English with Publishing BA (Hons) • City St George's, University of London

Name: English with Publishing BA (Hons)
Price: 9535 GBP

2025/26 entry

Clerkenwell campus

Details for 2026/27 entry are also available.

What is unique about this course?

Key information

This programme allows you to take a range of publishing modules – from the business of publishing to developing ideas for print and online publication - to complement the study of writing in English around the world. You will graduate with a wide range of critical, creative and applied professional skills.

Start date

September 2025

UCAS code

Q3P4

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years with placement or study abroad year

Institution

City St George's, University of London

Location

Clerkenwell campus

Entry requirements

Below is a list of countries with information on each about which qualifications we accept. If your country is not listed please email international@city.ac.uk.

English language requirements

If your first language is not English, we will require evidence of English language proficiency. Minimum requirements are:

IELTS:

6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in each component.

English language programmes

Don’t meet the English language requirements? INTO City, University of London offers English language programmes to help prepare you for study at university. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to degree courses.

Apply through Clearing

Open day

Prospectus

English with Publishing BA (Hons) degree Course overview

This programme builds on our international reputation in publishing, media and the creative industries.

Your first year is shared with BA English. Throughout your degree you will study the written word across time and space, from Shakespeare to popular music, comic books to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. By the end of your studies, you will be able to communicate in a variety of creative and critical forms, understand audiences and their reading preferences, and navigate the contemporary world of digital publishing.

Lecturers with professional experience in the publishing industry will help you develop specialised and applied skills and knowledge that will enhance your career prospects. You will also have the chance to acquire practical industry experience yourself, through a work placement or by undertaking an industry-related project. ·

Study in the heart of London, home to the UK’s leading publishers.
Acquire an informed understanding of the modern publishing industry.
Develop a range of specialised and applied skills, including pitching, user profiling and product innovation.
Learn from a team of expert lecturers who are passionate about publication and dissemination of the written word.
Develop employability skills with a placement module. Or spend a full year on work placement – there are amazing opportunities on your doorstep in London’s exciting Knowledge Quarter.

Structure

Course content

Develop your own professional and writing skills while immersing yourself in the diverse, evolving and endlessly fascinating subject of English with this three-year English with Publishing BA.

Through all core modules you will develop the Graduate Attributes, five core skillsets that will help you launch a successful, fulfilling career. Find out more about the Graduate Attributes.

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
With Placement route

Year 1

Develop a thorough grounding in reading, writing, academic and professional skills. Encounter a range of texts from around the world, explore how the publishing industry responds to issues like social justice, and dissect the art of storytelling.

Close Reading: Analysis and Interpretation (15 credits)

This module develops your key skills in closely reading, interpreting, and critically responding to literary texts, including a range of prose, drama, and poetry.
Critical Reading: Theory and Practice (15 credits)

This module develops your understanding of the key theoretical approaches to English studies across time, and how to apply insights from current scholarship to the practical criticism of literature.
Controversy and Conflict: Literature in Historical Context from the Middle Ages to 1660 (15 credits)

This module will give you a deep understanding of the development of English literature from the early Middle Ages to the Early Modern period in the British Isles, as well as the historical-social and political developments that shaped it.
Revolution and Reform: Literature in Historical Context from 1660 to the Present Day (15 credits)

This module will give you a thorough understanding of the historical, social, and political developments that have shaped English literature from the Restoration to the 21st century.
Storytelling (15 credits)

This module introduces key concepts and theories of storytelling, providing you with a range of skills that you can use to put the ‘creative’ back in ‘creative writing’ of your own.
Working with Words (15 credits)

This module introduces the skills you will need for success on your degree course and in your subsequent professional career, providing you with opportunities to engage in career planning and the development of essential employability skills.
Empire and its Discontents: Race, Nation, Decolonisation (15 credits)

This module develops your understanding of the ways in which the British empire and its legacies have shaped and continue to shape literary writing in English, introducing you to some of the key principles of postcolonial and decolonial studies.
Creativity and Social Justice (15 credits)

This module introduces you to key ways in which people working in the creative industries engage with social justice and questions of equality, diversity and inclusion in our global society. Using case studies that may include literature, film, media, music, theatre, fashion and other cultural forms, you will learn key concepts and frameworks to discuss different inequalities.

