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Can I do a bachelor (Sc) in politics and a MA in English literature

Can I do a postgraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature after having done a BSci in politics?

Can I also do a PhD in English Literature afterwards? Would this be beneficial for me if I want to go into PR, journalism, translation etc.?
Original post by ninjacaty
Can I do a postgraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature after having done a BSci in politics?

Can I also do a PhD in English Literature afterwards? Would this be beneficial for me if I want to go into PR, journalism, translation etc.?


Yes, you can, but it would then be a Master of Arts instead of a Bachelor's degree. Most UK unis don't have specific entry requirements for studying English literature, but more detail is always on the uni's website.

I don't think a PhD is particularly useful/necessary to go into PR, Journalism, or translation. A degree in English isn't a requirement for any of those areas, though of course it can be helpful - but so can degrees like politics, sociology, etc.
I think work experience is more important than a specific degree if you want to go into journalism. If you want to go into translation, there are usually specific degrees for that
Original post by ninjacaty
Can I do a postgraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature after having done a BSci in politics?

Can I also do a PhD in English Literature afterwards? Would this be beneficial for me if I want to go into PR, journalism, translation etc.?

If you're looking to do a postgraduate course, you're probably looking at a MA (Master of Arts) or MRes (Master of Research) as opposed to a BA (Batchelor of Arts). The BA is the undergraduate level course so you'd still then need to take an MA/MRes before moving on to a PhD.

Most Masters level courses will ask for an undergraduate degree in the subject you wish to study or 'a related discipline'. So you'd need to check with the universities you want to apply to whether they would consider politics to be a related discipline and eligible for admission to a Masters level English course.

MA/MRes English Literature would then allow you to take a PhD in English afterwards however I'm not sure that a PhD is the best route into the professions you have mentioned.

There are specialist postgraduate courses in journalism/media, for example, that might be better suited to a journalistic career. The National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) also runs a range of accredited courses that are particularly suited for newspaper journalism. Training in shorthand might also be useful, as will evidence of involvement in student-led, voluntary, or freelance journalism.You can find out more on getting into journalism at https://cioj.org/student-information/routes-into-journalism.

I think it's probably worth speaking to your university careers service about advice on getting into the professions you are interested in to get more information about entry routes, and to help you decide on whether further study is the best option for you.

Amy :smile:

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