Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture (MLitt) 2018 entry

The MLitt in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture enhances students' knowledge and thinking about the key texts, contexts and theories that have shaped literature and culture from 1900 to the present.

Applications for 2018 entry for this course have now closed, see which courses are available for the upcoming academic year.

Course type

Postgraduate; leading to a Master of Letters (MLitt)

Course dates

  • Start date: 10 September 2018
  • End date: 30 September 2019

If you started this programme in 2017, you can find information about 2017 entry on the 2017 Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture (MLitt) page. Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive.

Course duration

One year full time or two years part time

Entry requirements

A good 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree in a subject-related area.

If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.

English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.

The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.

Tuition fees

UK and EU: £8,500
Overseas: £17,600

Application deadline

31 January 2018 for those also applying for School of English scholarships; 1 June 2018 for all other applicants.

Application requirements

For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.

Course information

The MLitt in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture is an intensive one-year taught programme which aims to enhance students’ textual knowledge and promote thinking about the interconnections between modern and contemporary literature and its historical, cultural and theoretical contexts.

The MLitt is aimed at those interested in modern and contemporary literature, in the acquisition of a taught postgraduate qualification, and in the possibility of moving towards a PhD. 


Highlights

  • Study the interdisciplinary dimensions of  modern and contemporary culture through topics which explore cultural production across the arts, music, film and literature.
  • Learn about the key developments in modern and contemporary literary studies in dialogue with leading scholars in the fields of Modernism, Scottish literature, war writing, modern and contemporary poetry, postcolonialism and contemporary fiction.
  • Focus on the key literary and cultural theories of the 20th and 21st centuries alongside a global range of modern and contemporary texts.
  • Develop your skills as a researcher within a specific area of study by taking special topic modules. 
  • Texts studied may include works by authors such as T S Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, W H Auden, Christine Brooke-Rose, Alan Hollinghurst, Tom McCarthy, and Ali Smith.

Teaching format

In each semester students take one module that concentrates on the literature of the period and one module that engages with the period’s theoretical, cultural and historical developments. Students are encouraged to develop their own, individual interests via one optional module.

Taught modules comprise of weekly seminars, with class sizes typically ranging from three to ten students. Modules are assessed through coursework essays. The School of English prides itself on its support of student work through detailed feedback and commentary.

During the course of the year, but with particular focus during the last four months, students will research and write a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choosing.

Further particulars regarding curriculum development.

Modules

The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue which is for the 2017–2018 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2018 entry.

  • Literary Research: Skills and Resources: trains students in the understanding and use of the essential skills and resources of research in English Studies; it also provides preparation for the MLitt dissertation.
  • Contextualising the Modern: an exploration of the radical literary experiments following the First World War in context of the wider movements in culture and society that informed literary modernism in the first decades of the twentieth century. 
  • Reading the Modern: an exploration of influential British, American and French modernists' pursuit to develop modes of representation compatible with a newly urban, industrialised and mass-oriented age.
  • Theorising the Contemporary: an introduction to key literary and cultural theories within the contemporary period via the close study of selected theoretical texts.
  • Contemporary Literature and Culture: exposes students to a range of contemporary authors, poets and playwrights, moving between a detailed focus on highlighted key works and a wider perspective on individual writer’s oeuvres.

Students will choose one optional module out of the following three choices:

  • Special Topic in English Studies: a directed reading programme which allows students to explore topics in greater depth than is possible in compulsory modules.
  • a compulsory module from another English MLitt programme (see module catalogue)
  • an approved postgraduate-level module outwith the School of English (arranged independently with another school such as Classics, Modern Languages, Divinity or Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies).

Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of not more than 15,000 words must be submitted by a date specified in August. 

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.


The modules listed here are indicative, and there is no guarantee they will run for 2018 entry. Take a look at the most up-to-date modules in the module catalogue.

Studying the MLitt in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture

Find out what it's like to study the MLitt in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture with further course information including academic staff and student testimonials.

Further course information

Conferences and events

The School of English hosts research events through its four research groups:

The School of English normally also hosts an annual Colloquium (recent colloquia have taken as their themes: The English Legal Imaginary, 1500-1700; Bannockburn, 1914: Anniversary culture, war and national identity in Scotland; Opera and Fiction; World Literature and Dissent).

The Postgraduate Forum offers postgraduates the opportunity to present research in progress to a group of their peers. 

Funding

All School of English study applicants will be given access to the My Application portal. The scholarships and funding area of the portal includes an online catalogue through which you can apply for available relevant awards. 

Recent Graduate Discount
The University of St Andrews offers a 10% discount in postgraduate tuition fees to students who are eligible to graduate or who have graduated from St Andrews within the last three academic years and are starting a postgraduate programme with the University of St Andrews.

Find out more about postgraduate scholarships. 

After the MLitt

Research degrees

Many of our graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews. 

In addition to the MLitt, the School offers a two-year Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree option in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture.

PhD in English

Careers

Graduates of the course go on to pursue careers in a range of sectors including journalism, marketing, publishing and teaching. 

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students on a taught postgraduate course and offers a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

Contact information

School of English
University of St Andrews
Castle House
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9AL

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2668
Email: pgeng@st-andrews.ac.uk

English website

Policies

Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online. (PDF, 72 KB).

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online. (PDF, 84 KB).