About the Department

We are widely recognised as one of the leading Departments of English Literature in the UK, and, with almost thirty full-time academic staff, we are one of the largest and most active, too. Among the members of the Department are a number of people from other countries such as­ USA, Canada, Ireland, Greece, Mexico, and Jamaica. Their presence contributes to the distinctive profile of English Literature at Glasgow.

In the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, the School of which English Literature forms a central part was rated as 5*, the highest grade attainable. In recent years, the Department has developed a strong reputation for creative writing and interdisciplinary study to add to its prior distinction across the range of English studies. Now we cater equally for students wishing to study all aspects of English and American literature from the early modern period onwards, and students interested in exploring the links between, for example, literature and science, philosophy, technology, and visual culture.

English Literature is a very popular choice among students at Glasgow University and currently around 1500 undergraduate students take courses with us, in any given year, including 400 at Honours Level. In recent years, the Department has also worked to create a large and lively graduate community, with about 100 students now studying on a range of Taught Master’s and PhD degrees. A high proportion of undergraduate students proceed to do research in the Department, and many have been successful in attracting AHRC funding for their projects.