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Undergraduate Course

English Literature and History BA (Hons)

Bring the past to life by exploring both the history and the literature of many different times, places and peoples.

Literature and History often inform and interact with each other, offering different perspectives on the events of the past and the people behind them. Studied together, these subjects will give you a deeper understanding of people, the world around us, and how we got to where we are today.

100% English Literature students responded with a 100% positivity score for how much they had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth. (National Student Survey 2024)

100% History students responded with a 100% positivity score for how often their course challenged them to achieve their best work. (National Student Survey 2024)

York campus

  • UCAS code – QV31
  • Duration – 3 years full time, 6 years part time
  • Start date – September 2025, September 2026
  • School – School of Humanities

Minimum entry requirements

104 UCAS Tariff points

3 GCSEs at grade C/4 (or equivalent) including English Language.

Tuition fees

UK 2025 entry £9,535 per year full time

International 2025 entry £12,100 per year full time

Discover studying at York St John University

English Literature

Anne Marie Evans introduces us to English Literature at York St John University.

History

Dr Alice Brumby introduces us to History at York St John University.

Course overview

Studying English Literature and History together means you will build your expertise in analysing the written word in all of its forms, from primary historical documents to experimental literary texts. On our Literature modules we emphasise the importance of considering texts alongside the social, cultural and historical issues of the time. Equally, the literature of a given era can be a useful historical source in understanding that time.

Throughout the course you will study the history and the literature of a broad range of time periods and geographical locations. On both sides of the course we offer a lot of flexibility, with many different modules to choose from. This allows you to study the topics and themes that interest you most. In Literature we will take you beyond the traditional canon of classic works and introduce you to voices you may not have heard from before. This may include Native American writing, African American writing, prison narratives, radical poetry and LGBTQIA+ rights literature. In your History modules you can study time periods from Ancient Rome to the 21st century.

Both teams are made up of active researchers across a range of specialisms, and there will be opportunities to engage with some of the current research taking place to explore new directions in their fields.

You can also take part in work based learning on a dedicated employability module. This could mean exploring archives or helping to curate exhibitions through our partnerships in the city. You will also have the opportunity to take part in workshops, writing sessions and readings with prominent literary figures through the York Literature Festival. 

Course structure

Year 1

Our academic year is split into 2 semesters. How many modules you take each semester will depend on whether you are studying full time or part time.

In your first year, if you are a full time student, you will study:

  • 2 compulsory modules and 1 optional module in semester 1
  • 2 compulsory modules and 1 optional module in semester 2

If you are a part time student, the modules above will be split over 2 years.

You can find out which modules are available in each semester on the Course Specifications.

You must choose at least 1 module from each subject every semester.

Optional modules will run if they receive enough interest. It is not guaranteed that all modules will run every year.

Modules

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will develop the key skills needed to be a successful historian. Focusing on analytical interpretation rather than historical narrative, this module will prepare you for independent study at degree level . You will explore how historians:

  • Examine primary sources
  • Write and engage with secondary sources
  • Construct arguments and apply theories
  • Work with established historical concepts
  • Question conventions and established time periods in history

Credits: 20

Compulsory module

This module will help you to become more confident in studying literature at degree level. You will engage with a range of texts written before the 19th century, considering various different forms including prose, drama, poetry, and autobiographical writing. Through this you will start to think about how literature and history can be brought together, and why Literature remains a popular and important subject to study.

Credits: 20

Compulsory module

What sort of social, political, cultural, and historical values do we bring to the study of literature? And in what ways have literary texts addressed important issues, major events, and social changes? This module explores these questions and more, using a diverse range of texts from the turn of the 19th century to the present day. The selection includes canonical works, as well as works which have often been neglected or overlooked, including those by marginalised authors. Through close examination of texts including poetry, drama, short stories and novels, we will consider issues including:

  • Gender
  • Class
  • War
  • Empire
  • Racialisation
  • Form
  • Genre

Credits: 20

Compulsory module

This module is your introduction to the history of York, from medieval to the Regency period. Through it you will explore the city, making use of its resources, and thinking critically about how we can assess changes through time. Taking York as a case study, we will discuss social and cultural development within the city. You will also consider the dialogue between York’s evolution and changes in national and global history. We will take a thematic approach, focusing on ongoing developments such as trade, public health and religion.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will learn the basics of academic writing and research at university level. Drawing on a range of classic and contemporary short stories and poems, you will develop skills such as:

  • Using the library catalogue
  • Choosing secondary sources
  • Planning essays
  • Developing arguments
  • Close reading texts

These will allow you to write about and discuss the works that inspire you with confidence and flair.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will explore how human societies and the natural world have interacted and reshaped each other through time. This involves simultaneously taking environmental, social and cultural approaches to history. You will discover how nature has influenced society and people’s understanding of their place in the world, and evaluate the impact that social developments have on environmental issues. Through this you will learn about important concepts in social history, considering contemporary approaches to gender, race, power and the history of emotions.

Credits: 20

Compulsory module

This module will give you a broad understanding of the history of the USA, from both a domestic and an international point of view. You will learn about America’s gradual emergence as a leading international power, economically, militarily and politically. We will explore historical developments in the American experience, including political, social and economic changes. You will consider the continuing tension between unity and diversity in American history, exploring topics such as the Civil War, industrialisation, consumer culture, foreign policy and immigration.

Year 2

In your second year, if you are a full time student, you will study:

  • 3 optional modules in semester 1
  • 3 optional modules in semester 2

If you are a part time student, the modules above will be split over 2 years.

You can find out which modules are available in each semester on the Course Specifications.

You must choose at least 1 module from each subject every semester.

Optional modules will run if they receive enough interest. It is not guaranteed that all modules will run every year.

Modules

Credits: 20

Optional module

You must either choose this module or History, Community and Culture.

Employability is discussed a lot at universities, but where does this idea come from, and what can literature teach us about work? This module interrogates the purpose of Literature, as both a degree and subject matter. It shows the value of literary study to understanding and navigating issues around the gendered, classed, and racialised nature of work. The module also provides opportunities for external placements, career planning, and work-related learning. You will reflect on and learn to articulate your key skills and strengths, including in mock interviews. Guest speakers will share experiences and introduce you to career pathways such as publishing, teaching, journalism, and the civil service.

Credits: 20

Optional module

You must either choose this module or Literature at Work.

This module is a great opportunity to improve your employability and start thinking about your career. You will consider how history, and the skills you have developed by studying it, relate to potential career paths. As part of this module you will participate in a 75 hour work placement. You will need to secure this placement yourself with staff support, but you can take advantage of the many connections we have established with heritage organisations in York and the wider region.

Credits: 20

Optional module

This module builds on the Year 1 module Research and Presenting the Past, helping you to develop your research skills even further. You will do this by conducting project work in groups and engaging in independent research which will prepare you for the Dissertation module in your final year.  We we will discuss the importance of primary sources for understanding an event, period or theme, as well as exploring various schools of historical theory and methodology. The module may also include opportunities to work with local archives.

Credits: 20

Optional module

Despite the horrors of the Black Death, devastation of famine, and the ravages of the Hundred Years War, 14th century England was also full of artistic and literary achievement. On this module you will explore the ideals and ideas existing alongside the trauma of conflict. This will also involve assessing developments in political culture, to better understand the challenges and achievements of the period.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will learn about early modern English society, from the beginning of the Reformation in the 1540s to the Restoration in the 1660s. We will explore how people negotiated their everyday lives in a world that was becoming ever more watchful of their political loyalties and personal morality. You will investigate this period through a range of primary sources, engaging with them in creative ways to understand the everyday lived experiences of the time. These could include:

  • State papers
  • Court records
  • Petitions
  • Documents relating to parish life

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will take a cultural and gender-focused approach to 16th century British history. This is a fascinating period in which to study the changes in power, autonomy and image of women. You will find new perspectives on a much discussed period in history, exploring how political and religious movements affected the lived experiences of women from across society. Through this we will consider how these women presented themselves, and how they have been represented since.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will study the history of the Soviet Union, from the October Revolution in 1917 to the collapse of the Soviet experiment in 1991. In doing so you will identify the underlying reasons for both the rise and the fall of the Soviet state, as well as assessing its impact on the rest of the world. This will involve examining Soviet communism from various different perspectives, taking in political, economic, social, military and cultural history.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will study the Victorian period from a social and cultural historical angle, exploring food and eating from various overlapping perspectives. You will consider how food and eating were shaped by broad historical changes such as:

  • Colonialism
  • Industrialisation
  • Science and technology
  • Medical advancements
  • Print culture

You will also examine cookbooks as historical documents, along with other primary sources relating to food production and consumption in Britain, France and their empires. Through case studies you will engage with debates about the connections between food and everyday life, class, gender, race and civilisation.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will focus on the experience of African Americans both as enslaved people and in the years following the abolition of slavery. You will learn about the origins, development and abolition of slavery in the USA, assessing the impact and nature of the American slave system. We will discuss contemporary responses of both African Americans and white Americans to slavery, relationships between races after slavery ended, and the emergence of cultural expression among African Americans.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will learn about the social and political history of Britain from the union of Scotland and England in 1707 until the crowning of Queen Victoria. This was a period of enormous political, social and economic change, which also saw Britain rapidly assuming a leading position amongst the world’s major powers. Topics you cover may include:

  • The Hanoverian succession
  • The Jacobite rebellion
  • Imperial expansion
  • Industrialisation
  • Trade, commerce and capitalism, including the slave trade
  • The American Revolution
  • The Napoleonic Wars

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will examine, confront and evaluate the historical debates surrounding the American Civil War. You will learn about the campaigns and strategies of the war itself, as well as its social and political impact and its lasting cultural legacy. You will also consider the social and political forces that have shaped how this period has been retold in historical and pop culture representations. This will open wider discussion about how wars are remembered and commemorated.

Credits: 20

Optional module

The 1960s were a turbulent time for the USA. President Lyndon Johnson was embarking on a series of reforms aiming to create “the Great Society” at the same time as the seemingly endless war in Vietnam. It was also a time of great achievements, with America leading the first moon landings. Topics you will cover on this module include:

  • The image and domestic policies of the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon presidencies
  • Radicalism and dissent, including counterculture, urban riots and student protests
  • The domestic impact of the Vietnam War

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will examine the traumatic history of China throughout the lifetime of Mao Zedong. You will confront and evaluate the historical debates surrounding China’s transition from the world’s oldest imperial power to a revolutionary Communist state. In doing so you will consider the political, ideological, economic, military, social and cultural forces that shaped these events. Given China's modern status as a major world power, learning about its turbulent past and Mao's legacy will help you to understand wider global developments.

Credits: 20

Optional module

This module will focus on the Roman Empire in the first century AD, exploring what life was really like under imperial rule across society and across the empire. This will mean looking in depth at famous figures like Tiberius, Caligula and Nero, known for their violence and cruelty, as well as those like Vespasian whose legacy is more favourable. You will engage closely with different kinds of primary materials, including  archaeology, art, coins and inscriptions as well as written sources.

Credits: 20

Optional module

This module will give you the opportunity to explore a range of nonfiction texts including:

  • Journalism
  • Creative non-fiction
  • Fictocriticism
  • Manifestos
  • Blogs and online journals
  • Documentary, travel and life writing

You will develop your understanding of voice, structure and audience in relation to these forms and consider the blurred lines between fact and fiction in nonfiction writing. By viewing, reading and watching a range of nonfictional texts we will ask you to make the links between creative and critical writing, and to produce your own nonfictional texts.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module we will consider the different ways books and films tell stories, and what happens to literature and literary characters when they are translated onto the screen. We will introduce you to the theory, methods and conventions behind the process of adaptation. In addition to examining specific examples of film adaptation, you can choose to experiment creatively on an adaptation project of your own, using what you have learnt.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will consider the relationship between American literature and the physical and symbolic spaces of its settings. In American culture concepts of space and setting have a particular relevance that dates back to events such as the declaration of independence, the founding of civic spaces, and the Californian gold rush. You will be challenged to think creatively, critically, and innovatively about physical space and literature. In doing so we will explore the relationship between American socio-economic history and the development of a specifically American literary tradition.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module we will consider whether we can meaningfully approach literary texts outside of their historical contexts. We will question whether a text can mean anything to anybody, or if are there more objective ways of understanding them. This module engages with some of the most fundamental questions in literary studies. It will equip you with the theoretical background and skills you need to offer insightful readings of any text, irrespective of when and where it was published.

Credits: 20

Optional module

This module explores the ways new forms of news and entertainment in the eighteenth century revealed the unstable boundaries between truth and fiction. This led to the emergence of literary forms that came to typify the literature of later periods, such as the novel. Print provided a forum for writers to express concern over different forms of power, an issue debated in terms of empire, political and religious authority and personal identity, and responsibility. On this module you will consider how the literature of this period deals with questions of personal liberty, love, sexuality, and desire. 

Credits: 20

Optional module

Science fiction has a history of encouraging readers and viewers to reflect on their post industrial choices, and consider how they have affected the wellbeing of the planet and its inhabitants. On this module we will draw on a range of critical perspectives around utopianism to approach landmark texts in the history of science fiction. You will also have the opportunity to get involved with our ongoing science fiction writing project, Terra Two: An Ark for Off-World Survival

Credits: 20

Optional module

This module considers the sentimental turn literature took at the end of the eighteenth century, and explores its impact on what followed in both the Romantic movement and the Gothic revival. The writers we study on this module reckon with the power of the imagination, the limits of perception, the nature of human society, and the affective potential of literature itself, as well as processing the events of an age characterised by revolution. The literature of this period not only reflects the reader's world, but seeks to change it. 

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module we will consider how diseases and contagion are represented in narratives from the late Eighteenth century to the present day. We will trace connections, similarities and differences in the literary representation of the spread, symptoms, and management of disease, covering contagions from rabies to zombie viruses. The module considers how diseases in texts can reflect contemporary anxieties about society. As well as covering a broad range of historical periods, the module also draws on a number of genres from novels to films to TV series, and introduces texts such as medical handbooks and advertisements alongside literary works.

Credits: 20

Optional module

This is a dynamic module which explores Shakespeare’s works in their present day and early modern contexts through a range of perspectives. Considering their creative potential for performance, we will look at contemporary stagings of his plays, film and television adaptations. We will discuss Shakespeare's place in a national and global culture, and explore current discussions around colour/gender-conscious casting, considering the implications of casting on the way we understand the texts. Through this you will engage with a range of theoretical approaches, from new historicism, cultural materialism and postcolonialism, to feminist and queer readings.  

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will encounter varied and interesting texts produced within and written about major conflicts of the 20th and early 21st centuries. We will start with depictions of the mechanised horror of the Western Front and progress through representations of:

  • The Second World War
  • The Spanish Civil War
  • Vietnam
  • The Troubles in Northern Ireland
  • 9/11 and the War on Terror

We will read texts by writers as diverse as Martha Gellhorn, George Orwell and Kurt Vonnegut, and examine the complex relationship between language, experience, trauma and memory.

Credits: 20

Optional module

20 credits

This module is an opportunity to read and produce a range of fictional forms, from flash fictions to novellas, short stories to novels. You will develop an understanding of:

  • Characterisation
  • Voice
  • Plot
  • Narration
  • Dialogue
  • Point of view

By the end of the module, you will have written your own fiction portfolio.

Credits: 20

Optional module

20 credits

This module will give you the opportunity to explore a range of creative nonfiction texts including:

  • Memoir
  • Biography
  • The creative essay
  • Hybrid forms
  • Nature writing

You will develop your understanding of voice, structure and audience in relation to these forms and consider the blurred lines between fact and fiction in nonfiction writing. By viewing, reading a range of nonfictional texts we will ask you to make to produce your own creative nonfiction texts.

Credits: 20

Optional module

20 credits

From the sonnet to the prose poem, on this module you will learn about the formal qualities of poetry and discover how to produce dazzling imagery and perfect rhythm; manipulating voice and pace. You will study a range of contemporary poets, supplemented by visits and readings from some of them. You will produce your own portfolio of work by the end of the module.

