Top 6 UK Universities to Study English: A Gateway to Literature, Culture, and Career Success

The study of English remains as pertinent as ever in a swiftly developing global context where communication, critical thinking, and cultural literacy are crucial. Moreover, the intersection of English literature studies with contemporary disciplines provides a vibrant academic purpose that goes beyond mere textual study.

Studying this diverse and significant subject, English at a top UK University reflects extreme powers that open new avenues worldwide. Students will be immersed in a world-class literary practice, have access to incomparable research resources, and receive mentorship from some of the most prominent academics in the subject.

Besides knowledge of the English language and literature, the traits of critical thinking, explaining complicated ideas and engaging with other views distinguish English graduates from others. As an English graduate, you can work in multitudinous areas, including academia, publishing, media, advertising, law, education, and digital journalism.

Dreaming of studying English or an English-related field abroad? Connect with ScholarshipKart today and let our expert Counsellors guide you through selection of UK Universities to Courses and Applications to Scholarships and Visa process—step by step, stress-free. Your global academic journey starts here!

For students who want to thrive in literary studies, here are six of the best UK universities with world-class English programs:

1. University of St Andrews

The School of English at St Andrew's:

• 87% of the research outputs and 100% of its research Impact were world-leading or internationally excellent. (REF 2021)
• Has a vibrant research culture involving faculty, postgraduates and postdoctoral affiliates.
• The faculty comprises prominent scholars and leading creative writers, encouraging students to delve into the historical, philosophical and psychological dimensions of texts.

Students can involve themselves in research activities like collaborative research and archival projects, attend international conferences and literary festivals; and edit and write monographs and literature works.

Offers literature studies in English, Scottish, Irish, American and world literature from Anglo-Saxon times to current time works.

Popular Courses Offered:

The BA (International Honours) in English:

• Explore a spectrum of historical periods and critical approaches to literature, across an expansive variety of genres.
• Cultivate writing skills, sensitivity to language, awareness of the intellectual challenges and aesthetic pleasures offered by literature, and an understanding of the cultural values the study reflects. 

Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture MLitt:

• Study the interdisciplinary components of modern and contemporary culture and gain insight into their important developments in a debate with eminent researchers.
• Explore cultural production in arts, music, film and literature.

Postgraduate Courses are offered as MLitt courses in Creative Writing, Medieval English, Medieval Studies, Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture, Playwriting and Screenwriting, Romantic and Victorian Studies, Shakespeare and Renaissance Literary Culture and Women, Writing and Gender, each providing a specialized and interdisciplinary approach to literary study.

2. University of Oxford

The Oxford English Faculty:

• The largest department of English in the UK.
• The esteemed faculty comprises Active researchers, leading critics and writers in English language and literature.
• Offers a highly personalised academic experience as leading literary scholars and researchers tailor curriculum as per your interest.
• Premium facilities include the world-renowned Bodleian Library. Students can borrow books from the English Faculty Library and their college libraries.

At Oxford, English can be studied as a singular honours degree for the BA in English Language and Literature, or as part of a joint degree with a modern Language: French, German, Modern Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish or Czech (with Slovak).

The English Language and Literature BA course:

One of the largest courses in the UK offers writing in English from its origins in Anglo-Saxon England to the present allowing students for a comprehensive and rigorous engagement with the discipline.

The breadth of the curriculum ensures:

• Exposure to British literature with English literature written in other parts of the world and some originally written in other languages.
• Foster an appreciation for multilingual and cross-cultural narratives.
• Emerge with an ability to interpret complex texts and communicate with precision and depth, skills that are highly prized across various professional fields.

3. University of Cambridge

Cambridge provides:

• Extensive resources, including the University Library and the Faculty Library with an enormous collection of books. Students are well-equipped to engage in advanced literary studies.
• State-of-the-art facilities include a modern faculty building featuring a drama studio enhancing the learning experience.
• Renowned critics and literary theorists guide students to gain expertise in various aspects of literature ensuring that they develop analytical acumen, scholarly discipline, and exceptional writing skills.

Popular Courses:

English BA (Hons) Course:

• Provides a robust foundation in the history of English literature, from the medieval period to contemporary works.
• Felicitates American and post-colonial literature alongside British literature.
• Provides expertise in different types of writing, prose, fiction, drama and poetry.
• Transitions from a pioneering approach to involvement in research innovation and progress.
• Engages in literature beyond textual learning and cultivates insights from philosophy, art history, politics, and music.

M.Phil in English:

The course provides relevant experience at the first-degree level and students:

• Gain deeper knowledge of literature in critical, cultural, and historical contexts.
• Carry out focused research under close supervision in their field of interest and develop professional research skills.
• Develop a critical and methodological framework, and acquire bibliographical and electronic skills.
• Develop a critical understanding of the theoretical and socio-cultural contexts and scholarly debates within them and apply them in research.

