian tension, increased literacy, nationalism, changing politics, women's complex roles, technical innovation, increased power for the monarchy, expanding commercial enterprise and a major expansion of literary and cultural creativity.

Eighteenth-Century Literature

Year: 2

Status: C

This module provides an introduction to literature from 1660 to 1780 (the 'long eighteenth century'). It helps develop knowledge of relevant contexts including marriage, sickness and health, 'race' and slavery, and encourages you to apply this knowledge critically in class and assessments. It assists in reflection on, and assessment of, skills for post-degree employment.

Tales of the Familiar and the Exotic: The Beginnings of Modern Fiction in English

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

The module is designed to introduce students to the history of the development of early fiction in English, from the early adventure narratives of the Elizabethan era to the emergence of the novel as a leading literary genre in the mid-eighteenth century. It will acquaint students with a range of thematic and formal sub-genres of fiction, ranging from tales of adventure to the philosophical romance, from religious allegory to the oriental tale, and from the picaresque to the epistolary.

Rhymes Of Passion: A Brief History Of Love Poetry

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module tells the story of love poetry. Having first asked the question 'What is love?', we will look at significant periods, writers, attitudes, and innovations, starting with love poetry's deepest roots in ancient verse (including Egyptian, Greek, and Roman), and ending with recent Western writers (such as Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy). The main aim of the module is to help you appreciate both enduring themes and changes in the way love has been understood and has expressed itself over time. Warning: it's not all hearts and flowers!

Writing and Editing

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This practice-based module aims to advance the writing and editing knowledge and skills of students through lectures and workshops focusing on diverse genres of writing. Students are introduced to methods and techniques in the writing and editing processes. Instruction is given in the collaborative teamwork of writers and editors, with students adopting both roles during the course of the module. Formative assessment ensures that all students get a chance to edit and improve their own work (and some of each other's work) before final submission.

Modern Drama and Its Influences

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

The module accounts for a diverse range of dramatic genres, staging techniques, and thematic preoccupations inherent to the work of twentieth-century heterosexual, feminist, gay, lesbian, White, Jewish, and Black British and American playwrights. On this module, their work is to be analyzed and critiqued in the context of their theatrical and thematic responses to influential ancient, early modern, and nineteenth-century playwrights and in the context of changing twentieth-century values.

Sex and the City of God: religion and sexuality in American literature

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module examines the intersection of religion and sexuality in American literature, with a view to exploring issues of religious discourse, theories of metaphor, the language of desire and constructions of gender. The module explores the Puritan foundations of America, and the long shadow it casts over American culture. As well as literary fiction, the module explores texts from popular culture, as well as sermons, diaries, and other non-fiction prose.

Angels, Madwomen and Whores

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module enables students to engage with a wide range of writing by women from the 1790s to the end of the nineteenth century. By examining both poetry and prose, this module will uncover self-determined literary representation of female experience throughout the modern period, allowing students to engage with the central issues of gender and identity which affect women's writing.

Writing the North: Ulster Literature

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

The module introduces students to literary writing from Ulster to representations of, and imaginative responses to, the north of Ireland, and to the central debates surrounding these representations and responses.

Contemporary World Fiction in English

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

The module introduces students to a range of texts from areas of the world that have been oft ignored in academic studies for various geo-political reasons. The role that fiction plays in helping nations construct a sense of identity and community is a key focus of the module.

How It Is: Samuel Beckett Studies

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module celebrates Samuel Beckett the man and artist, whose innovations in theme and form pushed the boundaries of literature, redefined the medium of theatre, and made him one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. We will explore Beckett's work chronologically from the early fiction to the late drama, examining its impact alongside historical, cultural, and philosophical influences; we will consider Beckett's depiction of the human condition and will chart his gravitation towards minimalism.

Adaptation and Historical Fiction

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module is about the relationship between verbal and visual media (adaptation) and the portrayal of the past in fiction, film, and television (historical fiction). The module is designed to make you think critically about the relationship between literature and visual media; how they shape our understanding of the past through historical fiction; how adaptation and historical fiction give a voice to marginalized/underrepresented people.

Gothic and Romantic Writing

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module surveys writing associated with Gothic and Romantic discourses, focusing on the rise of the Gothic novel at the end of the C18th, Gothic imagery in Romantic writing, late-Victorian versions of the Gothic, the concept of decadence both before and during the fin de siècle, and the rise of psychoanalytical models at the end of the C19th.

English Exchange 1

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the UK and Ireland. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline while generating educational and cultural networks.

English Exchange 2

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the UK and Ireland. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline while generating educational and cultural networks.

