Publishing
Books, editors, rights.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Academic rigor74
Selectivity58
Employability52
Creativity88
Math intensity12
People-facing50
LessMore
Each bar is a 0-100 atlas score for this topic, not a timeline.
- 011
- 022
- 033
- 044
Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick facts
4 yearsTypical bachelor
Humanities & MediaField
12Math intensity
52Employability*
50People-facing*
58Selectivity*
English literature trains close reading across centuries — form, history and the arguments texts still pick with us. Seminar talk is graded; plot summary is not a method.
Libraries, rare-book rooms and writing centres matter more than labs. Assessment is essays and sometimes creative portfolios; overnight studio culture belongs to other majors.
Outcomes include teaching, writing, publishing, media and further study. Relative scores among forty majors only.
The profile
- Academic rigor74
- Selectivity58
- Employability52
- Creativity88
- Math intensity12
- People-facing50
Employability signal
Typical bachelor years: 4
Scores are relative across the forty majors on this site — not absolute rankings of universities.
Popularity & Demand →74Academic rigor
58Selectivity
52Employability
88Creativity
12Math intensity
50People-facing
Industries this major feeds
Sectors where graduates and research from this field show up most often — plates from Wikimedia Commons.
Creative industries
Novels, scripts, teaching.
Copy & content
Words that sell and explain.
Teaching literature
Classrooms and curricula.
People who shaped the field
Checkable figures whose work still frames how the discipline is taught and practised.
Shakespeare
Dramatist
1564–1616
Attributed to John Taylor · Public domain
Virginia Woolf
Modernist novelist
1882–1941
George Charles Beresford / Adam Cuerden · Public domain
Chinua Achebe
African novel
1930–2013
Carlo Bavagnoli · Public domain
Toni Morrison
Nobel novelist
1931–2019
John Mathew Smith ( celebrity-photos.com ) · CC BY-SA 2.0Seven ways into this major
Compare with neighbours
Same-field head-to-heads built from the six score axes.
Frequently asked questions
What do you study in English Literature?
Close reading — Close reading trains the habits english literature depends on — not trivia for exams, but reusable technique for later studios, labs or clinics.
What does a English Literature career path look like?
Foundation years — 0–2 — Build vocabulary and habits; seek near-peer tutoring before gaps compound.
How should I prepare for English Literature?
Practise the entry craft — Problem sets, portfolios, essays or auditions that mirror first-year reality — not only entrance exams.
How long does a typical English Literature degree take?
Most bachelor pathways run about 4 years of full-time study, though professionally accredited or longer first degrees can exceed that, and some systems split into 3+2 Bologna structures.
Is English Literature mostly theoretical or practical?
Expect both. Foundations lean theoretical; later years push seminar rooms, libraries and writing centres. The balance depends on accreditation and department culture.
Do I need strong mathematics?
Math intensity on this site is scored 12/100 relative to other majors. That is a signal, not a gate — check the specific programme's calculus and statistics requirements.
How selective is entry?
Selectivity here is 58/100 relative to the other majors catalogued — a composite of typical grade barriers and competition, not a single exam cut-off.
What communities should I join?
Start with the departmental society, then look for national student chapters and one serious online forum where practitioners share primary sources rather than memes.
Similar majors
Why labels are thematic — not a ranking of better majors.
Scores are browsing aids for curriculum and career lanes, not a league table of worth.
🏺
History
Evidence from the dead — archives, argument and the politics of which past gets told.
Employability 54 Same field neighbour
💭
Philosophy
Arguments about mind, value, knowledge and reality — clarity as a professional habit.
Employability 48 Same field neighbourMore in Humanities & Media
🏺
History
Evidence from the dead — archives, argument and the politics of which past gets told.
Employability 54 💭Philosophy
Arguments about mind, value, knowledge and reality — clarity as a professional habit.
Employability 48 🗣️Linguistics
How language works — sound, structure, meaning and the societies that speak.
Employability 62 📰Journalism
Verification under deadline — reporting, ethics and the infrastructures that carry news.
Employability 58