BA in English Literature

Course Overview

The BA in English Literature at LSCT is a three-year honours degree within the Education & Professional Studies department, designed for students who want to read widely, argue precisely, and graduate with the kind of written voice that employers, editors and PGCE panels notice. Taught from our central London base and delivered through on-campus, online and distance-learning routes, the degree runs canonical texts and contemporary writing alongside each other — Shakespeare in the same term as Bernardine Evaristo, Wordsworth alongside Kayo Chingonyi.

You move from foundational close reading and literary theory into specialist study from year two: postcolonial writing, modernism, contemporary British poetry, drama in performance and a research-led final-year dissertation. The degree treats writing as a craft to be practised, not a knack to be assumed — every module has serious essay work, peer review and editorial revision. By the end you will leave with a portfolio of polished critical writing, a dissertation, and a defensible literary specialism.

Key Features

• UK-accredited honours degree aligned with the Department for Education subject benchmarks and the Society for Education and Training (SET) standards for onward teaching pathways.
• Three study modes — on-campus in London, fully online with live seminars, or distance learning with structured deadlines.
• London literary visits — the British Library, the Globe, the Keats House and the Charles Dickens Museum.
• Distinctive specialism module: Contemporary British Poetry from the Forward Prize Shortlists.
• Writing studio — weekly editorial workshops with line-by-line tutor feedback.
• Final-year dissertation on a topic you propose and defend with a designated supervisor.

What You Will Learn

The BA in English Literature is structured around three pillars: close reading, context and craft. You will graduate able to read a 16th-century sonnet and a 21st-century novel with the same care, situate both in their literary moment, and write about them in clean, argued prose.

• Close reading and literary theory — from new criticism to ecocritical and decolonial frames.
• Shakespeare and early modern drama — texts on the page, plays in performance.
• The 19th-century novel — realism, the Brontës, Dickens, Eliot and the form of fiction.
• Modernism and the 20th century — Woolf, Joyce, Auden and after.
• Postcolonial and global Anglophone writing — Achebe, Naipaul, Smith, Evaristo and beyond.
• Contemporary British poetry from the Forward and T S Eliot Prize shortlists.
• Research methods and bibliography for literary studies.
• Editorial writing skills — argument structure, revision, citation, footnoting.

Who This Course Is For

• School leavers planning postgraduate study, a PGCE, or graduate work in publishing, media and the arts.
• International students seeking UK-recognised qualifications in literature and a respected written voice in English.
• Working teachers, librarians and bookshop staff ready to formalise wide reading at degree level.
• Career changers from law, journalism or the civil service planning to enter teaching or publishing.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the BA in English Literature move into a wide range of UK roles where reading, writing and critical judgement are valued. Typical first roles include:

• Editorial Assistant at a UK publisher, magazine or journal
• Trainee English Teacher (post-PGCE/QTS conversion)
• Communications Officer in the charity, arts or public sector
• Library or Archive Assistant in a UK research collection
• Press Officer or Communications Adviser
• Academic Adviser supporting undergraduate writing

The degree is also a strong foundation for PGCE/QTS, postgraduate study in literature, creative writing, librarianship or law conversion.

Entry Requirements

• Three A-levels at grades BBC or above, ideally including English Literature, or an equivalent UK / international qualification (IB 28+, BTEC DMM, Foundation Year pass).
• GCSE English Language at grade 5/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent) — strong written English expected.
• IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
• A personal statement, ideally with a short sample of analytical writing; mature applicants (21+) may apply with a portfolio of writing and short interview.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. For literature students that means the British Library reading rooms, evening theatre on the South Bank and Wednesday lunchtime poetry readings.

Apply for BA in English Literature

The BA in English Literature is built to launch your career in the Education & Professional Studies sector and beyond. Click Enrol Now to submit your application; admissions reply within one working day with intake dates, sample-writing guidance and reading list suggestions for the summer.