English Literature and Philosophy (Joint Honours)

I very nearly switched to an English Literature and Philosophy degree (I followed a philosophy option in my first year), but it would have meant I would miss out on some english options that I wanted to do, so I'm glad I didn't in the end. They definitely do compliment each other - I remember a particular part of the course where we looked at philosophical novels, like Camus, and it was really interesting to talk about the philosophical in a literary light, if you see what I mean! As for 'missing out on a fair bit', it depends on the course. Have a look at the structure of the degree scheme - at my particular uni, taking philosophy options meant I wouldn't be able to study early modern literature, which I wanted to take. But it might be different at your uni.

English Literature is definitely not considered a Mickey Mouse degree. That term was coined by jealous scientists Something like 50% of graduate jobs don't require a specific subject, they just want any degree. There are plenty of transferable skills that you will pick up. What's more important is whether you would enjoy the subject enough to study it for three years, not what the stereotypical image of what a literature student is. The same goes with philosophy.

Thanks steerpike, that's really helpful. I haven't decided which unis to go for. Where do you study? Most do joint honours and some actually have a degree tailored for English Lit and Philosophy. I haven't ever read philosophical texts in great depth (just at A level). Can you recommend any books?

I've heard that employers aren't too fussed. I suppose it helps if you're aiming for something specific though. I have no idea what I want to do when I leave university. Surely some degrees are held in higher regard than others? Someone said that degrees such as English, History, Philosophy etc. are only really worth while if you're going to go into teaching or something. Surely that can't be true?