TEF Gold Undergraduate course

BA (Hons)

English with Foundation

Explore English literature from medieval legends to modern crime fiction. Shape your own experience, study creatively and benefit from close support. Gain critical thinking, communication and research skills valued by employers.

Our typical offer

32 UCAS points

A degree you design

Choose from a wide range of modules in literary studies and creative writing, or branch out into specialist subjects across the school to shape a degree that reflects your interests and career goals.

Career-ready learning

Gain hands-on experience through vocational modules, internships, and an optional placement year. Graduate with the skills employers seek.

Rich culture and community

Benefit from Plymouth’s partnerships with local arts and culture institutions, such as The Box, Theatre Royal, and the Charles Causley Trust, giving you rich opportunities to engage with literature beyond the classroom.
BA (Hons) English with Foundation
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About

Immerse yourself in a dynamic and supportive English programme that combines academic excellence with creative and professional development.
Our small, friendly team offers personalised guidance, helping you tailor your degree through a wide range of optional modules in literary studies, creative writing, and interdisciplinary subjects across the School. You’ll learn from internationally recognised scholars and award-winning writers , developing your skills through inclusive, coursework-based assessments – with no written exams.
Sharpen your editorial and publishing expertise by contributing to , where you’ll gain hands-on experience in editing, project management and publication. This is a place to grow your voice, expand your horizons and prepare for a fulfilling future.
Woman student study, writing and reading education book for an exam or test at school, college or university. Getty 1423281291
 
 

What is a foundation year?

A Foundation year provides an additional entry-level year for you to gain further knowledge of a subject before starting a full degree course.
On completing the Foundation year successfully, you progress automatically onto the full degree course, which is usually three years. You don’t need to apply for a place on the full degree course.
 
A full list of potential progression routes is listed under course details
Why choose a degree with a foundation year?
  • To build your confidence to study at university level.
  • To gain the knowledge and skills needed to complete a full degree.
  • Your qualifications don't meet entry requirements for a three-year degree.
  • You want to study a new subject that your previous qualifications or experience haven’t prepared you for.
  • You may have thought university wasn’t an available option for you.
  • You want to join a university course that is needed for the career you’d like.
  

This course is for you if...

you are passionate about the full spectrum of English literature
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you like to express yourself creatively and would relish the chance to experiment with your own writing
Pen with stars around icon
you enjoy the freedom to shape your own academic journey – choosing modules that reflect your passions
Jigsaw
you are excited to build a foundation for a rewarding career and develop creative skills that employers value
Ladder leading up to cloud, depicting career aspirations

Details

Foundation year

In your foundation year, you'll acquire the knowledge and skills you need to progress through your studies and become a confident, independent learner. 
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Core modules

SSC301
Discovering Your Inner Academic 30 credits

In this module, students will learn the core academic and organisational skills required to succeed at university. They will benefit from a range of skill development sessions and subject-specific seminars, allowing them to practice applying the delivered academic skills in the context of their field of study.

100% Coursework

SSC302
Individual Project 30 credits

Students will undertake, with supervision, an individual project related to their degree programme. Staff will guide students through the process of defining, planning, and setting up their project. As part of the module, students will gain research and time management skills that will support their successful progression through their degree programme.

100% Coursework

SSC306
Literature, History and Visual Cultures 30 credits

This module explores the key texts and voices that have changed the ways in which we think and write the Humanities. It will investigate how thinkers, poets and writers have shaped our contemporary world, and the ways in which we study it. Based on this, this module will also explore the ways in which literature, art, film, media, memory and heritage impact on history and writing today. Students will examine a range of classic and contemporary literary texts as well as visual and media sources and consider the role of technologies in the Humanities. The module will be constructed around the exploration of key themes, for example gender and sexuality, faith, war, and race and ethnicity, using interdisciplinary approaches to identify how they have shaped the Humanities of the 21st century.

100% Coursework

SSC309
Imagining the Past 30 credits

This module will introduce concepts central to historical and literary study in the Humanities including: Time; Space; and Experience. Students will work with a range of sources to understand how the Humanities engage with the past. Students will develop the tools needed for progression to Higher Education, with a particular focus on analysing textual materials and essay-writing.

