English, BA (Hons)

English at Cambridge

From its ground-breaking beginnings, the English course has had an ethos of innovation and progress. This continues to shape our teaching and research.

If you have a passion for literature and the intellectual curiosity to ask probing questions, then this course is for you.

You’ll get a strong grounding in literary works written in English. This means you can study American and post-colonial literature alongside British literature.

You’ll also have the chance to specialise, develop your interests, and explore:

• other art forms, including music and film, in relation to literature
• literature’s connections to intellectual traditions including philosophy, art history and politics

By studying this course you'll join some of the most famous writers who studied here in the past. They include:

• Edmund Spenser
• John Milton
• William Wordsworth
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• EM Forster
• Sylvia Plath
• Ted Hughes
• Kamau Brathwaite
• AS Byatt
• Zadie Smith
• Helen Oyeyemi

Teaching and facilities

Teaching

You will be taught by some of the world’s most eminent critics and thinkers who have expertise in almost all aspects of literature.

We have no set approach other than to focus on valuable skills of critical thinking, scholarly rigour and good writing.

Facilities

Our Faculty of English building is home to:

• the Faculty of English library, a welcoming space with 80,000 books and computer facilities, where you can also have skills training
• a drama studio, where we have plays and poetry readings

Along with all other students at Cambridge, you'll also have access to:

• our impressive Cambridge University Library, one of the world’s oldest university libraries

Course costs

When you go to university, you’ll need to consider two main costs – your tuition fees and your living costs (sometimes referred to as maintenance costs).

Your living costs will include costs related to your studies that are not covered by your tuition fees. There are some general study costs that will apply for all students – you can find details of these costs here.

There are no compulsory additional course costs for English. If you have any queries about resources/materials, please contact the Department.

Your future career

When you graduate, you'll have a variety of transferable skills that employers are looking for. You'll have the opportunity to choose from a range of different career options.

In recent years, our English graduates have gone on to successful careers in:

• academia
• publishing
• teaching
• journalism
• theatre and film
• the charity sector
• civil service
• law
• finance