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Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Postgraduate MA
English Literature
Explore your passion for English Literature and writing on this innovative course. You can specialise in either, or both, creative writing or literary studies.
Course Overview
-
L27 -
City Campus -
Full-Time -
1 Year -
16 Sep 2024
These three pathways bring together creative and critical approaches to literature in new and imaginative ways. You’ll examine current developments and critical issues on a course that provides an international and cross-cultural outlook.
Taught by a team with an international reputation for their research in diverse areas, ranging from Caribbean culture to crime novels to apocalyptic fictions, this course will expose you to new ideas and will encourage you to question them. Across both shared and specialist modules and in undertaking a major project, you’ll develop skills of critical sophistication and argumentation and independence-of-mind, project development, and reflection.
Literary Studies pathway
Specialise in literary studies. On this pathway, you’ll:
- Explore the relationship between history and literary analysis
- Understand, apply and criticise key practical, contextual, conceptual and theoretical issues and debates in the analysis and creation of literary texts
- Reflect on and evaluate methodologies, drawing on a range of cultural, theoretical and practice-led reference points
Creative Writing Pathway
Study creative writing at an advanced level. On this pathway, you’ll:
- Expand and think critically about your own writing practice as a form of critical engagement or research
- Improve your understanding and mastery of the craft of creative writing
- Develop persuasive and sophisticated style both orally and in the written form
English & Creative Writing pathway
On this pathway, you’ll:
- Choose to study either the 'Literature & History 'or 'The Art of Creative Writing' modules
Connect with industry
You’ll be part of a flourishing academic community and will benefit from our partnerships with institutions such as Leeds Museums and Galleries and local publishers, including Palgrave Macmillan’s Campaign for the Humanities, which advocates scholarship and publishing in this area.
Shape your career
Whether you’re already working in a related sector, looking to change professions, or continuing your studies from an undergraduate degree, our careers advisors will support you in shaping your career path. You’ll be able to access this support for five years after you graduate.
Check out our twitter feed @BeckettEnglish for the latest updates and information.
Why study English Literature at Leeds Beckett University...
- Expert teaching team who are specialists in their field, continually exposing you to cutting-edge research
- Connections with external partners and publishers, such as Leeds Libraries and Palgrave Macmillan
- Develop transferable skills in textual analysis, creating and delivering presentations and discussion
- Explore how to apply your learning to achieve personal development and professional career goals
- Be supported by a professional careers team, even after you’ve graduated
Explore videos and blogs
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Everything you need to know
Discover all there is to know about the course, from entry requirements and fees to exploring the school you’ll be joining - we’ve got it covered.
Entry requirements
Applicants should either have at least a second class honours degree in the cognate subjects of Humanities, Social Sciences, Law or Human Geography, at least a second class honours degree in a non-cognate subject supported by evidence of an aptitude for the subject applied for, or have equivalent experience or training, normally from within the work environment.
All applications should be supported by a reference, either academic or professional; you can download our reference template for completion.
All applicants should satisfy our English Language requirements . Please note the IELTS requirement for this course are IELTS 6.5 with no skill below 5.5, achieving 6.5 in the written component of the test. Further details about acceptable equivalent qualifications can be found on our International Student information pages .
Entry requirements
Applicants should either have at least a second class honours degree in the cognate subjects of Humanities, Social Sciences, Law or Human Geography, at least a second class honours degree in a non-cognate subject supported by evidence of an aptitude for the subject applied for, or have equivalent experience or training, normally from within the work environment.
All applications should be supported by a reference, either academic or professional; you can download our reference template for completion.
All applicants should satisfy our English Language requirements . Please note the IELTS requirement for this course are IELTS 6.5 with no skill below 5.5, achieving 6.5 in the written component of the test. Further details about acceptable equivalent qualifications can be found on our International Student information pages .
IELTS
All applicants should satisfy our English Language requirements . Please note the IELTS requirement for this course are IELTS 6.5 with no skill below 5.5, achieving 6.5 in the written component of the test. Further details about acceptable equivalent qualifications can be found on our International Student information pages .
Selection Criteria
We may use selection criteria based on your personal attributes; experience and/or commitment to the area of study. This information will be derived from your personal statement and reference and will only be used if you have met the general entry requirements.
when will my teaching take place?
Teaching seminars are held on Monday and Wednesday, 17:30 - 19:30 at City Campus, plus an additional hour of online learning. This enables students to fit their studies around other work / life commitments.
Independent study is a crucial part of learning at university and you will be required to undertake many hours of self-directed research and reading, and preparation and writing of assessments. Your course is delivered through a number of modules, which will help you to plan your time and establish a study routine. Outside of your lectures, workshops and tutorials, a range of support is available to assist with your independent study. Our subject-specific librarians will be on hand to direct you to the specialist learning and study-skill resources. You’ll also be assigned an academic advisor to give you tailored feedback and support.
Teaching & Learning
The modules in teaching blocks two and three will be pre-selected by staff for each pathway. This decision will be made on the basis of staff availability, coherence of learning programme, and diversity of assessment.
What you'll learn
Explore the art of creating meaning through language and literary text. You'll study the theories and concepts that underpin the practice of creative writing to improve your understanding and mastery of the craft. You'll also understand how to establish your own output within the wider literary landscape.
