School of English Studies Admissions Policy
The School considers applicants for all its programmes solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential, regardless of gender, ethnic or national origin, age (subject to the normal University regulations on admission), disability, religion, sexual orientation or any other distinction. We aim to attract high calibre students across all programmes.
Academic ability and potential is assessed with regard to previous academic training and qualifications, both in the UK and abroad. The School also supports the University’s strategy of encouraging applications and entry from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds.
Undergraduate Programme
Aims
The undergraduate degree programme aims to recruit high quality students from the UK and overseas to degrees appropriate to their interests and abilities. The overriding principle governing undergraduate admissions is that every student admitted is expected to thrive in the School's challenging academic environment and to progress satisfactorily to graduation.
Policies
Normally, entrants should have achieved excellent results at A level, including an A in English (Literature and/or Language). There are also specific requirements for particular degrees.
Students who have taken A levels are typically required to gain passes in at least three subjects (not including General Studies or Critical Thinking). Most of our degrees require students to have achieved or predicted grades of AAA-AAB, while some Joint Honours degrees will be offered at ABB.
The School also welcomes applicants with equivalent qualifications. For overseas students an approved English language qualification is essential with IELTS (band 7.0) as the preferred test, though other qualifications may be accepted.
In addition to the criteria above, the School also considers an applicant’s performance at GCSE level, and the personal statement and reference on the UCAS form.
The School welcomes applications from well-motivated and able mature students (over the age of 21). Applicants in this category may be interviewed, and offers are tailored to applicants’ individual qualifications and circumstances. The School welcomes students with disabilities and considers their applications on the same academic grounds as those of the other candidates. The special needs of such students are fully considered by the School, in the light of discussions with the student and the University’s Disability Policy Unit.
The School will in special cases consider transfers from other universities in the UK and overseas into year 2 of the Undergraduate Programme, where applicants’ entry qualifications and undergraduate experience are equivalent to those achieved by our students.
Procedures
The School provides information about its undergraduate programme via the website, the undergraduate prospectus, and the UCAS website.
Once applications have been made via UCAS and received by the School, the process of selection and making offers is generally based on the information provided on the UCAS application form. A-level entry applicants are not normally interviewed, nor are they asked to provide any written material. Interviews are used for mature candidates and occasionally for candidates with a non-standard educational background or with special needs.
The School may vary the criteria for making an offer and/or the terms of the offer where an application shows evidence of strong potential, but the applicant has been disadvantaged by personal, socio-economic, medical or other circumstances.
Applicants who have received the offer of a place are invited to UCAS Visiting Days (normally held in February-March each year), where they have the opportunity to see the campus and learn more about academic and non-academic activities in the School and the University.
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Postgraduate Taught Programme
Aims
The postgraduate taught programme aims to recruit high-calibre graduate level students from the UK and overseas.
Policies
Normally, entrants should have taken an undergraduate degree in English Literature and/or English Language, as appropriate to the MA programme being applied for. Where applicants have not taken an English Literature or Language degree or a degree with a significant component in either subject, the School may consider alternative qualifications on a case-by-case basis.
The School's normal requirements for entry into the Masters programmes consist of:
(i) a good Honours degree (normally a First or an Upper Second Class or equivalent), preferably in English Literature and/or English Language, or in a joint degree with one of those components. Applicants may be required to submit written work on a set topic. In exceptional circumstances, the University may admit students with alternative qualifications, provided these are deemed to be of an equivalent standard and are appropriate to the MA degree being applied for.
(ii) two supporting references, normally from the applicant’s previous academic
institution.
(iii) All applicants are expected to be fluent in written and spoken English. Those whose first language is not English and whose language of instruction was not English, are required to demonstrate that their English meets the minimum level of proficiency demanded by the School, namely: British Council IELTS Band 7.0 or a TOEFL (paper-based) grade of 600, or a TOEFL (computer-based) grade of 250. (In the case of IELTS no component of the overall grade should be below 6, and in the case of TOEFL a score of 5 on the test of written English is required.)
Notwithstanding this, students may be required to take a pre-sessional Study Preparation Course offered by the Centre for English Language Education (CELE) in the University, covering language, study skills, social English and orientation to living in Britain. Candidates who do not meet the required level of proficiency in English will be required to take extensive courses at CELE, which offers a range of courses of one to nine months duration.
Procedures
Information on the programme is available on the School's website and in the University and School Postgraduate Prospectus.
Completed applications, including application form, references and other relevant documents, are normally received by the Admissions Office which then forwards them to the School of English’ Postgraduate Administrator and the Taught Programmes Admissions Tutor. We do not normally interview candidates, but rather base the decision on whether or not to offer them a place on their qualifications, references, written work (if requested) and language proficiency (for candidates whose first language is not English).