100% Coursework

Year 1

In your first year, you'll study historical, theoretical, and aesthetic approaches to literary analysis. You’ll read literature which investigates the making of the modern world; engage with exciting theories of reading such as eco-criticism, psychoanalysis and Marxism; and, if you choose, try your hand at creative writing in a wide range of genres including prose, poetry, drama and professional writing. You will also learn key research and essay-writing skills. 
A diverse group of people studying on campus using books, paper and and tablets

Core modules

ENG4001
Gods, Monsters, and Heroes: Myths and Legends in Literature 20 credits

This immersive module provides an important grounding for new students studying English and Creative Writing. Based around some of the earliest written texts that underpin Western literature, the module engages with a number of issues to enable students to gain an understanding of the historical development of literature and the ways in which texts relate to each other over the centuries.

100% Coursework

ENG4002
Writing and the Modern World, 1600-1700 20 credits

This module considers ‘modern’ ways of writing, thinking, trading, seeing, and relating to others in the seventeenth century. The literature of this period first explores ideas central to our own time and place, and is crucial both to understanding literary history and to understanding ourselves. The course will be structured through four key narratives, traced through a chronological selection of texts: authority, modern ideas of gender, global capitalism and modern print culture

100% Coursework

ENG4003
The Craft of Writing I: Prose Fiction and Non-Fiction 20 credits

This module introduces students to the key concepts and issues in creative writing through the practise of workshops. We will read classic contemporary works of fiction and nonfiction including autobiography, travel writing, poetry sequences, essays and reportage. We will produce our own works, and critically evaluate and contextualise them.

100% Coursework

ENG4005
Writing and the Modern World, 1700-1800 20 credits

This module considers the further development of modern ways of writing, thinking, trading, and seeing in the eighteenth century. This period is crucial to understanding literary history and ourselves. The module explores four key themes:- the beginnings of human rights and democracy in the eighteenth century - modern ideas of gender which originate in the eighteenth century - imperialism & the transatlantic world - eighteenth-century reading practices and the development of new genres.

80% Coursework

20% Practicals

ENG4007
Rewritings: Contemporary Literature and its Histories 20 credits

This module will examine how and why modern and contemporary authors have rewritten or reworkedinfluential literary texts of the past. Students will engage with a range of different literary forms,including fiction, poetry, drama and, where appropriate, film. By investigating the impulses behind suchintertextual acts, students will explore the ways in which literature engages with the cultural politics ofits times, focusing particularly on issues of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class and aesthetics. This module will include 2, 2 hour talks that introduce our School and programme level employability related opportunities and support, including details of the optional placement year.

100% Coursework

ENG4010
Adventures in Criticism: Introduction to Critical Theory 20 credits

This module will introduce some key critical theories relevant to the study of English literature. It will familiarise students with a range of theoretical perspectives and enable them to develop an understanding of different ways of reading literature, and its wider contexts.

100% Coursework

Year 2

In your second year, you’ll take core modules in Romantic and Victorian literature, studying these key periods from an interdisciplinary perspective, and engaging with debates in philosophy, science, psychology, politics, art, gender and race. You will then select from a wide range of specialist modules, including a range of specialist literary, creative, and work-based options. You’ll also have the opportunity to branch out beyond literary studies, if you wish, and take specialist modules in other subjects in the school. 
Business student Kenzie-Jayne Barker walking through a stack of books in the library

Core modules

ENG5001
Romanticism 20 credits

In this module literary Romanticism, in its rich and problematic diversity, is introduced and explored through a consideration of imaginative conceptions of the individual in writing between 1790 and 1830. The study ranges through a selection of texts in verse – lyric and narrative – and prose - essayistic, theoretical and fictional.

100% Coursework

ENG5009
Victorian Literature and Culture 20 credits

This module aims to introduce students to the Victorian period through an examination of literature read in conjunction with a range of other contemporary cultural documents including scientific, sociological, psychological, political economic and aesthetic texts.

100% Coursework

ENG5020
World Literatures

This module examines literatures written in English from around the world, explore what literature can tell us about cultural imaginaries of world, globe and planet in an era in which global interactions have increasingly come to shape our lives.

