Master of Arts English

The English MA general pathway offers a flexible and bespoke route of MA study. You will acquire the necessary research skills for advanced literary scholarship, while having the opportunity to pursue areas of interest across historical periods and in various genres. For example, being able to select from across four specialist pathways opens up possibilities for the study of Victorian realism alongside contemporary science fiction, Renaissance travel writing alongside contemporary women’s poetry, eighteenth-century Gothic novels alongside postcolonial novels, and Shakespeare alongside Postmodernism.

In addition to this transhistorical approach, you will also be encouraged to take a global perspective on changing literary, cultural and political landscapes, as well as exploring current critical and theoretical debates.

Why English?

Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014

In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), we ranked 10th out of 89 in the UK for 4* (world-leading) and 3* (internationally excellent) research.

Strong postgraduate community

With over 150 taught and research students from all over the world, you will be part of a genuine international community. You will be able to participate in our lively research culture through attending regular seminars and lectures by guest speakers as well as our own staff and students. Recent conferences include ‘On Liberties’ at St Deiniol’s Library, and ‘Renaissance Old Worlds’ in collaboration with the British Library.

A legacy from former tutor Miriam Allott has allowed the department to host a vibrant series of international poetry readings, and with its Centre for New and International Writing and Literature and Science Hub, the Department of English continues to attract a range of outstanding, international speakers.

For the next five years, the Department is also conducting a European Research Council funded project TIDE, which aims to investigate how mobility in the great age of travel and discovery shaped English perceptions of human identity based on cultural identification and difference.