From Anglo-Saxon epics to Renaissance drama to contemporary novels from the Anglophone world – English is a rich and varied degree.
You can study English Literature as part of the following courses:
Whichever route you take, our aim is to stimulate a living interest in literature and to equip you with a basis of knowledge and methods of study that will help you to choose and formulate your own positions.
Teaching for all our degree programmes is by a mixture of:
Assessment may include a mixture of examinations, long essays, portfolios, and a dissertation. A few modules may be assessed by a mixture of coursework and examination.
Our award-winning creative writers cover poetry, fiction, life-writing, and creative non-fiction.
Creative Writing opportunities begin at undergraduate level, where English students can choose optional modules in creative writing, or practice their work through student-led groups such as Durham University Poetry Society.
The Creative Writing MA at Durham is an academically rigorous programme that gives students structured support through writing workshops and one-to-one tutorials in order to develop practical knowledge of writing poetry and prose fiction. Students also study a broad range of literature from the 20th and 21st centuries, and produce new work in response.
We also offer a Creative Writing PhD or MLitt, in which you will produce a complete and coherent creative writing project in your chosen form, plus a literary-critical dissertation of a high academic standard.
Several of our students have gone on to achieve success and recognition with their published creative work.