English Language (Single Honours) BA (Hons)

English Language BA (Hons)

Immerse yourself in the form, culture and analysis of a global language rich in history. Explore writing styles, linguistics, acquisition, and how language shapes our identity.

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Block teaching designed around you

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive and nurturing community. That’s why most students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You’ll benefit from regular assessments - rather than lots of exams at the end of the year - and a simple timetable that allows you to engage with your subject and enjoy other aspects of university life such as sports, societies, meeting friends and discovering your new city. By studying with the same peers and tutor for each block, you’ll build friendships and a sense of belonging.

Read more about block teaching

Overview

The language you speak shapes the world you see. This degree helps you understand both better, and to make connections between what you study and what goes on in the world beyond the classroom.

You will develop skills in linguistic analysis and your own abilities to use language adeptly and appropriately in any potential context. You will also acquire a range of key transferrable skills including, among others, textual analysis, synthesis, writing and general presentation skills, which will equip you for a wide range of careers.

We live in a world governed and connected by technology. At DMU we believe that you should study the nature of the 'wired' environment and how it influences who you are. As part of our approach to digital humanities, you will have the opportunity to see how communication and language operate on web-based platforms, and how the application of digital tools and methods can deepen the knowledge of your chosen subject area.

Key features:

  • With a wide range of modules, you can study the theories and practice of English language in detail, as well as tailor your learning to your specific interests and career ambitions. You can select a route through this degree in English Literature, Creative Writing, Drama, Education, Film, History, Journalism or Media. These carefully chosen routes will complement and enrich your understanding of your main subject, alongside broadening your skillset to give you a wider range of career paths upon graduation.
  • You will develop a range of skills and knowledge relating to the analysis of digital communication and the study of language through the application of digital tools and methodologies.
  • Evolve a range of transferrable skills that are valuable to a variety of career paths. Our graduates have gone on to work at Meisei University in Tokyo, the Department of Transport, communications agencies, and schools in the UK and overseas.
  • Visiting lecturers have included world-renowned expert of forensic linguistics Dr John Olsson, while organised trips to professional events have seen students visit the London Language Show.
  • Gain workplace abilities and experience by putting your research, reasoning, and communication skills into practice on a placement or extracurricular internship during your degree.
  • Benefit from Education 2030, where a simplified ‘block learning’ timetable means you will study one subject at a time and have more time to engage with your learning, receive faster feedback and enjoy a better study-life balance. 

More courses like this

English Language with Mandarin BA (Hons)

English Literature BA (Hons)

Creative Writing BA (Hons)

 

  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: Q315 

Duration: Three years full-time, four years full-time with a placement. Six years part-time.

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Find out more about tuition fees and available funding.

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for international students: £15,750

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

Entry criteria

Typical entry requirements

  • 104 points from at least 2 A'levels
  • BTEC Extended Diploma DMM
  • International Baccalaureate: 24+ Points or
  • T Levels Merit

Plus five GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.

  • Pass Access with 30 level 3 credits at Merit and GCSE English (Language or Literature) at grade 4 or above.

We will normally require students have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.

  • We also accept the BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above

Interview required: No

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

 

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

 

First year

Block 1: Approaches to Reading and Writing

Block 2: Words in Action

Block 3: Topics in Linguistics: Theory in Practice, OR you can select to study one route from the list below:

  • English Literature: Intro to Drama: Shakespeare 
  • Creative Writing: Writers Salon  
  • Drama: Shifting Stages
  • Film: Disney, Warner Bros and the Film Studio
  • Education: Childhood, Social Justice and Education 
  • History: Global Cities
  • Media: Media, Culture and Society
  • Journalism: Understanding Journalism

Block 4: Evolving Language

Second year

Block 1: Structure and Meaning

Block 2: Research Methods for Linguists

Block 3: Sociolinguistics OR continue with the route selected in the first year:

  • English Literature: Text Technologies
  • Creative Writing: Story Craft
  • Drama: Theatre Revolutions
  • Film: Screen Archives
  • Education: Preparing for professional practice and Cultural and Educational Transformations
  • History: Humans and the Natural World
  • Media: Public Relations
  • Journalism: Beyond News

Block 4: Pragmatics, Theory and Practice 

Third year

Block 1: Yearlong: Dissertation

Block 2: Language Acquisition and Expression

Block 3: Language and Identity OR continue with the route selected in the first year

  • English Literature: World Englishes: On the Page and Beyond
  • Creative Writing: Uncreative Writing, Creative Misbehaviour
  • Drama: Performance, Identity and Activism
  • Film: British Cinema
  • Education: Adult Learners and Lifelong Learning OR Reflection on Practice: Teaching and Learning OR Gender and Education
  • History: The World on Display
  • Media: Gender and TV Fictions
  • Journalism: Music, Film and Entertainment Journalism

Block 4: Communication, Control and Resistance

Overview

You will be taught by staff with a wide range of knowledge and experience in English Language  and linguistics (theoretical, applied, and historical), modern foreign languages, English literature, English as a foreign language, history, international relations and American studies. Members of the team are engaged in a wide range of research projects which feed directly into our teaching. The staff who teach you also demonstrate a deep commitment to high-quality teaching and learning, as evidenced by the holding of awards from the Higher Education Authority and Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award. 

There is a varied mix of assessment including: reports, essays, blogs, wikis, tests and oral presentations. The assessments are designed to build on each other as you progress in your studies and you will have opportunities to receive feedback on your work throughout. With a variety of different assessment methods, you can build on your individual strengths as well as develop a range of skills in creativity, project management, team work, verbal communication, writing for a variety of audiences and the use of different technologies.

Contact hours

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. In your first year you will normally attend around 10 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 25 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

 

Facilities and features

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

 

Campus Centre

The home of  De Montfort Students' Union, (DSU) our Campus Centre offers a welcoming and lively hub for student life. Conveniently located at the heart of campus, it includes a convenience store, a Subway and a Starbucks. Here you can find the DSU-owned charitable accommodation service Sulets and DSU’s shop, SUpplies, selling art supplies, stationery and clothing, and printing and binding services. The building is also home to the DSU officer team. 

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
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Placements

Insight into the professional world is a valuable opportunity to enhance and build on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you to progress onto your chosen career.  

Previous students have taken up placements in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, including some international posts, across a range of companies including public relations agencies and local schools. For instance, our students have worked as teaching assistants in schools, supported children with special educational needs through speech and language therapy, assisted with Digital Humanities research projects at DMU’s Centre for Textual Studies, worked in local publishing, at the Leicester Mercury and for the BBC.  

Our Careers Team can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement. 

Students on the #DMUglobal trip to New York

DMU Global

Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich studies, broaden cultural horizons and develop key skills valued by employers. 

Through DMU Global, we offer an exciting mix of overseas, on-campus and online international experiences, including the opportunity to study or work abroad for up to a year.

Students on this course have been on DMU Global trips to explore ekphrastic writing and themes of oppression in Berlin, as well as visiting TED HQ and key literary locations in New York. 

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Graduate careers

Our graduates have strong linguistic, reasoning and analytical skills, making them highly employable. We develop our students’ information analysis and presentation skills to produce articulate, adaptable, professional communicators who can operate with ease in any setting and with any group of people.

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