The MA (Hons) in English will teach you to closely read texts across a range of genres and historical eras, and to consider the ideas, human values and historical forces that have helped shape literature.

As part of your degree, you will be introduced to a wide spectrum of literary works, from medieval texts in Old English and Older Scots to Renaissance plays, revolutionary 19th-century novels, contemporary poetry and more.

Course details

The MA (Hons) in English is a four-year course run by the School of English. In the first two years, you will read and reflect on a broad range of topics across a variety of literary genres from the Middle Ages to the present day. This will equip you with the range of literary experience and critical skills necessary for more in-depth study of specialist subject areas at Honours level.

Specialist subject areas include (but are not limited to):

• Old English literature
• literature and ecology
• Renaissance bodies
• literature and gender
• Victorian culture
• creative writing
• Cold War writing
• world literature.

Alongside English, in the first year of your studies, you will be required to study an additional two subjects. In the second year you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects, sometimes two. Find out more about how academic years are organised.

Breadth of knowledge and perspective are highly encouraged, and all single Honours students are expected to take at least one module on medieval literature, one module on early modern literature, and one module on 18th or 19th-century literature. Final-year students must also complete a dissertation on a topic chosen in consultation with teaching staff at the School of English.

Graduates in English from St Andrews can expect to develop skills of independent critical thinking and judgement, an alertness to the possibilities of expressive language, and both a broad and - in some areas - a deep knowledge of literature in English.