BA English and Music

Programme overview

Entry requirements

Entry Requirements are available on the Course Search entry

Programme specification

The information on this page is accurate for students entering the programme in 2022/2023 or before. For students entering the programme from September 2023 or after, you can find the details of your programme: BA English and Music(For students entering from September 2023 onwards)

English and Music is a diverse degree that allows you to engage with a variety of literature and music spanning a broad range of periods, cultures and themes. The combination of these two subject areas will allow you to develop advanced academic skills including critical analysis, interpretation, and research. You'll also have the chance to enhance practical skills in music composition, performance, and creative writing.

You'll study a wide variety of texts, both fiction and non-fiction, developing an understanding of the relationships between meaning, interpretation and language. You will also have the opportunity to focus on areas of music such as musicology, performance, composition or music technology.

Our impressive range of academic expertise means that you have the opportunity to choose from a variety of optional modules, tailoring your degree to suit your interests and career aspirations. You could study historical literature from Medieval to Victorian, influential writers from Shakespeare to Jane Austen, or explore language in the context of power or gender. In music, you could choose to explore a musicology topic linked to an area of staff expertise.

Facilities

We have plenty of resources to enhance your academic experience. Our world-class Brotherton Library boasts unique manuscript, archive and early printed material in its Special Collections. The University Library also offers a comprehensive training programme that will enable you to make the most of our extensive library resources.

Take a look around our libraries:

Brotherton Library
Laidlaw Library
Edward Boyle Library

The School of Music has purpose-built practice rooms, extensive rehearsal facilities, studio spaces, a music psychology lab, percussion instruments and plenty of specialist computing facilities. Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall, also on campus, hosts a varied programme of concerts during term time, all free to students.

The University and School also have a close partnership with Opera North, as well as hosting the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, and the University of Leeds International Concert Series.

Year 1

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

At Level 1, students are required to take 120 credits, with a minimum of 40 credits in both English and Music.

Compulsory Modules

They must take the following core modules: Basket 1:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL1065	Reading Between the Lines	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL1110	Literature, Culture and Critique	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS1001	Music and Society	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MUS1002	Materials of Music	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Optional Modules

Level 1 students may select up to two of the following English option modules:

Basket 2:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL1070	Drama: Text and Performance	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL1221	Modern Fictions in English: Conflict, Liminality, Translation	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL1261	Poetry: Reading and Interpretation	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL1855	Race, Writing and Decolonization	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Level 1 students may select up to two of the following Music option modules:

Basket 3:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MUS1131	Talking About Pop Music: Discourse and Debates in Popular Music	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS1132	Film Music	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS1151	Introduction to the Psychology of Music	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS1161	Studio Recording	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS1211	The Music Industries	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS1221	Creating Music	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS1231	Film Music	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS1232	Talking About Pop Music: Discourse and Debates in Popular Music	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS1241	Collaborative Performance	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS1341	Performance Studies	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Discovery Modules

Candidates may take up to 40 credits of Discovery modules in place of two of the option modules above.

Year 2

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

To be eligible for a joint honours award, students must pass at least 40 credits at level 2 in each of the named subjects.

Compulsory Modules

Students must take the following core module:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MUS2001	Researching Music	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Optional Modules

Students must take at least 20 credits of English modules per semester, with a minimum of 40 credits for the academic year. They should select no more than 80 credits of English modules.

Students must select at least one of the following modules. They may also select both options, if preferred

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL2030	Writing Environments: Literature, Nature, Culture	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL2045	Body Language: Literature and Embodiment	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Student may also select one or more modules from the options below, to fulfil the minimum requirement of 20 credits of English modules per semester.
Students can select a maximum of one module (20 credits) per basket.
Basket 1:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL2029	Renaissance Literature	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL2144	Life, Love and Death from Chaucer to Marlowe	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 2:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL2065	Postcolonial Literature	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL2090	Modern Literature	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 3:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL2095	Other Voices: Rethinking Nineteenth-Century Literature	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL2096	The World Before Us: Literature 1660–1830	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 4:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL2055	American Words, American Worlds	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL2080	Contemporary Literature	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 5: Please note that some of the modules in this basket have pre-requisites for enrolment.

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL2034	Cursing and Courtesy: (im)politeness in English	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL2037	Forensic Approaches to Language	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL2042	Language Policy, Planning, and Politics	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL2049	Language of the Media	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL2051	Language in Society	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 6: Please note that some of the modules in this basket have pre-requisites for enrolment

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL2023	Power of Language	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL2032	Children, Talk and Learning	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL2033	Crime Fiction Stylistics: Crossing Languages, Culture, Media	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL2039	Keywords: the words we use and the ways we use them	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL2047	Trial Discourse: The Proceedings of the Old Bailey 1674-1913	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL2048	Dialect Hunting	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL2143	Writing in the Age of Digital Media and AI	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL2181	Digital Discourse: language, social media, AI	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Students select at least 1 and up to 3 Music option modules from baskets 7, 8, 9 or 10 (no more than 2 options from any single basket)

