English Literature and Journalism allows you to develop your literary knowledge alongside the vocational skills of a multimedia journalist.
English at Kent is challenging, flexible, and wide-ranging. It covers both traditional areas (such as Shakespeare or Dickens) and newer fields such as American literature, creative writing, postcolonial literature and recent developments in literary theory. We also offer you the opportunity to spend up to a year studying abroad in either America, Canada, Europe or Hong Kong.
Staff in the School of English are internationally recognised for academic research which links closely with undergraduate teaching, and the School regularly hosts visits by a variety of international writers and critics. There are several published authors and poets in the School, and our students publish a magazine of creative writing, poetry and prose.
Journalism is fascinating, rewarding and influential. In a world hungry for news about issues ranging from climate change to fashion and from armed conflict to football, the ultra-competitive modern media market needs versatile, multimedia journalists with cutting-edge academic and vocational skills and a highly developed awareness of ethics.
Tutors for this joint honours programme include senior journalists with wide experience of multimedia newsrooms. Their professional expertise is reinforced by excellent academic teaching by leading historians, political scientists and lawyers.
The entirety of the first year of this joint honours programme will be taught at the Canterbury campus. In the second and third year some modules may be taught at the Medway campus depending on your module choices.
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. Typical requirements are listed below. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact us for further advice.
Please note that meeting this typical offer/minimum requirement does not guarantee an offer being made.Please also see our general entry requirements.
If you’ve taken exams under the new GCSE grading system, please see our conversion table to convert your GCSE grades.
BBB at A level including English Literature or English language & Literature at B.
The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis.
If we make you an offer, you will need to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above.
The University will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF; OCR) on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us for further advice on your individual circumstances. A typical offer would be DMM plus A-level English Literature or English Language & Literature at B.
34 overall or 17 at higher level HLL English 6 or HL 5 or SL 6 in a literature subject plus interview and journalism test.
The University welcomes applications from international students. Our international recruitment team can guide you on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country.
However, please note that international fee-paying students cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.
If you need to increase your level of qualification ready for undergraduate study, we offer a number of International Foundation Programmes.
For more advice about applying to Kent, you can meet our staff at a range of international events.
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
Duration: 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
On most programmes, you study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also be able to take ‘elective’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.
The 2020/21 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Full-time tuition fees for Home and EU undergraduates are £9,250.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Modules in English Literature are taught by weekly seminars. Core modules include a weekly lecture, plus individual supervision is offered for the Dissertation module. Assessment at Stage 1 is by a mixture of coursework and examination. Some modules may include an optional practical element.
Teaching in Journalism is by a variety of methods including masterclasses, lectures, seminars, films and small group discussions. The Centre for Journalism hosts frequent guest lectures and masterclasses by working journalists and editors, including network broadcasters and editors of national and regional newspapers and magazines.
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
For programme aims and learning outcomes please see the programmes specification for each subject below. Please note that outcomes will depend on your specific module selection:
English at Kent was ranked 1st for research intensity and scored 92% overall in The Complete University Guide 2021, and was ranked 16th in The Guardian University Guide 2020. Over 95% of English graduates who responded to the most recent national survey of graduate destinations were in work or further study within six months (DLHE, 2017).
Communications and Media Studies at Kent scored 92% in The Complete University Guide 2021 and Journalism at Kent was ranked 17th in The Guardian University Guide 2020.
Throughout your studies, you learn to think critically and to work independently; your communication skills improve and you learn to express your opinions passionately and persuasively, both in writing and orally. These key transferable skills are essential for graduates as they move into the employment market.
This degree also gives you an insight into how journalists work across the broadcast, print and online media. Applicants should note however that careers in newspaper, broadcast and online journalism generally require a professional qualification accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists, for which further study would be required.
The skills you acquire include working under pressure to strict deadlines, writing accurate, balanced reports and analysing complex material. You learn to communicate with non-specialised audiences and to present your opinion coherently and with passion. These skills are highly prized by employers in many fields, including communications roles for charities, NGOs and campaign groups or political parties.
Our graduates have gone into: journalism, broadcasting and media, publishing, writing and teaching; more general areas such as banking, marketing analysis and project management; or on to further study for postgraduate qualifications.
This course page is for the 2020/21 academic year. Please visit the current online prospectus for a list of undergraduate courses we offer.
T: +44 (0)1227 768896
T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
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