- Head, Rare Books and Special Collections, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, UBC
- Senior Designer, Next Devices and Experiences, Microsoft
- Director, Partnerships and Partner Relations, WE
- Vancouver Bureau Chief, National News, CTV
- Copy Director, Aritzia
- Senior Communications and Reporting Specialist, Teck Resources
- Senior Communications Manager, Doctors of British Columbia
- Executive Director, Office of the President, Simon Fraser University
- Vice President, Global Brand Marketing, Jack Morton Worldwide
Get a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time Ä¢¹½´«Ã½international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all .
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Arts website to learn more about English.
Program 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
- Honours This option has additional requirements compared to those required in a Major specialization. Students must maintain high academic standing and may have to write a graduating thesis.
- Yes
- Co-op Co-op is an optional program where students alternate between academic terms and paid work terms. It’s an opportunity to gain relevant job experience while completing your degree.
- Yes
- Faculty
- Faculty of Arts
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts
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.
Experiential learning and research
As an English student, you can choose to take your learning in any number of directions:
- Seminars:Â Attend student-centred seminars with opportunities for independent research.
- Student-directed seminars:Â 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:Â Gain real-world experience with experiential learning opportunities in First Nations communities, literary collectives, local high schools, and more.
- Book history courses:Â 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
- Ä¢¹½´«Ã½Library’sÂ
- , Canada’s pre-eminent social science publisher
- , UBC’s student newspaper
- , UBC’s undergraduate English journal
Program advantages
As an English student, you will have small class sizes (fewer than 50 students per class) with dozens of electives to choose from, including Shakespeare Now, Medieval Tolkien, Fantasy Fiction, Victorian Fairy Tales, Literary Forgeries, and more.
You will learn from award-winning faculty, including Killam Teaching Prize winners, Royal Society of Canada members, University Research Chairs, and Canada Research Chairs.
Courses
There are hundreds of courses you can take within this program. Here are a few you might like.
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.
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 Ä¢¹½´«Ã½was 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 M., 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 Ä¢¹½´«Ã½Sauder 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 Ä¢¹½´«Ã½in 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 Ä¢¹½´«Ã½students walk you through UBC’s residences, study spots, recreational facilities, lecture halls, academic buildings, and more.
Related programs
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Arts website to learn more about English.
Get a post-graduate work permit for up to three years if you are a full-time Ä¢¹½´«Ã½international student graduating from a bachelor’s degree program and meet all .
Want to learn more?
Visit the Faculty of Arts website to learn more about English.