English and Philosophy
Keele University
UCAS Code: QV3A | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Keele University
UCAS Code: QV3A | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
BBC in three A levels
Access to HE Diploma
112 UCAS points in any Access to HE Diploma including Distinction in at least 15 Level 3 credits
GCSE/National 4/National 5
You will also need: an English language qualification
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
554 in three Higher Levels or 29 points
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
DMM in any BTEC Extended Diploma / National Extended Diploma
T Level
Merit in any T level
UCAS Tariff
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
English and Philosophy BA at Keele is an exciting programme for those passionate about human thought, creativity, and expression. You’ll explore literary texts and works of philosophy, while developing critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills. Placement opportunities through the programme allow you to apply your skills in professional environments, preparing you for a range of careers in publishing, media, education, and beyond.
**Why choose this course?**
- Top 15 in England for English (Guardian University Guide, 2025)
- Philosophy at Keele is ranked Top 10 in the UK for student positivity* NSS 2023 (Broad-based universities) *based on overall student satisfaction, which is an average score across 27 questions asked in the NSS
- Top 20 in England for Philosophy (Guardian University Guide, 2025)
- Become a skilled analyst of literature of all kinds, from poetry to graphic novels to political speeches
- Discover new ideas, debate big questions and better appreciate the views of others
Our English and Philosophy degree is a dynamic, interdisciplinary programme designed for students who are passionate about exploring the depths of human thought, creativity, and expression.
Throughout the course, you will study a wide range of literary texts from the Medieval to the modern period, and have the chance to explore areas such as American literature, children’s literature, film adaptation, and creative writing. You will also learn about different philosophical traditions past and present, including Anglo-American, Indian, Greek, and German philosophy, while engaging with the fundamental questions of existence, ethics, and meaning.
Work alongside an academic team who are experts in their fields, and hear talks and readings from a variety of published novelists, poets, and thinkers, through the Keele Hall Readings series, the Royal Institute of Philosophy and the ‘Jean-Jacques Rousseau’ Annual Lecture and Conference.
**About Keele**
At Keele, you will have the opportunity to engage in projects and placements, combining your degree with practical experience to apply your learning to real-world scenarios and kick-start your career. Through module selection, you can tailor your degree to your future aspirations and even study abroad at a partner university, gaining global perspectives, learning a foreign language, and building cultural awareness.
About Keele
Keele University was established in 1949 by the former Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. Founded to meet the needs of a changing world, Keele has always had a pioneering vision to be a different kind of university.
We excel in both teaching and research, with some of the most satisfied students in England, and research that is changing lives for the better at a regional, national and global level.
Our beautiful 600-acre campus is one of the biggest in Britain – but all the most important services and facilities are on your doorstep, with accommodation, teaching spaces, facilities including a medical centre, sports centre and pharmacy, and a range of shops, eateries and entertainment venues – including the Students’ Union – clustered around the centre.
Modules
For a list of indicative modules please visit the course page on the Keele University website.
The Uni
Keele University
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
English studies
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Philosophy
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
English studies (non-specific)
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
English is one of the most popular degree subjects and in 2015, more than 11,000 students graduated with English degrees - although this does represent a fall from recent years. As good communication is so important to modern business, you can find English graduates in all parts of the economy, although obviously, you can't expect to get a job in science or engineering (computing is a different matter - it's not common but good language skills can be useful in the computing industry). There's little difference in outcomes between English language and English literature degrees, so don't worry and choose the one that suits you best. More English grads took another postgraduate course when they finished their degree than grads from any other subject - this is an important option. Teacher training was a common choice of second degree, as was further study of English, and journalism courses. But many English graduates changed course and trained in law, marketing or other languages -or even subjects further afield such as computing, psychology and even nursing. This is a very flexible degree which gives you a lot of options
Philosophy
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Although there aren't a lot of jobs around for professional philosophers, philosophy degrees are a relatively popular option, with more than 2,000 students graduating in a philosophy-related subject in 2015 - a little down on previous years, but still healthy. Nearly a quarter of philosophy graduates take a postgraduate qualification, and it's a relatively common subject at both Masters and doctorate level — so if you think academic life might be for you, think ahead about how you might fund further study. For those who go into work, philosophy grads tend to go into teaching, accountancy, consulting, journalism, PR, housing, marketing, human resources and the arts while a few go into the computer industry every year, where their logical training is highly rated.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
English studies (non-specific)
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£16k
£22k
£26k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Philosophy
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£24k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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