BA English Literature (Placement Year)
About this course
BA Hons in English Literature (Placement Year), an English Literature degree exploring diverse texts from antiquity to the present. Core topics include Research Methods, Historical Research, Critical & Analytical Thinking. Students undertake a professional placement year in the third year and complete an independent research project in the final year. The first year introduces foundational themes through compulsory modules Literature in Time, World Literatures, and Literary Adaptation, alongside a wide range of optional subjects. The second year focuses on critical theory and adaptation with compulsory modules Critical Practice, Critical Theory, and Literary Adaptation, while offering various historical and thematic options. The third year consists of the Work Based Learning Year module, placing students in a graduate-level professional role. The final year centres on independent research through the English Literature Dissertation, supported by optional modules covering authors, periods, and specialized genres such as Romanticism, Shakespeare, and Modernism.
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
A level: ABB IB: 32 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 HL subjects
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Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 90%: 9 offers from 10 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 40 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 97%
- Learning opportunities: 89%
- Assessment and feedback: 84%
- Academic support: 96%
- Organisation and management: 81%
- Learning resources: 93%
- Student voice: 80%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 75 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 90%
- Left higher education: 9%
- Moved to a lower qualification: 1%
What graduates do next
Based on about 26 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 65%
- Working and studying: 15%
- Further study: 10%
- Unemployed: 5%
Most common jobs
- Teaching Professionals: 15%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Teaching and Childcare Support Occupation: 10%
- Artistic, literary and media occupations: 10%
- Managers, directors and senior officials: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 80%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 75%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 70%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 245 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 2%
- North West: 48%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 14%
- East Midlands: 3%
- West Midlands: 6%
- East of England: 2%
- London: 14%
- South East: 7%
- South West: 4%
- Wales: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 95 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 95%
- Baccalaureate: 2%
- Other HE qualification: 3%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Gold overall, Silver for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- Literature in Time
- World Literatures
- Literature and Place
- Introduction to Creative Writing
- Medieval and Early Modern Worlds
- Foundations of Language
- History of Philosophy: Ideas that Shaped the West
- Raw Materials of Performance
- Understanding Media and Culture
- The Arts and Identity (Discovery module)
- Critical Practice
- Critical Theory
- Literary Adaptation
- Medieval to Early Modern Literature
- Postcolonial Literature
- American Literature
- Victorian Literature
- Writing Fiction
- Taking an Idea and Making it Happen (Discovery module)
- Work Based Learning Year
- English Literature Dissertation
- Contemporary Literature
- Romanticism
- Literature and Environment
- Special Topics in Theory
- Austen and the Brontës
- Gothic and Science Fiction
- Shakespeare
- Modernism
- The Use and Abuse of History
- Global Film Genres
- Live Performance Criticism
- Queer Futures (Discovery module)
- Artistic Fusions (Discovery module)
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA English Literature (Placement Year) at Lancaster University earn?
The median salary is £25,000 after 15 months, £23,500 after 3 years, £29,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £23,500 and £34,500. The £29,000 median after five years is £1,000 more than the UK median for Literature in English.
What do graduates of BA English Literature (Placement Year) at Lancaster University do next?
90% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA English Literature (Placement Year) at Lancaster University?
97% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA English Literature (Placement Year) at Lancaster University?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 143 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for BA English Literature (Placement Year) at Lancaster University?
90% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 9 offers from 10 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
Does BA English Literature (Placement Year) at Lancaster University include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory placement year.
How many students continue on BA English Literature (Placement Year) at Lancaster University?
90% of students continued into their second year, and 9% left higher education.