English MA (Hons) 2019 entry

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 Scots to Renaissance plays, contemporary poetry, revolutionary 19th-century novels and more.

Applications for 2019 entry for this course have now closed, see which courses are available for the upcoming academic year.

UCAS code

Q300

Course type

Master of Arts (single Honours degree)

Course duration

Four years full time

  • Start date: 9 September 2019
  • End date: 30 June 2023

If you started this programme in 2018, you can find information about 2018 entry on the 2018 English MA (Hons) page. Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive. 

Entry requirements

SQA Highers AAAB, including English, English Language, English Literature or Drama.
GCE A-Levels AAA, including English, English Language, English Literature or Drama.
IB points 38, including HL6 in English.

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes, please see our entry requirements for more information.

For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject specific entrance requirements as outlined on their pages.

International applicants

If English is not your first language you will need an overall IELTS score of 7.0, with a minimum score of 6.5 in each component (Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking), or an equivalent English Language qualification.

How to apply

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

Students must have studied one of the following subjects at SQA Higher, GCE A-Level, or equivalent:

  • English
  • English Language
  • English Literature
  • Drama.

Faculty entry requirements

You must also meet the Faculty of Arts minimum qualifications. These vary depending on which qualifications you hold.

Other qualifications

Passes in other examinations at equivalent levels and subjects may be accepted by the Dean of the Faculty. More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University’s entry requirements webpage.

Find out more about Faculty of Arts entry requirements.

Timetables

St Andrews students must meet with their Adviser of Studies at the beginning of Semester 1 in September to complete advising – a compulsory part of the matriculation process. After module choices have been decided, a timetable will be allocated indicating the dates and times of classes.

Reputation

The School of English at the University of St Andrews enjoys an international reputation as a centre for both academic research and literary creativity.

The School of English was ranked second in the UK by the Complete University Guide 2019 and third in the UK by The Guardian University Guide 2019.

The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) rated 86% of research from the School as world-leading and internationally excellent.

The University of St Andrews as a whole was voted top in the UK for student academic experience in The National Student Survey 2018 as 94% of St Andrews final year students gave the University top marks for the quality of the learning and teaching experience.

The University has secured a TEF Gold award for the quality of teaching and the undergraduate experience.

Find out more about studying English at St Andrews.

Course information

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 Honours students are expected to take at least one module from each of the Mediaeval, Early Modern and 18th-century periods. 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 have a highly developed sense of independent critical thinking and judgement, be alert to the possibilities of expressive language, and will have developed both a broad, and in some areas, a deep knowledge of literature in English.

The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits. More information on the structure of the modules system can be found on the flexible degree structure webpage.

Find out more about studying English at St Andrews.

Modules

In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours) you will take the required modules in English alongside modules in at least one other subject.

Typically, you will take three modules per semester during your first two years, and two modules per semester during your third and fourth year (known as Honours). Find out more about the modular Scottish degree system.

Students will take both of the following compulsory first-year modules:

  • Culture and Conflict: An Introduction to Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Literature: introduces a small number of texts, in prose and verse, from the 19th and 20th centuries.
  • Explorers and Revolutionaries: Literature 1680-1830: examines travel, colonialism, and different constructions of “man’s natural estate” in the early 18th century.

Second year students must take the following two modules:

  • Drama: Reading and Performance: introduces a number of representative plays from the Renaissance period and from the 20th century. Emphasis is placed upon the context in which these plays were first created and those in which they are now received.
  • Medieval and Renaissance Texts: introduces early forms of English language and literature, using specially edited texts from Old English, Middle English and Older Scots.

If you decide to take English in your third and fourth years, you choose from a wide variety of advanced options, including: 

  • Old English
  • Renaissance literature
  • Romanticism
  • the Victorian novel
  • literary theory
  • Scottish verse
  • Restoration drama
  • Shakespeare
  • modern American drama
  • contemporary fiction
  • creative writing
  • playwriting.

Here is a sample of Honours modules which have been offered in previous years:

  • Beowulf
  • Civil Wars on Page and Screen
  • Contemporary British Fiction
  • Postcolonial Literature and Theory
  • Romantic Writing and Women
  • The Younger Romantics: Poetry and Prose (1810-1830).

In fourth year, students also undertake a substantial dissertation on a topic of their choice. This independent project enables you to develop key research skills which are desired by both prospective employers and by graduate schools offering postgraduate degrees.


The sub-honours modules listed here are the compulsory modules that students must take in order to graduate in this subject. However, most students at St Andrews take additional modules, either in their primary subject or from other subjects they are interested in. For Honours-level, students choose from a range of Honours modules, some of which are listed above. A full list of all modules available for the current academic year can be found in the module catalogue.

Teaching

Teaching format

English modules are delivered through lectures which are supported by smaller seminar groups or tutorials.

Typical class sizes include:

  • First year: lectures – 240, tutorials – 5 to 9
  • Second year: lectures – 150, tutorials – 5 to 9
  • Honours: classes generally have no more than 20

Though a good deal of the study of English involves individual effort, group work provides a sense of confirmation, fruitful disagreement, and community to complement the sometimes solitary business of reading and writing.

