Department of English Studies | MA English Literary Studies

MA English Literary Studies at Durham University

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Explore your love of the written word while focusing on a particular area of interest, be it themes, genres or a specific period of time.

As a lover of the written word, our MA English Literary Studies offers you the freedom to explore a wide range of themes, genres and periods of time in Literature. You can choose to study a named pathway, or to designate your own area of study within the broad MA.

We have a commitment to research-led teaching which is carried out by globally renowned scholars. The breadth and depth of activity in the Department fosters a lively learning environment and offers plenty of opportunities to follow your own interests or explore new areas of study.

You will select three modules from a broad range of themes and genres from Old Norse to TS Eliot and from Women & the Novel in the Eighteenth Century to Contemporary US Crime Fiction to Modernism & Touch. You can further tailor the course to your interests through your choice of dissertation.

Your studies will benefit from the work taking place in research centres and institutes within Durham University, such as the Institute for Medieval & Early Modern Studies, the Centre for Poetry & Poetics, the Centre for Modern Conflicts & Cultures and the Institute for Medical Humanities.

We offer this MA course as a one-year full-time option or through part-time study over two years. The flexibility and broad choice mean you will be able to study fields of Literature that interest you and give you the greatest pleasure, all within a learning framework that supports your work.

The Department’s reputation for the quality and intellectual rigour of its teaching means students are in possession of skills and experience that are much sought after by potential employers around the world.

Our postgraduates are equipped with highly transferable skills and the ability to analyse, assess and communicate knowledge effectively. Many choose to take these newly acquired abilities into professional roles in sectors including arts and theatre management, broadcasting, publishing and journalism, business, accounting, marketing and advertising, teaching, higher education, law, third sector and government positions. Others choose to continue their academic study at a higher level.

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