Credits: 20

Optional module

This module addresses the essential elements of scriptwriting. This includes writing convincing dialogue, creating interesting characters and constructing coherent stories. We will also introduce you to the cultural, theoretical and industrial contexts of scriptwriting. You will develop your expressive and technical skills in writing scripts for 1 or more of the following disciplines:

  • Radio
  • Television
  • Stage and film

You will then create your own original script.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will examine the history of the United States since the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. You will explore a range of issues that have impacted American politics, culture and society in the years since these events. Your learning will be informed by the wider ideological, cultural and political history of the United States.

Topics may include:

  • The War on Terror
  • Fake news
  • LGBTQ+ rights
  • American conspiracies such as the birther movement and Q-Anon
  • Response to crises such as 2008 recession and the Covid 19 pandemic

Year 3

In your third year, if you are a full time student, you will study:

  • A dissertation module across semesters 1 and 2
  • 2 optional modules in semester 1
  • 2 optional modules in semester 2

If you are a part time student, the modules above will be split over 2 years.

You can find out which modules are available in each semester on the Course Specifications.

You must choose at least 1 module from each subject every semester.

Optional modules will run if they receive enough interest. It is not guaranteed that all modules will run every year.

Modules

Credits: 40

Compulsory module

As you progress towards your final year you will become increasingly independent in your learning. Your  dissertation is an extended project which runs for the whole of the academic year, focusing on a topic of your choice, and with the support of an academic supervisor. For many students this is one of the most enjoyable parts of the degree, as it gives you the opportunity to specialise in something you are passionate about and explore it in great depth.

Credits: 20

Optional module

This is an opportunity to study a specialist area within your chosen historical era. The topics are closely related to staff research interest, meaning your work will be aligned with current research. This will help you develop your skills in research and historical investigation.

Through these special subject modules you can choose to explore topics such as:

  • The Fall of the Roman Republic
  • The War of the Roses
  • The English Revolution
  • Britain against Napoleon
  • The Korean War
  • The Russian Revolution
  • The Vietnam War
  • Reagan and his America
  • The First World War
  • The Social and cultural history of the First World War
  • International Origins of the Second World War

Credits: 20

Optional module

The Victorian poet Matthew Arnold said of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre that “the writer’s mind contains nothing but hunger, rebellion, and rage.” These are also themes that characterise much of the writing of the Victorian period. Whether the issues are societal or individual, many Victorian novels protest against the privations and injustices writers saw around them. At the same time, there were also funny, rude, and sensational texts, and texts which imagined a different kind of future in the emergent genre of science fiction. This module includes a variety of writing from across the Victorian era, and considers texts within the political, environmental, and social contexts in which they were produced.

Credits: 20

Optional module

Twentieth-century literature was formed in the crucible of revolutions, global conflicts, shifts in the planet’s ecology, and profound technological and social challenges to traditional patterns of life. This was an age of both genocide and Apartheid on the one hand, and an upsurge of claims for self-determination and human rights on the other. Literature developed in equally radical and often contradictory fashion, responding to political, social, and wider cultural shifts. On this module you will examine experimental and provocative texts across a range of forms, interrogating how modernity unfolded in the twentieth century, and asking questions about its continuing role in shaping the present.

Credits: 20

Optional module

This module takes literary trends, such as the vogue for young adult vampire fiction during the late 2000s, or the enthusiasm for fantasy fiction we’re experiencing in the 2020s, and situates them in a longer historical view. We will encourage you to consider broader narratives of subversion and experimentation, and confront questions about literary value, originality, and influence. We may look, for instance, at a recent work of Gothic fiction such as Colleen Hoover’s Verity (2018), alongside nineteenth-century sensationalist novels, eighteenth-century Gothic novels, the occult works of early modern figures, and even trace the novel’s influences all the way back to Dante’s thirteenth-century exploration of hell in Inferno. 