English Exchange 3

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the UK and Ireland. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline while generating educational and cultural networks.

English Exchange 4

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module provides students with an opportunity to undertake a semester or full year of the second year of their degree in study outside the UK and Republic of Ireland. It is not open to non-study abroad students. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline of English whilst generating educational and cultural networks, and fulfilling the requirements of their second year programme.

English Exchange 5

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the UK and Ireland. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline while generating educational and cultural networks.

English Exchange 6

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the UK and Ireland. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline while generating educational and cultural networks.

Detective Fiction

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

This module will cover a range of some of the best-known examples of detective and crime fiction, in print and on screen, from the C19th to the present, exploring the genre's social and political importance, and the reasons for its universal popularity.

Writing and Publishing

Status: O

Year: 2

This module is optional

Students on this module learn about the functions, and apply some of the methods, of professionals in the publishing process (by undertaking tasks associated with writers, literary agents, editors, etc.). They workshop their own and each other's writing, and they gain experience in the editing and publishing processes

Year three

English Placement

Status: O

Year: 3

This module is optional

This module provides students with the opportunity to experience life as a professional in the creative and cultural industries as a paid employee of a company. They will gain experience and expertise in the field of their future profession and extend and enhance their skills, capabilities, and practice.

English Abroad (DIAS)

Status: O

Year: 3

This module is optional

This module provides an opportunity to undertake an extended period of study outside the UK and Ireland. Students will develop an enhanced understanding of the academic discipline whilst generating educational and cultural networks.

Black Lives Recovered and Remade

Status: O

Year: 3

This module is optional

This module traces the historic presence of people of colour in literature and visual culture. It covers the lives of historical individuals as well as fictional recreations or imaginings. Content covered includes historical fiction, government reports, life writing, cinema, and television. It offers a range of perspectives on race, racism, and their legacies.

The ‘Impact of Translation’ in Modern Irish and British Literature

Status: O

Year: 3

This module is optional

This module focusses on English-language translations of major works from European languages including Irish and Medieval English. No second language is required, as the texts are studied in translation. The translations are the work of leading authors, including Helen Waddell, Seamus Heaney, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, and Simon Armitage. The module explores the translators' motivations and methods, the context and reception of their translation work, the role of translation in each writer's oeuvre, and relevant questions and issues in Translation Studies.

Year four

Nineteenth Century Literature

Year: 4

Status: C

The module is designed to introduce students to the history of nineteenth-century English literature. It will trace, through the study of a selection of representative works of the period's poetry and prose, the rise and development of Romanticism and its continuation - and gradual transformation - in the writings of the Victorian era.

Twentieth-Century Literature

Year: 4

Status: C

The module offers a broad survey of English literature written during the twentieth century. It will describe, through analysis of significant works by celebrated and representative writers, some of the major aesthetic and cultural developments and thematic preoccupations of modern literature in English, paying particular attention to stylistic and attitudinal changes throughout the century, from late-Romantic melancholy to a post-modern appreciation of multicultural diversity.

Dissertation

Year: 4

Status: C

This module offers students an opportunity to design, plan, prepare, write up, and present a dissertation of 6000 words on a topic of their own choice and researched under the guidance of a suitably qualified member of staff.

How to be Modern: Writing from the Jazz Age, 1910-1930

Status: O

Year: 4

This module is optional

The urge to be modern was a defining characteristic of a group of creative artists christened the 'Lost Generation'. Born towards the end of the 1800s and reaching maturity around the time of the First World War, these groundbreaking writers modernized English literature (and themselves) through the 1910s and 1920s. Looking at both poetry and fiction, we will explore the breaking of sexual taboos, the impact of psychoanalysis, the trauma of the Great War, the rise of the New Woman, the Harlem Renaissance and avant-garde aesthetics (including free verse, streams of consciousness and unreliable narrators). In all cases we will seek to appreciate how these dynamic authors challenged stale cultural norms left over from the previous century.

Bonnets, Beards and Bastards: The Fiction of the Victorian Period

Status: O

Year: 4

This module is optional

The module is designed to introduce students to the thematic and formal diversity of Victorian fiction, as illustrated through the works of the leading novelists of the period. The key themes studied will include, among others, the social problems of Victorian Britain, 'the woman question', the role of religion in society, and the operation of the literary market; in aesthetic terms, the novels on the module will exemplify a range of formats and story-telling conventions, from the psychological novel to the sensation novel, from realism to symbolism, and from comedy of manners to naturalism.