Year 2

Take core modules introducing you to the practical and commercial aspects of publishing. Deepen your understanding of writing in English by choosing from a range of modules focusing on global and English literature, creative writing, media, communications, journalism and advertising.

Creative Writing Workshop (15 credits)

In this module you will explore the practice of creative writing in a variety of genres. Through developing your own writing portfolio, you will develop an understanding of the practices of the creative writer.
Screenwriting (15 credits)

This module introduces you to screenwriting as a creative and commercial form of writing. You will learn how to write a screenplay and related written elements required for film development, such as a treatment. You will read real screenplays and view a number of films so as to learn best practice and screenwriting styles.
Shakespeare as a Creative (15 credits)

Combining the literary, creative and professional elements of your degree, this module invites you to reconsider the iconic reputation of William Shakespeare, a professional writer who honed his skills in a working environment and whose global legacy has depended on the dissemination and adaptation of his works by other creatives.
Writing Women (15 credits)

This module focuses on women’s writing and the role women writers have played in defining and developing literary forms and traditions. You will study women’s strategies for articulating female experience, and examine the role of women’s writing as a catalyst for political and social change.
The Poetry of Pop (15 credits)

Artists like Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar are globally successful commercial artists. But are they also poets? This module invites you to explore the artistry, cultural significance and linguistic creativity of contemporary musicians who use linguistic and poetic techniques to tell personal stories and make social commentary.
Empire and the City: Literary London (15 credits)

London is home to a dynamic range of creative voices. With a special emphasis on the postcolonial and multicultural elements of the city’s history, and a focus on themes like belonging, conflict and community, this module will reveal how London became a literary hub with a global reputation.
Children’s and Young Adult Literature (15 credits)

On TikTok, #KidsBooks has nearly 200 million views. #YAbooks has 2 billion. This module introduces you to this thriving creative industry. You will read and analyse some of the most popular and inspirational works in Anglophone culture and be given the opportunity to imagine and pitch your own.
Understanding Publishing (15 credits)

This module introduces you to the world of publishing. You will gain an appreciation of the varieties and types of publishing, the varied roles of publishing professionals, key elements of the history of publishing, and the ways in which publishing is being transformed by technological developments such as digitisation.
Publishing as a Business (15 credits)

This module explores publishing as a business (or set of businesses) in a wider commercial and cultural context. You will explore how different published products – such as novels, textbooks, children’s books and scholarly journals – each require different business models that are sensitive to the needs of readers and markets.
Advertising and Consumer Culture (15 credits)

This module aims to help you think critically about the purposes and forms of advertising within consumer culture and human beings’ media repertoires. It also allows you to practice making adverts as a way to apply these insights.
Working and Managing in the Creative Industries (15 credits)

This module helps you become more employable by critically investigating the world of work in the contemporary media and creative industries. It aims to demystify creative careers and inform you about the pleasures, issues and challenges that characterise modern, knowledge-based labour.
Writing for Media and Communications (15 credits)

This module will acquaint students with the fundamental concepts of digital platforms from an economic, legal, governance and policy perspective.
Humanitarian Reporting (15 credits)

In this module you will examine how we understand faraway disasters. You will look at the background to foreign reporting, the way that the western media covers the developing world and then assess how the nature of this has changed.
Sports Reporting (15 credits)

The module will investigate the changing face of sports journalism and the way that the industry has had to evolve. You will be equipped with writing and editing skills that will prove effective across a broad range of sports.
Photography (15 credits)

Year 3

Take core modules in writing for gaming and long-form journalism. Choose from a range of options including contemporary approaches to writing in English, media, marketing and publishing. Cap your degree with an optional creative writing project.

Creative Writing Workshop (15 credits)

In this module you will explore the practice of creative writing in a variety of genres. Through developing your own writing portfolio, you will develop an understanding of the practices of the creative writer.
Narrative Journalism (15 credits)

In this module you will explore, through example and practice, approaches to creative writing forms, from prose fiction and creative nonfiction to poetry and other texts situated in the contemporary literary landscape.
Screenwriting (15 credits)

This module introduces you to screenwriting as a creative and commercial form of writing. You will learn how to write a screenplay and related written elements required for film development, such as a treatment. You will read real screenplays and view a number of films so as to learn best practice and screenwriting styles.
Writing for Gaming (15 credits)

More than ever before, the power of storytelling in video games is being recognised. This module will allow you to tap into this rich and interactive source, by introducing you to the principles and techniques of narrative design within video games and enabling you to pitch and develop your own.
Shakespeare as a Creative (15 credits)

Combining the literary, creative and professional elements of your degree, this module invites you to reconsider the iconic reputation of William Shakespeare, a professional writer who honed his skills in a working environment and whose global legacy has depended on the dissemination and adaptation of his works by other creatives.
Visual Storytelling (15 credits)

The study of literature is often seen as primarily a textual activity, but many narrative forms use moving and still images, as well as other visuals, to tell stories. This module gives you the opportunity to analyse cultural products that tell stories using visual mediums, from graphic novels to cinema and beyond.
Writing Women (15 credits)

This module focuses on women’s writing and the role women writers have played in defining and developing literary forms and traditions. You will study women’s strategies for articulating female experience, and examine the role of women’s writing as a catalyst for political and social change.
Genre Fictions (15 credits)

This module acts as an in-depth exploration of popular genre writing. By providing you with a critical understanding of the historical roots, conventions, contexts, and audiences of genre writing, the module foregrounds the cultural significance of genre as a literary device and equips you to respond critically to genre texts.
The Poetry of Pop (15 credits)

Artists like Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar are globally successful commercial artists. But are they also poets? This module invites you to explore the artistry, cultural significance and linguistic creativity of contemporary musicians who use linguistic and poetic techniques to tell personal stories and make social commentary.
Writing the Global City (15 credits)

This module explores exchanges between cultures and their relationship to ideas and debates about identity, migration and belonging, by examining writing in English from beyond the borders of modern Britain. You will read a range of writings, which for the purposes of this module includes film and other non-textual media, that are either produced within or represent world cities of today, especially in the global South.
Empire and the City: Literary London (15 credits)

London is home to a dynamic range of creative voices. With a special emphasis on the postcolonial and multicultural elements of the city’s history, and a focus on themes like belonging, conflict and community, this module will reveal how London became a literary hub with a global reputation.
Literatures of Conflict (15 credits)

This module offers the opportunity to study literary and cultural representations of violence and conflict, especially as practised by or between states, communities, and groups. By studying a selection of texts and their social, cultural, and ideological contexts, you will develop a critical understanding of how conflict and violence arise, and how they are represented in literature.
Children’s and Young Adult Literature (15 credits)

On TikTok, #KidsBooks has nearly 200 million views. #YAbooks has 2 billion. This module introduces you to this thriving creative industry. You will read and analyse some of the most popular and inspirational works in Anglophone culture and be given the opportunity to imagine and pitch your own.
Major Project (30 credits)

You will develop a long piece of critical or creative writing, or a project portfolio, that addresses a set of creative, research, or professional questions relating to an aspect of literature and/or culture of your choosing. This will allow you to apply and further develop the knowledge and skills gained through the other modules.
Understanding Publishing (15 credits)

This module introduces you to the world of publishing. You will gain an appreciation of the varieties and types of publishing, the varied roles of publishing professionals, key elements of the history of publishing, and the ways in which publishing is being transformed by technological developments such as digitisation.
Teaching English (15 credits)

In this module you will gain an understanding of the principles and practice of teaching English in a variety of pedagogic contexts. You will learn how to plan classroom activities and exercises, and will acquire strategies for diverse delivery, feedback, and assessment.
Publishing as a Business (15 credits)

This module explores publishing as a business (or set of businesses) in a wider commercial and cultural context. You will explore how different published products – such as novels, textbooks, children’s books and scholarly journals – each require different business models that are sensitive to the needs of readers and markets.
Digital Product Innovation and Publishing

