MA English Literature
- Programme director
- Justin Edwards
- Programme length
- Full-time: 12 months, Part-time: 24 months
- Programme start date
- September 2013
Ideal for students wishing to pursue doctoral research and for those who wish to achieve a broad overview of Anglophone literary culture.
Programme overview
This programme combines the internationally recognised research and teaching strengths of the School of English and Languages with provisions across the range of literary periods, from the medieval to the contemporary.
The programme is designed to equip you with a critical understanding of English literary studies and respond to significant questions: How have ideas about literature and literary value changed over time? What effects do innovations in printing and publishing have on writing? To what extent do political and social factors condition and define authorial identities and practices?
The MA in English Literature invites students to reflect on such questions and to consider the relationship between literatures from a variety of historical periods, regions, contexts and theoretical paradigms. The programme will be ideal for both those who intend to pursue doctoral research and those who wish to achieve a broad overview of anglophone literary culture.
Entry requirements
Entry is open to applicants with a UK first or 2.1 honours degree or equivalent in English literature or a related subject. Where students do not have a 2.1 in English literature or a related field, the Department/ School will make a decision on the basis of submitted written work and an interview.
English language requirements
IELTS minimum overall: 6.5
IELTS minimum by component:
Reading: 6.0
Writing: 7.0
Speaking: 6.0
Listening: 6.0
We offer intensive English language pre-sessional courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
Fees and funding
All fees are subject to increase or review for subsequent academic years. Please note that not all visa routes permit part-time study and overseas students entering the UK on a Tier 4 visa will not be permitted to study on a part-time basis.
| Programme name | Study mode | Start date | UK/EU fees | Overseas fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA English Literature | Full-time | Sept 2013 | £4,765 | £12,130 |
| MA English Literature | Part-time | Sept 2013 | £2,385 | £6,065 |
Programme content
Compulsory Modules
- Research Skills
- Literary Scholarship and Creativity
- English Literature Dissertation (15,000 words)
Optional Modules
Students have an opportunity to choose from a range of optional modules offered by the Department of English and other programmes in the School of English and Languages.
Particular strengths in Surrey’s English programme include: 19th-Century Literature and Culture; Contemporary Literature and Culture; Transnational and World Literatures in English; Postcolonial Studies; Travel Writing; Creative Writing; as well as theories of gender and sexuality.
Students would normally be offered modules suited to these areas of strength. But modules such as Advanced Studies in 19th-Century Literature and Culture, Advanced Studies in 20th and 21st-Century Literature and Culture might be combined with Special Author tutorials or Open Essays (in which a student chooses a specific topic and is guided by an expert in the field).
Where appropriate, students will also have the option of choosing modules offered by the MA in Creative Writing and other MA programmes in the School.
The MA in English Literature provides both structure and flexibility, combining specially designed core modules with the opportunity to select further options from across the range of MA subjects and topics in the Department of English.
The core modules – Research Skills, and Literary Scholarship and Creativity – both consider how texts have been produced, disseminated and received throughout history, and examine how this kind of historical enquiry might influence our own textual interpretations.
Students will then have an opportunity to choose from a range of optional modules that focus on specific periods, theoretical paradigms or individual authors.
Provision is in small group seminars and/or one-on-one tutorials and supervisions.
Assessment
With the exception of the dissertation proposal and the dissertation itself, the 15-credit modules will normally be assessed by a 3,000 word essay.
Department links
Contact us
For general enquiries
0800 980 3200 or +44 (0)1483 681 681
For admissions enquiries
+44 (0)1483 681 681