Nineteenth-Century American Literature

Status: O

Year: 4

This module is optional

An introduction to some of the key texts and themes of nineteenth-century American literature, this module places texts in their social, historical, and political contexts. Reading a selection of fiction, poetry, and autobiography, we will explore issues such as the possibilities and limits of a 'new world', race and exclusion, gender and sentiment, nature and technology. This module will examine the invention of a unique American voice in writing of the period.

Twentieth-Century American Literature

Status: O

Year: 4

This module is optional

Examining the history of twentieth-century American literature in its social, cultural, and political context, this module involves close literary study of selected texts by some of the most representative American writers of the period, and discussion of broader issues such as the American Dream and the relationship between the American and English literary traditions. The module links with ENG511 Nineteenth-century American Literature (Year Three, semester 1), with other modules in English and European literature, and related modules in American History.

Body, Mind and Soul in Novels and Non-Fiction from Addison to Austen

Status: O

Year: 4

This module is optional

A survey of ideas about the human body, mind and soul in texts ranging chronologically from Joseph Addison and Richard Steele's Spectator (1711) to Jane Austen's Mansfield Park (1814). It investigates the links between literature and medicine, psychology and philosophy, and will be of interest to students who want to explore how literature engages with issues such as belief, education, pain, pleasure, sexuality and disease.

The Ulster-Scots Literary Tradition 1750 - 2000

Status: O

Year: 4

This module is optional

The module introduces students to the history of Ulster-Scots literature from the middle of the eighteenth to the beginning of the twenty-first century. It will trace the relationship of Ulster writing to Scottish and Irish cultural, literary, political, philosophical, and linguistic influences in this period. The module will investigate the development, revivals, and transformations of Ulster-Scots literature through an examination of its most representative and important authors.

From The Vote To The Pill: C20th And C21st Women's Writing

Status: O

Year: 4

This module is optional

This module will enable students to engage with a variety of writing, in different genres, by women writers of the modern and the postmodern period, and will develop their understanding of the ways in which new political, social and sexual freedoms impacted upon women in the last century and beyond.

Writing Ireland: Ulysses to Normal People

Status: O

Year: 4

This module is optional

This module celebrates some of the most influential Irish writers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Through an examination of poetry, drama, and prose, we will explore works that have been deemed classics, future classics, and revolutionary. From Ulysses to Normal People, we will examine the impact and prominent characteristics of key texts, exploring how they have responded to the changing state of Ireland.

Shakespeare

Status: O

Year: 4

This module is optional

The module delivers advanced tuition on the works of Shakespeare. Every genre of Shakespearean drama is studied in detail: from Comedy to Tragedy, from Roman Play to Romance. Diverse appropriations of Shakespeare are addressed too - a political play, a bourgeois film, a diverting television sitcom. Shakespearean plays mean different things to different people in different places but, ultimately, sound knowledge of the primary texts, their genres and contexts must be established.

Narratives of Slavery

Status: O

Year: 4

This module is optional

This module invites students to explore a diverse range of literary texts and other media through which the history and legacy of the Atlantic slave trade has been represented.

Standard entry conditions

We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.

A level

Grades CCC.

You can satisfy the requirement for the final A level grade C by substituting a combination of alternative qualifications to the same standard as defined by the University.

Preference may be given to candidates with an A level Grade C or higher in English Literature.

Applied General Qualifications

*** To note that only qualifications defined as “Applied General” will be accepted for entry onto any undergraduate course at Ulster University.***

BTEC Awards

QCF Pearson BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma/ OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma (2012 Suite)

Award profile of DMM

RQF Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/ OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma (2016 Suite)

Award profile of MMM

QCF Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma/ OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Diploma(2012 Suite)

Award profile of Distinction Merit plus A Level Grade C or award profile of Distinction Merit plus A Level Grade C

RQF Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma/ OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Diploma (2016 Suite)

Award profile of Merit Merit plus A Level Grade C

QCF Pearson BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma / OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Introductory Diploma (2012 Suite)

Award profile of Merit plus A Level Grades CC

RQF Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate/ OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 Extended Certificate (2016 Suite)

Award profile of Merit plus A Level Grades CC

Diploma, National Diploma and Subsidiary Diploma applicants may satisfy the requirement for an element of the offer grade profiles (equating to the final A-level grade stated in the standard 3A level offer profile - Grade C) by substituting a combination of alternative qualifications to the same standard as defined by the University.

Irish Leaving Certificate

96 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of five subjects (four of which must be at higher level) to include English at H6 if studied at Higher level or O4 if studied at Ordinary Level.

Preference may be given to applicants holding Grade H4 in English Literature at higher level.

