English is one of the most diverse, stimulating and challenging disciplines offered at university. The subject cultivates your sensitivity towards language and addresses a number of provocative questions. What makes some books literature and others not? What can we learn from writing of the past? Does studying how language works in texts help us understand contemporary culture? How does gender impact on reading and writing practices?
Part-time study:
The Swansea English department is a friendly and supportive working environment. Our students also participate in numerous extracurricular cultural activities held in the department itself, the Taliesin Arts Centre on campus and in the Dylan Thomas Arts Centre in the city.
Visiting speakers and writers read from their work; there are theatre trips and events organized by the student English Society. The Swansea Review is edited in the Department, which publishes critical essays and creative work. Budding poets, novelists and journalists can develop their skills with the help of distinguished writers, attached to the department.
We welcome applications from international students
Our typical conditional offer for Single Honours English literature, English literature with Creative Writing and English literature with Gender is 300 points at A level, with a minimum of 100 in English. An A level in English is required. English Literature or Literature/Language are preferred, but English Language is also acceptable.
Joint Honours offers are usually of the order of 260-280 points at A level; see also the entry for your other subject.
Scholarships and bursaries information can be found in our scholarship sections
At Level 1, the lectures are supplemented by regular smallgroup sessions. Assessment is usually by a mixture of coursework and examinations. You will be assigned a Personal Tutor, to offer guidance during your whole time at Swansea, but all the lecturers make themselves available for consultation or just a chat at certain times during the week. At Levels 2 and 3, you will continue to attend lectures for core courses, supplemented by private study in the library. These courses are assessed by examinations at the end of each semester. You will also participate in seminar classes which are taught through discussion in groups of around 25. These option courses are assessed entirely through coursework. You will get to know the other students well. We have a cosmopolitan intake: though about a third of students are Welsh, the others will be from all parts of the UK, with several from the USA and Europe. Creative Writing modules on the BA in English with Creative Writing are taught in two-hour weekly workshops, through a fluid mingling of tutor-led discussion and workshop-based exercises. Writing techniques are clarified by the reading and discussion of named works. Modules are evaluated by two pieces of work of up to 8000 words, together with two reflective essays of up to 500 words each. The English part of the course is taught as described above.
Information regarding dates and times for Enrolment can be found on the Student Records webpages.
Applications should be made through UCAS.
You can use our OnTrack application service to apply.
Apply for your course with our OnTrack application service.