English Language and Literature (BA)

at Cardiff University

Course structure

 

This full-time course lasts for three years with two semesters per year. There are 120 credits a year. Most modules are worth 20 credits.

 

The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2022/2023 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2022.

 

Year one
You study 120 credits each year of your degree, including cores and optional modules.

 

In Year One, depending on your individual interests and career plans, you may choose a 60-60 split between your two subjects, or study 80 credits in one and 40 in the other. (You need to take a minimum of 40 credits in each subject.)

 

Year one offers a foundation for study, designed to equip you with the skills for advanced study and to give you an overview of your subjects that will enable you to make informed choices from the modules available in years two and three. The two core modules (40 credits) in English Language provide an excellent grounding in language description, analysis and interpretation. The core module (20 credits) in English Literature develops critical and contextual skills in analysing literary texts and complementary ways of reading. You also have the option to take paired modules (40 credits) that will introduce you the theory and practice of Creative Writing.

 

Year two
In Year Two, you take 120 credits, including two core modules.

 

The first core module introduces you to the study of linguistic style in a broad range of creative and literary texts (counting as 10 credits each for Language and Literature). The second covers essential elements of phonetics, grammar and lexical semantics (word meaning), building a common stock of knowledge and understanding in English Language.

 

You also choose four options (80 credits) across Language and Literature, with a minimum of one from each subject.

 

Optional modules in English language provide solid foundational knowledge in a range of key areas of study. Topics currently include sociolinguistics, history of English, child language development, language and gender, research methods, digital literacy, and stylistics. The training provided by these modules prepares you to make your choice from among the more specialised, research-led ‘extension’ modules available in your final year.

 

In English Literature you choose from a range of modules based on period, genre or theme, reading a variety of texts in their historical and cultural contexts. You can also continue your study of Creative Writing during year two.

 

Year three
You study 120 credits.

 

Depending on your individual interests and career plans, you may choose a 60-60 split between your two subjects, or study 80 credits in one and 40 in the other.

 

English language modules are offered in the subject areas in which staff are currently working, giving you unique insight into some of the most up-to-date and innovative research. These modules often require you to gather and analyse your own data. Currently the modules address areas such as communication disorders, forensic linguistics, language learning and teaching, language and ideology, corpus linguistics, media discourse, professional and intercultural communication, and communicating in relationships.

 

By your final year of English Literature, you will have gained experience of a variety of literary periods, topics, genres and approaches, developing your critical faculties and your skills in analysing texts and contexts. You choose between a range of more specialised modules that engage with current issues in research and scholarship in relation to authors and texts and historical topics and areas both well-known and possibly less familiar to you.

 

You have the opportunity to undertake research in a subject of your choice in either subject as a Project or Dissertation (20 credits), or on a topic combining both subjects as an Extended Dissertation (40 credits), subject to performance in year two. Alternatively, if you wish to pursue Creative Writing in Year 3, you can take the 40-credit Special Project.

A level
ABB-BBB. If you have grade B in the relevant language A-level you will have access to the languages advanced pathways.

 

Extended/International Project Qualification: Applicants with grade A in the EPQ/IPQ will typically receive an offer one grade lower than the standard A level offer. Please note that any subject specific requirements must still be met.

 

International Baccalaureate
32-31 overall or 665 in 3 HL subjects. If you have grade 6 in the relevant language at HL you will have access to the languages advanced pathways.

 

GCSE
Grade C or grade 4 in GCSE English Language.

 

IELTS (academic)
At least 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each subskill.

 

TOEFL iBT
At least 90 overall with minimum scores of 17 for writing, 17 for listening, 18 for reading and 20 for speaking.

 

PTE Academic
At least 62 overall with a minimum of 59 in all communicative skills.

 

Trinity ISE II/III
II: at least two Distinctions and two Merits.
III: at least a Pass in all components.

Tuition fees for 2022 entry

Fees for home status

• £9,000    

 

Fees for overseas status

• £19,200    

Our degree in English Language and Literature combines the best of humanities skills (flexibility, communication, critique) and social science skills (technical analysis and systematic method). Common destinations include primary and secondary school teaching, teaching English as a foreign language,
(digital) journalism, marketing and public relations, sales and advertising, the civil service and public administration.

 

95% of the School's 2016/17 graduates reported they were in employment and/or further study within six months of graduation (Destination of Leavers from Higher Education Survey).

 

The most common/popular employment options for graduates of this programme include:

• English teacher
• Research assistant
• Media professional
• Editor
• Speech & language therapy assistant
• Business and public service professional
• Information technology and telecommunications profession

 

During your degree you can take full advantage of the wide-range of opportunities provided by the Careers service.

 

Graduate careers

• Lecturer
• Teacher
• Writer
• Crime Intelligence Analyst