Irish Leaving Certificate UCAS Equivalency

• View tariff point chart

Scottish Highers

The Scottish Highers requirement for this course is grades

CCCCC

Preference may be given to candidates with Grade C in English

Applicants may satisfy the requirement for an element of the offer grade profiles (equating to the final A-level grade stated in the standard 3A level offer profile - Grade C) by substituting a combination of alternative qualifications to the same standard as defined by the University.

Scottish Advanced Highers

The Scottish Advanced Highers requirement for this course is grades

DDD

Preference may be given to candidates with Grade D in English

Applicants may satisfy the requirement for an element of the offer grade profiles (equating to the final A-level grade stated in the standard 3A level offer profile - Grade C) by substituting a combination of alternative qualifications to the same standard as defined by the University.

International Baccalaureate

Overall International Baccalaureate profile minimum of 24 points to include 12 at higher level.

Access to Higher Education (HE)

Overall profile of 55% (120 credit Access Course) (NI Access course)

Overall profile of 45 credits at Merit (60 credit Access course) (GB Access course)

GCSE

For full-time study, you must satisfy the General Entrance Requirements for admission to a first degree course and hold a GCSE pass at Grade C/4 or above English Language.

Level 2 Certificate in Essential Skills - Communication will be accepted as equivalent to GCSE English.

English Language Requirements

English language requirements for international applicants
The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.

Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.

• English language requirements
• Your country

Additional Entry Requirements

HND - Overall Merit with distinctions in 15 Level 5 credits for entry to Year 1

HNC – Overall Distinction with distinctions in 45 Level 4 credits for entry to Year 1.

You may also meet the course entry requirements with combinations of different qualifications to the same standard as recognised by the University (provided subject requirements as noted above are met).

Foundation Degree- an overall mark of 40% in Level 5 modules for Year 1 entry.

APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning)

The University will consider applications on the basis of experiential learning for those who do not hold the normal entry qualifications.

Transfer from degree level study at other institutions

Those applicants seeking entry with advanced standing, (eg. Transfer from another institution or year 2 entry) will be considered on an individual basis.

Exemptions and transferability

Studies pursued and examinations passed in respect of other qualifications awarded by the University or by another university or other educational institution, or evidence from the accreditation of prior experiential learning, may be accepted as exempting candidates from part of an approved programme provided that they shall register as students of the University for modules amounting to at least the final third of the credit value of the award at the highest level.

Careers & opportunities

Graduate employers

Graduates from this course are now working for:

• BBC
• British Council
• Education Authorities
• The Times
• Northern Ireland Libraries
• Hayes Recruitment
• PSNI

Job roles

With this degree you could become:

• English Teacher
• English as a Foreign Language Teacher
• Journalist
• Public Relations
• Advertising
• Civil Servant
• Human Resources

Career options

• English Majors Among Most Desirable Employees, says Google​

The top characteristics of success at Google are so-called "soft skills", such as communication, good leadership, possessing insight into others' values and points of view, having empathy and a supportive nature towards others and possessing good critical thinking and problem solving skills, along with the ability to create connections across complex ideas.

https://www.bookstr.com/article/english-majors-among-most-desirable-employees-says-google/​

English graduates have the kind of intellectual, social and communicative qualities that employers of all kinds require. The BA Hons English course at UU will give you the necessary skills to be successful in a wide range of fields: our graduates go on to do many wonderful things, pursuing careers in (for example) teaching, publishing, journalism and the media, the creative arts, advertising and marketing, arts administration, charitable organisations, human resources and the civil service.

You also have the option of go on to postgraduate work in all areas of English literary studies, or maybe do a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme with a view to pursuing a career teaching in schools / colleges.

The Career Development Centre (https://www.ulster.ac.uk/campus-life/careers) is available to offer friendly and impartial help and advice with career planning and provide opportunities for you to develop your employability skills. There are Information Centres on each of the campuses.

Work placement / study abroad

There is an optional flexible placement element in your degree, encouraging you to develop your skills as a writer in the context of a relevant workplace. Opportunities for study abroad, usually during the second year of your degree, are also available: ISEP (International Student Exchange Programme) offers links with over 140 American Universities; Erasmus+ focuses on European destinations.

