English Literature and Publishing (Professional Placement Year)

Turn your passion for words into a practical skill set. Learn to shape stories, information and ideas for print, digital and beyond with our English Literature and Publishing degree.

• Explore literature though diverse perspectives and communicate ideas in engaging and creative ways.

• Develop practical skills in copywriting, editing, layout, web and project management, and work on real-life projects and briefs.

• Graduates from this course have gone on to work with leading employers including Oxford University Press, Penguin Random House and Future Publishing.

Our English Literature and Publishing degree has been designed to enable you to acquire specialised subject knowledge while developing practical and professional skills that you can apply to a wide range of industries and careers.

English Literature introduces you to an incredible range of literary worlds. From classic texts to new and unfamiliar writing, you'll be asked to think differently about what ‘literature’ can be and to explore original ways of reading and analysing it. We’ll ask you to place your reading in wider contexts, and to draw on other disciplines to deepen your understanding and sharpen your insights.

It’s not just about reading and analysing texts – you’ll also learn vital professional skills. English Literature and Publishing will help you develop creativity, analysis, communication and collaboration skills, which can open up a diverse range of possible careers. We’ll support you in learning how to manage projects, work with your peers, and collaborate in our partnership projects. We’ll equip you with a wide range of the latest digital making skills, such as Adobe InDesign, web, and multimedia social content, alongside core publishing skills such as copywriting and editing, design, layout and marketing. You’ll carve out your own role and graduate with industry experience and a stunning digital portfolio of your work.

You'll also have access to key industry resources such as Nielsen Bookscan, where you can explore book sales data and monitor consumer trends, and the entire suite of Adobe creative software as well as Society of Young Publishers South West events, some of which are hosted at the University.

Why choose this combination?
Learning to read, think about and interpret literature can inform and enhance the ways we communicate - and publishing is a natural outlet for expressing these different perspectives. Publishing is one of the UK’s largest creative industries, which shapes and presents content across a wide range of subjects and for a variety of publications, from books and magazines to innovative apps and websites.

More about the Professional Placement Year
A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.

Year one
The first year will introduce you to key elements and concepts in both subjects. You’ll develop your skills with a broad curriculum of core modules in Publishing and English Literature.

Year two
Alongside core modules in both subjects, you’ll be able to choose from a selection of Publishing and English Literature modules that cover a wide range of genres and topics, including a number that involve working with creative industries or local communities.

Year three
The final year follows the mix of required and optional modules from year two, but with an additional emphasis on developing your final projects. You’ll be encouraged to develop your individual approach as a creator, curator or project manager; your final Publishing portfolio will reflect this, showcasing your work for prospective employers. In your English studies, you can choose from a variety of final projects (previously, students have created digital resources, worked at literary festivals and produced educational materials, to name a few examples).

Optional modules cover book commissioning, children's publishing, and cross-platform digital publishing.

Assessment is based mainly on coursework. Depending on your module choices, coursework may include portfolios, essays, journals, feature articles, reflective commentaries, seminar presentations, collaborative magazines and reports. In some modules you’ll share your work through short, informal presentations.