English Literature and Philosophy and Ethics
BA (Hons)
Undergraduate degree - combined honours
- UCAS codes: Institution B20, Course QV3M or S121 (with professional placement year)
- English Literature - Programme Document
- Philosophy and Ethics - Programme Document
Our English Literature degree turns your passion into a practical skill-set.
- Combine professional skills and opportunities with your passion for literature in our innovative English degree course.
- Develop practical and professional skills. Apply both to challenges, issues and debates of the present day.
- Explore the next stage in your career. Our graduates have gone on to work with leading employers.
Joint #5 in the UK
for Graduate Prospects in English (Guardian University Guide 2025)
#3 in the South West overall
in English (Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)
#1 in South West
for Graduate Prospects in English (Guardian University Guide 2025)
#2 in South West
for Satisfaction with Course in English (Complete University Guide 2025)
Literature is diverse. Every text we pick up gives us a different perspective on the world. At Bath Spa, we have another take on the subject – one that we think makes us one of the best universities for English Literature.
Our innovative English Literature degree has been designed to enable you to acquire specialised subject knowledge while developing practical and professional skills that you can apply to contemporary challenges, issues and debates.
English Literature at Bath Spa University 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.
You'll be taught by experts in a wide range of periods, literary genres and approaches to the study of words and writing. Our staff share a commitment to excellent teaching and to offering you the best possible experience during your time with us.
Professional skills
Historical background, philosophical concepts and political debate will all contribute to your ability to read widely and well, and to approach your English Literature degree with confidence.
This approach will help you develop the vital skills of analysis, communication and collaboration that employers look for in English Literature graduates – skills that will open up a diverse range of possible careers. To maximise your potential, we’ll also support you in learning to manage projects, work with your peers and our external partners, evaluate options and respond to a brief.
What can you do with an English Literature degree?
Publishing, PR, teaching and journalism are popular paths, and our English graduates have gone on to work with leading employers including New Scientist, Oxford University Press, Marie Curie, Bristol Museums, Imperial War Museums London, and Barclays Bank.
What you'll learn
We combine the academic study of literature with skill-based modules to create a practical, applied English Literature degree. You’ll learn how to analyse a wide range of literary texts, but you'll also learn practical skills such as:
- How to pitch an idea for a literary festival
- How to compile digital teaching resources for schools
- How to produce an online edition of a historical text.
You’ll apply your knowledge and your skills in practical, professional ways in preparation for the next stage in your career.
Year one
Introductions and foundations: develop your skills in reading and analysing selected texts. A broad curriculum allows you to ask questions, challenge your own assumptions and interrogate evidence, data and opinions.
Year two
Practical, applied, relevant: in your second year, you’ll study your chosen topics while gaining professional skills. You'll apply your knowledge and understanding to a defined problem or idea.
Year three
Achievement, consolidation, creativity: your final project in the third year brings all this together. You’ll identify and develop your own proposal and put it into practice. This might be an extended piece of academic writing, an exhibition, a community project, or a digital resource.
Most modules use essays with other forms of coursework such as journals, portfolios and short critical pieces, projects and dissertations, or special assignments such as seminar presentations, collaborative magazines, and web-based essays. Second and final year grades contribute towards your final degree award.
English modules are taught via seminars, lectures, individual tutorials, and IT workshops.
To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.
Opportunities
As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.
We're keen to bring literature to life, and the course features optional modules that include potential fieldwork opportunites in London, Oxford, Berlin, Krakow and Auschwitz, among others. Our students have also won places on summer schools in Beijing and Monterrey.
We believe strongly in employability, and have made it a core part of our curriculum. You’ll have access to our renowned digital facilities, as well as to our Bath Spa Careers team who'll help you forge a fulfilling future.
Many of our graduates pursue careers in publishing or teaching. Organisations including NewScientist, Trinity College Library, DigitalBox and Cengage Learning EMEA have employed our graduates. Graduate professions include:
- Editorial Assistant
- Publishing Outreach Executive
- Content Writer
- Campaigns Officer
Some graduates choose to progress to postgraduate study.
There are annual prizes for the best overall performance in both core modules in years one and two, and a very special prize for the best final year English Project.
If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.
You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.
Professional placement year
The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.
By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.
Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.
As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.
Facilities and resources
The English Literature programme is based at Newton Park campus, Bath Spa University, UK.
You'll have access to excellent facilities such as:
We have a wide range of high-quality online resources to complement the books and journals you have access to in our Library, as well as digital publishing facilities, historical and modern printing presses, and industry-standard broadcast media facilities.
Fees
| Student | Annual tuition fee |
|---|---|
| UK full time | £9,535 |
| UK part time | £4,768 |
| International full time | £17,430 |
Professional Placement Year
During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students.
- UK: £1,907
- International: £3,486
Additional course costs
You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document (linked under the main image on this page) for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.
Interested in applying?
We're looking for students who share our passion for literature in all its forms. You should be inquisitive and willing to challenge yourself and to question shared assumptions. You'll want to collaborate with others in exploring the ideas and worlds opened up to us by the written word.
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below:
- A Level – grades BBB-BCC including a Grade B in English or a related subject.
- BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) in a related subject.
- T Levels – grade Merit preferred in a relevant subject.