HEP5000
Preparing for Dissertation Research

This module will prepare students in the History, Art History, ECW, and PIR cluster for Level 6 dissertation research. Lectures and workshops will explore key approaches to sources, and practical and theoretical aspects to research. Students will complete an independent research project. Lectures include some choice, and cover a range of topics including, but not limited to, research in archives / local studies/ digital resources, creative practice, and literary analysis.

Optional modules

SSC500
Stage 2 Professional Development, Placement Preparation and Identifying Opportunities 0 credits

This module is for students in the School of Society and Culture who are interested in undertaking an optional placement in the third year of their programme. It supports students in their search, application, and preparation for the placement, including developing interview techniques and effective application materials (e.g. CVs , portfolios, and cover letters).

ENG5019
Brave New Worlds: Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Politics 20 credits

Science Fiction seems to be a field or mode that is particularly difficult to define, in part because it crosses over with many other forms. But it is also one of the most popular types of literature easily ranging from the highbrow to the low. This module will explore SF writing since 1960, with a particular focus on the hybridity of the field and the ways in which it intersects with fantasy writing, to explore a range of political issues in the contemporary world. SF is ‘a wide-ranging, multivalent and endlessly cross-fertilizing cultural idiom.’ (Roberts, 2006, 2) But is it really concerned with the future, or in fact, driven by nostalgia to engage with the ways in which the past has constructed the present? The module will be thematically structured and will concentrate on Anglophone writing.

100% Coursework

ENG5005
Professional Writing for Different Media 20 credits

In the context of this module, Professional Writing refers to commercial content for a variety of media outlets including advertising and marketing, as well as other ‘businesses’ which students have imagined and created themselves. Students will experiment with creative formats such as posters, reviews, reports, ‘copy’, interviews, the op-ed (opinion-editorial). The module is taught through lecture, seminars, and workshops where students are asked to submit and feedback to peers and tutors on a regular basis.

100% Coursework

Optional placement year

This optional, year-long placement offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a professional working environment, gaining invaluable hands-on experience that bridges the gap between academic learning and real-world application. You'll be exposed to the day-to-day operations of your chosen industry, develop practical skills, build professional relationships, and enhance your employability through meaningful contributions to actual projects and teams.
1186284718 Getty young man at work listening whilst writing

Core modules

SSC601
School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Placement Year

Students have the opportunity to gain work experience that will set them apart in the job market when they graduate by undertaking an optional flexible placement year. The placement must be a minimum of 24-weeks (which can be split between a maximum of two different placement providers) and up to a maximum of 48-weeks over the course of the academic year. The placement is flexible and can be undertaken virtually, part or full time and either paid or voluntary. Students will have the option to undertake their placement year abroad. This year allows them to apply and hone the knowledge and skills acquired from the previous years of their programme in the real world.

Final year

In your final year, you’ll complete your period studies core with the ground-breaking literature of early 20th-century Modernism. You’ll also choose from a range of specialist modules, mostly with a focus on 20th-century and contemporary literature. There will be a further opportunity to choose a module from another subject in the school if you wish to branch out. You’ll also design and develop your own year-long dissertation project on a topic of your choice, which you'll work on with focused support from your personal supervisor. 
Female student studying at the library at writing on a notebook - 2030273715 Getty

Core modules

ENG6002
Modern and Contemporary Literature 20 credits

This module will explore a number of themes through an examination of writing published in the approximate period 1910-1930. The themes will include structural and linguistic experimentation, historical and artistic influences, the First World War and literary networks.

100% Coursework

ENG6001
Dissertation 40 credits

The student will complete, under tutorial supervision, a significant project in critical or creative writing. Maximum length 9,000-10,000 words or equivalent in creative form.

100% Coursework

Optional modules

ENG6004
Literatures of The Atlantic World: Race, Resistance, and Revolution

ENG6011
Eco-Dystopia: Literature, Culture and Environmental Crisis

This module explores the ways in which contemporary literature and culture are responding to our current era of ecological emergency with a particular focus on representations of disaster and dystopia. It introduces students to key debates and concepts, from the influence of ideas of utopia and dystopia, to the identity of the Anthropocene and the relation between humans and nonhumans. It traces these ideas across ‘texts’ in range of media, such as fiction, nonfiction, poetry and film.

