English Literature with a Foundation Year, BA (Hons)

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Key Course Details

UCAS Code: Q302
Mode of Study: Campus Based
Typical Offer (view equivalents): CDD / DDD
Location: Singleton Park Campus

Start Date	Tuition Fees - Year 1
Sep 2025	£ 9,250

4 Year Full Time With a Foundation Year

UCAS Code: Q302
Mode of Study: Campus Based
Typical Offer: CDD / DDD - More Information
Location: Singleton Park Campus

Start Date	Tuition Fees - Year 1
Sep 2025	£ 18,400

English Literature with a Foundation Year, BA (Hons)

English Literature with Foundation Year

Students enjoying their studies in the library

Course Overview

English Literature is one of the most diverse, stimulating and challenging disciplines we offer and studying this four-year BA cultivates sensitivity towards language and opens up a range of exciting career possibilities by helping you to develop transferable skills, which are highly valued by employers.

The Foundation Year gives you an exciting introduction to Higher Education, setting you up with the skills, confidence, and knowledge that you’ll need to be successful on your undergraduate degree. It’s ideal if you need a little more support after Further Education or are returning to education after a gap.

After progression from the foundation year, you will have the chance to explore over a thousand years of literature, from Beowulf to the present day.

Our course covers national and global literature including Renaissance literature, Gothic and genre fiction, 19th century literature and contemporary fiction. Other topics include gender and culture, creative and professional writing.

You will have the chance to spend a semester studying in the USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong or Singapore, further improving your student experience and career prospects.

Why English Literature with a Foundation Year at Swansea?

Based on our stunning Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula.

English at Swansea is ranked:

Top 25 in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)
97% of graduates in employment &/or study, or doing other activities, such as travelling, 15 months after leaving Swansea University (HESA 2023)

You will learn from experienced, established writers whose work has been widely published, broadcast and performed and our academic staff are internationally recognised for their research.

You will also have the option of a semester in the USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong or Singapore.

Your English Literature with a Foundation Year Experience

Our BA (Hons) English Literature with Foundation Year degree will give you an exciting introduction to higher education and is part of a four-year undergraduate integrated degree.

You will learn how to improve your oral and writing skills, investigate and obtain information, present your ideas in a range of formats, solve problems and make informed decisions.

During your Foundation Year, you will learn the key skills you’ll need to make your degree a success while developing knowledge of your subject area and how it relates to the humanities and social sciences.

You will start the degree course in your second year and can shape your studies to your interests. Our varied and flexible course content covers national and global literatures, gender and culture, Renaissance literature, Gothic and genre fiction, 19th century literature through to modernity and contemporary writing as well as creative and professional writing.

Wales has a rich lyric tradition and Swansea is the birthplace of Dylan Thomas. You can get involved with projects with the Dylan Thomas Centre and the National Theatre Wales.

English Literature with a Foundation Year Employment Opportunities

Our graduates enter careers in a wide range of sectors including:

Education
Marketing
Social media
Project administration

Modules

In your Foundation Year, you will take a selection of modules that will provide you with key study skills, subject knowledge, and awareness of the importance of the humanities and social sciences. You’ll then progress to your degree.

When you move on to the degree, your early studies will include how to become a successful scholar of English, critical reading, intertextual revision, how to write essays and an overview of the history of theatre.

You will then choose your pathway with modules to suit your own interests, before focusing in depth on your chosen research projects.

Year 0 (Level 3)

Entry Level 3 / Foundation Year

Compulsory Modules

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Academic Writing and Skills Development	September-January (TB1)	20	FY-011
Introduction to Being Human	September-January (TB1)	20	FY-012
Introduction to Research	September-January (TB1)	20	FY-015
Critical Reflection and Problem Solving	January-June (TB2)	20	FY-014
Research Essay	January-June (TB2)	20	FY-016
Place, Memory & Identity in Literature, Film and Art	January-June (TB2)	20	FY-017

Year 1 (Level 4)

FHEQ 4 Undergraduate / HECert

Students choose 120 credits from the following:

Compulsory Modules

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Monsters, Theories, Transformations	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-100
English Essentials	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-120
The Stage Play World	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-119

Optional Modules

Compulsory Modules - Selective

Choose Minimum Of 40 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Select at least two and a maximum of three modules. In total, students must select no more than three modules per teaching block so need to select one module in TB1 and two modules in TB2. ** Students who wish to pursue a pair of modern language modules in the box below must gain permission from the programme director and select one module from this box (in TB2)

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
The sound system of English	September-January (TB1)	20	ALE121
Approaches to Gender in English Literature	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-112
Creative Writing: Fiction Genres	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-117
Introduction to American Literature and Culture	January-June (TB2)	20	AM-113
Literature and Society in Medieval Europe.	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-113
Creative Writing: Styles of Fiction	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-118