- International Baccalaureate – a minimum of 32 points are required with a minimum of grade 5 in English at Higher Level.
- Access to HE courses – typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, at Merit or higher).
If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.
English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants
IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.
Course enquiries
For further information about the programme or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.
Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page.
Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply pages.
We recommend that you read as much literature as possible! It’s a good idea to read books from various historical periods and literary genres – and think about the differences you notice between them. You’ll find Studying English Literature (Continuum Press, 2010) by Ashley Chantler to be a good guide.
Course leader: Dr Stephen Gregg
Email: s.gregg@bathspa.ac.uk
Three year course
With placement year
Passionate about ideas? Want to understand and apply different cultural perspectives?
- Combine professional skills and opportunities with subject knowledge in an innovative Philosophy and Ethics degree.
- Develop practical and professional skills and apply them to contemporary challenges, issues and debates.
- Explore the next stage in your career - our graduates have gone on to work with leading employers in a wide range of roles.
Apply your knowledge of philosophy to contemporary challenges, issues and debates. Our innovative Philosophy and Ethics degree has been designed to enable you to acquire specialised subject knowledge alongside practical and professional skills.
The course explores the assumptions, beliefs and values which shape human behaviour and our responses to it. You’ll address the key questions which underpin all academic disciplines and concepts, and how they are fundamental to our study of history, literature, the arts and sciences.
Develop practical and professional skills
By working collaboratively across the Humanities, our Philosophers develop expertise in their own subject alongside the skills and approaches that will equip them for the next stage in their careers: learning to work with others, planning and implementing a project, making a pitch to a potential employer, and evaluating and acting on different options.
What you'll learn
Rather than teaching philosophy primarily as a history of ideas – although we do explore this – we focus on the application of current philosophical thinking in contemporary settings and circumstances. You’ll consider our responses to environmental crises, for example, or questions of identity, belonging, social justice and the interplay between the personal and the political.
We consider Western philosophical and ethical perspectives, and introduce you to the systems of thought of India and China. This mix of content and the inclusiveness of our approach make the Philosophy and Ethics course particularly distinctive, vital and compelling.
Year one
Introductions and foundations: develop your skills in philosophical thinking, and follow a broad curriculum which allows you to ask questions, challenge your own assumptions, interrogate evidence, data and opinions.
Year two
Practical, applied, relevant: this year combines the academic study of Philosophy with the acquisition of professional skills and the application of your knowledge and understanding to a defined problem or idea.
Year three
Achievement, consolidation, creativity: your final project in the third year brings all this together. You’ll identify your own area of study, develop your proposal and put it into practice. This might be an extended piece of academic writing, an exhibition, community project, or the creation of digital resources.
Assessment is mainly through coursework such as essays, projects, presentations, or online discussion.
Our focus is on ‘doing philosophy’ and developing your confidence and capacity for philosophical analysis and debate. We’ll support you through lectures and seminar work, as well as individual tutorials and support.
Special projects in years two and three and the dissertation in year three provide opportunities for independent work which builds on your own interests, adds new dimensions to your thinking, or relates to plans for future careers and personal development.
To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.
Opportunities
As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.
Fieldwork and visits are an integral part of the course. We visit religious communities, mosques, temples, gurdwaras and churches.
We have excellent links with third sector organisations, working with environmental and educational charities, as well as others. These links support your study, as we’ll explore how religious, philosophical and ethical perspectives can be applied to current issues.
Our graduates have careers in:
- The police service
- Health administration
- Education
- Social work
- Journalism
The ability to combine this course with another subject makes it ideal for individuals considering a career in teaching. Many graduates go on to train as teachers – the course is widely respected as a foundation for a career in education.
If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.
You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.
Professional placement year
The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.
By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.
Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.
As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.
Facilities and resources
The Philosophy and Ethics course is based at our Newton Park campus, which combines outstanding modern facilities with a beautiful setting.
Fees
| Student | Annual tuition fee |
|---|---|
| UK full time | £9,535 |
| UK part time | £4,768 |
| International full time | £17,430 |
Professional Placement Year
During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students.
- UK: £1,907
- International: £3,486
Additional course costs
You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document (linked under the main image on this page) for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.
Interested in applying?
Our students come from a range of different backgrounds. We look for individuals with an enquiring mind and a willingness to explore new areas of thought and belief.
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below:
- A Level – grades BBB-BCC preferred.
- BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) accepted in any subject.
- T Levels – grade Merit preferred.
- International Baccalaureate – a minimum of 32 points are required.
- Access to HE courses – typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, at Merit or higher).
If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.
English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants
IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.
Course enquiries
For further information about the programme or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.
Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page.
Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply pages.
Course leader: Dr Paul Reid-Bowen
Email: p.reid-bowen@bathspa.ac.uk
Three year course
With placement year
- Award
- BA (Hons) English Literature and Philosophy and Ethics
- School/s
- School of Writing, Publishing and the Humanities
- Campus or location
- Newton Park
- Course length
- Three years full time, or four years full time with professional placement year. Part time available.
- UCAS codes
- Institution Code: B20
- Course Code: QV3M or S121
- Campus Code: A,BSU
Entry requirements
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed under 'Typical offers' in the main column below. For combined courses, please check both subjects. If your qualification is not listed, please email admissions@bathspa.ac.uk with your specific details.