Department of English Studies | Masters by Research (MA) English Literary Studies

Masters by Research (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.

Our staff's research expertise includes Medieval Poetry, Drama, Myth & Romance; Eighteenth & Nineteenth Century English Literature; American Literature; Twentieth Century Poetry & Fiction and Critical Theory. We especially encourage applications in the following fields: The Reception of Classical Texts; Medieval Literature & Culture; Renaissance Literature; Eighteenth & Nineteenth-Century English Literature; Romantic Poetry, Fiction, Political Writing & Aesthetic Theory; Victorian Fin-de-Siècle & Edwardian Writing; Postmodernism, Literary Hermeneutics and Ideas of Authorship.

• You will be assigned a principal supervisor and an Advisor with whom you will work out your research programme. We will be pleased to discuss your interests with you before you apply;
• You will be expected to meet regularly with your supervisor(s) to discuss your progress;
• You will produce a piece of work of 5,000 words during your first year (during your second year for part-time students) which will be read by a member of staff other than your supervisor(s) as a check on progress;
• You will be encouraged to work towards your goals to achieve completion within a given period;
• Each July you will submit a joint annual progress report with your supervisor(s);
• You will be examined by an internal and external examiner when you submit your thesis.

We encourage research students to attend conferences and to present papers and the Department will provide some financial support for such activities whenever possible.

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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