
BA in English
Belfast, United Kingdom
DURATION
3 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 20,800 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland: £4,750 I England, Scotland or Wales: £9,250 | EU Other and International: £20,800
Introduction
Students undertaking English at Queen's explore literature in English in the widest possible sense and work with some of the leading writers working in the UK and Ireland. From the earliest writings in Anglo-Saxon to contemporary Irish, British, and 'global' literature, students study English in its historical, cultural, and material contexts. Our language modules explore the history, structure, and function of English; its day-to-day usage, including in the media; and the major influences that have shaped its development. Our creative writing modules allow students on that programme to specialise in prose fiction, poetry, and scriptwriting.
English highlights
Global Opportunities
English at Queen’s offers a range of Study Abroad opportunities, from the Erasmus programme with a range of European partners to the chance to study at a number of partner institutions in the United States. We welcome applications from European students who would like to attend Queen’s under the Erasmus programme. This programme enables students who are already enrolled at a university in Europe to take time out from their own institution and spend either one semester or a full academic year at Queen’s. Additionally, the Study Abroad programme is particularly popular with students from North America, Canada and Australia.
industry Links
We regularly consult and develop links with a large number of employers including, for example, BBC Northern Ireland as part of our work-based learning initiatives.
Internationally Renowned Experts
Professor Mark Burnett is a leading scholar of Shakespearean adaptations and their global contexts and his most recent monograph is ‘Hamlet’ and World Cinema, published by Cambridge University Press in 2019. He is the founder and director of the Sir Kenneth Branagh Archive.
Dr Marilina Cesario is an expert on Anglo-Saxon science and collaborates widely with astrophysicists in reassessing our understanding of pre-modern scientific thinking.
Dr Jane Lugea is an expert in the areas of language and stylistics. Her AHRC-funded research project on dementia explored how dementia is represented in the minds of fictional characters, and how these literary representations affect real readers.
Dr Edel Lamb is an expert on childhood and early modern literature and she is currently completing the first book-length study of writing by girls in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Professor Glenn Patterson is the Rooney Prize and Betty Trask Prize-winning author of ten novels. He is the Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre and writes regularly for BBC Radio Three and Four, The Guardian. His co-authored screenplay for Good Vibrations was nominated for a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
Student Experience
From Personal Tutors to peer mentoring, we work closely with students to ensure they are supported at every stage of their degree.
Further Study Opportunities
Students can apply for cognate postgraduate taught modules in the Faculty such as:
- MA in English Literary Studies
- MA in Media and Broadcast Production
- MA in Poetry: Creativity and Criticism
- MA in Creative Writing
- MSc in Software Development (conversion course)
- MLaw (conversion course)
- PGCE in Education
Alternatively, we offer a research-led MRes in Arts and Humanities.
Student Experience
A thriving cultural scene organised by our undergraduate and postgraduate communities, from the English Society and Poetry and Pints to the Lifeboat and the Yellow Nib, makes studying English at Queen’s a unique proposition.
Internationally Renowned Experts
Professor Nick Laird is a recipient of the Betty Trask and Eric Gregory Awards, whose most recent collection is Up Late (Faber, 2023). The central sequence from Up Late won the Forward prize for the best single poem. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and the New York Review of Books.
Student Experience
Students have the opportunity to join events throughout the calendar at the Seamus Heaney Centre.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
We offer prestigious, competitive scholarships of up to 50% off tuition fees to new international students. You must have an offer to study a full-time course with us in 2024 to apply for a scholarship.
Curriculum
Year 1
Core Modules
- Introduction to Creative Writing
- Introduction to English Language
- Issues in Contemporary Fiction: Gender, Race, Ecology
- English in Transition
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Studying for an English degree at Queen's will assist you in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organizations, and academic institutions. Graduates from this degree at Queen's are well-regarded by many employers (local, national, and international), and over half of all graduate jobs are now open to graduates of any discipline, including English. In particular, employers value the initiative, imagination, creativity, and independence of thought fostered by the English degree. 94% of our graduates are in employment or further study 6 months after graduation (survey of higher education leavers). 88% of arts and humanities graduates were employed vs 89% of STEM graduates. Among all university subjects, English students are ranked as 4th best for average annual wage growth rate (physics 6th).
Employment after the Course
Many of our former graduates have risen to the top of their fields and include many famous figures, for example:
- Seamus Heaney, Nobel Prize-winning poet
- Paul Muldoon, academic and poet
- Stephen Rea, actor
- Annie Kelly, journalist and writer
- Annie Mac, radio presenter
Prizes and Awards
Foundation Scholarships are available for the highest performers in Years 1 and 2