This module introduces you to the creation of ‘content’ for and by the publishing industry. You will explore innovations in both digital and print forms, and cover many of the skills needed to become an innovator of your own printed product or digital prototype.
Advertising and Consumer Culture (15 credits)

This module aims to help you think critically about the purposes and forms of advertising within consumer culture and human beings’ media repertoires. It also allows you to practice making adverts as a way to apply these insights.
How to Make a Book (15 credits)

This module introduces you to the skills needed to create printed books from start to finish. How are different types of books developed for different types of readers and markets? And how do publishers seek to add value at many different stages of the editorial, production, and design process?
Working and Managing in the Creative Industries (15 credits)

This module helps you become more employable by critically investigating the world of work in the contemporary media and creative industries. It aims to demystify creative careers and inform you about the pleasures, issues and challenges that characterise modern, knowledge-based labour.
Reporting Conflict (15 credits)

The module will consider ways in which politics and technology shape and influence the reporting of conflicts. It will analyse the coverage of conflicts which followed global events, focusing on journalism’s successes and failures in covering war with the aim of providing a theoretical framework for outstanding journalistic practice.
Writing for Media and Communications (15 credits)

This module will acquaint students with the fundamental concepts of digital platforms from an economic, legal, governance and policy perspective.
Stardom and Influencer Culture (15 credits)

This module examines historical concepts of ‘stardom’ and ‘celebrity’, as they originally applied to the Hollywood ‘star system’ and other media industries. It continues to delve into more contemporary examples and concepts of human publicity and attention-seeking such as lifestyle branding and influencers as media personalities and marketing vehicles.
Humanitarian Reporting (15 credits)

In this module you will examine how we understand faraway disasters. You will look at the background to foreign reporting, the way that the western media covers the developing world and then assess how the nature of this has changed.
Social Media Marketing (15 credits)

This module focuses on social media and wider digital marketing and management. It explores the relationship of various digital channels and technologies and how they support overall marketing strategies and campaigns.
Sports Reporting (15 credits)

The module will investigate the changing face of sports journalism and the way that the industry has had to evolve. You will be equipped with writing and editing skills that will prove effective across a broad range of sports.
Entrepreneurship in the Media and Creative Industries (15 credits)

This module seeks to provide the practical skills, reflective tools and critical insights required to build an entrepreneurial career in the media and creative industries, from freelancing or agency work to starting and building a career.
Photography (15 credits)
Micro Placements

The module seeks to enhance career exploration and will provide you with professional level experience in the form of a self-contained project with one of City’s external employer partners. Completing the Micro-Placement module at level 5 will preclude you having the option to take the Micro-Placement elective module at level 6.
Industry Projects

Using knowledge and skills gained through your degree, you will work in small multi-disciplinary groups on real-life professional level practical projects for employers, choosing between 5 sector streams, such as policy, finance, community, business and arts and culture.

With Placement route

Every undergraduate student has the opportunity undertake a one year work placement whilst completing their programme.

Participants extend their degree to 4 years, gaining the work experience through a placement or internship during their 3rd year at City St George's, returning to complete their degree in the 4th year.
Successful completion of this programme will result in the adjustment of the degree to: BA English with Publishing with Professional Placement and Career Development.

Download course specification:

BA English with Publishing

Study abroad

As an Undergraduate student you can undertake a period of study abroad whilst completing the programme.

This is possible through the Exchange Programme, a year of study at one of our European and/or international partner universities via a sandwich year, which is undertaken between completing Programme Stage 2 and entering Programme Stage 3, extending the degree to four years.

The resulting degree title awarded would be: BA English with Study Abroad.

We have strong links with Universities such as:

Australia

Curtin University
University of Queensland
Queensland University of Technology.

North America

University of British Columbia
Concordia University
Northeastern University
Toronto Metropolitan University.

Europe

Koç University.

Teaching and assessment

Your modules will be delivered using a combination of:

Lectures
Practical workshops
Interactive sessions
Small seminars
Personal tutorials

Lectures will provide you with commentary and explanation of key content areas. Most modules also offer small seminars and workshops, where you can develop your understanding of key texts and ideas through discussion and debate as well as hone your practical and professional skills. This versatility of approach will not only facilitate discussion but allow you to generate your own content, with different readerships, forms and functions in mind.

