English Literature and History

English literature and history make a particularly productive pairing in the humanities, because literary texts are always produced in historical circumstances that shape their meaning, and historical events generate cultural and imaginative responses that cannot be understood without reading the literature. Studying both disciplines together at the University of Westminster gives you an interdisciplinary perspective on how texts and events, cultural production and lived experience, relate to and illuminate one another.

This three-year full-time programme sits at the heart of the humanities, allowing you to explore a wealth of literary texts while thinking deeply about the circumstances of their production and reception, and to learn about a range of events, themes and ideas in history while considering the literary and cultural responses they provoked. You will develop skills in close reading and textual analysis alongside the ability to work with historical sources, situate arguments in their context and construct sustained interpretations of the relationship between culture and history. A sandwich year provides extended professional experience, a year abroad broadens your academic and personal perspective, and a work placement gives you further exposure to professional environments relevant to your studies and career ambitions.

The combination of literary and historical training is valued across a wide range of professional contexts. Graduates pursue careers in education, publishing, journalism, broadcasting, heritage and cultural institutions, public relations, the civil service and law, where the ability to read carefully, write with precision and think analytically across disciplines is consistently in demand. The professional experience gained through the sandwich year and placement strengthens your position considerably on entering the graduate labour market.

Postgraduate study in English, history, cultural studies or a related field is a well-established route for those who wish to pursue research or specialist careers.