MA in English Literature
Online United Kingdom
MA
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 7,430 *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* total cost
Key Summary
Our MA in English Literature introduces you to studying literature, poetry, drama and prose in relation to culture and across three broad themes. These are literary-popular culture, which includes exploring genre writing, the bestseller and mass literary production; revolution and literature, in which you will encounter texts representing revolutionary social or political change; and global literary cultures where you’ll look at English literature as an international literary form.
The structure of this master's degree allows you to select options and specialise throughout the first year in preparation for the more sustained self-directed work of the dissertation in year two.
Key features
- Explore literature as a cultural artefact and a form shaped by commercial production, morality, politics, ideas of value, and histories of difference.
- Provides options to specialise in at every stage, effectively curating your own pathway.
- Equips you with practical skills in literary research methods such as archival and manuscript research.
- Provides the opportunity to design and disseminate your work on digital platforms
How long it takes
You will be able to complete this master's qualification within two years by studying one module a year.
The qualification provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills, and other attributes in the following areas:
Knowledge and understanding
You will develop knowledge and understanding of:
- How competing and overlapping critical and theoretical perspectives bear upon the practice of literary research at the postgraduate level
- How critical and theoretical perspectives have changed over time and how they bear on the practice of literary research at postgraduate level
- The ability to use a range of research tools and methods appropriate to postgraduate study in literature
- Independent research, specialisation and detailed knowledge of a chosen specialist topic.
Cognitive skills
You will develop the ability to:
- Engage critically with a range of literary texts and complex critical, theoretical and historical material
- Recognise a potential area for research in literature and literary culture
- Evaluate and research appropriate supporting materials for your chosen research area.
Practical and/or professional skills
You will develop your ability to:
- Present findings in different formats; constructing coherent and persuasive written and oral arguments
- Apply critical and analytical thinking to a variety of texts and documents
- Independently design a research proposal
- Communicate effectively and plan and write a substantial piece of work with appropriate scholarly apparatus
- Use a research library and a range of electronic information resources.
Key skills
You will develop your ability to:
- Communicate ideas effectively in the form of extended postgraduate-level essays, presented in an appropriate academic manner
- Undertake academic tasks of increasing length and complexity
- Design a programme of independent research and writing
- Use feedback from tutors, fellow students and other resources effectively to improve performance.
To gain the 180 credits you require for this qualification, you must study the modules in the order shown below and pass part 1 before progressing to part 2:
- MA English Literature part 1 (A893)
- MA English Literature part 2 (A894)
You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 60 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you. Due to the structure of this qualification, 90 credits will be required.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods
Teaching will be via module texts, electronic media and online forums. The module materials will be made up of approximately 30 per cent content delivered by the module team and the rest being found content. These materials will provide a balance of teaching resources relevant to the learning outcomes and tuition activities for the module. At the postgraduate level, the materials are expected to be mainly text-based and provided online.
You will be required to spend an average of 25 hours per week studying. In part 1, module-directed hours will account for 50 per cent of your workload, and the remainder is independent study hours. In part 2, independent study is higher at 70 per cent with the remainder being module-directed to reflect the focus on writing a dissertation.
Nine assessment preparation weeks have no taught content allowing you time for assessment writing. However, all study weeks throughout the module incorporate time and support for the preparation and writing of assessed work. Each module has three tutor-marked assessment points and an end-of-module assessment. A qualification-level approach to assessment will be taken across both modules, building towards the 12,000-word dissertation in part 2.
This degree is relevant to careers that directly call on knowledge of English literature and culture. It may also be relevant for careers that demand skills in the creative use and analysis of texts of various sorts, critical thinking and organisation, and understanding of culture in a broad sense. It is also useful (particularly alongside relevant skills and experience) if you aim to work in the media, culture or knowledge industries – or are employed already in these areas and need further qualifications to progress.
A master's degree can be useful for professional development in teaching, and if you want to pursue an academic career it provides good preparation for the higher level research that is a prerequisite (such as a PhD).