Apply

Start dates

• September 2025

Contact

---

For more information visit

• Visit Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• Visit School of Arts and Humanities

Disclaimer

1. The University endeavours to deliver courses and programmes of study in accordance with the description set out in this prospectus. The University’s prospectus is produced at the earliest possible date in order to provide maximum assistance to individuals considering applying for a course of study offered by the University. The University makes every effort to ensure that the information contained in the prospectus is accurate, but it is possible that some changes will occur between the date of printing and the start of the academic year to which it relates. Please note that the University’s website is the most up-to-date source of information regarding courses, campuses and facilities and we strongly recommend that you always visit the website before making any commitments.
2. Although the University at all times endeavours to provide the programmes and services described, the University cannot guarantee the provision of any course or facility and the University may make variations to the contents or methods of delivery of courses, discontinue, merge or combine courses, change the campus at which they are provided and introduce new courses if such action is considered necessary by the University (acting reasonably). Not all such circumstances are entirely foreseeable but changes may be required if matters such as the following arise: industrial action interferes with the University’s ability to teach the course as planned, lack of demand makes a course economically unviable for the University, departure of key staff renders the University unable to deliver the course, changes in legislation or government policy including changes, if any, resulting from the UK departing the European Union, withdrawal or reduction of funding specifically provided for the course or other unforeseeable circumstances beyond the University’s reasonable control.
3. If the University discontinues any courses, it will use its best endeavours to provide a suitable alternative course. In addition, courses may change during the course of study and in such circumstances the University will normally undertake a consultation process prior to any such changes being introduced and seek to ensure that no student is unreasonably prejudiced as a consequence of any such change.
4. Providing the University has complied with the requirements of all applicable consumer protection laws, the University does not accept responsibility for the consequences of any modification, relocation or cancellation of any course, or part of a course, offered by the University. The University will give due and proper consideration to the effects thereof on individual students and take the steps necessary to minimise the impact of such effects on those affected. 5. The University is not liable for disruption to its provision of educational or other services caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control providing it takes all reasonable steps to minimise the resultant disruption to such services.

Testimonials

Jana Cherry(English year 3, 2021)

When I first began my journey of studying English at Ulster University, I was a bit overwhelmed. Coming from A levels, you feel as though there is a pressure on you to reach the standards of what is expected from an undergraduate student. However, each lecturer I have had the pleasure of meeting and being taught by has really lightened this pressure and worked alongside me to make sure I understood each topic to the best of my ability, even if it was one that I wasn't as confident in compared to the others. For me personally, I couldn’t recommend the English course enough. It is definitely something I will never regret doing because it has opened doors for my future career and this is all through the help of the lecturers and their fantastic teaching standards.

Keilan Colville(English year 2, 2021)

Making the decision to study English at UU is one that I will never regret. In the two years I've been here, I've developed relationships not just with other students but with the teaching staff too. Lecturers are encouraging and understanding, as well as being down-to-earth people who are always approachable. In studying a wide range of literary texts, I can find the things that I am interested in most. Even over the last year of the pandemic, online lessons delivered by the English department have been engaging and enjoyable. Most of all, it is the authentic love for literature that drives the English degree – a love that is shared in every class. As a student of English, I am given the space to grow, learn and as William Wordsworth once wrote, to ‘feel we are greater than we know.’

Kirstie Brown(English year 2, 2021)

In studying English at Ulster I have been given the opportunity to explore more than just the classics and the English literary canon. Modules have allowed me to discover the works of underrepresented women and BAME writers whilst approaching texts through different lenses and with fresh perspectives. The lecturers at Ulster couldn’t be more approachable and supportive, even with the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peter Linkens(English year 3, 2021)

Studying English in Coleraine has been an exhilarating and enriching experience for me. It has broadened my reading, helped me to adopt viewpoints other than my own and provided opportunities to meet people with whom I share a passion for literature, both students and lecturers. The lecturers are an eclectic mix of personalities who have helped to make this course so enjoyable. They are passionate about the subjects they teach, and I have enjoyed learning from them and talking with them. There is a diverse range of modules within the course that have helped broaden my skills in research, critical analysis and creative writing. There is also an English & Poetry Society in the university for those aspiring writers who are seeking to cultivate their skills and public speaking, which provides a welcoming and relaxed environment in which to share work or to just come along and listen. I really consider myself fortunate to have attended this university where my interest in literature has been stimulated and expanded by the teaching staff.

Sustainability at Ulster

Ulster continues to develop and support sustainability initiatives with our staff, students, and external partners across various aspects of teaching, research, professional services operations, and governance.

At Ulster every person, course, research project, and professional service area on every campus either does or can contribute in some way towards the global sustainability and climate change agenda.

We are guided by both our University Strategy People, Place and Partnerships: Delivering Sustainable Futures for All and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Our work in this area is already being recognised globally.  Most recently by the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact rating where we were recognised as Joint 5^th Globally for Outreach Activities and Joint Top 20 Globally for Sustainable Development Goal 17:  Partnership for the Goals.

Visit our Sustainability at Ulster destination to learn more about how the University strategy and the activities of Ulster University support each of the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Sustainability at Ulster University