AND

Optional Modules

Choose Maximum Of 20 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : If required, select one module ensuring no more than three modules in total have been selected in each teaching block. ** students may select one Modern Language module. Students who have selected a beginners language in TB1 may take the follow up course in TB2 at the discretion of the Programme Director

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code	Guidance
A History of the English Language	September-January (TB1)	20	ALE116
Mythbusters: beliefs and truths about language	September-January (TB1)	20	ALE122
Of Gods and Heroes - Greek Mythology	September-January (TB1)	20	CLC101
Medieval Europe: An Introduction	September-January (TB1)	20	HIH117
French for Beginners I	September-January (TB1)	20	MLF101
German for Beginners I	September-January (TB1)	20	MLG108
Spanish for Beginners I	September-January (TB1)	20	MLS130
Materiality and Meaning in the Visual Arts	September-January (TB1)	20	VC-100
Introduction to Visual Culture	September-January (TB1)	20	VC-101
Grammar and Meaning	January-June (TB2)	20	ALE100
Language Teaching Methodology	January-June (TB2)	20	ALE108
Ovid's Metamorphoses: The Transformations of Mythology	January-June (TB2)	20	CLC102
Cinema in a World Context	January-June (TB2)	20	ML-106
French for Beginners II	January-June (TB2)	20	MLF102	Programme director permission needed. MLF101 must have been completed in TB1
German for Beginners II	January-June (TB2)	20	MLG109	Programme director permission needed. MLG108 must have been completed in TB1
Spanish for Beginners II	January-June (TB2)	20	MLS131	Programme director permission needed. MLS130 must have been completed in TB1
Hollywood: A History of American Film	January-June (TB2)	20	MSS106
Visuality and Embodiment	January-June (TB2)	20	VC-102

Year 2 (Level 5)

FHEQ 5 Undergraduate / HEDip

Students choose 120 credits from the following:

Compulsory Modules

None found.

Optional Modules

Compulsory Selective - Group A (Teaching Block 1)

Choose Minimum Of 40 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Students must select at least TWO modules. Students may select all three modules which would complete their credits in semester two. Students must not take more than three modules in total in any one teaching block

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Debating Texts: Theory in Literature	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-206
Revolution of the Word: Modernism	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-207
Exploring the Bloody Chamber: Medieval to Postmodern	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-237

AND

Compulsory Selective - Group B (Teaching Block 2)

Choose Minimum Of 40 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Students must select at least TWO modules. Students may select all three modules which would complete their credits in semester one. Students must not take more than three modules in total in any one teaching block

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Fragments of Union: The Cultural Making and Breaking of Britain	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-241
Contentious Shakespeare	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-242
Medieval Encounters	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-266

AND

Optional Modules

Choose Maximum Of 40 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Students may (but do not have to) choose one or two modules to make up 120 credits for the year. Do not select more than three modules in total in any one semester. ALE121 must have been completed in Year 1 to pursue ALE218 or ALE250. ALE108 must have been completed in Year 1 to pursue ALE200.

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code	Guidance
Language Teaching in Context	September-January (TB1)	20	ALE200	ALE108 must have been completed in Year 1
Child Language and Literacy	September-January (TB1)	20	ALE250	ALE121 must have been completed in Year 1
The Greek Romance: Sea, Sun and Sex	September-January (TB1)	20	CLC203
Introduction to Writing Poetry	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-232
Introduction to Writing Fiction	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-234
Race and Ethnicity: American Perspectives	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-243
Techniques of Seeing	September-January (TB1)	20	VC-200
Discourse Analysis	January-June (TB2)	20	ALE218	ALE121 must have been completed in Year 1
World Englishes	January-June (TB2)	20	ALE231
Roman Love Poetry	January-June (TB2)	20	CLC200
Introduction to Writing Drama	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-236
American Word / American Image	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-244
Writing a Short Film	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-270

Year 3 (Level 6)

FHEQ 6 Undergraduate / Honours

Students choose 120 credits from the following:

Compulsory Modules

None found.

Optional Modules

Optional Module Choices

Choose Minimum Of 80 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Select a minimum of 80 credits , and a maximum of 120 credits. Students must either select three modules in each semester, or the Dissertation module and two modules in each semester. NOTE: ** please note that acceptance on the English Literature dissertation is subject to the submission of a suitable proposal towards the end of year 2.

