About English Literature BA Honours in University of Westminster, London

This course presents an opportunity to study English literature in its wider social, cultural, and historical contexts. You will be able to engage with an exciting variety of texts, both traditional (such as Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens) and non-traditional (such as graphical novels, detective fiction, and new forms of digital content). You will explore the relationship between literature and other kinds of cultural works (such as films, museums, music, and art). You will become sophisticated at close reading literary works, at the same time as sharpening your skills in research and critical thinking. This training in critical and creative reading is especially suitable for those considering teaching English, publishing or journalism, and any career that involves sophisticated communication skills and an advanced level of language use. It is of particular interest to those wishing to develop their abilities as a writer. The degree strongly promotes the transferable and cognitive skills that employers value, and that contribute to lifelong personal and professional development. 

We begin the course with an examination of what literature is, what the tools are that we use to discuss it, and how texts are related to the historical contexts from which they emerge. As you progress through the course, you will be introduced to a wide variety of literature from Shakespeare to the Gothic, American fiction, Modernism and contemporary writing. You will study different forms including poetry, prose, and drama, looking at texts from diverse periods and places. The course makes the most of our central London location in the midst of galleries, museums, cinemas and theatres, and uses the urban landscape as a resource for studying the social and theoretical issues relating to literature.

There is a range of optional modules available from within the School of Humanities and across the University in each year of study. In Year 3 you have a particularly extensive array of modules to choose from which allows you to tailor the degree to your own interests and future aspirations. In Year 3 you also complete a dissertation in a topic of your choice (with one-to-one supervisory support).

The principal mode of teaching is through seminars of 15-25 students, with some larger university lectures. A key distinctive factor of this degree is its fortnightly small group tutorials (about 5 students per tutor). These are designed to support your own individual learning needs as you go through the first two years. The tutorials are specific to this degree and provide an important space for you to find suitable support in your studies more generally, alongside enhancing your study and employability skills. As in all university study, much of your learning is independent, conducted beyond the classroom (individually and in groups) in the library, at home, and via the online learning system, Blackboard, and the tutorials provide essential support for independent study. 

The assessment on the English Literature BA varies from traditional essays, presentations and the close reading of texts through to the preparation and execution of small research projects and ultimately the writing of your own dissertation in the final year. Some modules combine coursework with a short exam.

​​​Academic qualification equivalents

• HSC XII: CBSE, ICSE, Kolkata, or Tamil Nadu boards with an overall average of 70% or above*
• HSC XII: West Bengal board with an overall average of 58% or above*
• HSC XII: Maharashtra or Gujarat boards with an overall average of 75% or above*
• HSC XII: All other state boards with an overall average of 80%+ or above*
• a recognised International Foundation course from a UK institution or an Indian institution following a validated UK syllabus. Entry requirements vary but we normally ask for between 60% and 65%

English language requirements (one of the below):

•  IELTS: 6.0 overall with a minimum 5.5 in each component
• TOEFL iBT : 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in Listening, and Writing, 18 in Reading and 20 in Speaking 
• PTE:54 average with 51 in each component

University of Westminster, London Highlights

University of Westminster Cost of Attendance

The average estimated annual cost for 2020/2021 session is presented on the table below: