English and History of Art BA
Year of entry 2023
- UCAS code
- QV33
- Start date
- September 2023
- Delivery type
- On campus
- Duration
- 3 years full time
- Work placement
- Optional
- Study abroad
- Optional
- Typical A-level offer
- AAB (specific subject requirements)
- Typical Access to Leeds offer
- BBB including English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature) at A Level and pass Access to Leeds
Full entry requirements - Contact
- undergrad-english@leeds.ac.uk
Course overview
This engaging course provides you with an opportunity to develop an understanding of literature in English from the medieval period to the present day, as well as an awareness of the ways that art is produced and perceived and how this has changed over time.
Core modules will provide you with the key skills and knowledge needed to critically analyse texts and art. Our wide range of optional modules allow you to specialise in areas that are of interest to you, from Arthurian literature to contemporary fiction, Shakespeare to world theatre, aesthetics to museum studies and Buddhist monuments to the Dutch “Golden Age”.
With so many galleries and museums located in the region, such as the Leeds Art Gallery, the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, as well as a vibrant cultural scene, it’s a fantastic place to discover these two complementary disciplines.
Facilities
Leeds has plenty of excellent resources for studying English and the history of art. The world-class Brotherton Library boasts unique manuscript, archive and early printed material in its Special Collections – valuable assets for your independent research. Our additional library resources are also excellent, and the University Library offers a comprehensive training programme to help you make the most of them.
Take a look around our libraries:
Course details
In your first year, you’ll study core modules introducing you to key issues in the history of art as well as the foundations for English studies.
This equips you with a firm foundation for the following two years, when you will choose to focus on specific periods from modules covering the full spectrum of English literature, from medieval romance to contemporary fiction. You’ll also select optional modules from a range which spans cultures and eras, including African art, the New York School and the art marketplace of today.
By your final year, you’ll have developed visual awareness alongside research, critical and analytical skills. You’ll have the chance to put them into practice when you complete your final year research project on a topic of your choice.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.
Year 1 compulsory modules
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| A Story of Art? 1 | 20 |
| A Story of Art? 2 | 20 |
| Foundations of English Studies | 20 |
Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Modern Fictions in English: Conflict, Liminality, Translation | 20 |
| Poetry: Reading and Interpretation | 20 |
| Drama: Reading and Interpretation | 20 |
| Race, Writing and Decolonization | 20 |
Year 2 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| The New York School | 20 |
| Country Houses and the (Re)Construction of the Heritage Industry 1880-1950 | 20 |
| Seeing in Asia | 20 |
| Showing Asia | 20 |
| Venice: Image and Imagination | 20 |
| Variant Modernism | 20 |
| Forensic Approaches to Language | 20 |
| Transformations | 20 |
| Victorian Literature | 20 |
| American Words, American Worlds, 1900-Present | 20 |
| Victoria's Secrets: Secrecy in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture | 20 |
| Keywords: The Words We Use and The Ways We Use Them | 20 |
| Writing and Gender in Seventeenth-Century England | 20 |
| Tragedy: Classical to Neo-Classical | 20 |
Year 3 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Deconstruction Reading Politics | 20 |
| From Trauma to Cultural Memory: The Unfinished Business of Representation and the Holocaust | 20 |
| Unmaking Things: Materials and Ideas in the European Renaissance | 20 |
| Reading Sexual Difference | 20 |
| Critical approaches to photography | 20 |
| Dissertation | 40 |
| Postcolonial Feminisms | 20 |
| British Architecture in the Long Eighteenth Century | 20 |
| Africa and the Atlantic World: History, Historiography and the Visual Arts | 20 |
| Final Year Project | 40 |
| Tragedy: Classical to Neo-Classical | 20 |
| Imagining Posthuman Futures | 20 |
| Theatricalities: Beckett, Pinter, Kane | 20 |
| Telling Lives: Reading and Writing Family Memoir | 20 |
Discovery modules
Throughout your degree you will benefit from a range of opportunities to expand your intellectual horizons outside or within your subject area.
This course gives you the opportunity to choose from a range of discovery modules. They’re a great way to tailor your study around your interests or career aspirations and help you stand out from the crowd when you graduate. Find out more about discovery modules on our Broadening webpages.
Learning and teaching
Our tutors are all experts in their fields, and we help you benefit from their knowledge and experience by using different teaching and learning methods. They’ll include lectures, seminars and tutorials, and workshops may occasionally form part of some modules. However, we also put a lot of emphasis on independent study, which allows you to build your research and analytical skills.
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
We also use different types of assessment. Usually we use a mixture of exams and essays, but you may also be assessed on oral presentations or group work in some modules. Support will be on hand throughout your time at Leeds – for example, you’ll be able to attend extra classes on exam technique, structuring an essay and public speaking if you need them.
Entry requirements
A-level: AAB including A in English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature)
Other course specific tests:
Where an applicant is taking the EPQ in a relevant subject this might be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications and may attract an alternative offer in addition to the standard offer. If you are taking A Levels, this would be ABB at A Level including A in English (Language, Literature, or Language and Literature) and grade A in the EPQ.
We welcome applications from mature students with Access qualifications, and from students with a wide range of qualifications.Alternative qualification
Access to HE Diploma
BTEC
We will consider the level 3 QCF BTEC at Subsidiary Diploma level and above in combination with other qualifications. Please contact the Admissions Office for more information.
Cambridge Pre-U
D3, M1, M2 including D3 in English
International Baccalaureate
35 points overall with 16 at Higher Level including 6 in English at Higher Level
Irish Leaving Certificate (higher Level)
H2, H2, H2, H2, H3, H3 including H2 in English
Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers
AB in Advanced Highers (including A in English) and AABBB in Highers, or A in English Advanced Highers and AABBB in Highers
Welsh Baccalaureate
The Welsh Baccalaureate is not typically included in the academic conditions of an offer made to you for this course. If you choose to undertake the Welsh Baccalaureate we would strongly encourage you to draw upon these experiences within your personal statement, as your qualification will then be taken into account both when your application is initially considered by the selection panel and again when reviewed by the admissions tutor at the time your A-level results are passed to us.
Other Qualifications
European Baccalaureate: 80% with 8.5 in English.
Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications or contact the School’s Undergraduate Admissions Team.
Alternative entry
We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.
Access to Leeds is an alternative admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.
Find out more about Access to Leeds and alternative admissions.
Typical Access to Leeds offer: BBB including English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature) at A Level and pass Access to Leeds
EPQ and Access to Leeds offer: BBC at A Level including B in English (Language, Literature or Language and Literature) and A in a relevant EPQ and pass Access to Leeds
International
We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. Contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for more information.
International Foundation Year
International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study the University of Leeds International Foundation Year. This gives you the opportunity to study on campus, be taught by University of Leeds academics and progress onto a wide range of Leeds undergraduate courses. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
Fees
UK: £9,250 (per year)
International: £22,250 (per year)
Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2022/23
For UK full-time undergraduate students starting in 2022/23 the fee will be £9,250. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation and as permitted by law. Fees for UK undergraduate students are decided by the government and may vary if policy changes.
Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2023/24
Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students for 2023/24 have been agreed by the UK Government and will remain at the current fee level of £9,250. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation and as permitted by law. Fees for UK undergraduate students are decided by the government and may vary if policy changes.
Tuition fees for international undergraduate students starting in 2023/24
Tuition fees for international students for 2023/24 should be available on individual course pages from September 2022.
Tuition fees for a study abroad or work placement year
If you take a study abroad or work placement year, you’ll pay a reduced tuition fee during this period. For more information, see Study abroad and work placement tuition fees and loans.
Read more about paying fees and charges.
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.
Applying
Apply to this course through UCAS. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website.
Read our guidance about applying.
International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2023
This course is taught by
School of English
School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies
Contact us
School of English Undergraduate Admissions
Email: undergrad-english@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:
Career opportunities
This degree will equip you with a range of valuable transferable skills that are attractive to employers.
You will have analytical and critical skills that allow you to form your own conclusions, and you’ll be a strong communicator who can present and defend your views effectively. You’ll be able to work independently and in a team – and you’ll have the organisational skills and self-reliance that come with managing two different subjects.
Graduates have achieved success in a variety of careers such as curating, publishing, law, journalism, advertising and marketing, the civil service and education. Others have gone onto postgraduate study or further training.
Careers support
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
Study abroad and work placements
Study abroad
On this course you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year. We have over 300 University partners worldwide and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and Latin America.
Find out more at the Study Abroad website.
Work placements
Practical work experience can help you decide on your career and improve your employability. On this course you have the option to apply to take a placement year module with organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK, or overseas.
Find out more about work experience on the Careers website.