Basket 7:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MUS2111	Marketing for the Music Industry	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS2131	Creating Screen Music and Sound	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS2132	Cultures of Performance	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS2133	Music and Politics	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS2135	Aesthetics and Criticism	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS2151	Psychology of Listening and Performance	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 8:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MUS2231	Music, Sound, and Media	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS2232	Music and Meaning	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS2234	The Musician's Toolbox: Theory in Practice	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS2241	Collaborative Performance	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS2242	Conducting and Musical Directing	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS2261	Applied Music Technology	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 9:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MUS2321	Composition	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MUS2331	Opera North: Opera in Practice	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MUS2341	Performance	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Basket 10:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
FOAH2020	Towards the Future: Skills in Context	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
HIST2240	Hands on Heritage	20	Not running in 202627
HIST2260	Digital Methods for History, Art and Literature	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Optional modules run subject to enrolments. These modules may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Discovery Modules

Students may also take up to 20 credits of Discovery modules.

Level 2 students may take up to 40 credits of Discovery modules or a module from Basket 10 in place of English or Music options, provided they have fulfilled the programme requirements to take at least 40 credits in both JH subjects.

Year 3

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable

To be eligible for a joint honours award, students must pass at least 40 credits at level 3 in each of the named subjects. Your Final Year Project counts as 40 credits on one side of your degree.

Optional Modules

Students will be required to study ONE of the following three core modules: Basket 1:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL3005	Textual Editing Project	40	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
ENGL3041	Final Year Project	40	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP
MUS3001	Independent Research Project	40	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)	PFP

Please note that modules which run over both semesters 1 & 2 will have the credits divided equally between the two semesters.

Students may choose up to 40 credits of specialist research modules in English from Baskets 2 and 3, provided they have met the requirement to study at least 40 credits of Music modules. The list provided below is indicative and is subject to change year by year depending on staff availability:
Basket 2:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL3031	Sex and Suffering in the Eighteenth-Century Novel	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3033	Writing and Gender in Seventeenth-Century England	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3034	Romantic Lyric Poetry	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3037	Speech Acts: Contemporary Approaches to Text and Performance	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3046	Parts, Periodicals, Newspapers: Literature and the Nineteenth-Century Press	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3073	Turks, Moors and Jews: Race and Identity in Early Modern Drama	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3114	Forming Victorian Fiction	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3321	Angry Young Men and Women: Literature of the Mid-Twentieth Century	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3477	Cursing and Courtesy: (im)politeness in English	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3479	Forensic Approaches to Language	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3482	Language Policy, Planning, and Politics	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3491	Language of the Media	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3579	Law and Literature: Transgression, Justice, and Interpretation	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
ENGL3680	Postcolonial London	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
FOAH3001	Global African Writing	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Students may choose up to 40 credits from Basket 3, provided they have chosen a minimum of 40 credits of Music modules at Level 3. Note that the list is indicative, and may change year by year.
Basket 3:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
ENGL3008	Writing Modern Sexualities	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3027	Shakespeare	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3061	Heart Disease in Contemporary Literature	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3062	Charles Dickens Then & Now	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3068	African American Narrative	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3072	Narratives of Witchcraft and Magic	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3164	Imagining Posthuman Futures	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3181	Digital Discourse: language, social media, AI	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL32111	Gender, Culture and Politics: Readings of Jane Austen	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3391	September 11 in Fact and Fiction	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3394	Bowie, Reading, Writing	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3396	Fictions of the End: Apocalypse and After	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3462	Slavery and Antislavery in the Atlantic Imagination	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3475	Children, Talk and Learning	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3476	Crime Fiction Stylistics: Crossing Languages, Culture, Media	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3481	Keywords: the words we use and the ways we use them	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3485	Trial Discourse: The Proceedings of the Old Bailey 1674-1913	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
ENGL3489	Dialect Hunting	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Students may choose from a list of specialist research modules in Music, provided they have met the requirement to study at least 40 credits of English modules at Level 3.
Basket 4:

Code	Title	Credits	Semester	Pass for Progression
MUS3003	Music in Our World	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MUS3121	The Professional Composer	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS3132	Cultures of Performance	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS3133	Music and Politics	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS3134	Questioning Music: Critical Theory for Musicology	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS3151	Advancing Music Psychology	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS3161	Creative Music Technology	20	Semester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MUS3211	Digital Marketing for the Music Industries	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS3231	Music, Sound, and Media	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS3232	Music and Meaning	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS3234	The Musician's Toolbox: Theory in Practice	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS3241	Collaborative Performance	20	Semester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MUS3331	Opera North: Opera in Practice	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MUS3342	Advanced Performance	20	Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.

Discovery Modules

Students may also take up to 20 credits of Discovery modules.

Last updated: 12/05/2026 17:13:38

Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team