English Studies MA

Immerse yourself in literature. Indulge your curiosity of language. Broaden your creative abilities and your career prospects.

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Learning, teaching and assessment in 2021/22

Overview

MA English combines the study of literatures, linguistics, critical theory and creative writing. Studying English at postgraduate level will allow you to immerse yourself in literature from 1660 to the present day, while also studying linguistic theory and developing your own writing abilities.

You will develop your skills in analysis, reasoning and communication, creating an excellent foundation for either a communication-based career or further academic study.

Why us?

95.3% of our graduates are in employment or further study within six months of graduating, according to DLHE 2016/17 (based on UK postgraduate students)
MA English Studies achieved a 100% overall satisfaction rating (from 11 respondents) in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2019 (PTES)

Teaching enriched by 'world leading' research, according to the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF)
Stand out to employers with a well-respected postgraduate qualification
Gain publishing experience with Spectral Visions Press

Course structure

A typical week for you will include seminars and discussion groups, as well as independent study. Compared to an undergraduate course, you will find that this Masters course requires a higher level of independent working.

Your progress will be assessed with essays, and some options may also require oral presentations. Throughout the course you'll have one-to-one support from staff.

If you choose to study the course part-time, you'll attend half of the sessions required for full-time students. For this reason, your course will take two years to complete instead of one year.

This degree is comprised of a core module, three optional modules, and a dissertation.

Core module:

Approaching Literature (30 credits)

The remaining modules will be selected from the following topics on a rotational basis:

Gothic (30 credits)
Late Victorian Gothic (30 credits)
Reading 'Ulysses' (30 credits)
Orientalism: Representations of the East in Western Travel Literature and Arab and Iranian Novels (30 credits)
Crime Fiction: Theory and Practice (30 credits)
Reiving and Writing: Literature of the Anglo-Scottish Borders 16th-19th Century (30 credits)
Reading and Writing the Fantastic, the Marvellous and the Gothic (30 credits)
Irish Literature and the Supernatural (30 credits)

You will also complete a compulsory dissertation on a topic that you negotiate with your supervisor (60 credits)

More about MA English Studies at Sunderland

Discover more articles

You can access free Wi-Fi throughout the University campus, so you can work from anywhere. If you don't want to carry a laptop around, just use one of the University’s PCs or Macs. We have hundreds of computers for you to use in the Murray Library, St Peter's Library, and the David Goldman Informatics Centre. If you ever have any technical problems, just ask the friendly helpdesk team.
IT provision
Map and directions

Facilities

You'll be based at The Reg Vardy Centre, situated on the award-winning St Peter's riverside campus. The location benefits from dedicated library services and has superb transport links with the city centre and City Campus.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is:

Qualification	Minimum grade
a Canadian bachelor's degree	GPA 2.40
a USA bachelor's degree	GPA 2.5

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

We usually require applicants to hold at least a second class honours degree (usually a 2:1) or equivalent.

If English is not your first language, you must achieve an academic IELTS score of 6.5, with a minimum of 5.5 in all elements.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

The annual, full-time fee for this course is:

£6,500 if you are from the UK/Ireland/EU settled/pre-settled
£13,500 if you are an international student

The part-time fee is £389 per 10 credits. Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.

Learn more about settled status, pre-settled status, special discounts, visa requirements and Common Travel Area (CTA) agreements for the Republic of Ireland applicants in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

The Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter's by night

Career ready

A Masters degree in English is a qualification that employers understand and respect. It is powerful testimony to your intellectual competence.

Your highly developed skills in communication, research and analysis will make you a perfect fit for a wide range of organisations. Many of our graduates progress to careers in teaching, journalism, PR, business and publishing.

With this qualification you also have the option to continue in academia, and study for a PhD.

Spectral Visions Press

Spectral Visions Press is a publishing house located at the University of Sunderland, which specialises in creative writing inspired by Gothic literature.

In its first month, Spectral Visions Press received close to 100 submissions from around the globe for its creative writing collection 'Spectral Visions: Grim Fairy Tales', and for its Gothic studies-centred academic journal ‘Monstrum’.

As well as offering opportunities to publish your creative writing, Spectral Visions Press can also provide you with valuable experience of the publishing industry. More than 70 student volunteers help run the publishing house, with support from the University's academic team. You will gain a work-reference in addition to your academic reference – a huge advantage when applying for popular publishing jobs.

Meet the students

The faculty are second to none.

Andrew McCabe
My experience at the University of Sunderland has been inspirational and life-changing.

Anthony Anderson
The unlimited support and guidance are what make this course better than any other.

Rosie Hordon-Clark

Meet the team

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:
0191 515 3000
student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries

Page last updated: 18 February 2021

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