Welsh and English Literature BA (Hons) Undergraduate - September 2025/26* Entry

Wales has two major literatures, in two languages, with a long and rich history. This is a course for those who want to study the two traditions in parallel: in England and Wales from medieval times to the present, and also in the rest of Britain and around the world. As you read, research and write, you will develop analytical and critical skills relevant to a wide range of careers. 
 
The Welsh language at Bangor is a living language for this century and the next, without forgetting its long history. Here you will have the opportunity to not only study and enjoy one of the most remarkable Celtic literatures in the world, but also to pursue more practical modules that will prepare you for a career and the world of work. In Welsh and English, this course will enable you to research independently, to practise original thinking, to gain an intimate knowledge of literatures and cultures and to master various language registers. Our lecturers include world-renowned creative writers, in both languages, and, if you wish, you can take modules led by these experienced novelists, playwrights and poets. 

You will also gain an awareness of Welsh and English in wide international contexts. What is the relationship of Welsh to the other languages of the world? What is ‘world literature’? How have writers and poets responded to global themes such as slavery, the Holocaust and the ecological challenge of the modern industrial world? From the earliest times to the present, the choice of modules is wide and the opportunities to broaden your horizons are endless.

A BA course such as this gives you much more than a certificate: it is a complete cultural and intercultural experience that will enable you to play a professional role in the excitement of a truly bilingual Wales. You can study literatures and cultures alongside language studies, on a rigorous academic course relevant to the social and linguistic needs of Wales. Our graduates work in areas such as the civil service, public relations, marketing, local government, broadcasting, publishing, teaching, translation, the arts and heritage.   

Why choose Bangor University for this course?

• Lecturers with international profiles, both academic and creative.
• Taught in small groups, which allows due attention to you and your work.
• Active theatre and poetry groups, both at university and in the wider community.

Additional Course Options

The teaching is through lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops. You will write essays, undertake various weekly exercises and tasks, read, and prepare for seminars. Assessment is a combination of coursework and examinations, with some modules assessed solely on the basis of coursework. Your modules each year will be equivalent to 120 credits, and you will usually take half of these in English Literature, and half pertaining to Welsh. 
 
The first year will be an opportunity to build on your experiences and open new doors: e.g. discussing the Welsh language in contexts relating to its history and present-day state, learning new critical skills and responding originally to literature old and new, in both languages. You can choose from a wide range of modules in your second and third years: e.g., the novel from Daniel Owen and Charles Dickens to Manon Steffan Ros and Zadie Smith; the Welsh theatre; Romantic literature; experimental writing; modern poetry and eisteddfod odes; from Dafydd ap Gwilym to the Mabinogion; from Beowulf to Shakespeare - or why not study Welsh American culture and even ask "What is Literature?" Language modules range from historical to sociological, from the opportunity to learn Irish and Breton to modules that develop professional Welsh language skills in the workplace and also creative skills. In the third year you will write a dissertation and research a topic which you find particularly interesting. Recent topics selected have focused on individuals such as Dafydd ap Gwilym, Kate Roberts, Mihangel Morgan, Angharad Tomos, Caryl Lewis, Meic Stevens and Geraint Jarman and areas such as eco-criticism, gender and transgender, the language of Pembrokeshire, Welsh literature and slavery and even literature and horses or football in literature.   

Modules for the current academic year

Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Welsh and English Literature BA (Hons) Modules page.

Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.

General University Requirements

To study for a degree, you’ll be asked for a minimum of UCAS Tariff points. For a fuller explanation of the UCAS Tariff Points, please see www.ucas.com.

We accept students with a wide range of qualifications and backgrounds and consider each application individually.

All students need to have good basic skills and the University also values IT and communication skills.

As part of the University’s policy, we consider applications from prospective disabled students on the same grounds as all other students.

We also consider applications from mature students who can demonstrate the motivation and commitment to study a university programme. Each year we enrol a significant number of mature students. For more information about studying as a mature student, see our Studying at Bangor section of the website.

EU and International Students' Entry Requirements

For detailed guidance on the entry requirements for EU and International Students, including the minimum English Language entry requirement, please visit the Entry Requirements by Country pages. International applicants can also visit the International Education Centre section of our website for further details.

Bangor University offers International Incorporated Bachelor Degrees for International students whose High School qualification is not equivalent to the UK school leaving qualification. The first year (or Year 0) is studied at Bangor University International College, an embedded College on our University campus and delivered by Oxford International Education Group.

There has never been a more exciting time to study Welsh at Bangor, as an individual subject or in tandem with another field such as English Literature. There has never been more demand for a workforce that can use Welsh at senior professional levels. The goal is clear, it has been set by the Welsh Government: a million Welsh speakers by 2050 and a truly bilingual Wales.  
 
In pursuit of that aim, there will be a great need for confident Welsh-speaking graduates, who can use their language skills in flexible ways, who can think analytically and use their languages - both orally and in writing - in various work situations.  
 
The remarkable professional success of our students in employment - and their varied careers - already proves how entirely relevant this course is to the requirements of contemporary Wales. A proportion of our graduates are attracted into education, to be primary and secondary teachers, headteachers, education officers and directors of education. Others go into further education and to become university lecturers. Teaching Welsh for adults is also a key area. Television and digital and print media - including the BBC centre in Bangor - offer a cross-section of interesting jobs and have attracted other alumni into book publishing, creative writing and television scripting, public relations and marketing. There is also continuing demand for bilingual administrators and local government officers. And without the presence of Bangor's Welsh graduates, the translation industry would be quite different. 

And present day graduates also have every right to aim high. The National Library of Wales, The National Theatre of Wales, Cwmni Da (one of Wales' largest production companies), the Welsh Parliament’s Translation and Reporting Service and Anglesey Council - what do they have in common? Bangor's Welsh graduates have reached the top of their professional careers in them and are at the helm in each of these organisations.      

Opportunities at Bangor

The University’s Careers and Employability Service provides a wide range of resources to help you achieve your graduate ambitions. 

Internships

Bangor University runs a paid internship scheme within the university’s academic and service departments.

Student Volunteering

Volunteering widens your experience and improves your employability. Find out more about volunteering on the Students’ Union’s website.