Postgraduate Course
English Literature MA
Develop your expertise as a sophisticated reader and critic across a range of literary materials, while also developing valuable professional skills.
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Our English Literature MA is an opportunity to engage with a wide range of contemporary and historical texts to explore questions of intertextuality, adaptation, appropriation, tradition and literary inheritance. As well as studying texts in depth, you will go beyond this to consider their wider contexts and the interelationships between them. We also focus on investigating the concept of literary value, how it can be determined or disputed, and literature’s relationship to space and place.
York campus
- Duration – 1 year full time, 2 years part time
- Start date – September 2025, September 2026
- School – School of Humanities
Minimum entry requirements
2:2 honours degree in a related subject
Interview if your honours degree is in an unrelated subject
Tuition fees
UK 2025-26 £8,600 full time
International 2025-26 £11,800 full time
Course overview
This course will give you an in depth understanding not just of individual literary texts, but of how they relate to each other, to their wider literary and global context, and to our changing perceptions of literary value. The focus of the modules capitalises on the particular areas of expertise of our dynamic and supportive academic team, but they have also been developed in consultation with industry experts, to ensure your learning is relevant to many different potential career paths.
Rather than focusing on a particular form or period of writing, it allows you to explore texts across time, place and genre, and ask questions about literature as a broader concept. This means that when it comes to your final dissertation, you have free rein to focus on whatever genre, form, literary period or theme interests you most. For this extended project. You will be assigned a supervisor from our team, whose research expertise span a wide range of specialisms.
The English Literature department at York St John University has an established record of high levels of student satisfaction, and a reputation for being student-focused. As a student on this course you will be part of a vibrant postgraduate community, and an exciting research culture, with several active and welcoming research groups.
Our location in York means we can access local archives and repositories containing rare primary sources from the eighteenth century and earlier, such as York Minster Library and Archive and the Bar Convent Archive. We play a big part in York Literature Festival, which attracts an impressive range of authors and literary figures to the city. You can also get involved in events such as York International Shakespeare Festival, the Festival of Ideas, and the York Georgian Festival.
Follow us on Instagram at @wordsmatter_YSJ, or on X at @YSJLit.
Course structure
How you will study
You can study this postgraduate course full time or part time. This allows you to fit your studies around other commitments.
If you choose to study full time, the course will take 1 year to complete. You will:
- Study 2 compulsory modules in semester 1
- Study 2 compulsory modules in semester 2
- Focus on researching and writing your dissertation in semester 3
If you choose to study part time, the course will take 2 years to complete. The modules will be split across both years.
You can find out which modules are available in each term in the Course Specifications.
Modules
Credits: 30
Compulsory module
This is your introduction to studying English Literature at a postgraduate level, and to the debates that are central to the course. The focus will be on specific critical terms relating to studying Literature, and how they can be contested and debated. Especially if your undergraduate degree was not in Literature or a closely related subject, or if you have had a break from studying, this will build your confidence and ensure you have a solid understanding of the key concepts, approaches and theories needed to succeed at this level.
Credits: 30
Compulsory module
On this module you will read clusters of texts with intertextual connections, studying their relationship not as one of progress from past to present, but of dialogue, collaboration and critique across time. Sections of the module may focus on the legacies of a particular text or author, or focus on how works speak to one another along lines of form, genre or mode.We will interrogate concepts such as “originality”, “fidelity” and “influence”, and encourage you to consider texts not as fixed, but as open invitations for ongoing dialogue, interrogation, creativity and play.
Credits: 30
Compulsory module
This module introduces key concerns and tropes in global writing, both historic and contemporary. Through it you will engage with theoretical approaches such as cosmopolitanism, oneworldedness and world systems theory, and reflect on texts from previous modules through these alternative perspectives. We will consider how the assumptions that governed literary studies for the first 100 years of its development as an academic discipline have been challenged by alternatives that take the global, transnational or cosmopolitan nature of the field as a given. For your assessment on this module you can either write a traditional essay, or critically consider these concepts in relation to a context beyond the university, such as a theatre performance or museum exhibition.
Credits: 30
Compulsory module
This module explores how literary value has been constructed and conferred on texts throughout the history of literary study. Together we will interrogate assumptions about highbrow vs lowbrow, elite vs popular, and artistic vs commercial. You will evaluate the relationship between artistic endeavours, commercial imperatives and modes of consumption, considering literary value from diverse perspectives including academia, the publishing industry, the book group reader, the book seller, and the individual literary critic. Through discussion about categories such as literary, popular, banned, bestseller, pulp, and award-winner, we will consider the many ways books can be received, reviewed and marketed.
Credits: 60
Compulsory module
On this MA your dissertation is 12,000 words in length, and can be focused on any period or genre of literature we have the expertise to supervise. It is an opportunity to focus on a topic you are passionate about, and thoroughly immerse yourself in it. Through researching and writing your dissertation, the skills you will have developed throughout the course in research, critical analysis and written expression will be consolidated, demonstrated and evaluated. You will be supported through bespoke sessions that will identify key techniques and strategies within the research and writing process, but also through the supervision of a member of the Literature team.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching and learning
Each module will be taught by various members of the academic team, giving you access to a broad range of expertise. On each module you will study clusters of texts, foregrounding the course's central questions about the different types of connections between various literary texts, the relationship between texts and criticism ,and the production of perceptions relating to literary value.
