English Language BA(Hons)

Course in brief

This course gives you the opportunity to explore English language from the perspectives of history, media and culture, examine its power in spoken and written form, and understand how it helps informing our identities and communities.

Throughout your course you will consider English as a regional and global language, learn about how language can affect social change, and collect and analyse language data.

You will develop a deep understanding of the fundamentals of the English language, its historical development and its role in constructing identities, social relations and practices.

There is the opportunity to spend your third year abroad as part of the Erasmus programme.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

UCAS code Q300

Full-time 3 years
With year abroad 4 years

Book your open day place

Apply now with UCAS for 2019 entry

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

A-levels or BTEC
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BCC–CCC (104–96 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range.

A-levels must include English language or combined English language and literature.

We will generally make you an offer if your predicted grades are at the top of this range. If your predicted grades are towards the lower end of this range we may still make you an offer if you have a good GCSE (or equivalent) profile or relevant non-academic achievements.

International Baccalaureate
27 points.

Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. Humanities, history or politics courses preferred. At least 45 credits at level 3.

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least English language and maths.

Studied before or got relevant experience?
A qualification, HE credits or relevant experience may count towards your course at Brighton, and could mean that you do not have to take some elements of the course or can start in year 2 or 3.

For non-native speakers of English
IELTS 6.0 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

International equivalencies

International equivalencies by country

Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language institute

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Course in detail

Why study with us?

You’ll study at our Falmer campus on the edge of Brighton and the South Downs, with its outstanding modern facilities and easy access to the city centre.
In year 2 you can undertake a placement, adding relevant work experience to your CV.

Our talented teaching team creates a dynamic and supportive environment where you will be challenged and helped to learn and grow. They will help you to think critically and creatively, develop detailed methods of analysis and interpretation and precisely communicate your ideas.

You'll gain vital skills including personal organisation, independent research, team working, and communication and presentation.

You have the opportunity to undertake a year abroad in year three, extending your degree to four years. We have Erasmus agreements in place with universities across Spain, Belgium, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Austria.

Options mean that you can tailor your degree to your individual interests or career ambitions and create a unique profile for yourself.

Year 1

In the first year, you will be introduced to the basic concepts and skills that will enable you to describe language and analyse texts. You will reflect critically on key debates around the English language (for example, prescriptivism vs. descriptivism) and develop metalinguistic skills in grammatical analysis, text analysis, phonology and stylistics.

You will also gain an understanding of the development of the English language from Anglo Saxon times to the present day. In addition, you will look at how children acquire their first language, how language is used in the media and how the sound system of English works.

Modules

The Structure and Grammar of English
Text Design: Genre and style
Perspectives on the History of the English Language
General Linguistics 1: Phonetics and phonology
Language Acquisition and Development
Media Language

Our courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis in order to make sure that what you learn with us is relevant and that your course enables you to develop appropriate skills. When you apply to study with us, we will inform you of any new developments in your chosen programme through our applicant portal.

Year 2

In year 2, you will develop your understanding of the diversity of the English language and its uses. You will explore different regional varieties of English in the British Isles and the cultural and social influences that have determined their development.

A further aspect of English language in year 2 is the investigation of the impact of language on social identity and its role in power relations. You will also develop an understanding of the tools involved in researching language use, and you will study the characteristic differences between spoken and written forms of communication.

Modules

Language, Identity and Power
Researching English Language Use
Regional Englishes
Deconstruction: Language, Theory, Society

Options*

Creative Writing: Process and Craft
Studying Travel Writing
Queer Writing
American Literature 1850–1960
Mind and Language
Multilingualism
Sign Language Linguistics
Image and Text: The language of comics and graphic novels
Writing for Stage, Radio and Screen
Media in Practice
Introduction to Journalism
Television Studio Production
Photography – From Painting with Light to Zeros and Ones
Documentary Filmmaking: Theory and practice
Power and Persuasion
Narratives, Conflict and Power

You can also choose option modules from across our humanities and arts subjects.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Final year

In the final year, you will consolidate your skills and knowledge through applying current analytic frameworks more critically to texts, understanding the theoretical viewpoints informing different approaches and evaluating the different kinds of insights generated. You will also explore the global spread of English and its development as a world language.

Years 2 and 3 will allow you to tailor your degree to your own interests or career ambitions and create a unique profile for yourself. The options are in the following areas: linguistics, English literature, media/film/photography, language teaching, creative writing and journalism.

