Ready to become an expert communicator and discover the crucial role of English language and literature in today’s world
Course outline
The BA (Hons) English Language and Literature course has been designed with your future in mind, linking your studies to professionally relevant contexts with practical applications. It is directly informed by the research expertise of our staff, who specialise in disciplines spanning linguistics, literature, language education, workplace communication and more.
We study everything from poetry and plays to news reporting and social media, providing you with the opportunity to develop skills in linguistic analysis, while exploring literary genres from Shakespeare to post-apocalyptic science fiction, considering periods from the seventeenth century to the present day. This equips you with theoretical depth, cutting-edge linguistic abilities and techniques for close reading and analysis, applicable in legal, educational and business domains.
The integrated placement year offers the chance to apply your learning in a work or study placement in the UK or overseas. Whether you choose to study abroad, work for a company or to teach, Aston University’s links with employers, schools and universities around the world mean you will have a wide range of options to boost your employability.
Key benefits
- Power up your future – Develop the skills employers around the globe look for. Gain an edge in a fast-changing world and thrive in your career with Aston Power Skills.
- Excellent prospects - Ranked 1st in the UK for ‘career prospects’ (English; Guardian, 2025)
- Safe in our hands - Ranked 5th in the UK for ‘student-to-staff ratio’ (English; Guardian, 2025)
- Here for you. 100% of students felt positive about the academic support they received (English Language and Literature; National Student Survey, 2024).
- Top teachers. 98% of students felt positive about teaching on their course (English Language and Literature; National Student Survey, 2024).
- Earn more – Our graduates are among the highest paid in the country, earning on average £35,400 five years after graduating (Longitudinal Education Outcomes, 2024)
- Gold standard teaching – Aston University was awarded Gold – the highest possible rating for the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF, 2023)
Where can this degree take me
The transferable skills that our English programmes provide mean that our graduates are successful in finding employment in a wide range of roles such as:
- Teacher
- Marketing executive
- Research and content writer
- Social media executive
- Police officer
- Education consultant
- Policy adviser
- Copywriter
- Operations support manager
- Merchandising assistant
Our graduates have gone on to work at companies and public sector organisations such as the BBC, Lloyds Banking Group, West Midlands Railway, West Midlands Police, Ministry of Justice, NHS and Airbus.
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