In Semesters 1 and 2, classes take place once a week for each module, in weekly 2 hour small group seminars. You can study part time (30 credits each semester) or full time (60 credits each semester). In Semester 3, you will shift your focus to the dissertation.
Formative support and feedback will be provided throughout the course, which will produce a dialogue between you and your tutors, in order to help shape the development of your ideas.
Our teaching draws on both our research and professional experience. This means your learning is informed by the most current thinking in the subject area. You can find out more about our research and backgrounds by visiting our staff pages.
Assessment
You will encounter a range of assessments, including:
- Essay
- Abstract
- Annotated bibliography
- Presentation
- Critical reflection
- Curation
- Round table discussion
These have been designed in consultation with external advisers with a wide range of industry perspectives.
Assessments are designed to help you develop your skills as a writer, researcher and literary critic, and also to help you prepare for future employment. You will be able to discuss your ideas and receive formative feedback throughout the course.
The Dissertation is the culmination of your postgraduate experience. You will work independently on developing your ideas and approaches, but also receive the support of your supervisor, submitting your final 12,000 word piece after the end of the third semester. This process helps you develop into an independent researcher and prepares you for further study and the world of work.
Entry requirements
Qualifications
Minimum entry requirements
2:2 honours degree in a related subject
Interview if your honours degree is in an unrelated subject
If we have further questions about your application, you may be invited to a short interview.
International students
If you are an international student you will need to show that your qualifications match our entry requirements.
Information about international qualifications and entry requirements can be found on our International pages.
If English is not your first language you will need to show that you have English Language competence at IELTS level 6.0 (with no skill below 5.5) or equivalent.
We are happy to arrange interviews via Skype for overseas students.
Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)
If you do not have traditional qualifications, you might be able to provide evidence of professional experience in the subject as an alternative way to meet the entry requirements. This is called Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL). Appropriate references and records of employment would need to be presented to support your case for admission.
Terms and conditions
Our terms and conditions, policies and procedures contain important information about studying at York St John University. You can read them on our Admissions page.
Fees and funding
UK 2025 - 2026 entry
- £8,600 for full time study
- £4,300 per year for part time study
These costs apply to all UK, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man students.
Postgraduate loans are available to help you pay for your master’s course. Find out more about funding your postgraduate studies.
International 2025 - 2026 entry
- £11,800 for 1 year of full time study
These costs apply to all students living outside the UK.
Due to immigration laws, if you are an international student on a student visa, you must study full time. For more information about visa requirements and short-term study visas, please visit the International Visa and Immigration pages.
Find out more about funding your postgraduate studies.
Tuition fees
UK 2025-26 £8,600 full time
International 2025-26 £11,800 full time
Alumni Scholarships
If you are alumni of York St John University we have scholarships available to help you continue your studies.
Additional costs and financial support
Course-related costs
While studying for your degree, there may be additional costs related to your course. This may include purchasing personal equipment and stationery, books and optional field trips.
Accommodation and living costs
View our accommodation pages for detailed information on accommodation and living costs.
Career outcomes
Where could English Literature take you?
This postgraduate degree could lead you to a career directly related to English Literature, or it could take you in a completely different direction, using the many transferrable skills you will develop.
This will give you an advantage for a career in many employment areas, including:
- Journalism
- Marketing and communications
- Publishing
- Teaching
- Libraries and archives
- Arts and heritage
Stand out from the crowd with postgraduate study
Far fewer people have postgraduate degrees than undergraduate qualifications. This gives you something extra to set yourself apart in a competitive graduate job market. Those with a postgraduate qualification will earn an average of £5,000 a year more than those with only an undergraduate degree (Department For Education Graduate Labour Market Report 2023).
Our careers service, LaunchPad, provides career support tailored to your ambitions. Through this service you can access:
- Employer events
- LinkedIn, CV and cover letter sessions
- Workshops on application writing and interview skills
- Work experience and volunteering opportunities
- Personalised career advice
This support does not end when you graduate. You can access our expert career advice for the rest of your life. We will help you gain the experience and confidence you need to succeed.
Course highlights
York Literature Festival
We take part in York Literature Festival every year. This is a celebration of York as a key literary city, for which we organise events and network with some of the biggest names in contemporary writing.
Words Matter
Our blog, Words Matter, contains contributions from students, staff and renowned figures in the world of literature. From blogs, newsletters, critiques and original pieces or writing, this is a varied and innovative showcase of our talent.
Inspiring Guests
Meet, network and engage with a range of guest speakers, all of whom have a significant standing in the world of contemporary literature.
Hear from our students
English Literature and Creative Writing students have teamed up to produce a new monthly podcast: Book'd & Busy, exploring the books that made staff and students in Literature and Creative Writing at York St John, and the books we are reading now.
Follow us for #BookRecs
You can find us on Instagram at @wordsmatter_ysj, where we share book recommendations from across our undergraduate and postgraduate courses.