UEA is the place where literature lives. You’ll be part of a unique and supportive community of critics, writers, and drama practitioners who are dedicated to bringing literature to life. You’ll be studying literature in a city with both a rich literary tradition and a vibrant contemporary writing scene.  

We emphasise choice and flexibility in building your own unique pathway through English literature. You’ll have the chance to discover a wealth of writers from the middle ages right up to poets and novelists writing now. You might explore diverse traditions of writing from across the globe, and you’ll tackle a heady mix of genres, which currently range from the gothic to children’s literature, crime writing to Latin American fiction, nonsense writing to biography. Your journey through literature is shaped by you and your interests – no two UEA English Literature degrees are the same.  

All our BA English Literature modules are 100% coursework. This enables you to cultivate the craft of critical writing. You might find yourself honing the perfect essay or try expressing your ideas in new, experimental forms in one of our creative-critical modules. Or you might turn your skill with words towards modules on writing as a profession, which give you a flavour of the diverse and exciting careers for which your literary critical training prepares you. 

Whatever you study, you’ll work with our world-leading critics, who will help you to develop your own critical voice.  Your lecturers will be passionate about bringing their own expertise into the seminar room.  

Your Literature degree will enable you to become an imaginative and knowledgeable reader of literature, and a confident writer about it. You’ll graduate as a passionate and informed advocate for the literature you love, ready to take all the skills you’ve learnt into a host of careers.  

PLACEMENT YEAR AND STUDY ABROAD

You’ll have the option to apply to study abroad for one semester of your second year. Studying abroad is a wonderfully enriching life experience – you will develop confidence and adaptability, and will have the chance to deepen your understanding of English literature while learning about another culture. At UEA, you will also be surrounded by the many students we welcome from around the world to study with us.  

AFTER THE COURSE

On graduation you might go on to work in the arts, media, publishing, politics, charities and NGOs, teaching or the commercial sector. You’ll be equipped with sought-after skills of critical reading, independence, time management, teamwork, and many more. You’ll also be well placed to study for a postgraduate degree.  

Our Careers Service is here to support you in launching your career by advising with CV writing, internships, and much more. Every year we run an event, Working with Words, which gives current students the chance to meet and hear from successful UEA alumni from across the creative industries.  

UEA has its own in-house student publishing project, Egg Box, along with many other exciting initiatives that give you opportunities to turn your love of literature into a foundation for your future career.

CAREER DESTINATIONS

Examples of careers you could enter include:  

• Journalism  

• Publishing  

• Media  

• Marketing  

• Finance  

• Teaching