English Literature, MA

Develop Advanced Skills in a Variety of English Literature Modules

Photograph of students enjoying their studies in the library

Course Overview

Our MA in English Literature at Swansea is a fascinating programme which offers you the opportunity to explore diverse areas of literary culture and cultivate your own bespoke research interests.

You will develop your research and critical writing skills to a professional level while reading widely across literatures in English from the medieval period to the present day.

Our MA offers an interdisciplinary approach to literature which considers texts in relation to history, philosophy, politics, and visual culture. On this programme, we encourage research specialisation and independence, concluding with your dissertation project on a topic of your choosing.

This programme is designed to address critical questions about the role of literature, arts, and culture in the society of the future. It looks at how creativity, community, and identity can help us face today’s biggest global challenges - from the climate crisis to inequality.

You will also be taught and supported by world-leading experts in Welsh Writing, Gothic Literature, Medieval Literature, Neo-Victorian Literature, Modernism, Early Modern Literature, Speculative Fiction, and a range of literary theories.

Why English Literature at Swansea?

The School of Culture and Communication is based on our Singleton Park campus, in parkland overlooking Swansea Bay.

This programme expands the boundaries of literary study, connecting texts from the medieval to the contemporary with today’s local and global challenges. You’ll be encouraged to think critically, creatively, and contextually about literature’s role in society.

This programme can also open up avenues for further study at PhD level or enhance your skills in writing and critical analysis for careers in teaching, publishing, cultural heritage, creative industries and other sectors.

Your English Literature Experience

This programme combines a variety of options for you to experience in-depth study alongside a tailored training programme, supporting you to become an independent researcher at postgraduate level. You’ll examine literature through multiple critical lenses, gaining fresh perspectives on texts and contexts.

The first semester offers a thorough grounding in advanced research topics, including the history of literary criticism, archival research, and intersections of research and activism, as well as practical training in writing abstracts and presenting research. You will also undertake a special research topic in this semester and have bespoke expertise in a subject of your choosing.

The second semester builds on these skills with an additional research topic, alongside the Research Practice module which supports the process of developing a dissertation project, establishing a research community among the cohort while they work on individual projects.

The MA concludes with the individual dissertation project, undertaken in collaboration with an expert supervisor, on a topic of your choice. This is an opportunity for you to plan and conduct research on a bigger scale and to find your own voice as literary critic.

English Literature Employment Opportunities

You’ll refine your oral and written communication skills, learning to present ideas with clarity, creativity, and impact across diverse formats.

Graduates have gone on to thrive in careers including:

  • Teaching
  • Publishing
  • Writing and authorship
  • Arts and creative industries
  • Charities and non-profits
  • Marketing, PR, advertising
  • Further academic study (PhD)
  • Cultural heritage
  • Libraries and archives
  • Politics and public policy 

Modules

We're currently reviewing our curriculum to enhance your learning experience and embed skills that will benefit your future career. This means that some modules may be subject to change.

Entry Requirements

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications.

Typical Offer

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