ENG6013
Literature and Moment

This module focuses on literature from a specific decade/decades. Students will study a range of texts and authors from a given time period.

Progression routes
This course is an integrated part of the BA (Hons) English  degree at the University of Plymouth. Successful completion of your foundation year (Year 0) will not lead to a separate award or qualification in its own right but provides progression onto Year 1 of BA (Hons) English, or one of the following degree courses:
  • BA (Hons) Anthropology
  • BA (Hons) Creative Writing
  • BSc (Hons) Criminology
  • BSc (Hons) Criminology and Psychology
  • BSc (Hons) Criminology and Sociology
  • BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing
  • BA (Hons) History
  • BSc (Hons) International Relations
  • LLB (Hons) Law
  • LLB (Hons) Law and Criminology
  • BSc (Hons) Politics
  • BSc (Hons) Politics and International Relations
  • BSc (Hons) Sociology
  • BSc (Hons) Professional Policing
 
 
 
 
 
 

Featured modules

Explore an eclectic range of literature across cultures and geographies, using a decolonial perspective to help gain a critical understanding of the world. The first-year module, ‘Adventures in Criticism’, introduces key theories, which help us to interpret literature from different perspectives.
In addition, modules such as ‘Eco-Dystopia: Literature, Culture and Environmental Crisis’ and ‘Brave New Worlds: Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Politics’ investigate the important role literature plays in responding to the politics, challenges, and complexities of the modern world. 
All our degrees have a wide range of optional modules and there is even the opportunity to study modules from any of the subject areas in the  School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences .
You could graduate with one of the following personalised course title combinations:
 
English with Anthropology

Modules

    ANT5008MX
    Brave New Worlds: Ethnography of/on Online and Digital Worlds 20 credits

    This module teaches students how to use ethnographic methods to make sense of the internet, which we now increasingly inhabit. Students learn how to navigate and analyse platforms such as Facebook or TikTok. They study how these technologies transform our relationships, identities, and ideas of truth. The module also examines the socio-cultural and ethical aspects of digital worlds (e.g. Second life).

    100% Coursework

    ANT6008MX
    Coastal Cultures: Marine Anthropology in the age of climate change and mass extinction. 20 credits

    Using ethnography, we analyse how coastal communities use the sea – not only as a source of livelihood, but as a key ingredient in the construction of their identity and place in world. Drawing on a range of cases from across the world – from Polynesian sorcerers, to Japanese whale mourners, to Cornish surfers – we study how coastal communities are responding to climate change, sea level rise, pollution, and extinction.

    100% Coursework

English with Art History

Modules

    ARH5002MX
    Imagery in Online and Offline Worlds: Film, Television and Video Games 20 credits

    This module provides students with a comprehensive understanding of current approaches towards mass media and visual culture. Particular emphasis will be put on medium-specificity, content analysis and audience studies.

    100% Coursework

    ARH6002MX
    Questions in Contemporary Art 20 credits

    The module introduces and examines selected questions raised in the last three decades in contemporary art. Case studies drawn from art history, critical and cultural theory, and where appropriate related disciplines, will be examined.

    100% Coursework

English with Creative Writing

Modules

    ENG5010MX
    Writing Creative Nonfiction: Autobiography, Travel Writing, Reportage 20 credits

    This module introduces students to the key concepts and issues in contemporary works of creative nonfiction, or 'life writing'. Included in our readings will be works of memoir and autobiography, travel writing, personal essays and reportage. The module is entirely taught in workshops where we experiment with producing our own works of creative nonfiction and learning to refine them, as well as critically evaluate and contextualise them.

    100% Coursework

    ENG6008MX
    Features Journalism Workshop 20 credits

    This module offers students an in-depth experience of professional writing. We will explore technique in features and literary journalism; music reviews, opinion columns and longer immersion features as well as other contemporary works of non-fiction feature writing, both short- and long-form, from sub-genres including profiles and interviews, autobiography and columns, travel writing, and reportage. We will learn to research and produce our own works of professional nonfiction and critically evaluate them.

    100% Coursework

English with History

Modules

    HIS5009MX
    Middle Kingdoms: Themes in Early Modern Asia 20 credits

    This module introduces the history of early modern Japan (c.16th-19th centuries). At one level, it explores key questions shaping the histories of the late Sengoku (‘Warring States’) and Tokugawa Japan. Building on these questions, it then situates the Japanese experience in a trans-regional perspective with reference to early modern China, Korea, Ryukyu, as well as Europe.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

    HIS5014MX
    Dunkirk to D Day: The Second World War in Europe 20 credits

    The module examines the Second World War in Europe and the Atlantic Ocean from 1940 to late 1944.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

    HIS6002MX
    Piracy and Privateering, c.1560-1816 20 credits

    This module explores piracy and privateering activity in the seas around the British Isles and further afield from the reign of Queen Elizabeth to the end of the second Barbary War in 1816. This course focuses on the social history of piracy and privateering, the organisation of pirate society, and the economic impact of piracy and privateering.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

    HIS6006MX
    America, the United Nations and International Relations 1945 to the present 20 credits

    This module provides a detailed examination of the relationship between the United States of America and the United Nations in the management of international relations from 1945 to the present.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

English with Criminology

Modules

    CRM5009MX
    Crime, Harm and Culture 20 credits

    The module aims to provide students with a critical appreciation of harm and crime by exploring relevant issues from film, television, music, fiction literature and art. By applying a criminological lens to different forms of popular culture, students will be able to examine a variety of media forms in terms of its content and its contemporary political, social and economic context using different theories and concepts.

    100% Coursework

    CRM6016MX
    Green Criminology: Climate Justice and the Planetary Crisis

    This module will address theoretical perspectives, methodological issues, and empirical research related to the field of green criminology, including applied concerns, such as policy and social/political praxis, through a range of concepts, topics, and themes that are central to green criminology.

English with International Relations

Modules

    PIR6009MX
    Mao to Now: the Politics of Modern China

    This module introduces students to politics in China. It provides them with the analytical skills and historical understanding to examine the structure of the contemporary Chinese state, looking in particular at Maoist legacies, nationalism and ideology, the relationships between party, law, state and market, and China’s involvement in international affairs.

    PIR6007MX
    Global Environmental Politics 20 credits

    This module examines the problem of environmental degradation and its implications for our global political economy. It discusses the major debates in political thought around the primary causes of environmental degradation. The module outlines the major attempts to build international regimes for global environmental governance, and the difficulties and obstacles that such attempts have encountered. A range of ideas, critiques, policy proposals, innovations in governance, and templates for political activism within the environmental movement are critically evaluated.

    100% Coursework

    PIR5009MX
    Refugee Studies 20 credits

    This module focuses on the political, economic and social context of forced migration and considers the complex and varied nature of global refugee populations. It analyses responses at international, national and regional level and engages with a range of challenging questions around international co-operation, the framework of international protection, humanitarianism and the causes of displacement.

    100% Coursework

English with Politics

Modules

    PIR6009MX
    Mao to Now: the Politics of Modern China

    This module introduces students to politics in China. It provides them with the analytical skills and historical understanding to examine the structure of the contemporary Chinese state, looking in particular at Maoist legacies, nationalism and ideology, the relationships between party, law, state and market, and China’s involvement in international affairs.

    PIR5013MX
    Politics Beyond Parliaments 20 credits

    This module analyses the role of civil society and the public sphere in democratic governance and in democratization from a variety of theoretical perspectives.

    100% Coursework

English with Law

Modules

    LAW5009MX
    Environmental Law 20 credits

    The module provides an examination of key themes in environmental law, with a focus on the generation, application and enforcement of this law within a critical and applied context.

    100% Coursework

    LAW5011MX
    Intellectual Property Law

    This module focuses on the law and concepts of intellectual property, examining in addition related legal themes of information access, dissemination and control.

    LAW6012MX
    Public International Law 20 credits

    A module that focuses on the primary legal principles of the public international legal order, before exploring a range of substantive areas, such as, for example, the use of force, the law regulating the conduct of war, International Human Rights, International Criminal Law and International Environmental Law.

    100% Coursework

English with Sociology

Modules

    SOC5005MX
    Globalisation and Social Justice 20 credits

    This module investigates the key debates of globalisation and critically evaluates, in terms of its economic, political, socio-cultural and legal dimensions, the causes and consequences of a globalising world. It furthermore explores a range of international social justice issues to examine the relationships (causative and ameliorative) between policies and (in)justice

    60% Coursework

    40% Practicals

    SOC6004MX
    Health, Medical Power and Social Justice 20 credits

    This module considers a range of issues concerning health, illness and medical power in contemporary society. The module seeks to develop an understanding of the impact of ‘medicalisation’ on everyday life, as well as the importance of social divisions, such as age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status. There will be a focus on a range of sociological perspectives on health with an opportunity to focus upon areas of particular interest.

    100% Coursework

English with Policing and Security Management

Modules

    CRM6011MX
    Security Management 20 credits

    This module provides students with a critical insight into the professional domain of security management. It provides an overview of the theories, policies, procedures and practices that underpin the work of the security manager, and focuses upon a career-relevant knowledge and understanding of this significant area of expertise.

    70% Coursework

    30% Tests

    CRM5003MX
    Harm in the 21st Century 20 credits

    This module explores the global challenges of harmful behaviours and activities in contemporary society by considering specific areas of concern for criminologists. By drawing on real-world examples in everyday life, the module examines how social problems and issues have arisen due to processes of globalisation that have changed the social, political and economic landscape of the 21st century.

    100% Coursework

    CRM5009MX
    Crime, Harm and Culture 20 credits

    The module aims to provide students with a critical appreciation of harm and crime by exploring relevant issues from film, television, music, fiction literature and art. By applying a criminological lens to different forms of popular culture, students will be able to examine a variety of media forms in terms of its content and its contemporary political, social and economic context using different theories and concepts.

    100% Coursework

The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the University’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the University’s policies and requirements.

 
 
 

Experience

 
 
 

Specialist facilities and resources

Access exceptional facilities during your studies, enabling creative growth, academic excellence and enlightening research:
  • Charles Seale-Hayne Library – a rich academic environment providing 24/7 access to learning spaces and a dedicated Library and Digital Support team.
  • Student Learning services – offering tailored writing support to help you plan, structure and refine your work.
  • The Writing Cafe – a relaxed, peer-supported space where trained student mentors help you improve your writing skills. Also available digitally.
  • Archives at Plymouth's award-winning museum and art gallery, .
A groups of students discussing work or studying around a table in the library.
 
 
 

The Writing Cafe 

Settle in to a supportive and creative space – both on campus and online – where you can develop your writing skills with help from trained student mentors and the Student Learning team. 
Located in the Library Cafe on the first floor of the Charles Seale-Hayne Library, the Writing Cafe offers a relaxed environment with great coffee and locally sourced food. The Digital Writing Cafe mirrors this experience virtually, allowing you to share your work and receive tailored feedback in breakout rooms. 
Open every weekday during term time, it’s an accessible and welcoming hub for improving academic and creative writing.
 
 
 

Write your future

Take advantage of the many opportunities on offer to develop the knowledge and practical experience to succeed.

Options without limit
The broad variety of skills you will hone are highly valued in almost every field, giving you access to numerous career pathways.

International exchange

Expand your horizons overseas
Experience other cultures and grow your network by studying or working abroad in either Europe or the US.


Gain invaluable experience with INK, our in-house magazine, building skills in everything from desktop publishing to editing and magazine journalism.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Learn from award-winning researchers and writers

Dr Mandy Bloomfield Associate Professor in Modern and Contemporary Literature


Associate Professor in Modern and Contemporary Literature

Professor Anthony Caleshu Professor


Professor

Dr Russell Evans Lecturer in Creative Writing


Lecturer in Creative Writing

Show all
 

Get more from your studies with Plymouth Gazette

Boost your academic experience with the Plymouth Gazette – a student-run journalism society welcoming all levels of experience. Whether you're new to media or already creating content, the Gazette offers hands-on opportunities to explore journalism through writing, visual storytelling, and social platforms like TikTok and Instagram. A digital newspaper is published fortnightly, giving members a chance to share their voice and sharpen their skills.
Icon of the Plymouth Gazette
 
 

Keep up to date 

Follow us to get a greater insight into what you might experience on an English or creative writing degree at Plymouth.
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Life in Plymouth

Plymouth's maritime history and coastal location have an undeniable influence on life in the city. The walk from our main campus to the seafront is only about one mile, providing loads of opportunity to relax and unwind during your studies. You don’t need to leave the city to get to the coast!
 