When not attending lectures and tutorials, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve:

  • working on individual and group projects
  • undertaking research in the library
  • preparing coursework assignments and presentations
  • preparing for examinations.

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team with expertise and knowledge of English. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of tutorials under the supervision of the module leader.

You can find contact information for all English staff on the School of English website.

In addition to your studies in the School of English, optional academic support is available through practical study skills courses and workshops hosted within the University.

The University’s student services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long term medical conditions or learning disabilities. More information can be found on the students with disabilities webpage.

Assessment

Almost all of the modules in English are assessed by a balanced combination of coursework and written exams.

In each English sub-honours module, there are two essays and two examination questions each worth 25%. Assessment at Honours level varies, although essays and examinations remain a central component.

Examinations are held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand.

Coursework takes the form of essays, along with other kinds of assessed work including oral presentations, electronic projects and creative writing portfolios.

Several Honours-level modules involve creative coursework, such as:

  • literary journal keeping
  • writing a short play
  • medieval forgery.

The School provides feedback on every assessment, with a view to improving your performance in future, and aims to provide feedback on assessments and coursework within three weeks.

Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements. Please note that some Schools offer qualified entry to Honours, and this will be clearly specified in the programme requirements. To find out the classification equivalent of points, please visit the common reporting scale webpage.

Fees

Tuition fees for 2019 entry

Scotland and EU £1,820
Rest of the UK £9,250
Overseas £22,350

For overseas students, tuition fees will be fixed at this level for the duration of your programme.

More information on tuition fees can be found on the undergraduate fees and funding page.

Accommodation fees

Find out about accommodation fees for University accommodation. 

Funding and scholarships

The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to undergraduate students each year.

Find out more about undergraduate scholarships.

Joint Honours degrees

You can take English as part of a joint Honours degree alongside one of the following subjects. 

It is also possible to combine a degree in English with two modern languages. Any combination of Arabic, French, German, Italian, Persian, Russian and Spanish is available.

  • Arabic
  • Art History
  • Biblical Studies
  • Classical Studies
  • Classics
  • Comparative Literature
  • Economics
  • Film Studies
  • French
  • German
  • Greek
  • Hebrew
  • Italian
  • Latin
  • Management
  • Mathematics
  • Mediaeval History
  • Middle East Studies
  • Modern History
  • Persian
  • Philosophy
  • Psychology
  • Russian
  • Scottish History
  • Social Anthropology
  • Spanish
  • Theological Studies

Your future

Careers

The skills you gain through studying English are marketable in many career areas, and recent graduates in English have pursued a wide variety of career paths.

Perhaps the major strength of all English graduates is communication skills, both in speech and in writing. Other skills you will develop during your degree include critical analysis, structuring information, organisation of time and workload, and effective IT skills.

Career destinations for recent graduates include:

  • internships with the United Nations
  • writers and editors for various publishing houses and magazines
  • sales for Waterstones and WHSmith
  • charitable organisations
  • teaching
  • public policy
  • the financial sector.

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

Study abroad

The University is delighted to offer undergraduates a number of exciting opportunities to apply to spend a semester or year abroad as part of a St Andrews degree programme. St Andrews is partnered with large and small institutions, ancient and young, across the globe. What unites all of our programmes is the quality of the academic provision, ensuring that participation in a St Andrews Study abroad programme opens the door to a new and valuable academic experience at another world-class institution. Study Abroad for credit is permitted on existing University-approved programmes only.

Student life

From the outset, the University of St Andrews offers an array of events and opportunities which result in a truly unique student experience. Students participate in a range of traditions, notably, the red academic gown and the academic family, where older students adopt first year students as ‘children’ and help guide them in a system of mentoring. These traditions and the choice of over 150 sports clubs and student societies to choose from ensures a community feel amongst students from first year onwards.

Students of English may be interested in joining the following student societies:

  • Inklight is a creative writing society which runs poetry slams, open mic nights, workshops and an annual journal of student writing.

The School of English is situated in Castle House, a beautiful Victorian building situated directly in front of the St Andrews Castle ruins on the coast. English students will usually attend lectures, seminars and tutorials here.

The town of St Andrews itself has lots to offer. As the campus is located in town, walking around you encounter ancient and modern buildings and areas of greenery and seaside which provide a rich, beautiful backdrop to learning. If you want a change of scenery, St Andrews' position near surrounding towns and cities such as Anstruther, Dundee and Edinburgh make it ideal for getting to know more about Scotland.

Find out more about student life at the University of St Andrews.

“It is the passion and enthusiasm of the lecturers that makes English here great. Everyone is extremely encouraging and willing to offer additional assistance. There are weekly writing labs that are open to every English student. These sessions focus on a specific topic each week, with the aim of helping everyone improve their essay writing skills.”

Euan (Perth and Kinross, Scotland)

Contact information

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

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2666
Email: english@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).