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Distance Learning Programme
Aims
The Distance Learning postgraduate degree programme aims to recruit high-calibre graduate level students from the UK and overseas.
Policies
The basic policy governing admission to this programme is that outlined for the main postgraduate taught programme (above.) Normally, entrants should have taken an undergraduate degree in English or a related topic (or the equivalent). However, applicants for Distance Learning programmes are more likely than standard entry applicants to have non-standard qualifications or other experience, and these are considered on merit. An applicant’s first degree, for instance, might not be relevant to the course applied for, but this might be superseded by post-degree professional work experience in a relevant field. Distance Learning applicants are very often at a mid or at late career stage and thus have not been in the higher education system for some time, so that it may be difficult for them to obtain relevant academic references. These factors are taken account of in our admissions procedures.
Procedures
Information on the programme is available on the School's website and in the University and School Postgraduate Prospectus. The programme has two entry points each year (September and February); applications can be made throughout the year.
Applications are considered on their merits by academic staff within the School in consultation with the Admissions Office. Interviews are not held in most cases. Applicants who are not native speakers of English are required to have IELTS 7 (with 7 in all parts of the test), and are also required to submit written work as part of the application process. Depending on individual circumstances, applicants may be permitted to submit professional references in place of one or both academic references normally required. Similarly, the normal requirements for undergraduate qualifications in a relevant field may be replaced by a requirement for post-degree professional experience in a relevant field, and the submission of written work.
All distance learning programmes commence with a 30-credit entry module, which must be passed before students can progress onto the remainder of the course.
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Postgraduate Research Programme
Aims
The research degree programme aims to recruit high-calibre Research students from the UK and overseas. Preferably, applicants should have undertaken a Masters degree in any aspect of English Studies (or the equivalent) that contained components of the kind that provide a firm basis for subsequent research training. Good merit level performance or equivalent (i.e. in excess of 60% in a Masters equivalent) is normally required. Applicants should be able to demonstrate a degree of specialist knowledge of the proposed specific research field, as well as a wider understanding of other areas of the discipline. The ability to work in an independent, yet flexible, manner is very important.
Policies
Applicants for research degrees are normally considered for entry as probationary PhD students. Applicants would normally be expected (i) to have an undergraduate honours degree at 2.1 level or above; (ii) have, or expect to obtain, a Masters degree in any area of English Language and/or Literature and/or Drama or a closely related discipline. Those without such a qualification will normally be expected to register for, and successfully complete, a taught Masters degree in the School in the first year. This requirement may be waived for candidates suitably qualified for well-focused PhD research topics. The School will also consider applicants with alternative qualifications provided these are deemed to be of an appropriate standard.
All applicants are expected to be fluent in written and spoken English. Those whose first language is not English must demonstrate that their proficiency in English meets the minimum level required by the School – British Council IELTS Band 7.0 or a TOEFL grade of 600. Students who do not meet the required level of proficiency will be required to take an intensive pre-sessional study preparation course offered by the University’s Centre for English Language Education (CELE).
Procedures
Information on the programme is available on the School's website and in the University’s Postgraduate Prospectus. Further advice and information is also available from the School’s Postgraduate Administrator and Director of Postgraduate Research. Students are encouraged to carefully investigate the current research activities and listed areas of staff research interests on the School’s website before making a formal application.
Applicants for research degrees are required to complete a standard University on-line form Application for Admission to a Postgraduate Programme. This form asks for information on higher education institutions attended and qualifications (either obtained or entered for) and on proposed research topics or interests.
Applicants must also submit a detailed and focused research proposal (a minimum of 500 words). Guidance on how to prepare this is available on the application form and the School’s website.
Two signed academic references need to be submitted with each application. In addition, students educated overseas are required to submit a transcript of their marks and evidence of any formal English language qualifications. Completed applications are first sent to the Admissions Office and subsequently forwarded to the School of English’ Postgraduate Administrator and Director of Postgraduate Research. After an initial screening to verify that candidates have the minimum necessary qualifications for entry into the Programme, applications are then disseminated for further consideration to a specific researcher or research group within the School whose research interests most closely identify with those of the candidate.
A decision on whether to admit a candidate to the Programme is then made on the basis of the overall strength of the application, with regard to the applicant’s qualifications, the strength of the reference, the proposed research topic and the applicant’s potential. An interview may form part of this process, but most applicants will not be interviewed. Applicants still reading for a Masters will be given a conditional offer, stipulating the degree standard required for admission.
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