English Literature and History (Placement Year) BASc (Hons)

Lancaster University

Why Lancaster?

• Design your degree, selecting from a wide range of modules, exploring history and literature from the ancient to the modern, and the local to the global
• Study in a city steeped in history, and with the Lake District, home of the Romantic poets, on your doorstep
• Hear from visiting authors and academics at our many literary events, on campus, online, and in Lancaster’s historic Castle Quarter
• Enhance your knowledge in regular small-group seminars with inspiring, world-class scholars
• Graduate with skills in analysis, communication, and persuasion that will make you stand out in the jobs market

Explore a range of literary works, from ancient myth to the contemporary graphic novel, and study a host of historical movements, from the fall of Rome to the rise of human rights. Through engagement with texts and artefacts crossing continents and centuries, our interdisciplinary programme will immerse you in both literature and history.

Map your own journey

You will be able to select from a wide range of modules (from Medieval Theatre to Urban Gothic and The Normans in Italy to The Cold War) and, in your third-year dissertation, be free to explore a literary and/or historical topic or theme of your own choosing. In literature, this could be, say, Renaissance sermons or filmic representations of World War One; in history, this could be, say, a global phenomenon like the Transatlantic Slave Trade or a local story like the Lancashire Witch Trials.

Support at every step of the way

We keep our seminars small so that we can really get to know our students. If you choose to write a dissertation, you’ll receive one-to-one guidance from your tutor to deep dive into a topic you’re passionate about.

To supplement your studies, you’ll have a range of opportunities to develop real-world skills that will prepare you for your future career. You might choose to get involved with one of our four student-run literary journals, giving you invaluable experience in writing or publishing. You may also wish to take part in our schools placement module or our heritage placement module, where past students have worked with organisations like The National Trust and the Duchy of Lancaster.

Your Placement Year

A placement year is an excellent way to...

• try out a role that you may be interested in as a career path
• start to build your professional network (some placement students are offered permanent roles to return to after they graduate)
• develop skills, knowledge and experience to put you ahead of the field when you graduate

You'll spend your third year in a paid, graduate-level position, where you’ll work for between nine and twelve months in the type of role that you might be considering for after you graduate. A very wide range of companies and organisations offer placements across all sectors. As a full-time employee, you’ll have a detailed job description with specific responsibilities and opportunities to access training and development, the same as other employees.

Our Careers and Placements Team will help you to secure a suitable placement with expert advice and resources, such as creating an effective CV, and tips for applications and interviews. You will still be a Lancaster University student during your placement and we’ll keep in touch to check how you are getting on.

The university will use all reasonable effort to support you to find a suitable placement for your studies. While a placement role may not be available in a field or organisation that is directly related to your academic studies or career aspirations, all offer valuable experience of working at a graduate level and gaining a range of professional skills.

If you are unsuccessful in securing a suitable placement for your third year, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent non-placement degree scheme and continue with your studies at Lancaster, finishing your degree after your third year.