What you'll learn
Focus on the advanced study of literary texts in an historical context. This module will explore the relationship between history including intellectual history, political history and social history, and literary analysis. You'll discuss methodological, conceptual and theoretical issues and debates relating to the study of literature and history. This learning will then inform your engagement with a selection of tutor-led case studies. Your case studies could focus on literature pre-2000, or on literature from any historical period up to, and including, the contemporary moment.
Explore the art of creating meaning through language and literary text. You'll study the theories and concepts that underpin the practice of creative writing to improve your understanding and mastery of the craft. You'll also understand how to establish your own output within the wider literary landscape.
What you'll learn
Focus on the advanced study of literary texts in an historical context. This module will explore the relationship between history including intellectual history, political history and social history, and literary analysis. You'll discuss methodological, conceptual and theoretical issues and debates relating to the study of literature and history. This learning will then inform your engagement with a selection of tutor-led case studies. Your case studies could focus on literature pre-2000, or on literature from any historical period up to, and including, the contemporary moment.
What you'll learn
This module will introduce you to a range of recent developments in the theoretical landscape of English literary studies and also to emerging methodologies of creative criticism. In weekly workshops, you will explore various themes and concerns in the discipline through a series of creative-critical interventions. This module will orient you as a postgraduate-level thinker and writer by sampling some of the main areas of study (theory and method) that will be pursued in-depth in specialist modules, and which might be further explored in your extended project. Besides introducing these subject-specific skills, the module will develop your ability to reflect on and evaluate your learning experience.
This module will introduce you to the advanced study of contemporary literature produced just before or since the millennium. You'll explore key conceptual and theoretical approaches and apply these methods to the analysis of a variety literary texts, genres, and forms, produced across a range of locations and cultural contexts. There will be a particular emphasis throughout the module on the international reach of contemporary literary production. Organised into key topics and themes, you'll examine texts in relation to their specific contexts and take a comparative approach to literary responses to contemporary concerns.
In this module you will reflect on the relationship between the study and practice of English literature and the development of professional skills. You write and present an application to undertake a substantial project of your design as preparation for the semester 3 module, Major Project. Introductory workshops will outline objective-setting in a professional context as well as methodologies of reflective practice. Initial project design will be undertaken in consultation with a tutor, before you organise an event to present your project plans, and then complete a formal application, drawing upon prior knowledge and skills identified and refined in this module.
This module will enable you to undertake a sustained piece of research, or research and creative practice, in English Literature on a topic selected by themselves. Your progress will be overseen by an individual tutor. The particularities of the project, including its topic and its balance of creative, critical, and reflective writing, will be determined in tutorial discussion.
Fees & Funding hellooo
£8,250
UK
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £8250. The amount you will pay may increase each year to take into account the effects of inflation.
£17,500
International 2024
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £17500. The amount you will pay is fixed at this level for each year of your course.
Fees & Funding
£8,250
For students entering in 2024
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £8250. The amount you will pay may increase each year to take into account the effects of inflation.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
£17,500
For students entering in 2024
The tuition fee for the year for students entering in 2024/25 is £17500. The amount you will pay is fixed at this level for each year of your course.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
how will I be assessed?
Our MA English Literature course is assessed by a mixture of essays or creative works (depending on module choices), as well as proposal forms and presentations.
The MA in English at Leeds Beckett is all about getting you to explore the borderlands of different kinds of thinking, both critically and creatively. It gets you to experiment with new ways of knowing and ‘doing’ literature, across different cultures, theories and creative methods. It’s an interesting journey – and the final destination is for you to choose.
Professor Ruth Robbins
Director of Research
Our Research
Our research community includes internationally recognised academics in history, English, creative writing and media. With funding from a range of sources including the Arts & Humanities Research Council, Historic England, and the Arts Council England, the School makes a significant contribution to research in those disciplines. We are proud of how we bring research into the public domain through participation in a range of regional events, as well as making a distinctive contribution to the intellectual life of the city of Leeds and apply this to course content.
Moving on up
Leeds Beckett climbs 40 places in the Complete University Guide 2024
Your future in our hands
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a course. Take a look at the team you’ll be working with, employability statistics and career prospects to help make up your mind.
Career Prospects
You’ll have the transferable skills to work across a variety of industries, including the creative, technology and education sectors. Your ability to find creative resolutions to problems and communicate complex ideas effectively will be essential in a diverse range of roles, or you could further pursue your studies and progress to a doctorate. Some of the areas you could work in are:
- Editing and publishing
- Teaching and lecturing
- Content creation
- Marketing and PR
- Further study (PhD)
I can honestly say I would not be where I am today, in a dream job, with a dream company, if it wasn’t for Beckett. The opportunities on offer, within and outside of my studies, were the true stepping-stones to my achievements and career.
Charlotte Crouch
Marketing Assistant Oxford University Press
Beckett Careers Team
Our careers service is not just there for undergraduates, we support our postgraduate taught and research students too.
Your postgraduate degree will boost your CV and help you stand out from the crowd. Whether you're just starting out on your chosen career path, changing careers or moving to the next level, we can provide you with expert advice and resources to help you take the next steps to achieving your goals.
Your Beckett experience
At Leeds Beckett your experience is important to us, find out more about what to expect from your time on this course and life at uni.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences The School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Leeds Beckett celebrates student and staff with a true passion for the Arts and Humanities.
Experience Leeds Beckett
Our state-of-the-art facilities and learning environments give you everything you need to succeed – whether that’s completing your current studies or joining our cutting-edge research teams.
