Dive into the diversity of English literature and discover connections across popular culture and theory or hone your Creative Writing talent with our professional writers.
Explore fresh perspectives across the rich chronological span of English literature, or develop your talents in the field of Creative Writing, taught by professional writers respected within their chosen fields.
Top 100 worldwide
Globally, we’re positioned in the top 100 universities for the study of English Language and Literature (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021).
Research with impact
Placed 4th in the UK for research impact and 5th for research power in English Language and Literature (REF 2021).
Employability
93% of our postgraduate taught graduates were in employment and/or further study, due to start a new job or course, or doing other activities such as travelling, 15 months after the end of their course. (Graduate Outcomes survey 2020/21)
Cardiff was one of the first universities in the UK to offer a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing and over two decades we have prepared graduates for careers as writers and for positions in the publishing and communications industries, academia and arts administration.
Students on the PhD Critical and Cultural Theory receive supervision from academic staff with a long-standing commitment to excellence and diversity in research, who work at the forefront of pioneering research in critical and cultural theory.
Make a substantial and innovative contribution to knowledge about, and understandings of, literature and culture.
Our talks and videos
English Literature
Find out more about our MA English Literature.
Creative Writing
Find out more about our MA Creative Writing.
Discover our School
Get a glimpse of what it might be like to study with us in Cardiff.
The MA in English Literature at Cardiff was a great preparation for PhD study. The weekly Research Methods workshops and the MA Dissertation helped me to hone my critical voice. Similarly, the vast array of modules on offer introduced me to everything from the first poem written in English to a novel published in 2001. So, I’d recommend the MA to anyone!
We are committed to sharing the relevance of our research by bringing together academics, students and the local community. Our book group with a difference sparks a lively exchange between a community audience and academics who offer thought-provoking perspectives on chosen texts.
A trailblazer for Creative Writing in the UK, we nurture new talent with Open Mic nights. We regularly host Creative Writing Visiting Writers Series and curate an exciting Creative Industries Day each year.
Make your original contribution to knowledge in a thriving, internationally renowned research community. Our PhD offers a diverse range of research training plus the opportunity to gain teaching experience through our HEA-accredited ‘Learning to Teach’ programme.
Centrally located
Study in the heart of our leafy city centre campus at the John Percival Building, with easy access to the University’s magnificent Special Collections and Archives in the adjacent Arts and Social Sciences Library.
Explore intriguing contemporary issues, focussing on topics at the forefront of our specialisms.
Source: Contains HESA Data: Copyright Jisc 2023. Jisc cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from its data.