English Literature MA – 2023 entry

In a world of information overload and 'alternative facts', the ability to read between the lines is more valuable than ever. Studying English literature equips you with the skills to do this.

Our course will further your ability to analyse words and literary forms, deepening your knowledge of important literary periods, movements, authors and texts.

You'll benefit from the expertise of our academics who are leaders in their fields. They’ll inspire you to extend your understanding of literary history, genre and theory, introducing you to a variety of up-to-date approaches to literary studies.

You’ll be joining a course with a strong emphasis on contemporary, 21st-century literary forms and themes, and on literature and cultural production with an innovative, sometimes avant-garde dimension. The material you read (and possibly write) can therefore range from gaming narratives, screenplays, travel writing and experimental poetry to science fiction, children’s literature, neohistorical fiction and queer ecology.

At the same time, there is ample scope to study other periods and more traditional, canonical texts, for example from the medieval era or from the Victorian period. The programme also builds in plenty of flexibility (in its Open Writing modules, the dissertation and several other modules), giving you scope to home in on the topics and texts that most interest you. This means you can use the MA to lay down a good foundation for PhD study, or just to explore in depth a particular enthusiasm or fascination.

Please be aware: the course content and modules listed for this course are subject to change for the 2023/24 academic year, whilst we undertake a curriculum design review. Please contact the programme leader if you have any queries about the course.

For full-time students, the year falls into three main sections: Semester 1 (in the autumn), Semester 2 (in the spring), and then a summer period in which students write up their final dissertations or creative writing portfolios (usually submitted at the beginning of September). Part-time students typically study for two years, attending four semesters and writing up their dissertations/course work submissions in the summer of their second year.

Modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that modules may be subject to teaching availability, student demand and/or class size caps.

The University operates a credit framework for all taught programmes based on a 15-credit tariff. Modules can be either 15, 30, 45, 75 and 120 credits, and additionally for some masters dissertations, 90 credits.

The structure of our programmes follows clear educational aims that are tailored to each programme. These are all outlined in the programme specifications which include further details such as the learning outcomes:

Course timetables are normally available one month before the start of the semester. We usually run the English Literature MA and Creative Writing MA modules on Mondays and Tuesdays, but please note that we cannot always guarantee this, and scheduled teaching can potentially take place on any day of the week (Monday – Friday). Please therefore check with academic staff before the beginning of the academic year. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities. View our Code of practice for the scheduling of teaching and assessment (PDF).

Contact hours can vary across our modules. Full details of the contact hours for each module are available from the University of Surrey's module catalogue. See the modules section for more information.