University Subject Tables 2019

Taking the gold medal for English courses for the sixth consecutive year is Durham University, confirming it to truly be a fantastic place to study the subject.

Courses at Durham aim to draw on “a variety of different methodological perspectives, encouraging students to discover new approaches and to develop their own responses.”

Maintaining its status as Scotland's top choice for English undergraduates, the University of St Andrews claims to offer a study in literature that "expresses the values and aspirations, the certainties and uncertainties of the societies in which it was created."

With incredibly high scores for every single measure, St Andrews deserves its high position in the English league table.

An English degree at the University of Cambridge comes with, so they say, the “opportunity to specialise and to innovate.”

With a complete score for Research Intensity and one of the highest Entry Standards, this university is definitely a place to expand your knowledge for literature and language.

The esteemed University of Oxford impresses in this year’s English league table with high scores for Student Satisfaction, Research Quality and Research Intensity.

The English Language and Literature course at Oxford contains modules that study literature from the year 650 to the present day, and you can choose to submit a final year dissertation in any area of Literature or Language that you choose.

University College London excels in the English subject table this year with stand-out scores for Student Satisfaction, Research Quality and Research Intensity.

A huge range of literature is available on the BA English course from Homer to Freud in first year, American Literature and Film options in the later years, and the obligatory Chaucer and Shakespeare texts throughout.

The University of Exeter sits tight in its Top Ten spot for English, boasting a very good Graduate Prospects score.

The different core BAs to choose from include a range of joint honours degrees with Art History, Drama, Modern Languages and Film on offer, plus some have the option to study abroad, in countries including the USA.

If you’re looking for strong scores across the board but not too challenging Entry Standards, then the University of Nottingham may be the one for you.

This Midlands university – according to their head of school, Professor Josephine Guy – can offer students "a unique combination of English disciplines, including literature from the Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods to the present day."

The University of York tends to be a top performer for Research Quality in English studies, and this year that is certainly the case.

The department offers a flexible degree programme that allows you to explore literature from classical civilisation up to the 21st century and includes the study of film and drama as well as poetry and prose. In addition to a BA in English literature, it also offers combined degrees with History, History of Art, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Politics.

It’s been a slow and steady climb for Lancaster University but it has finally made its way into the Top Ten for English.

Modules that comprise the English Literature course at Lancaster study titles by esteemed writers such as Angela Carter, William Blake, and T.S. Eliot.

Newcastle University takes a Top Ten spot in the English subject table this year, with commendable scores for Student Satisfaction and Research Quality.

Facilities for English students at Newcastle include separate undergraduate and postgraduate computer suites and specialist digital media lab and audio-visual collections.