About the Course

This MA in English Literature will be of interest to both recent graduates and those wishing to return to higher education. It offers a varied programme which allows you to build upon existing interests whilst moving into new and more complex areas of study. The advanced skills that you develop during your MA – for example in argumentation, analysis, research, project management and communication – are sought-after by a wide range of graduate employers, as well as being essential in the progression to doctoral study.

Our programme is a wide ranging one, with lots of variety and opportunities to study authors and texts across different historical periods, and in different forms and genres. It offers a unique opportunity to develop expertise in archival research and book history, whilst at the same time honing the theoretical and critical skills necessary for the successful analysis and interpretation of literary and historical sources. Another special feature of our MA programme is its emphasis on literature and locality, with a particular emphasis upon Merseyside, Lancashire and Yorkshire. By examining the relationship between texts and place, graduates will develop a fresh perspective on the literature of the North of England, and better understand historical shifts and developments in description and representation.

Due to the range of expertise of our English Literature staff, our MA students are free to produce a dissertation on a wide variety of topics, from the Early Modern period to the present day.

Careers

The MA English Literature can act as a foundation for further postgraduate work, including doctoral research. It also fosters a range of transferable skills valued in professional contexts, such as critical and lateral thinking, the ability to formulate arguments, the capacity to work independently, the presentation of research findings, and information management. It develops students' ability to interpret and analyse cultural products. Teachers may follow this course in order to enhance their subject knowledge.

We offer our MA students the opportunity to experience an important leadership role within the context of a busy and vibrant research setting, via the English Department Undergraduate Conference, a two-day event in which our final year undergraduate students present their research work to students and staff. Our MA students play an important role in the event by chairing panels of speakers, and managing the questions and answer sessions which follow presentations.