How you learn

Join a friendly, welcoming and creative community. You’ll be supported by world leading  researchers, who will value and nurture your unique insights and perspectives. Our teaching receives excellent feedback from our external examiners and our research publications in English Literature and Language are ranked 56th in the country for their quality, by the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

Sheffield boasts a strong literary tradition, with connections to renowned authors and poets. The city has inspired numerous writers, offering a vibrant literary and cultural scene, including a number of festivals such as Off the Shelf Festival of Words and  Doc/Fest, the International Documentary Film Festival. There are regular opportunities for students to get involved with these events as well as our own University-wide festival, Future Now. 

BA English at Sheffield Hallam is an integrated literature and language degree, with opportunities for you to specialise as you progress. Our exciting suite of modules have content which ranges from Shakespeare to contemporary fiction, and from the language tool-kit of grammar and syntax, to the wider discussions of English language in the world.

You’ll master a range of linguistic and literary approaches to analysis, as well as skills such as transcription, argumentation, professional editing and copywriting, and close reading.

You learn through:

• lectures on specialist topics
• critical debates in seminars
• practical workshops
• one-to-ones with staff
• group work
• innovative assessments, projects and briefs

Key themes

On our BA English degree, we are proud to assess you in diverse and accessible ways that will empower you to demonstrate your skills and knowledge with confidence. From research projects on topics you’ve chosen, to coursework on texts you’ve selected from a range of options, we allow you to focus on questions and themes you’re genuinely interested in.[1] 

At the start of the course, you’ll cover a range of approaches to the study of English, including modules which will provide you with the discipline toolkit for studying the fundamental aspects of English Language, such as grammar and syntax, as well as the high level analytical skills required for reading literary texts. ‘Compass Points North’ is an exciting and distinctive module which will get you thinking about how literature responds to, represents and imagines ‘The North’ as a social, cultural and economic space. It will challenge your thinking through engagement with a range of stimulating texts and authors.

As you progress, the course offers a range of literature and language modules including ‘Minds in Dialogue’ which asks provocative questions about what happens to the brain when we read: How can horror make us feel physically afraid? Why do we cry when fictional characters die? How do advertisements persuade us to buy things?

Finally you will work on your English Research project, supported by one-to-one supervision. This project will be on a topic of your choosing, with an opportunity to showcase this work to your peers and external partners, demonstrating your skills and expertise.

Course support

You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate-level employment through a number of key areas. These include:

• access to our student support services to help with your personal, academic and career development  
• access to our Skills Centre with one-to-ones, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments  
• industry-specific employability activities such as live projects, learning in simulated environments and networking opportunities

Course leaders and tutors

Jessica Mason

Senior Lecturer in English Language

Profile of Jessica Mason, Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University

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Applied learning

Work placements

You’ll have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement in between your second and third years. This gives you valuable work experience to prepare you for your future career – as well as an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV. 

At every level of your studies, we’ll situate your learning in relevant and ‘real-world’ settings, bringing you into the challenges and problem-solving of external partners, organisations and employers.

Live projects

Throughout your BA English degree, you’ll be given a wealth of opportunities to work on live briefs set by employers, and even try out your own business ideas with support from staff and industry professionals. In your second year, your ‘Applied English’ module will give you a taste of working on a project brief set by professional industry experts with the support of your lecturers. 

In your final year, your ‘Graduate Portfolio’ module will give you the opportunity to translate your own exciting research findings into a range of different forms and mediums, such as social media posts, videos, presentations, articles, podcasts and more. This module will enable you to create an impressive portfolio of materials you’ll be able to use to show future employers what you can do.

Past students have produced advertisements and social media posts for charities working with refugees, designed their own creative storytelling apps, published original work, and written articles for magazines on everything from fashion and gaming to football. Whatever your interests and future ambitions, BA English is here to support you becoming highly skilled and employable in the industry of your choice.

Networking opportunities

Studying in Sheffield puts you at the heart of a vibrant cultural scene. We work with renowned festivals held in the city, such as Off the Shelf literary festival and Doc/Fest, an international documentary film festival.

These events attract literary agents, publishers and high profile writers. Past students have volunteered as delegates – gaining experience working at the festivals while growing their professional network. Plus our innovative masterclass programmes will give you a headstart in the writing and publishing industries.

We also have a strong network of graduates – and we encourage you to connect with partners outside of the university to give you the best career opportunities possible.

Future careers

This course prepares you for a career in: 

• advertising
• broadcast media
• civil service
• education
• journalism
• local and regional government
• marketing and communications for businesses across sectors
• policy and advocacy
• publishing, arts and heritage
• social media management
• social work
• speech and language therapy (with further study)
• the charity sector

Where will I study?

You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

City Campus

City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.

City Campus map | City Campus tour 

Location

Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB

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Adsetts library

Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.

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Entry requirements

Fees and funding

• Home students
• International students

Home students

Our tuition fee for UK students on full-time undergraduate degree courses in 2025/26 is £9,535 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year). These fees are regulated by the UK government and therefore subject to change in future years. We are currently reviewing our tuition fees for the foundation year stage of this course following the Government announcement of fee changes for some foundation year courses and will confirm fees as soon as possible.

If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

International students

Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.

Financial support for home/EU students

How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.

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Additional course costs

The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

General course additional costs

Additional costs for Sheffield Creative Industries Institute (PDF, 268.6KB)

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.