BA Publishing and English
About this course
BA (Hons) in Publishing and English, an undergraduate degree combining literary studies with the practices, structures and commercial strategies of the publishing industry. Core topics include Data Analysis, Research Methods, Entrepreneurship. The course includes options for a foundation year and a professional placement year. The first year covers core subjects through Introduction to Creative Writing and Publishing, Markets and Media, Editorial, Theorising Literature and Meaning (PDP), Mutants and Monsters: Interpreting Fantasy, and Shakespeare and Early Modernity. In subsequent years, students can select from a wide range of optional modules covering literary periods, genres, and professional skills such as Research in Practice, Copy-editing for Writers and Editors, Print and Digital Production, and Skills for Contemporary Publishing. The final stage offers independent study options including a research-based dissertation or a major writing or publishing project, alongside modules like Principles and Practice of Business in the Creative Industries and Independent Study in Writing and Publishing.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
UCAS tariff: 112 A level: BBC T Level: Merit BTEC: DMM GCSE: GCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification Access to HE: Pass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits: 45 at Level 3 with a minimum of Distinction: 15, Merit: 24, Pass: 6 English language: IELTS: 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each skills area)
See the highest paying Languages & English degrees in the UK →
See the highest paying Media & Journalism degrees in the UK →
What students say
Based on about 22 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 86%
- Learning opportunities: 87%
- Assessment and feedback: 87%
- Academic support: 85%
- Organisation and management: 64%
- Learning resources: 89%
- Student voice: 81%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 70 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 87%
- Left higher education: 13%
What graduates do next
Based on about 43 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 80%
- Working and studying: 7%
- Further study: 1%
- Unemployed: 10%
Most common jobs
- Artistic, literary and media occupations: 25%
- Customer service occupations: 20%
- Sales occupations: 20%
- Teaching Professionals: 5%
- Legal professionals: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 80%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 65%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 90 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 3%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 8%
- East Midlands: 45%
- West Midlands: 24%
- East of England: 7%
- London: 3%
- South East: 6%
- South West: 2%
- Wales: 1%
- Scotland: 1%
- Northern Ireland: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 60 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 95%
- Access course: 2%
- Other qualifications: 2%
- No formal qualifications: 2%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Gold overall, Gold for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Placement Learning and Professional Development
- Introduction to Creative Writing and Publishing
- Markets and Media
- Editorial
- Theorising Literature and Meaning (PDP)
- Mutants and Monsters: Interpreting Fantasy
- Shakespeare and Early Modernity
- Literature, Identity and The Real
- Modernism
- Nineteenth-Century Realism: Conscience and Context
- Poetry and Revolution in the British Romantic Period
- Research in Practice
- Copy-editing for Writers and Editors
- Writing and Publishing for Children and Young Adults
- Writing and Publishing: Gaming
- Power, Passion and Persuasion
- Print and Digital Production
- English Independent Study (PDP)
- Advanced Research in Practice
- After The Modern: Existentialism and Postmodernism
- Colonialism and Independence
- Tragedy
- Gender and Identity in Contemporary Literature
- Riots and Rebels: Studies in Intercultural Drama
- The Art of Crime
- Modern and Contemporary Poetry
- Eighteenth-Century Literature: Terror Wit and Letters of Love
- Genre
- The Written World in the Twenty-first Century
- Principles and Practice of Business in the Creative Industries
- Skills for Contemporary Publishing
- Independent Study in Writing and Publishing
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Publishing and English at University of Derby earn?
The median salary is £25,000 after 15 months, £20,000 after 3 years, £23,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £20,500 and £30,000. The £23,500 median after five years is £5,500 less than the UK median for English studies.
What do graduates of BA Publishing and English at University of Derby do next?
88% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Publishing and English at University of Derby?
86% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Publishing and English at University of Derby?
The typical offer is BBC at A level. The average entrant had 111 UCAS points.
Does BA Publishing and English at University of Derby include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional placement year.
How many students continue on BA Publishing and English at University of Derby?
87% of students continued into their second year, and 13% left higher education.