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English Language and Literature

  • Bachelor of Arts (with Honours)
  • 4 Years
  • Full-Time
  • 14 September 2027
  • Undergraduate
Main Site
Awarded by:
Aston University
More about Aston University, Birmingham

Course options

2026-20272027-2028
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Course summary

Ready to become an expert communicator and discover the crucial role of English language and literature in today’s world?

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 - outcomes’ (English; Complete University Guide, 2026)

  • We invest in you - Ranked 5th in the UK for ‘spend per student’ (English; Guardian University Guide, 2026)

  • Here for you. 97% of students felt positive about the academic support they received (English Language and Literature; National Student Survey, 2025).

  • Helpful resources: 93% of students felt positive about the learning resources on their course (English Language and Literature; National Student Survey, 2025).

  • Earn more – Our graduates are among the highest paid in the country, earning on average £30,700 five years after graduating (Longitudinal Education Outcomes, 2025)

  • 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.

Modules

Course Modules

For a full list of modules and course objectives, visit the course page on Aston University's website: https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/english-language-and-literature-ba

https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/english-language-and-literature-ba

Assessment method

For more information on how this course is assessed, visit the course page on Aston University's website: https://www.aston.ac.uk/study/courses/english-language-and-literature-ba

Ways to study this course

Campuses

  • Main Site

Study options

  • Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) • Full-Time • Placement (mandatory) • 4 Years

Start dates

  • 14 September 2027

Apply by
13 January 2027

This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.

Application codes

Course code:
Q321
Institution code:
A80
Campus name:
Main Site
Points of Entry:
Year 1

Aston University, Birmingham has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?

How to apply

Apply by
13 January 2027

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
Q321
Institution code:
A80
Campus name:
Main Site

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Typical qualification requirements

A level
BBC-BCC

BBC: Standard offer //

BCC: If student is also presenting Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) grade B // or eligible for Contextual offer (more details https://www.aston.ac.uk/undergraduate/contextual-offer-aston-ready)

T Level
D

UCAS Tariff
Not accepted

Access to HE Diploma
Distinction: 15 Merit: 30

We accept the QAA-recognised Access Diploma which must consist of 45 credits at Level 3. You must obtain a minimum of 15 Distinctions and the rest must be at Merit or Distinction. Please note that we do not accept the English and Maths components within the Access qualification and you must meet the GCSE entry requirement.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English Language/Literature and GCSE Mathematics are required at minimum grade C/4.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Offer: 29

5,5,4 in 3 Higher level subjects

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
DDM

The University also accepts the BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate/BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma and BTEC Level 3 National Diploma/BTEC Level 3 Diploma for entry onto degree programmes, provided that they are studied in combination with other qualifications that are equivalent to three full A2 Levels.

All applications are considered on an individual basis and the whole application is reviewed carefully, including previous and predicted qualifications, experience, reference and your motivation to study the course. Whilst the grades listed here are our entry requirements, we understand that predicted grades are only an estimate. We will therefore consider applicants with predicted grades that fall below these entry requirements if the application is of a high standard. However, any offer made will not be lower than stated above. Entry onto our Foundation Year maybe offered as an alternative to the degree course if lower entry grades are achieved.

Aston University welcomes applications from students with a wide range of qualifications from the UK and overseas, including combinations of qualifications. If your qualifications are not listed here and you wish to check whether they meet the entry requirements for this course, please contact the university.

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

Aston Ready is our contextual offer scheme that could reduce your undergraduate offer by one or two grades. Assessed at the point of application, there are no additional forms to fill in. Details of eligibility criteria can be found on our website.

Learn more on the Aston University, Birmingham website

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).

It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.

Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Per year tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland£9790
International£22575

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

(The tuition fees mentioned are for the 2026/7 academic year. These will be updated to the fees for 2027/8 academic year as soon as they are available.)

*Home students: for entry to the University in 2026/7, the home tuition fees are expected to be £9,790, subject to parliamentary approval. For more information please visit the relevant course webpage at www.aston.ac.uk. If you are already holding an offer with us, please check your offer letter for information on fees.

**International students: For more information please visit the relevant course webpage at www.aston.ac.uk. If you are already holding an offer with us, please check your offer letter for information on fees

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