- UCAS course code
- RQ33
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Overview
- Degree awarded
- Bachelor of Arts (BA)
- Duration
- 4 years
- Typical A-level offer
-
ABB, including A in English Literature or English Language and Literature.
- Typical contextual A-level offer
-
BBB, including A in English Literature or English Language and Literature.
Find out more about contextual admissions. - Refugee/care-experienced offer
-
Applicants who have been in local authority care for more than three months or have refugee status may be eligible for an offer two grades below the standard requirements.Find out more about contextual admissions.
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer
-
34 points overall. 6,5,5 in Higher Level subjects (including 6 in English Literature, or English Language and Literature)
- How to apply
- Apply through UCAS
- UCAS course code
- RQ33
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course overview
- Study at a university ranked sixth in the UK for English language and literature (QS World University Rankings 2021).
- Explore the rich literary history and current creative scene of Manchester, recently designated UNESCO City of Literature.
- Start to learn or refine your expertise in Italian and the cultural developments of modern Italy, and spend your third year studying or working abroad in Italy.
Open days
We are pleased to announce that we are returning to hosting on-campus open days in the summer and autumn.
Please see open days for the dates, registration, and other information.
If you're a prospective student, you can also find out more about student life by chatting with our student ambassadors at a time that suits you, and ask any questions you may have about life at Manchester.
Please check our Coronavirus FAQs for the most up to date information regarding events.
You can also look at our virtual open day content to help you learn more about the University.
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2024 will be £9,250 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will be £25,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
- Telephone
- +44 (0)161 275 3211
- ug.languages@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/
- School/Faculty overview
-
See: About us
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Compare this course
Entry requirements
A-level
Contextual offer
BBB, including A in English Literature or English Language and Literature for applicants who meet our contextual offer criteria. For further information and to check eligibility visit our Contextual Offers page.
AS-level
Unit grade information
The University of Manchester welcomes the provision of unit information where available. Like all other information provided by applicants this may be taken into consideration when assessing your application. Unit grades will not normally form part of an offer conditions.
GCSE
Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade C or 4 in GCSE/iGCSE English Language and Mathematics. GCSE/iGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/iGCSE English Language.
Please note that if you hold English as a second language iGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications or achieve a higher grade in your iGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact the academic School for clarification.
International Baccalaureate
Other international entry requirements
Scottish requirements
We normally require grades AABBB in Scottish Highers. In addition, one Scottish Advanced Higher is normally required at Grade B. Where a pre-requisite subject is required at A-level, then this Advanced Higher should be in that subject.
English Language and Mathematics not taken at Higher/Advanced Higher must have been achieved at SCQF level 5 (minimum National 5 grade C / Intermediate 2 grade C / Standard Grade Credit level grade 3).
If you require further clarification about the acceptability of this qualification please contact the Academic School(s) to which you plan to apply.
Welsh Baccalaureate
The minimum grade required will normally be the same as the lowest grade listed in the A Level entry requirements.
If you require further clarification about the acceptability of this qualification please contact the academic School(s) you plan to apply to.
European Baccalaureate
We normally require 77% to include a minimum of 8.0 in English Literature.
AQA Baccalaureate
In making offers, the University will focus on the three A Levels taken within the AQA Baccalaureate. Students need to check the standard A Level requirements for their chosen course.
The units of broader study, enrichment activities and the Extended Project are considered to be valuable elements of the AQA Baccalaureate and we would therefore strongly encourage students to draw upon these experiences within their personal statement.
Foundation year
Applicants completing the INTO Manchester in partnership with The University of Manchester international foundation programme are required to achieve ABB in academic subjects and grade A in the EAP with writing, speaking, listening and reading grade B.
Applicants completing the NCUK International Foundation year are required to achieve ABB in academic subjects and grade A in the EAP with writing, speaking, listening and reading grade B.
Please read this in conjunction with our A-level requirements, noting any pre-requisite subjects.
For all other foundation programmes please see this list of approved UK foundation programmes .
