Course details

Summary

Do you enjoy reading and writing? Novels, plays, short stories, poetry and creative non-fiction help shape and reflect our individual identities and collective culture. Studying literature opens up worlds and times beyond our experience. It also helps us understand - and question - our own social, natural and technological environments.

At the same time, students of English develop skills in research, interpretation, analysis, formulating an argument, and writing clearly and precisely. This skillset is useful for a huge range of occupations, such as journalism, law, communications, publications and creative writing.

Recommended preparation

Prior study in English is helpful, or in classics, theatre and drama, history or media studies at school - but the best background is simply an interest in the cultures, stories and ideas that surround us every day.

Over the three years of your degree, you will gain critical thinking, creative problem solving, and communication skills that employers want. Unique practical experiences such as internships are on offer too.

The Bachelor of Arts requires a minimum total of 360 points:

• at least 255 points from Arts courses
• the remaining 105 points can be from either Arts courses or courses from other degrees.
• A minimum of 225 points must be from courses above 100-level, with at least 90 points at 300-level.

Double Degrees

It is possible to combine an Arts degree with other degrees such as the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bachelor of Laws or Bachelor of Science.

Further study

The College of Arts has a wide range of options for postgraduate and graduate study with excellent research facilities. These include specialised research centres such as the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, Social Science Research Centre, New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies, Te Awatea Violence Research Centre and National Centre for Research on Europe.

Career opportunities

A good degree in English can take you to surprising places. The skills learned in studying English - the close reading and careful analysis of texts, the ability to write clearly and concisely, and the skill to both make and critique arguments - are essential to success not only in education, but also in a wide range of work environments.

Among our graduates are a New Zealand ambassador, a former chief political reporter for TVNZ, a political commentator for a national newspaper, a couple of prize-winning novelists (including Eleanor Catton of Man Booker fame), a prize-winning film-maker, a museum curator, a cultural event organiser for Te Papa, an art gallery manager, a theatre director, a local television presenter, a number of publishers' editors, members of parliament, and policy advisers in the Treasury, the Education Ministry and the State Services Commission.

What these people learned in their English degree impressed employers looking for people who could read, write, speak and think clearly, effectively and creatively.

Entry criteria

Admission to UC with University Entrance, or equivalent, is required to enrol for a Bachelor's degree. Applicants must have completed New Zealand University Entrance through NCEA; or Cambridge International Examinations (CIE); or International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) or any other equivalent overseas qualification.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.