4. University College London (UCL)

The Department of English Language and Literature at UCL:

• One of the most esteemed and famous English departments in the UK,
• A pioneer in the English language and English literature, from Old English to current literature.
• Faculty demonstrate a wide breadth of expertise across many literary periods and topics, as well as in language, its history and its modern forms.
• Fantastic location in the Bloomsbury area of London. A centre of UK literary life provides students with a rich academic and cultural environment to explore literature in all its forms.

BA English Course:

Curriculum enriched in the literature of different times and genres. It conjoins conventional literary proficiencies and contemporary thought. The course covers:

• A historically-based overview of literature from the seventh-century Renaissance era, modules on Chaucer and Shakespeare to the present, and an introduction to the Old English period to contemporary works.
• American literature. Besides, students can discover literature from colonial and postcolonial regions and other countries.
• Investigation of critical technique and literary theory, as well as the study of philosophical and cultural sources.

UCL offers Postgraduate programmes:

Issues in Modern Culture MA, English Linguistics MA, English Literature/Language MPhil/PhD and Medieval and Renaissance Studies MA.

5. University of Strathclyde

English Faculty at Strathclyde:

• Academic staff have worked collaboratively with colleagues in other faculties, at other UK universities and abroad.
• Research faculty enjoys publishing leading-edge research with leading publications and journals and has undertaken major roles with funding bodies and policy-making organisations.
• The link drawn between critical and creative approaches makes Strathclyde’s unique approach to the subject.

Popular Programs:

BA in English:

A truly innovative program provides an opportunity to:

• Enjoy the best of old and new and forge a grounding in the classics and an insight into new fields of literature.
• Study texts from a wide range of literary periods, and debate key issues such as identity, race, gender, and what it is to be a human.
• Work with world-leading researchers and prize-winning novelists and poets and benefit from their cutting-edge approaches to the study of literature, language, writing and theory.
• Build skills in reading, writing and analysis necessary for a rapidly evolving literary and media landscape and create great career prospects in a spectrum of fields.

Students can graduate with a BA in English, or English and another subject in Creative Writing, Education, Human Resources, French, Law, Politics, Psychology, and Spanish.

Postgraduates in English Studies:

Gain an opportunity to study interdisciplinary courses in Digital Journalism, Creative Writing, Interdisciplinary English Studies and courses in media and communication. 

Taught and supervised by researchers with international reputations in a range of fields, from Renaissance studies to literary linguistics and Scottish literature and culture, as well as areas such as gender, queer, race and postcolonial studies.

6. University of Aberdeen

Studying English at Aberdeen gives you all the advantages of a top-class teaching, research and creative hub. The university is

• A leading centre for the study of literature, language and creative writing.
• Second in the UK for its research output quality.
• Third in Scotland for creative writing.

The highlights are:

• Faculty comprising steadfast researchers, worldwide renowned academics, writers and poets acknowledged for internationally recognised literary criticism and award-winning creative works.
• World-class Research Centres such as the WORD Centre for Creative Writing. The nationally recognised Centre for the Novel and The Grierson Centre are also located in the dynamic School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture.
• World-class facilities include a remarkable, award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library with a literary treasure collection of over 500 years. Students can access ancient papyri, medieval manuscripts and contemporary books.
• Historic collections of rare printed books. Revered collections of the 12th century Aberdeen Bestiary, MacBean Stuart and Jacobite. Access the novels of Sir Walter Scott and the first editions of Charles Dickens'.
• A vigorous calendar of literary events, exhibitions, seminars, and invited speakers. The annual WayWORD Festival welcomes globally celebrated authors and European writers to discuss literature.

English faculty at Aberdeen offers an assorted program covering all periods of English Literature. Students:

• Gain an exhaustive understanding of English by studying topics such as poetry, prose, controversial classics of Chaucer and Shakespeare, and Medieval and Renaissance literature. You can study literature from the Victorianism and Modernism eras, including contemporary Scottish and Irish literature and European and American writing.
• Examine the dynamic relationship between the author, reader and literary text. Study the cultural and critical impact of influential and controversial modern works.

Single Honours Degrees are available in English, English and Scottish Literature, English Language & Literature and English with Creative Writing.

Joint Honours programs with subjects like Art History, Film and Visual Culture, German, French, History, Music, Philosophy, Theology, International Relations and Language and Linguistics.

Whether you want to be a writer, critic, professor, or professional in media and publishing, an English degree from one of these prominent universities not only provides an intensive literary education but also opens doors to a plethora of options in an ever-changing literary and cultural scene.

Aspire to study English or an English-focused field overseas? Book a Free Consultation with ScholarshipKart today. Our seasoned Counsellors will walk you through the entire journey, from selecting UK Universities to Courses and Applications to Scholarships and Visa guidance. Seamless support, every step of the way. Your international future begins with us!