Pearson BTEC qualifications
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma: we consider the National Extended Diploma for entry, preferably in a subject relevant to this course. Entry requirements are based on achievement of the full National Extended Diploma with grades Distinction, Distinction, Merit, plus one A-level at Grade A in English Literature ( or English Language and Literature, but not English Language alone ).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma: we consider the National Diploma for entry, preferably in a subject relevant to this course. Entry requirements are based on achievement of the full National Diploma with grades Distinction, Distinction, plus one A-level at Grade B in English Literature ( or English Language and Literature, but not English Language alone ).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma: we consider the National Foundation Diploma for entry, preferably in a subject relevant to this course. Entry requirements are based on achievement of the full National Foundation Diploma with a Distinction grade, PLUS one A-level at Grade B in English Literature ( or English Language and Literature, but not English Language alone ), PLUS an EPQ or AS at Grade B.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate: we consider the National Extended Certificate for entry, preferably in a subject relevant to this course. Entry requirements are based on achievement of the full National Extended Certificate with a Distinction grade, PLUS two A-levels at Grades BB (one of these A-levels should be in English Literature ( or English Language and Literature, but not English Language alone ).
The University of Manchester welcomes applications from students who have achieved legacy BTEC qualifications (pre-2016) such as the BTEC Extended Diploma, BTEC Diploma, BTEC Subsidiary Diploma, and BTEC Certificate. The grades required are likely to be the same or vary similar to the new BTEC qualifications (first teaching 2016, awarded 2018). Please contact the Academic School for clarification.
If you require further clarification about the acceptability of this qualification please contact the academic School(s) to which you plan to apply.
OCR Cambridge Technical qualifications
Cambridge Level 3 Technical Extended Diploma (CTEC): we do not consider the Technical Extended Diploma for entry to this course.
Cambridge Level 3 Technical Diploma (CTEC): we consider the Technical Diploma for entry, preferably in a subject relevant to the chosen course. Entry requirements are based on achievement of the full Technical Diploma with grades Distinction, Merit, plus an additional level 3 qualification such as an A Level at grade A in English Literature ( or English Language and Literature, but not English Language alone ) .
Cambridge Level 3 Technical Foundation Diploma (CTEC): we consider the Technical Foundation Diploma for entry, preferably in a subject relevant to the chosen course. Entry requirements are based on achievement of the full Technical Foundation Diploma with grades Distinction, Distinction, plus an additional level 3 qualification such as an A Level/A Level at min. Grade B in English Literature ( or English Language and Literature, but not English Language alone ) . , PLUS an EPQ or AS Level at grade B.
Cambridge Level 3 Technical Extended Certificate (CTEC) : we consider the Technical Extended Certificate for entry, preferably in a subject relevant to the chosen course. Entry requirements are based on achievement of the full Technical Extended Certificate with grade Distinction, plus two additional Level 3 qualifications such as A Levels at grades BB, one of which must be in English Literature ( or English Language and Literature, but not English Language alone ) . .
The University of Manchester will consider applications from students who have achieved legacy CTEC qualifications (pre-2016) such as the CTEC Extended Diploma, CTEC Diploma, CTEC Subsidiary Diploma, and CTEC Certificate. The grades required are likely to be the same or vary similar to the new CTEC qualifications (first teaching 2016, awarded 2018). Please contact the Academic School for clarification.
If you require further clarification about the acceptability of this qualification please contact the Academic School(s) to which you plan to apply.
Access to HE Diploma
The specific course requirements are a minimum of 30 credits with a Distinction grade, plus 15 credits with a Merit grade, all in a Humanities-related subject. Where possible, 15 of the Distinction credits should be in the pre-requisite subject required for A-levels.
Cambridge Pre-U
We consider applicants offering Pre-U Principal Subjects, or a mix of Pre-U and A Level subjects, provided a minimum of three distinct subjects overall is taken.
Candidates taking Pre-U principal subjects in conjunction with A levels are expected to achieve a combination of D3, M2, M2 in the Pre-U and ABB at A level in three distinct subjects.
If you require further clarification about the acceptability of this qualification please contact the Academic School(s) you plan to apply to.
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
Core Maths
The University recognises the value of Level 3 Core Mathematics qualifications. Core Mathematics is not a compulsory element of post-16 study and as a result we will not normally include it in the conditions of any offer we make. However, if a student chooses to undertake a core mathematics qualification this may be taken into account when we consider a student's application, particularly for courses with a distinct mathematical or statistical element that does not require A Level Mathematics. Academic Schools may also choose to take a student's performance in Core Mathematics into account should places be available in August for applicants who narrowly miss the entry grades for their chosen course.
