- guardian.co.uk, Thursday 1 May 2008 01.09 BST
What will I learn?
Judging by the reading lists that accompany most English literature courses, you'll acquaint yourself with a large number of authors during your degree.
You will study a broad range of genres, topics and writers, from Shakespeare to Rushdie and quite a few in between.
You'll spend hours reading, discussing and writing about books and writers, but you will also be expected to analyse literature, know the genre and be able to put what you've read into some form of social and historical context.
There should be an opportunity to specialise, so if you have a penchant for women writers from the 19th century, or Irish poetry you could get the chance to study them in greater detail.
Linguistics is another subject usually found in English departments. Linguists are more concerned with the specific aspects of language - such as sound, grammar and meaning - rather than the creative use of it, so you'll be investigation how languages differ, how language relates to thought and how we understand it both in written and spoken form, for example.
English can easily be taken as a joint honours subject, so you could tie it in with linguistics, drama, history, creative writing or media studies.
What skills will I get?
By the time you're through you will have been exposed to a vast array of writers and should be able to respond to and articulate your thoughts and opinions on them. You should also be able to develop an argument, critique texts and have an appreciation of the different styles in which authors wrote, and continue to write.
Having spent the past three years discussing texts and commentary with your classmates and lecturers and writing essays, you'll have good communication skills. If you've been able to study a few modules in creative writing, you will have developed some more practical skills.
You will need to read a lot of books, which can be a solitary affair. But time curled up on the sofa or in the library will have sharpened your time-management skills and your ability to work on your own.
And if you've studied the romantics, just think how many great chat-up lines you'll be able to wow your new work colleagues with.
What job can I get?
Unless you've incorporated some creative writing on to your degree, English isn't a particularly vocational option, which leaves the door wide open on the job front.
Journalism would seem an obvious choice for those with a love of words. It may sound snobbish, but English graduates are still favoured in this area of work above those who leave university with media degrees.
Graduates will also be well placed for a career in publishing, law or marketing - so consider applying for graduate training schemes. With further study you could educate others by becoming a teacher.
What will look good on my CV?
· An ability to communicate effectively
· To exercise independent thought and judgment
· To plan and execute essays, reports and project work.
· For the full range of skills you can develop through a degree in English click here ( pdf) and for linguistics click here (pdf).
