The School of English - based in the Trent Building at the heart of Nottingham's beautiful University Park Campus - is one of the oldest English teaching departments in the UK. Yet if you choose to study English at Nottingham, you will join a vibrant and modern community, with a first-rate reputation for delivering outstanding teaching and research, in which we seek to explore and celebrate the diversity and richness of the English language and its literatures.
Studying English at Nottingham opens up a rich and rewarding learning experience, with our distinctive single honours courses offering the chance to expand your understanding of 'English' through encounters with prose, poetry and drama from the medieval period to the present; to explore the workings of language in literature and in society; and to develop your own creative writing.
The opportunity to combine these disciplines of English within your degree makes Nottingham an exciting choice - the skills you develop during your course will help you prepare for a rewarding career, whatever your ambitions.
The School was rated 'excellent' in the most recent independent review of teaching quality and we can promise that throughout your course you will be taught by highly motivated, research-active staff who are passionate about their subjects.
What is English?
Nottingham is unique in being able to offer the opportunity to study across the range of areas in English:
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English literature 1500 to the present
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drama and performance
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medieval language and literature
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English language and appliedl linguistics
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creative writing
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Viking studies
Students of English at Nottingham can, in the course of a week, find themselves reading and discussing the oldes English texts and considering the influences of radically different value systems, tracing contemporary English usage and its sociological significance, developing models of performance to reflect different spaces and audiences, and writing about developments in the modern novel.
How will I study?
You will take a combination of compulsory and optional modules, focusing on two or more areas of English depending on the course. You will have a wide choice of final-year options to suit particular personal interests; these correspond to the research interests of the staff who teach them and you will benefit from their expertise at the cutting edge of the discipline.
You will be taught using a variety of methods, including seminars, lectures, workshops and small-group tutorials, with computer-assisted learning in many modules. Staff also offer individual consultations for one-to-one discussion about your work and progress.
The opportunity to discuss ideas and coursework directly with your tutors is an integral part of your studies at Nottingham and can be one of the most rewarding aspects of your learning. Whether by giving feedback on essay drafts or discussing the results of an assessment, the School is committed to helping you work to the best of your ability.
You will have a personal tutor who is a member of academic staff whom you will get to know through individual tutorials and small-group teaching sessions in your first year. As well as dealing with academic concerns and career development, your tutor is there to talk over any personal issues affecting your studies and can be a valuable source of advice and support.
Assessment
A range of assessment methods is used, including essays, projects, presentations and exams; most modules involve a combination of these. Your degree classification is determined by the marks gained in the second and final years.
Student Support
You will have a personal tutor who is a member of academic staff, whom you will get to know through individual tutorials and small group teaching sessions in your first year. As well as dealing with academic concerns and supporting your career development, your tutor is there to talk over any personal issues affecting your studies, and can be a valuable source of advice and support. In addition, the University offers a wide range of other academic and welfare services, including specialist learning and disability support, child care, counselling and careers advice.
Studying abroad
The School has exchange agreements with various institutions worldwide through the Universitas 21 network and Erasmus programme. Every year a number of our students spend a semester of their second year abroad and this can be a life-changing experience for them. Overseas study destinations include: Auckland, Hong Kong, Connecticut, Helsinki, Heidelberg, Venice, and for Viking Studies students, Oslo. See our School website for more information.
Career prospects
Our graduates are among the best in the country and move into an extraordinarily wide range of careers. Some go into media work (publishing, TV research or journalism), advertising, law or librarianship. Others become school teachers, teachers of English as a foreign language or university lecturers, while our well-developed links to the creative industries and the heritage and tourism sector p;rovide great opportunities for students wishing to work in those areas.
Application and interview
Offers are usually made without interview. Students with non-standard entry requirements, including mature students, may be invited to an interview.
Open days
All candidates who receive an offer are invited to a UCAS visit day, which are usually held from late January to March. You are also welcome to visit at other times – please contact us. For dates of our open days visit
www.nottingham.ac.uk/opendays