The overall vibe of the city is perfect. You are by the sea so it is still laid back, but you have all the conveniences of living in a city.

Jenna
Current student

Students sitting on the Barbican
Life in the city
Discover what Plymouth and its unique geographical location have to offer
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Explore your accommodation options
Discover our range of student accommodation options and find out how you can get a guaranteed place in halls
Our large student population, active Students' Union, and abundance of student-led clubs and societies blend to create a busy and vibrant student scene

Careers

 

Preparing you for your future

Real-world workplace experience ensures you are career-ready upon graduation.
We believe that real-world experience is central to success in today's job market. We focus on embedding experiential learning into our courses through our exciting partnerships with external organisations, offering you the opportunity to undertake internships, placements and volunteering. 
Two young intercultural interns or placement students discussing notes in copybook in and office setting.Shutterstock 2224873497
 
 
 
Melissa Hawkins sitting at a desk writing with a pen and holding a cup

I secured an internship with Penguin Random House which really affirmed that I wanted to work in the marketing and publishing industry. It was really fast-paced and different being in London compared to my Devon hometown! I studied English with Publishing – I'm glad I did because that allowed me to explore creative writing and journalism, and that's a massive foundation to where I am now.

Melissa
BSc (Hons) English with Publishing graduate

I undertook voluntary placements, outside of my course. These were valuable in helping me to decide what career path I wanted to take. Placements are great for networking and the reason I was offered a permanent job after graduating.


Hannah
BA (Hons) English graduate

My time at Plymouth has allowed me to explore various career options. The lecturers and support staff at Plymouth encouraged me to try public speaking at open days, writing for the ‘Bruseels’ pamphlet, and editing for INK Journal – all of which have given me a clearer idea of what I wish to pursue.

Mitchell
BA (Hons) English graduate
 
 

Words in action: English for the real world

  • Develop a range of valuable skills that employers value, including critical and creative thinking as well as excellent communication, presentation and project management skills.
  • Designed with professional practice in mind. Take exciting vocational modules that provide opportunities to hone your craft in professional writing, journalism, and screenwriting. 
  • Choose an optional placement year to gain professional experience before graduating.
  • Benefit from a tailored programme of careers events and opportunities. As an English graduate, you will be a compelling candidate for a wide range jobs in areas including creative industries, teaching, marketing, advertising, public relations, journalism, publishing, and the GLAM sector (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums).
  • Boost your career prospects by working with a publishing house, literary agent, arts organisation, or magazine on our work-based learning module or extra-curricular internships.
  • Ê

    100% of our English graduates feel staff supported their learning well

  • @

    91% of our English graduates feel that they have the knowledge and skills needed for their future

  • ]

    85% of our English graduates are in work or further study

*Data is from the Graduate Outcomes Surveys covering the three years of 2019/20 – 2021/22. Graduates were surveyed 15 months after graduating. Data displayed is for UK-domiciled, first degree, full-time graduates who are working, studying or looking for work.
 
 

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

 
 
 
Tuition fees for new full-time students starting in 2025-2026 or
 2026-2027.
Full-time study
To be confirmed per year
Part-time study
To be confirmed per credits
Optional placement year  completed in the UK
£1,905
 
Optional placement year  completed outside the UK
£1,430
 
 
 

Tuition fee price changes
In November 2024, the UK Government announced an increase to tuition fees and maintenance support for 2025/26 academic year, setting the standard tuition fee and student maintenance loan at £9,535 per year and the University’s tuition fees were increased to this rate.
The UK Government has indicated that further fee increases may be announced this year and in subsequent years. If the UK Government does so, the University may increase annual tuition fees in subsequent years, which may include the fees for the 2026/2027 academic year, in line with the Student Contract and all times in line with the maximum tuition fee caps set by the Government. More information about  fees and costs of studying .
 