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will investigate the theatrical experimentation that took place over the last century, and consider its impact on the contemporary stage. You will learn about the major movements and perspectives of the period in the context of wider intellectual, cultural and aesthetic debates. Through this we will explore the creative dynamics between:

  • Tradition and innovation
  • Word and image
  • Writing and performance
  • Reading and spectatorship

Credits: 20 each

Optional module

This is an opportunity to get involved with a current staff research project. The topics on offer in any particular year will reflect the research being carried out by your tutors. This is a great way to be part of the research culture within the department and add to the creation of new knowledge. You will build further on the research skills you have already developed, which will help you with your own independent dissertation.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will examine a selection of texts from 20th century American literature, and relate these works to their cultural, social and political backgrounds. We will focus on texts that demonstrate formal innovation and experimentation, and the module reading list will reflect the huge variety evident in twentieth century American narrative and representation. You will read Native American, African American and Chinese-American texts alongside literature produced in the wake of radical social change such as Beat writing, Vietnam narratives, and responses to queer San Francisco.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module we will examine texts from the English-speaking Caribbean, a region that has produced two Nobel Prize winners in Literature. We will introduce you to a range of writing from and about the Caribbean, so that you can appreciate the longstanding global impact of this writing, and consider how it is currently being marked and remembered. We will particularly focus on the close connections of the past and present between Britain and the Caribbean.

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module you will examine texts from a variety of locations, including Europe, the USA, Africa and the Asian subcontinent. Using these texts we will debate some of the contradictions of contemporary global society. You will consider:

  • Whether local traditions or global culture has more impact in the modern world
  • What those in one part of the world do or do not owe to those living in another
  • Whether the popularity of literary texts which aim to represent and understand ‘the other’ is something to celebrate, or simply another form of exoticism

Credits: 20

Optional module

On this module we will examine how different genders and sexualities are presented in film, literature, TV and a host of other media. We will investigate how different cultural groups use popular culture and literature to reinforce, challenge, transgress, or disrupt traditional gender expectations. This module challenges you to draw on all of the skills, theories and approaches encountered throughout your degree to interrogate the representation of gender roles and sexuality in popular culture.

Credits: 20

Optional module 

This is a second opportunity to get involved with a current staff research project. As with Research Now I, the topics on offer in any particular year will reflect the research being carried out by your tutors. It's a great way to be part of the research culture within the department, while building your own research skills further.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching and learning

Discussions and debate is central to your learning on this course. We want you to be an active learner who is engaged in every aspect of your study. You will take part in:

  • Lectures
  • Seminars
  • Tutorials
  • Workshops
  • Events
  • Field trips

Your learning will also be enhanced through field trips to uncover York’s literary history, investigate the past throughout archives and explore the built environment all around us.

Alongside your timetabled contact time, you will be expected to study independently. This involves spending time reading around the topics we cover and preparing for your taught sessions. This will ensure that you get the most out of your degree, as well as building valuable time management skills.

We encourage you to use the widest possible range of resources for your studies, including:

  • Books
  • Journals
  • Primary sources
  • Visual material
  • Archives
  • The resources of the local community and region, such as museums, galleries and historic buildings

Our teaching draws on both our research and professional experience. This means your learning is informed by the most current thinking in the subject area. You can find out more about our research and backgrounds by visiting our staff pages.

Assessment

A wide range of assessment methods are used throughout your degree. This includes:

  • Essays
  • Primary source exercises
  • Reviews
  • Site reports
  • Open and closed examination
  • Reflective pieces
  • Coursework portfolios.

You will receive feedback on your work throughout each module. This will help you to improve your work for your graded assessments.

Career outcomes

Your future with a degree in English Literature and History

English Literature and History are versatile subjects which can lead to a variety of exciting career paths. This course teaches you to solve complex problems through independent critical thinking, use varied sources of information to form conclusions, and present your arguments both verbally and in writing. You will gain valuable skills in writing, analytical thinking, time management, problem solving, public speaking and more.

This degree could be the first step toward your career in:

  • Publishing
  • Journalism
  • Marketing or PR
  • Historical research
  • Heritage and Tourism
  • Archives

Discover more career options on Prospects careers advice pages.

You could also progress onto a postgraduate degree and take your learning even further.

Postgraduate degrees at York St John University

History MA

Contemporary Literature MA

Publishing MA

Creative Writing MA

PGCE at York St John University

Further your education and work towards a rewarding career in teaching by studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) after you graduate. For over 180 years, we have worked with enthusiastic individuals who want to shape the future of young people across both primary and secondary school settings. You'll spend a lot of time in schools, developing your practice by teaching. You will graduate with Qualified Teacher Status and become part of the well respected alumni of York St John educators.

