Home to the biggest English faculty in Britain (and one of the largest undergraduate degrees in Oxford with around 235 undergraduates a year, of whom over 70% are female), the English Language and Literature experience at Oxford is unique. What sets the Oxford course apart from courses at other universities is its enormous scope of study.
First year students take papers from the beginning and the end of the periods covered by the course: Medieval Literature (650 to 1350), Victorian Literature (1830 to 1910), and Modern Literature (1910 to present).
In their final two years, students choose whether to study period papers ranging from the late Medieval through to Romanticism (Course I), including a specific Shakespeare portfolio, or to focus on Old and Medieval literature (Course II). Course I is overwhelmingly more popular, but regardless of whether students choose Course I or II, all third year students complete a dissertation. They also take a Special Options paper, in which a wide range of topics are available, depending on whether you are doing Course I or II. Options include Old Norse, Literature and Morality, and the History of the Essay.
Studying English at Oxford equips students with analytical and judgement skills, as well as affording them an expansive knowledge of historical contexts and eras. Teaching takes place in the form of lectures and tutorials, where students will usually have to discuss an essay that they have written and argue their point of view.
Students relish the freedom offered by the broad Oxford course, not to mention living in a city where many great works of English Literature were composed.
An A Level or equivalent in English Language and Literature or English Literature is required, whilst other essay-writing subjects may also help your application.