Classroom-based foundation years
On 4 November 2024, the UK Government announced a proposal to cap the home student fee for the foundation year of this programme at £5,760, this will be applied from 1 August 2025. Subsequent years of this degree programme will be charged at the new standard rate for home undergraduate tuition fees of £9,535 per annum. Implementation of this increase will be subject to parliamentary procedure.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tuition fees for full-time international students starting in 2025-2026 academic year.
Full-time study
To be confirmed per year
Optional placement year  completed in the UK
£1,905
 
Optional placement year  completed outside the UK
£1,430
 
 
 
Tuition fees for full-time international students starting in 2026-2027 academic year.
Full-time study
To be confirmed per year
Optional placement year  completed in the UK
To be confirmed
 
Optional placement year  completed outside the UK
To be confirmed
 

Tuition fee price changes
Our fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and costs of studying .
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Fund your studies

As an undergraduate at Plymouth, there are plenty of funding options available, including tuition fee loans, living cost loans, scholarships, bursaries and support funds.
 

Supporting students with the cost of living

The cost of living in the UK has risen faster than household income, meaning that most people will have less to spend on essential goods and services. This is an ongoing situation that is likely to affect everyone in some way.
The University provides advice and guidance and has a range of services, facilities and offers to help students with rising everyday costs.
 
Careers Hub

Apply

 
 
 
 
 
 

Entry requirements

Our typical offer
32 UCAS points
Don’t have 32 UCAS tariff points? We will consider ‘non-standard’ applications on a case-by-case basis.

You may be eligible for a contextual offer

Contextual offers: Typically, the contextual offer for this course is 8 points below the advertised tariff. A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes into account individual circumstances that are beyond your control, and that can potentially impact your learning and your exam results, or your confidence in applying to university.

Check your eligibility for a contextual offer

GCSE
Grade C/4 or above. If your grade is lower than this, please refer to the Admissions team for further advice.

A levels
Typical offer 32 points from a minimum of two A levels.

18 Unit BTEC National Diploma/QCF Extended Diploma
PPP. Refer to tutor, but a BTEC is usually only considered with another qualification, e.g., A levels.

All Access courses
Pass a named Access to HE Diploma (preferably English, humanities or combined), including GCSE English and Mathematics grade C/4 or above or equivalent.

T level
Pass in any subject.

International Baccalaureate
24 overall.

Extended entry requirements

To be accepted onto a degree course with us, you must have a suitable English language qualification. 
We are looking for applicants with good potential, including those with non-standard qualifications and backgrounds, so will consider every application on a case-by-case basis.

Ready to apply?

All applications for undergraduate courses are made through UCAS.com. Please refer to the course facts below when completing your application for this course.
 
UCAS course code
Q302
Institution code
P60
Duration

4 years
(+ optional placement)
Assessment breakdown
100% coursework
Course type

Full-time
Study location
Plymouth
    •  

    Entry requirements

    We welcome applicants with international qualifications and we accept a range of qualifications from across the globe.
     
    Our typical offer
    32 UCAS points
     
     

    BSearch entry requirements for your country

    5

    English language requirements

    To be accepted onto a degree course with us, you must have a suitable English language qualification. 
     

    Ready to apply?

    As an international student, you can apply for this course through UCAS or an agent in your country.
     
  • Find an agent
    • UCAS course code
    Q302
    Institution code
    P60
    Duration

    4 years
    (+ optional placement)
    Assessment breakdown
    100% coursework
    Course type

    Full-time
    Study location
    Plymouth
     
     
     

    Visit us at an undergraduate on-campus open day

    Open days are the best way to get a feel for studying an undergraduate degree at the University of Plymouth.
     
    Book your place
    Man sitting outside with surrounded by friends
     
     
     
    The results of the National Student Survey (NSS) and the Graduate Outcomes survey (GO) are made available to prospective students and their advisors through the Discover Uni website.