English Literature

Why study English Literature at Liverpool John Moores University?
- Ranked in the top 20% of English degrees in the UK, and joint-best English degree in the North West (The Times UK University Rankings 2025)

- 97% of students surveyed said academic support on our English courses was good or very good (National Student Survey 2024)

- You'll be taught by leading scholars who have published books and articles on a wide-range of topics

- You'll study a range of literary texts and genres from the early modern period to the present day, including world literatures

- Work experience and travel opportunities are part of the degree

About your course
The BA (Hons) English Literature at Liverpool John Moores University is a diverse and dynamic degree, informed by the latest thinking about literature and culture.

Our innovative degree programme encourages students to become part of our vibrant academic community, to develop their own interests, and to develop high-level transferable skills that are highly sought after by a wide range of employers.

Our definition of 'literature' is broad, and we offer a range of fascinating option modules which will allow you to tailor your studies to your own interests through your degree, whilst gaining a thorough knowledge of literary history, theory, and criticism. You will study fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and theory, but you will also have opportunities to study less traditional texts such as (for example) film adaptations, popular music, working-class life-writing, travel writing, slave narratives and protest literature.

Crucially, all our modules are designed and taught by full-time lecturers who are both dedicated teachers and cutting-edge scholars who publish peer-reviewed work on these topics and lead ground-breaking research projects about them. Our Personal Tutoring scheme means that every student receives continuous support from a permanent member of staff throughout their degree, and we pride ourselves on our friendly and supportive relationship with our students.

Exciting work experience and travel opportunities are an integral part of our degree programme. If you choose our English Work Experience option module, you will have opportunities to gain valuable work-based experience and skills in (for example) teaching, charities, or the media and creative industries; we work with local cultural partners such as the Tate, the Everyman and Playhouse theatres, and FACT, as well as local businesses and schools. LJMU's Study Abroad Programme gives you the option of spending a semester or a whole year studying internationally for credit towards your degree. If you choose not to travel, however, the wide range of literature you will study in English and in translation will still broaden the horizons of your world.

We consistently receive excellent student satisfaction scores in the National Student Survey. In 2023, 100% of our students were satisfied with the teaching on the course.

In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) more than half of our research outputs, and two thirds of our impact case studies, received the highest possible rating of four stars. This means that the majority of our research has been deemed 'world-leading in originality, significance and rigour'. Our overall REF score was the third highest in LJMU, and our score for research impact was the highest in the University.