Our BA English offers you the chance to study the full range of English literature and to develop valuable new skills in writing, reading, and critical thinking.
Based on our historic campus in the heart of London, you’ll gain a detailed knowledge of literary works from the medieval period to the present day and discover authors from a variety of places and cultures.
Foundational modules introduce you to key techniques in literary analysis and show you how theoretical approaches such as feminism, post-colonialism, and psychoanalysis can transform the ways in which you read and think. You'll build key skills in:
close reading
academic and professional writing
using literary theories
undertaking research.
You can then choose from a range of option modules that allow you to focus on single authors, genres, and literary periods.
You’ll read texts by writers such as Dickens, Zadie Smith, Shakespeare, and Plath, encounter genres such as science fiction and romance, and explore literary forms from the novel to comics and beyond. The course’s flexible structure allows you to shape your degree according to your own literary and critical interests.
Employers highly value the analytical, critical, and communication skills of a Birkbeck English degree. You can find our graduates in a wide range of roles in the creative industries, as well as in education, law, civil service, and business roles. Our graduates may also pursue career paths in writing and journalism, publishing, editing, or research. Possible professions include:
editorial assistant
newspaper/magazine journalist
writer
academic librarian
public relations officer.
We offer a comprehensive Careers Service - Birkbeck Futures - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education, and future ambitions.