Where a course requires applicants to have at least grade 6/B or higher in GCSE Mathematics we would be likely to consider a pass in Core Mathematics at a minimum grade C or B as an alternative way to fulfil this requirement. Where an A Level in Mathematics is required then Core Mathematics will not be accepted in lieu of an A Level.
A Level and GCSE Mathematics requirements for our courses vary according to subject so we advise students to contact the academic School, who will clarify whether a student's portfolio of qualifications is acceptable for entry onto the chosen course.
Home-schooled applicants
Non-standard educational routes
Mature students are some of our most well-equipped learners, bringing skills and attributes gained from work, family and other life experiences. Students come from a whole array of backgrounds, study every kind of course, undertake full-time and part-time learning and are motivated by career intentions as well as personal interest. There is no such thing as a typical mature student at Manchester.
The application process is the same as for other prospective undergraduates. If you require further clarification about the acceptability of the qualifications you hold please contact the academic School(s) you plan to apply to. Further information for mature students can be found here ( http://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/mature-students/ )
English language
All applicants to the University (from the UK and Overseas) are required to show evidence of English Language proficiency. The minimum English Language requirement for this course is either:
- GCSE/iGCSE English Language grade C/4 or;
- IELTS 7.0 overall with no less than 6.5 in any one component, or;
- An acceptable equivalent qualification.
Please note that if you hold English as a second language iGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications or achieve a higher grade in your iGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact the academic School for clarification.
The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires that every student from outside the UK and the EU must show evidence of a minimum level of English Language in order to be granted a UK visa (Tier 4 visa) to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level. This level is often referred to as the 'B2 level'.
Additionally, our individual Schools may ask for specific English Language proficiency levels that are necessary for their academic programmes. In most cases these requirements are likely to be higher than the B2 level. Further information about our English Language policy, including a list of some of the English Language qualifications we accept, can be found here .
English language test validity
Application and selection
How to apply
Advice to applicants
Mitigating circumstances may be personal or family illness, other family circumstances, change of teachers during a course, problems with school facilities or an unusual curriculum followed by your school or college.
We recommend that information on mitigating circumstances that have affected or are likely to affect your academic performance should be included in the referee's report.
We cannot usually consider information that is supplied after an adverse decision has been made on an application by the admitting School.
If you encounter mitigating circumstances after you have submitted your application, please inform the admissions staff in the School to which you applied as soon as possible.
Where mitigating circumstances have already been considered, for example by the relevant Exam Board, we will not be able to make further allowances.
How your application is considered
Use of contextual data
We consider the Widening Participation status of applicants while assessing applications; borderline candidates holding a WP or WP Plus flag are given further consideration. We make our interviewers aware of which applicants hold a WP or WP Plus Flag and what impact this could potentially have on their interview performance. We also consider the Widening Participation status of an applicant after the confirmation of exam results, and may offer a place on the course to an applicant holding a WP or WP Plus Flag who has narrowly missed the grades required.
Please note, contextual data only applies to UK applicants under the age of 21; for further information please visit the contextual data page of our website.
Returning to education
Access courses are acceptable as an entry route to this course - please contact the UG Admissions Team.
Deferrals
Policy for applicants who resit their qualifications
Re-applications
In your new application, you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.
If you are applying for a place for the same year of entry through UCAS Extra, you should provide additional evidence of your suitability for the course.
If you are applying through clearing, you are required to meet the clearing requirements. In both UCAS Extra and clearing the places will be subject to availability.
Course details
Course description
BA English Literature and Italian will enable you to explore a wide range of texts dating from a variety of periods.
You will also develop knowledge of the language and culture of Italy from the medieval period to the present day.
English Literature
- You will explore more than 1,000 years of literature and culture: from medieval romance to the postcolonial and postmodern.
- You can specialise in English Literature, American, Irish and post-colonial literatures, cultural theory, creative writing and film.
- You will engage with a range of literary/non-literary genres including film, music and texts, from Anglo-Saxon times to the present.
