English

English as an academic discipline encompasses the study of literature and language, and at its most engaged it connects both with the pressing concerns of the present: questions about identity, power, justice, and what it means to live well in a changing world. English asks you to read carefully, think critically, and argue persuasively about texts and the ideas they raise, developing precisely the analytical, communicative, and creative capabilities that a complex and uncertain future demands.

At Sheffield Hallam this programme includes a foundation year and a sandwich year, and work placement experience is embedded throughout. You will explore a range of pressing topics through the lenses of literature and language, from the environment, social justice, and disability to gender and cultural politics, applying your analysis to real-world contexts rather than confining your thinking to the page. The programme is designed to develop both the intellectual rigour of literary and linguistic analysis and the practical application of those skills in professional and community settings.

The English curriculum at Sheffield Hallam encourages you to make English matter, connecting the skills you develop to the world you inhabit and the role you might play in it. Employers across sectors value English graduates specifically for the combination of communication, critical analysis, and creative thinking that the subject develops, and the programme is explicitly designed to ensure you can articulate and demonstrate these skills.

Graduates pursue careers in teaching, publishing, journalism, communications, marketing, the civil service, the cultural sector, social media, and public relations. The analytical and writing skills that English develops are among the most transferable available from any humanities degree. Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in English, creative writing, journalism, or cultural studies.