English Literature

Course details
Not only does English Studies provide a thorough grounding in the ‘great tradition’ of English literature – from Chaucer and Shakespeare through to plays, poems and novels written in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries – and in literary theory, but it also offers a wide range of imaginative and research-led modules.

The comprehensive syllabus combines traditional areas of literary study with new and developing areas of the discipline. It aims to develop your conceptual abilities and analytical skills by exposing you to a variety of literary-critical approaches. This will promote and develop the clarity and persuasiveness of your argument and expression, enabling you to develop, to a high degree of competence, a range of skills which are both subject-specific and transferable.

Why Durham University?
We are consistently ranked as one of the leading English departments in the UK, so when you choose to study English at Durham you can be assured of the highest quality learning experience.
Spanning texts from Chaucer to Shakespeare, from Jane Austen to Virginial Woolf, and American poetry to twenty-first century novels, English Studies at Durham will appeal to those with a sensitivity to language, a love of reading and a sense of intellectual adventure.
English Studies is a popular and highly regarded subject that will give you a broader and more balanced understanding of how the world works, politically, psychologically and sociologically.
It also develops the highly transferable linguistic, critical and analytical skills that are sought after in the contemporary workplace.

Facilities
Students have access to extensive general collections in literary studies which are housed in the University library, and a number of specialist collections and archives in Palace Green, in the heart of Durham city.

Rankings
3rd in the UK Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026
5th in the Guardian University Guide 2026
5th in the UK Complete University Guide 2026
Top 100 in the QS World University Rankings 2026

Career Opportunities
Academically, we inspire our students to develop as analytic, sensitive and creative readers and writers, yet an English Studies degree is worth so much more.
We aim to transform students into independent thinkers with the ability to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively. It’s this skill set, coupled with effective organisational and research skills, that makes them so highly valued across a range of work environments.
Graduates progress into a diverse range of careers and sectors, including roles in arts and theatre management, broadcasting, publishing and journalism, technical writing, business, marketing and advertising, teaching, higher education, law, the third sector and government.

Course Modules

Durham Education 2027

The University is committed to continuous improvement and is currently undertaking a review to enhance our courses. As we make updates, some details of courses advertised for 2027 entry may change. These enhancements are being developed in consultation with students and in response to student feedback. We will not be making changes to degree subjects, academic standards or the broad concepts that will be taught, but to how courses are organised. In some cases this may mean that the balance of compulsory and optional modules may change. Any updates will be communicated transparently and by the end of summer 2026, ensuring applicants know exactly what to expect from their chosen degree.

For current module information please visit our course page.

https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/courses/english-literature-q300/september-2027/

Most modules will be assessed by summative essays and end-of-year examinations.

You should have developed the ability to interpret different ideas and values represented in literature, to test the ideas of others and to pursue ideas of your own.

In the third year you will write a 10,000-word dissertation on a subject of your choice related to English Literature. The dissertation is a double-weighted module (worth the credit of two modules).