- Benefit from our research activity in English and American Studies, with more than 12 active research groups ranging from Anglo Saxon literature to 21st century writing and film.
- Enjoy creative writing course unit options in your second and third years of study.
- Our course units give you advanced Italian language skills together with an in-depth understanding of Italian literature, culture and society, taught by a range of specialists within these fields.
- We offer linguistics options for those interested in the history of the Italian language and its dialects.
- Language courses are taught by native speakers and involve comprehension, translation, grammar and oral work.
- Colleagues in Italian have won University Teaching Excellence awards and are regularly nominated for the annual Student Union teaching awards. They have also been recognized nationally for their innovative use of digital technologies in teaching and learning and for their research.
- You will benefit from extensive interaction with Italian cultural agencies in the North West.
You will also benefit from the world-class Italian holdings of the John Rylands Library, including one of the largest collections of early Italian printed books in the UK.
The course unit details listed below are those you may choose to study as part of this programme and are referred to as optional units. These are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this programme. Although language units may show here as optional, they are a mandatory part of your modern languages degree and you will take the units relevant to your level of language in each year of study. It is compulsory to study language at all levels of your modern languages degree.
Special features
Study abroad
Your year abroad will offer the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of life in Italy, and further develop your language skills.
Literature events
Manchester Literature Festival holds literary events across Manchester throughout the year, many in partnership with the University.
The Centre for New Writing also hosts a regular public event series, Literature Live, which brings contemporary novelists and poets to the University to read and engage in conversation.
Meet like-minded students
You can get to know your fellow students outside of your course by joining the English Society.
Learn more about our English Literature and Creative Writing societies .
The University is also home to more than 30 international and language-related student societies offering cultural activities and experiences.
Teaching and learning
You will be taught mainly through lecture and tutor-led sessions.
Tutorials will give you the opportunity to consider the same texts and topics as the lectures, but with a different approach.
Tutorial groups usually meet at least once a week, and numbers are kept as low as possible so that you can get to know one another and share your ideas.
Other course units (mainly those in your final year) are taught through a weekly seminar led by a specialist member of staff.
For some course units, you will join in group work and other forms of collaborative learning.
You'll also have access to our virtual learning environment, Blackboard and other digital resources to support your learning.
You will spend approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions.
For every hour spent at University, you will be expected to complete a further two to three hours of independent study.
You will also need to study during the holiday periods.
The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written work, revising for examinations or working in the University's Language Centre .
A significant part of your study time will be spent reading, taking notes, preparing presentations and writing essays (which examine aspects of a subject in greater depth).
Coursework and assessment
You will be assessed using a variety of formats, including:
- written examinations;
- coursework essays;
- research reports;
- practical tests;
- learning logs;
- web contributions;
- oral presentations;
- final-year thesis.
Your second-year work counts toward 33% of your final degree result.
Your third-year work accounts for the remaining 67%.
Course content for year 1
You will study 60 credits from each discipline.
Course units for year 1
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Reading Literature | ENGL10021 | 20 | Mandatory |
Italian Cultural Studies | ITAL10300 | 20 | Mandatory |
Mapping the Medieval | ENGL10051 | 20 | Optional |
Theory and Text | ENGL10062 | 20 | Optional |
Literature and History | ENGL10072 | 20 | Optional |
Reading Italy: Medieval to Modern | ITAL10500 | 20 | Optional |
Italian Language 1 | ITAL51011 | 20 | Optional |
Italian Language 2 | ITAL51022 | 20 | Optional |
Italian Language 3 | ITAL51030 | 20 | Optional |
Course content for year 2
You will study 120 credits, and may choose to study up to 80 credits from either discipline or maintain an equal weighting between the two.
Course units for year 2
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Creative Writing: Fiction | ENGL20002 | 20 | Optional |
Chaucer: Texts, Contexts, Conflicts | ENGL20231 | 20 | Optional |
Shakespeare | ENGL20372 | 20 | Optional |
Gender, Sexuality and the Body: Theories and Histories | ENGL20481 | 20 | Optional |
Writing, Identity and Nation | ENGL20492 | 20 | Optional |
Creative Writing: Poetry | ENGL20901 | 20 | Optional |
Medieval Metamorphoses | ENGL21022 | 20 | Optional |
Renaissance Literature | ENGL21151 | 20 | Optional |
Old English: Writing the Unreadable Past | ENGL21162 | 20 | Optional |
Satire and Sentiment: British Literature, 1680–1820 | ENGL21181 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 3
You will spend your third year abroad studying and/or working in Italy under approved conditions.