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Dissertation - English Literature	September-June (TB1+2)	40	EN-3031
Welsh Gothic / Gothic Wales	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-3040
Written in Blood: Reading the Vampire	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-3050
Graphic Novel	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-3055
African American Literature 1910-1940: The Harlem Renaissance	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-3061
Chaucer	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-314
Reading/Writing Trauma	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-394
Stylistics	January-June (TB2)	20	ALE323
Plato's Republic	January-June (TB2)	20	CLC312
Crime Fiction since 1920	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-3045
Madness, Malady and Melancholia: Literature and Medicine from Genesis to Genomes	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-3051
The Swansea University International Dylan Thomas Prize Module	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-3053
Beyond Shakespeare	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-3058
Contemporary American Fiction	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-3062
Science Fiction and Media	January-June (TB2)	20	MS-345

AND

Creative Writing - Optional Module Choices

Choose Maximum Of 40 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Select up to 40 credits if required to fulfill 120 credits in total for the year. One 20 credit module in each semester maximum. Students must have completed a Creative Writing module if you wish to select EN-3026. Students MUST NOT select EN-3031 and EN-3026. Students must not exceed 60 credits in any one teaching block.

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Further Fiction Writing	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-3014
Further Creative Non Fiction	September-January (TB1)	20	EN-309
Creative Writing Personal Project	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-3026
Further Poetry Writing	January-June (TB2)	20	EN-319

Entry Requirements

Our standard entry requirement is CDD-DDD at A-level or equivalent. We require a minimum of 5 passes at Grade A*-C, including Welsh/English Language. Entry requirements are flexible and all offers are made following a review of the application form, predicted/achieved grades and subjects, the reference and personal statement. The course is also a widening access programme and developed to support those who may not have been able to otherwise gain access to HE.

How You're Taught

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.

Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching.

Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.

This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.

Welsh Provision

No Provision

Unfortunately, there is currently no formal Welsh-medium provision on this course. If you would like to let us know that you are interested in pursuing an element of your course through the medium of Welsh, please email astudio@abertawe.ac.uk to indicate your interest along with your year of entry and we will do our best to see what is possible.

Whilst this course does not offer academic content delivered in Welsh, the University can provide you with the following, and Academi Hywel Teifi is here to support you:

An interview through the medium of Welsh when applying for a place.
The option to receive your personal correspondence in Welsh, English or bilingually.
The option to write and submit your coursework or exams through the medium of Welsh (even if you have chosen to study in English), and your work will be marked in Welsh.
A Welsh-speaking Personal Tutor.
One-to-one support to improve your academic Welsh language skills.
An opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence of your Welsh language ability for future employers.
Opportunity to be a member of the Swansea University Branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

To learn more about the above and all the opportunities available to you through the medium of Welsh, visit Academi Hywel Teifi's undergraduate pages.

Meet Your Lecturers

Our degrees are taught by experts, who have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to our students.

You can find out more about our academic expertise on our staff pages.

Tuition Fees

Start Date	UK	International
September 2024	£ 9,000	£ 17,500
September 2025	£ 9,250	£ 18,400

Fees for full time Undergraduate UK students may be increased in subsequent years of study by an inflationary amount determined by Welsh Government.

Fees for full time Undergraduate EU/International students will increase by 3% for each subsequent year of study.

You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

Funding and Scholarships

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.

To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.

Additional Costs

Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up.

You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):

Travel to and from campus
Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
Purchase of books or texts
Gowns for graduation ceremonies

Careers and Employability

Swansea Employability Academy (SEA) will support you at each stage of your career journey helping you build a bright future.

Our career support services include:

Employability workshops, employers’ talks, bespoke events and careers fairs
Individual advice and guidance from professionally qualified Careers Advisers
Help with finding jobs, internships, work placements and volunteering opportunities
Access to information resources on a wide range of career management topics
Advice and guidance on postgraduate study and funding
Funding to support student internship opportunities and Student Society/Club events.

We also provide help and advice for Swansea University Alumni up to two years after you graduate.

Academic Support

As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your personal tutor, the Centre for Academic Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas such as:

Academic writing
Maths and statistics
Critical thinking
Time management
Digital skills
Presentation skills
Note taking
Revision, memory and exam techniques
English language skills (if English is not your first language).

In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability, mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.

Study Abroad and Global Opportunities

To learn more about study abroad, visit our Go Global webpages. Enrolment on a programme with a semester/year abroad does not guarantee you a semester/year abroad placement. Spaces are limited and subject to a competitive selection process. In the event you do not secure a semester/year abroad placement, you will be transferred to the standard variant of your degree scheme without a semester or year abroad.

International summer programmes are open to students from all schools. Programmes typically range from 2 to 6 weeks, across destinations such as Sri Lanka, South Korea, Fiji, Bali, the USA and across Europe. For more information about programmes and eligibility visit our Summer Abroad webpages.

How to Apply

Apply now – UK, EU and international students.

For further guidance please visit our how to apply pages.

EU students - visa and immigration information is available and will be regularly updated on our information for EU students page.

Application Deadlines

We recommend that you submit your application to our courses as early as you can in advance of our application deadlines. Courses will close earlier than the application deadlines listed if all available places are filled. You can find further information on our Application Deadlines webpage.