English Language and Literature (Hons) Lancaster University

Overview

In the English Language and Literature (Hons) at Lancaster University you will read the greats of English literature, as well as the voices that history has overlooked. From ancient myth to the contemporary graphic novel, you’ll explore a host of different literary forms, develop your critical voice, and discuss your reading and ideas with widely published scholars.

English Language and Literature is not just a fascinating area of study, but also an opportunity to gain a skill set that opens doors to a range of exciting and rewarding careers. Throughout your study you will be developing skills that are vital to employers, such as clarity of writing, persuasive argumentation, and critical thinking. Transferrable skills include an ability to gather, organise and analyse large quantities of data, and an aptitude for developing new and innovative ideas.

You will have the chance to develop specialist skills in the lexical and grammatical analysis of English, the use of technology to track trends in the way English is used, and crafting language for creative industries.

If you are interested in writing, publishing, and editing you could choose to get involved in one of our four student-run literary journals: Cake, Flash, Lux and Errant. You might also volunteer to help at Litfest, Lancaster’s annual literature festival which attracts well-known authors from around the world (including some of our own author-tutors).

Careers

Our degrees open up an extremely wide array of career pathways in businesses and organisations, large and small, in the UK and overseas. Your skills will be valued by a range of sectors -- from the public to private sector, including large multinationals and small local enterprises.

A degree in English Language and Literature will give you valuable skills such as data analysis, evaluating evidence and persuasive argumentation. These skills can be deployed in a multitude of career paths. New and exciting opportunities are emerging in creative and cultural industries such as museums, heritage and the arts, literary tourism, podcasting, game-writing, blogging, film, television, and social media.

Our students have gone on to careers including:

• Marketing and advertising professionals in large corporations and small businesses
• Journalists for national outlets as well as local newspapers
• Teachers from primary level to university level
• Speech and language therapists
• PR and communication specialists
• Authors and copy-writers
• Publishers
• Computer programmers and game writers
• Financiers
• Civil servants and policy analysts
• Librarians and archivists