Assessment methods

Your programme will be assessed via a range of coursework and practical assignments, which may include:

Essays
Professional, reflective, and creative assignments and portfolios
Group assignments, including projects, performances, and presentations
Live showcase events.

100% of our 2024 National Student Survey results for undergraduate English said assessment allowed them to demonstrate what they had learnt.

Fees and funding

Fees for year 2025/26

Home/UK

£9,535

International

£19,600

City St George's undergraduate fee for UK students joining us in 2026/27 is £9,535 for the first year of study, in line with the Government’s announcement on the fee cap increase (subject to the passing of secondary legislation). The fee for each subsequent year of study may also increase in line with government policy and we will confirm any such increase with you directly as and when the fee is confirmed.

Funding options

Explore up-to-date information about funding options, available financial support and typical living costs.

Fee waivers are available for this course.
Means tested support is available for 2025/26 entry.

20% off your study

We are offering a Graduate Loyalty Discount of 20% on tuition fees to all our alumni when applying to any of our degree courses.

To be eligible for the discount you must have successfully completed an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at legacy City, University of London or legacy St George's, University of London.

To apply you will need to be accepted onto your intended course of study and to meet all the normal academic admissions criteria for the relevant course at City St George's, University of London.

Additional expenses

Some of our degrees may involve additional expenses which are not covered by your tuition fees. Find out more about additional expenses.

Career

You will graduate with a unique blend of intellectual, professional and creative skills.

Our employability-focused curriculum strongly emphasizes the practical application of your skills in a professional context, including opportunities to take a work placement module or year, or apply for a year’s study abroad.

Delivered through world-class teaching dedicated to enhancing your job prospects, this course prepares you for a range of possible career options, including:

publishing
advertising and marketing
film, television and other media including games
journalism
creative writing
library science
charities
civil service
teaching.

More information on the Careers support available at City is available on our website.

Placement opportunities

As an English student at City, you will have the opportunity to take a second-year elective module, ‘Work Placement’. You may also apply to take a sandwich year between years two and three of your degree. Our careers team will help you secure a placement in the areas that meet your future ambitions.

Previous students have taken their placements in a wide range of sectors, including:

Publishing (Penguin)
Teaching Assistant (Secondary)
Marketing (Intern at 11 Investors recruitment group)
Theatre work (Chickenshed)
Charity work (Oxfam books).

How to apply

Applications for this course are open through Clearing if you have received your verified grades.

Apply through Clearing

Our online Clearing application form allows you to apply quickly. Ensure you have your UCAS ID, course number and qualification details ready to speed up the process.

After submitting your application, you may receive an instant decision or be asked to call us to discuss your application further.

When to apply

Your application for entry in September 2025 should arrive at UCAS between September 2024 and 31 January 2025. Applications that arrive after 31 January 2025 will be considered only at City's discretion.

Contacting UCAS

Website: www.ucas.com

Address: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 3LZ

Telephone:

from inside the UK 0871 468 0468
from outside the UK +44 (0)871 468 0468

For callers with hearing difficulties:

from inside the UK use the Text Relay service on 18001 0871 468 0468
from outside the UK dial +44 151 494 1260 (text phone) and then ask the operator to dial 0871 468 0468.

Facilities

As an English student at City St George’s, you will have access to a wide range of facilities to support your study, including a brand new staff and student common room with a kitchen and lounge area.
Our three campus libraries consist of around 250,000 books with over 25,000 online journal titles and over 1600 study places available.
Students can book private library spaces for academic work within City St George’s Library.
As part of the University of London, City students have access to Senate House Library. Senate House offers Arts, Humanities and Social Science Special Collections and Research Collections.

Our students

Gain further insights into our courses through our students.

Hear from 2nd year student, Erica, and her experiences on the English BA and how it gave her the confidence to self-publish her poetry. 3 minutes

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Academics

Your studies are supported by a team of committed and enthusiastic teachers and researchers, experts in their chosen field. On occasion we also work with external professionals to enhance your learning and appreciation of the wider subject.