Get inspired - study BA English

There are some really good reasons to study a degree in English at the University of Bolton. Yes, our department is ranked second in the UK by The Guardian University Guide 2020, but that’s not even the start.

A great book is something people fall in love with. It can change their life, from the way they think about things to the kinds of goals they set. Our favourite stories can transform and transport us to a completely different world that through the written word we can almost touch and feel.

As a writer, that’s what you could do as a career. The greatest authors of the last hundred years used their vision and ability to write us stories that will outlive the authors themselves by hundreds of more years still. Writing one of the great books can make you almost immortal.

Let’s think about the impact of the greatest writers. Homer is still famous around three thousand years after he lived because his Iliad and Odyssey, epic tales of ancient Greece, are still some of the most important surviving early works of human literature. They have been studied for hundreds of generations.

Thousands of years later, throughout history from Chaucer to Shakespeare and Dickens, you can find great writers whose names are as important as any of the most famous or infamous figures from politics, science or the arts.

Just in the last hundred years, only two writers and their stories have created media empires worth billions of pounds. First JRR Tolkien, author of the beloved Lord of the Rings, and then George RR Martin and his Song of Ice and Fire, imagined and brought to life fantasy worlds of such amazing detail and depth that they captivated minds of all ages and led to two of the largest media franchises in history.

Could you be the next JK Rowling and inspire millions with a story more impressive than Harry Potter’s? There’s nothing stopping you.

Having a talent and a passion for writing is a great place to start, but learning everything you can about the written world from across history and cultures is an incredible way to grow your own ability, and that’s what studying a degree in English can provide.

The University of Bolton offers popular options in a wide range of areas, from women’s writing to Gothic fiction, children’s literature, film adaptation and much more. Our English tutors actively research the three core areas of poetry, prose and drama, feeding their knowledge back into the curriculum so you can benefit from the latest thinking and discoveries.

Learn more about BA English at the University of Bolton and find out how you can apply now.