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Visit the Faculty of Arts website to learn more about English.
View full program detailsProgram information
Choose to major in English Literature, English Language, or Language and Literature. As an English student, you’ll study the history and structure of English, rhetoric and discourse, literary studies, and much more.
Program overview
- Campus
- Vancouver
- Program length
- 4 years
- Faculty
- Faculty of Arts
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- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts
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What you'll learn
As an English major, you’ll study literature written in English from around the world – from the earliest medieval riddles to contemporary slam poetry. You’ll also have the opportunity to study the English language: its roots, its patterns, and its uses in politics and social media. If you’re an English major or honours student, you’ll encounter the past and present of imaginative literature and understand how our language makes meaning. You’ll learn to read intelligently, to write lucidly, to imagine and to understand cultures, to work in teams, to ask good questions, and to learn independently.
|As an English student on UBC’s Vancouver campus, you’ll have access to key on-campus resources, including:
- Buchanan Tower lounges and offices
- UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections
- UBC Press, Canada’s pre-eminent social science publisher
- The Ubyssey, UBC’s student newspaper
- The Garden Statuary, UBC’s undergraduate English journal
Experiential learning and research
As an English student, you can choose to take your learning in any number of directions:
- Seminars: Attend student-centred seminars with opportunities for independent research.
- Student-directed seminars: Take the seminar experience one step further and design your own course!
- Honours thesis: Write an undergraduate thesis, working one-on-one with a professor.
- Community engagement courses: Gain real-world experience with experiential learning opportunities in First Nations communities, literary collectives, local high schools, and more.
- Book history courses: Learn how to use a printing press in a book history course.
Campus features
As an English student on UBC’s Vancouver campus, you’ll have access to key on-campus resources, including:
- Buchanan Tower lounges and offices
- UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections
- UBC Press, Canada’s pre-eminent social science publisher
- The Ubyssey, UBC’s student newspaper
- The Garden Statuary, UBC’s undergraduate English journal
Program advantages
Small class sizes (fewer than 50 students per class) Capstone seminars for all majors Dozens of electives to choose from, including Shakespeare Now, Medieval Tolkien, Fantasy Fiction, Victorian Fairy Tales, Literary Forgeries, and more
Most popular courses
Critical consideration of a broad range of commonly held beliefs about language and its relation to the brain and cognition, learning, society, change and evolution. Note: This is an elective course that does not fulfill writing requirements in any faculty or the literature requirement in the Faculty of Arts
The major types of American writing: fiction, poetry, drama and non-fictional prose
Exploration of the persuasive dimension of discourse practices in science, technology, and medicine
Offers advanced study of ecocritical theory and its application to Canadian literature, including Indigenous authors
Outcomes
As an English graduate, you’ll be culturally literate, imaginative, well read, articulate, and able to confidently communicate, analyze, synthesize, and create. UBC’s English graduates go on to find jobs in secondary and post-secondary education, journalism, new media, technology, advertising, library sciences, government, politics, law, business, and not-for-profits. Some start their own businesses. Some run for elected office. The sky’s the limit!
Program graduates
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“My undergraduate career at UBC was a wonderful preparation for graduate school. I was able to walk into an actual graduate seminar without being intimidated by the idea of leading a discussion or presenting my ideas to a small, yet discerning, group of students and professors.”
Stephanie McGee, English
Take action & plan
Program requirements
Choose application type:
English-language requirements
English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.
General admission requirements
IB Diploma Programme
- Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.
IB Certificate Courses
- IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
- IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the UBC Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.
Degree-specific requirements: Arts
- No specific courses required beyond those needed for general admission
Related courses
The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in your junior year and senior year.
- Language Arts
- Mathematics and Computation
- Second Languages
- Social Studies
- Visual and Performing Arts
Want to get a feel for campus?
If you’re unable to visit UBC in person, or you just want to get a sneak peek at your new home campus before you arrive, take one of our virtual tours. Current UBC students walk you through UBC’s residences, study spots, recreational facilities, lecture halls, academic buildings, and more.
Related programs
Get a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time UBC international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all eligibility criteria.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Arts website to learn more about English.
View full program details