Course content for year 4
You will study 120 credits, and may choose to study up to 80 credits from either discipline or maintain an equal weighting between the two.
Course units for year 4
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Italian Language 6 | ITAL51060 | 20 | Mandatory |
Climate Change & Culture Wars | AMER30572 | 20 | Optional |
American Hauntings | AMER30811 | 20 | Optional |
The Uncanny and the Undead: Gothic American Literature and Culture | AMER33151 | 20 | Optional |
Long Essay | ENGL30001 | 20 | Optional |
Long Essay | ENGL30002 | 20 | Optional |
Creative Writing: Fiction | ENGL30122 | 20 | Optional |
Narrative Theory and Victorian Fiction | ENGL30172 | 20 | Optional |
Culture and Conflict: Neoliberalism and Cultural Production | ENGL30261 | 20 | Optional |
Creative Writing: Poetry | ENGL30901 | 20 | Optional |
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Facilities
The John Rylands Library
Home to one of the world's richest and most unique collections of manuscripts, maps, works of art, and objects.
You'll have access to the Library's impressive special collections, including papyri, early printed books, key archives such as the Women's Suffrage Movement archive, and Shakespeare's first folio.
Find out more about the John Rylands Library .
The Centre for New Writing
The University is home to a major hub for new writing excellence and award-winning teaching staff, including Granta Best Young British Novelist Kamila Shamsie and Jeanette Winterson CBE.
The Centre also hosts Literature Live - a public event series which brings contemporary novelists and poets to the University to showcase their work.
Find out more about the Centre for New Writing .
The University of Manchester Library
One of only five National Research Libraries; you'll have access to our internationally renowned archival collections which range from the medieval period to the present day.
From a miniature 'Book of Hours' which once belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots, through major Victorian novelists such as Elizabeth Gaskell and George Gissing, key American writers including Walt Whitman and Upton Sinclair, and up to the present day with our Modern Literary Archives, you'll be amazed by the treasures on offer.
Find out more about The University of Manchester Library .
As well as making use of the wider University library network, you will have access to the University Language Centre, a modern open learning facility where you can study independently and make use of a library and audio-visual resources.
There are also language laboratories and multimedia facilities.
You'll also have access to other cultural assets on campus, including the award-winning Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester Museum .
Find out more on the Facilities pages for English Literature and Creative Writing and Modern Languages and Cultures .
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
All our courses have your future in mind - whether that's further study or starting a career.
Our degrees are designed to equip you with strong critical analysis skills, the ability to articulate knowledge of concepts and theories, and the ability to work and think independently, critically and creatively; each providing you with a set of versatile skills that are highly desired by a wide range of employers.
A degree in Modern Languages and Cultures paves the way for a broad range of careers.
You'll develop intercultural awareness and enhanced communication skills - both highly valued by employers.
You'll also acquire transferable expertise at the very heart of language learning, including enhanced powers of perception and interpretation, and advanced decision-making and multitasking skills.
Our award-winning careers service provides a wealth of tools, advice, development opportunities, and industry links.
You'll have access to dedicated, subject-specific support throughout your studies and for up to two years after graduation.
Our undergraduate courses are also designed to provide an easy transition into postgraduate study, if desired.
We offer a wide range of specialist master's courses within the University and even offer fast-tracked enrolment to high-achieving undergraduate students.
Our students can take part in our Stellify programme alongside their degrees, developing professional and leadership skills while contributing to their local and global communities through volunteering.
Our graduates have gone on to work in a variety of industries, including positions with the BBC, KPMG, Deloitte, Marks and Spencer, Aviva, Accenture, and Barclays.
Employers who have taken on graduates of our Italian courses in the past include Zalando, Greenpeace, the NHS, Barclays, Roblenko, Alfred H Knight, Fresh Direct, P&A Receivables, Connexity Europe, Sane Communications, Benchmark International, Wellocks, Cognolink, and Penguin Random House.