Discover more about PGCE

Whatever your ambitions, we can help you get there.

Our careers service, LaunchPad provides career support tailored to your ambitions. Through this service you can access:

  • Employer events
  • LinkedIn, CV and cover letter sessions
  • Workshops on application writing and interview skills
  • Work experience and volunteering opportunities
  • Personalised career advice

This support doesn't end when you graduate. You can access our expert career advice for the rest of your life. We will help you gain experience and confidence to succeed.

Entry requirements

Qualifications

Minimum entry requirements

    104 UCAS Tariff points

    3 GCSEs at grade C/4 (or equivalent) including English Language.

Calculate your UCAS Tariff points

International students

If you are an international student you will need to show that your qualifications match our entry requirements.

Information about international qualifications and entry requirements can be found on our International pages.

If English is not your first language you will need to show that you have English Language competence at IELTS level 6.0 (with no skill below 5.5) or equivalent.

International entry requirements

This course is available with a foundation year

If you do not yet meet the minimum requirements for entry straight onto this degree course, or feel you are not quite ready for the transition to Higher Education, this is a great option for you. Passing a foundation year guarantees you a place on this degree course the following academic year.

Liberal Arts foundation year

Mature Learners Entry Scheme

If you have been out of education for 3 years or more and have a grade C GCSE in English Language or equivalent, you are eligible for our entry scheme for mature learners. It's a scheme that recognises non-traditional entry qualifications and experience for entry onto this course. Information on how to apply can be found on our dedicated page.

Mature entry offer scheme

Terms and conditions

Our terms and conditions, policies and procedures contain important information about studying at York St John University. You can read them on our Admissions page.

Fees and funding

To study for an undergraduate degree with us, you will need to pay tuition fees for your course. How much you pay depends on whether you live inside the UK, or internationally (outside the UK).

Tuition fees are reviewed annually and may be increased in line with inflation, prior to the start of each academic year, and subject to the fee cap set by the UK government. Such increases to fees will be at the Retail Price Index (RPI) forecast rate, as advised by the Office for Budget Responsibility and the Office for Students. The only exception to this would be where government legislation deems otherwise.

If a rise in the tuition fee becomes necessary, we will endeavour to inform you as soon as possible and we will explain the reason(s) for the increase. Any tuition fee increase will only be applied from the start of the next academic year and will not be applied 'in year'.

UK 2025 entry

The tuition fee for 2025 entry onto this course is:

  • £9,535 per year for full time study
  • £7,145 per year for the first 4 years if you study part time

These prices apply to all UK, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man students

You can find out more about funding your degree by visiting our funding opportunities page:

Funding Opportunities

Placement year funding

If you choose to take a placement year, and your course offers it, you can apply for the Tuition Fee and Maintenance Loan for your placement year. How much you are awarded is based on the type of placement being undertaken and whether it is a paid or unpaid placement. The tuition fee for your placement year will be reduced.

Tuition fees

    UK 2025 entry £9,535 per year full time

    International 2025 entry £12,100 per year full time

International 2025 entry

The tuition fee for 2025 entry to this course is £12,100 per year for full time study.

This price applies to all students living outside the UK.

Due to immigration laws, if you are an international student on a Student Visa, you must study full time. For more information about visa requirements and short-term study visas, please visit the International Visa and Immigration pages.

Find out more about funding your degree:

International fees and funding

Additional costs and financial support

There may also be some additional costs to take into account throughout your studies, including the cost of accommodation.

Course-related costs

While studying for your degree, there may be additional costs related to your course. This may include purchasing personal equipment and stationery, books and optional field trips.

Study Abroad

For more information on tuition fee reductions and additional costs for studying abroad, please visit our study abroad pages.

Accommodation and living costs

For detailed information on accommodation and living costs, visit our Accommodation pages.

Financial help and support

Our Funding Advice team are here to help you with your finances throughout your degree. They offer a personal service that can help you with funding your studies and budgeting for living expenses. 

For advice on everything from applying for scholarships to finding additional financial support email fundingadvice@yorksj.ac.uk.

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