Modules

World Englishes
Approaches to Analysing Discourse
Dissertation

Options*

Community Placement: Theory in practice
Russian Literature and Culture: The golden age and beyond
Apocalypse, Utopia, Dystopia
Literature and Philosophy
Women’s Writing and Feminist Theory
Adaptations
Creative Writing Project
Gothic: Texts and contexts
Victorian Sexualities
Writing the Contemporary
European Literatures and Film
Culture Wars: Class, race, gender and the politics of taste
Approaches to the Study of Meaning
Language, Culture and Ideology
Language of Gender and Sexuality
English Language Teaching
Television News Production
Popular Culture – Europe and Beyond
From Script to ScreenImages of War
Autobiography and the Screen

You can also choose option modules from across our humanities and arts subjects.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Watch students talking about their experiences of the Community Placement module.

Staff profiles

Dr Chrystie Myketiak

Dr Chrystie Myketiak (pictured) examines language and discourse in their broader social contexts. Her interests include gender/sexuality and power/inequality with specialist research in mass shooter texts, the social performance of sex talk and narrative construction in clinical incident reporting.

Sarah Varney-Burch

An experienced English language teacher, Sarah has a BA in linguistics and an MA in TEFL. She teaches on the BA and MA programmes and is currently the course leader for this degree. She is completing a Doctorate in education, conducting research in the area of English for academic purposes.

Course statistics

Unistats and key information sets

Unistats enable you to compare information when choosing a UK university course. All UK universities publish Unistats data on their website.

Programme specification

The programme specification is the approved description of each course. They are updated following course changes, and give a detailed breakdown of the content and structure of the course.

Programme specification

These charts give an indication of how much time you will spend on different activities at each level of the course, and an indication of the balance of assessment by coursework, and written and practical exams. For courses with option modules, actual proportions will depend on the modules you choose.

Find out more about how the academic year and degree courses are organised, and about learning and assessment activities you might get to grips with at Brighton. More specific information about this course is detailed in the programme specification (linked above). You can find out also about the range of support we offer to help you adjust to university life.

Overall workload

Assessments

Careers and employability

English Language graduates gain a broad range of skills applicable in a variety of occupations, such as journalism, teaching, lexicography, editing proofreading and speech and language therapy.

Graduates have also gone on to careers in law, publishing, radio or TV, and postgraduate studies in English Language or related areas.

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 12,900 GBP

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2018–19.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Forward-thinking and welcoming, the city of Brighton & Hove is a community of creative and diverse people who share values like sustainability and inclusivity – just like its university.

Miles of pebble beaches, hundreds of bars, restaurants and clubs, a packed calendar of culture, music and sport and great independent and high street shopping attract visitors from all over the world. By the end of your course you’ll still be finding new things to enjoy about the city.

The Brighton Festival, England’s largest arts festival, takes place every May – as does the Great Escape Europe’s leading industry showcase for new music, 300 bands perform over three days at venues across the city. Major events celebrate Pride, digital culture, cinema, photography, food and the winter solstice. Our own Brighton Graduate show is a highlight, turning the university into the largest exhibition space in the south east as we celebrate the outstanding creativity of our students.

As a student here you’ll have a unique opportunity to experience what the city has to offer. Volunteering and placement opportunities enable you to play your part in the events, organisations and communities that make Brighton such a compelling place to be.

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Surrounded by the South Downs National Park and just five miles from the centre of Brighton, our Falmer campus has benefited from over £60million of investment over the past 10 years. 7,000 students are based here, studying subjects including English, education, social science, nursing and medicine.

Recent developments include the Falmer Sports Centre – with its fitness suites and sports hall – and the innovative Checkland Building, which has natural ventilation systems and an insulating green roof.

Falmer has also recently installed more than 600 solar panels, which reduce the campus’s carbon emissions by more than 80 tonnes. The renovation has made us one of the top universities in the UK for on-site renewable energy production.

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Accommodation

Brighton: Falmer

We have halls of residence across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

Eligible students can apply for any of these options. Find out if you are eligible…
You’ll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
Falmer campus is linked to halls on the Falmer campus and Varley Park.
- Varley Park offers a mix of rooms and catering options. Varley Park is less than a mile from Falmer and four miles from the city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent, and there’s a shuttle bus between our Brighton campuses during term time.
- Paddock Field and Great Wilkins halls are on campus and offer a range of room types and catering options.

We also offer Unihomes and Unilets, student houses that we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. This option offers the most choice and flexibility and can work particularly well when you’re balancing learning with placements and other commitments.

There’s plenty of support if you choose private rented accommodation. We manage our own studenthomes database of properties. And we run our housemates service over the summer for students, new and returning, looking for a place to live.

Find out more on our accommodation webpages.

Hillside hall of residence at Varley Park

Varley Park accommodation near to the Falmer campus

Student in our Moulsecoomb Place hall of residence

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Falmer campus

Find out more

Language, literature and linguistics news

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