Media and English Literature

Media and English Literature is a pairing built on a shared concern with how language and representation shape the way we understand ourselves and the world around us. English literature explores the breadth of human experience through written texts, from early medieval poetry to contemporary fiction, asking how authors use language to create meaning, reflect social realities, and challenge the assumptions of their time. Media studies examines the structures and practices of communication in broadcast, print, and digital forms, asking who controls and owns media, how content is produced, and what effects it has on the audiences that receive it.

At Aberystwyth University, this three-year full-time programme gives you the opportunity to explore both disciplines in depth. The literature strand opens a broad range of texts and cultures from the early medieval period to the present day, developing your skills in close reading, critical analysis, and the construction of extended written argument. The media strand builds your understanding of media industries, media representation, and the political and economic forces that shape what gets made and shown.

Together, the two subjects develop your powers of expression, sharpen your critical thinking, and give you the research skills and specialist knowledge that employers in a wide range of sectors value.

Graduates go on to careers in journalism, broadcasting, publishing, public relations, content creation, education, marketing, and the cultural sector more broadly. The critical literacy developed in studying both literature and media is also transferable to roles in research, policy, and the civil service. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in media studies, creative writing, cultural studies, journalism, or English literature, building on the undergraduate degree to develop more specialised expertise or to enter academic research.