English Literature: Literature and Society: Enlightenment, Romantic and Victorian MSc

The programme will be taught through a combination of seminars and tutorials over two semesters, after which you will complete an independently researched dissertation. You will complete two compulsory and two option courses, along with courses in research methods.

Compulsory courses:

• Enlightenment and Romanticism 1688–1815
• Romanticism and Victorian Society 1815–1900
• Research Skills and Methods

Option courses may include:

• Poet-Critics: the Style of Modern Poetry
• Fairy Tales
• Digital Humanities for Literary Studies
• Green Thoughts: Landscape, Environment and Literature
• The Long Summer: Edwardian Texts and Contexts 1900–1910
• Shakespeare Adapted
• Fairy Tales

Reading lists

You can find out more about core courses, and browse indicative reading lists for them, on our Course Catalogue from 2019-20.

• Semester 1: Enlightenment and Romanticism, 1688–1815
• Semester 2: Romanticism and Victorian Society, 1815–1900

*(Revised 19 November 2020 with addition of course reading lists.)

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Students who successfully follow this programme will gain:

• knowledge and understanding of the role of literary writing in the formation of British, Scottish, Irish and English national identities in the 18th and 19th centuries
• practical knowledge of the range of theoretical and philosophical ideas informing contemporary literary criticism
• a grounding in the research methods of literary studies

This programme will help you to identify possible topics for advanced research in English literature, potentially leading to an academic career. The transferable skills you gain, such as communication, project management and analysis, will give you an edge in a competitive employment market.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in English literature or a relevant discipline.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

For 2021 entry we will accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS: total 7.0 (at least 6.5 in each module)
• TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 100 (at least 23 in each module). We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• CAE and CPE: total 185 (at least 176 in each module)
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with a pass in all four components

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL or Trinity ISE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries.

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Featured funding

• School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures scholarships

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments. The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on your programme, the duration of your studies, and your residency status. (Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.)

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding