Comparative Literature MA (joint degree) 2022 entry
Comparative Literature at St Andrews opens up literary study across boundaries of culture and language. It offers students the chance to read texts of any genre, of any period, and written in a multitude of languages, all in English translation. Drawing on expertise from across modern languages and beyond, the programme considers the relationships that exist between literatures around the world, allowing students to push at the boundaries of textual analysis and read without borders.
As well as exploring the different cultural, socio-political, and historical forces that have helped form national and transnational canons, the course also focuses on close reading and introduces you to comparative methodologies and literary theories, developing your analytical, descriptive, and evaluative skills. You will have the opportunity to read, discuss, and present reasoned arguments, and work on writing with precision, clarity and creativity.
Whilst St Andrews does not offer Comparative Literature as a single Honours degree, you can take it in combination with a wide variety of other subjects as part of a joint Honours degree.
If you are taking Comparative Literature with a modern language, you will have the opportunity to take an integrated year abroad between second and third year in a country in which the language you study is spoken.
Key information
Course type
Master of Arts (joint degree)
Course duration
Four years full time
- Start date: 5 September 2022
- End date: 30 June 2026
Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive.
Entry requirements
These grades are the overall standards required to consider you for entry. Find out more about Standard, Minimum and Gateway entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.
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- Standard entry grades: AAAB
- Minimum entry grades: AABB
- Gateway entry grades: BBBB
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- Standard entry grades: AAB
- Minimum entry grades: ABB
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- Standard entry grades: 36 (HL 6,6,5)
- Minimum entry grades: 36 (HL 6,5,5)
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 to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. Find out more about English language requirements.
How to applyDo I need to have studied this subject before?
No previous knowledge of comparative literature is required.
General entry requirements
All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.
SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computing science
- Geography
- Lifeskills Mathematics (A grade)
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Psychology.
GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computing Science
- Geography
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Psychology.
Other qualifications
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 web page.
Reputation
Comparative literature at St Andrews was ranked first in Scotland by the Complete University Guide 2022. The School of Modern Languages as a whole was ranked first in Scotland by the Guardian University Guide 2022.
The School of Modern Languages has a reputation for innovative research in an exceptionally broad range of areas including:
- literatures (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin American, Persian, Russian and Spanish) from the medieval era to the 21st century
- theories and methodologies of comparative literature
- creativity and performance
- history, politics and society
- gender and identity studies
- postcolonial and transnational studies
- contemporary studies.
The University of St Andrews as a whole was voted top in the UK for student academic experience in The National Student Survey 2021. More than 93% of St Andrews final-year students gave the University top marks for the quality of the learning and teaching experience.
In the most recent (2014) Research Excellence Framework (REF), the School of Modern Languages was ranked first in Scotland on the quality of publications, with over 70% of research work rated as world-leading and internationally excellent.
Course information
The Comparative Literature element of the four-year joint Honours degree course is run by the School of Modern Languages.
In the first two years, you will gain awareness of different genres and themes as they appear in a range of literatures (typically including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Persian, Russian, Spanish, Latin American, British and North American). You will address the issue of how to study literature comparatively, especially when reading in translation. This will equip you with the range of literary experience and critical skills necessary for a more in-depth study of specialist subject areas at Honours level.
Specialist subject areas include:
- adaptation and intermediality
- cultural memory
- digital media
- cultural studies
- postcolonialism and the transnational
- influence, reception and the circulation of texts
- literary translation
- petrocultures
- world literature.
Alongside comparative literature, 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.
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 web page.
Modules
In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours), you will take the required modules in comparative literature along with modules from your chosen joint subject.
Typically, you will take one comparative literature module 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 are required to take the following compulsory modules in their first year:
- The Nineteenth-Century Novel of Adultery: introduces the study of comparative literature through 19th-century novels, typically from France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and the UK.
- Political Drama in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries: introduces the study of comparative literature through plays written in the 20th and 21st century from a range of literatures, typically China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Russia, Spain, the UK and the US.
Students are required to take the following compulsory modules in their second year (all texts are read in English translation):
- Good and Evil: examines a broad range of texts from a number of national literatures, periods and genres in which the theme of good and evil is explored in different literary, social, political and historical contexts.
- Journeys: explores a broad range of texts from different national literatures, periods and genres offering variants on the theme of journeys, explored in a range of literary, social, political and historical contexts.
If you decide to take comparative literature in your third and fourth years, as well as advancing your theoretical engagement with the discipline, you will choose from a wide variety of advanced options, each based on at least three national literatures and taught by a team of experts from Modern Languages.
Here is a sample of Honours modules which have been offered in previous years:
- Autobiography and the Visual Arts
- Bad Books
- Crossing the Mediterranean
- Cultural Memory and Literature
- Experiences of Exile
- Folk and Fairy Tales
- Great Works and their Adaptations
- Issues in Cultural Studies
- Literature and the Bible
- The Literary Canon
- The Short Story.
In fourth year, students may also choose to undertake a 5,000 or 10,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choice, with individual supervision. 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 compulsory modules listed here must be taken 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 appropriate to the programme for the current academic year can be found in the programme requirements.
Teaching
Teaching format
Comparative literature modules involve traditional lectures supported by small discussion seminars. Lectures provide information, stimulate thought, and suggest directions for further reading and personal study. Small group seminars allow you to work with your peers and your tutors to discuss texts, theories and methodologies in detail.
Sub-honours comparative literature modules are delivered through lectures (100 to 150 students) and small-group tutorials (10 to 15 students). At Honours level, lectures are replaced by seminars of 8 to 15 students.
When not attending lectures and tutorials, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve:
- reading set primary and secondary texts
- preparing for seminar discussions
- undertaking research in the library
- preparing coursework assignments and presentations
- preparing for examinations.
You will be taught by leading researchers in the field with an emphasis on research-led teaching. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of tutorials and seminars under the supervision of the module leader.
You can find contact information for all Comparative Literature staff on the School of Modern Languages website.
In addition to your studies in the School of Modern Languages, 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 web page.
Assessment
Comparative literature sub-honours modules are assessed by 50% coursework and 50% written examination. Assessment at Honours level varies, with most modules being assessed entirely by coursework. Coursework covers a wide range, from traditional essays and commentaries to more creative modes (for example writing and commenting on a short story; writing a censor’s report; devising your own syllabus)
Examinations are held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand.
The Department aims to provide feedback on every assessment within three weeks to help you improve on future assessments.
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 see the common reporting scale.
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Fees
Tuition fees for 2022 entry
| Home-funded | Tuition fees for Scottish applicants have yet to be set for 2022 entry. |
|---|---|
| RUK (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) and Republic of Ireland | Tuition fees for applicants from the rest of the UK have yet to be set for 2022 entry. |
| Islands (Channel Islands, Isle of Man) | Tuition fees for Islands applicants have yet to be set for 2022 entry. |
| EU and Overseas | Tuition fees for EU and overseas applicants have yet to be set for 2022 entry. |
For overseas students, tuition fees will be fixed 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.
Joint Honours degrees
You can take Comparative Literature as part of a joint Honours degree alongside one of the following listed subjects.
It is also possible to combine a degree in Comparative Literature with two modern languages. Any combination of Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish is available. Triple degrees taken with Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish are also available 'With Integrated Year Abroad'.
Joint degrees taken with Arabic, Chinese Studies, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish are also available 'With Integrated Year Abroad'.
In taking a joint degree, you are required to take core modules in all of your subjects. Find out more about joint degrees.
Your future
Careers
The skills you gain through studying comparative literature are marketable in many career areas, and your capacity to process and assimilate complex material from a range of cultures will make you highly employable.
Recent graduate career paths include:
- business and commerce
- civil service
- IT development
- journalism
- marketing
- media and the arts
- publishing.
Graduates may also go into postgraduate study, either at St Andrews or to other universities.
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
Comparative literature students can apply to participate in the University-wide St Andrews Abroad programme. You may also have the opportunity to participate in the School Abroad exchange programme. For information about study abroad options, please see the study abroad site.
Student life
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, ensure a community feel amongst students from first year onwards.
Comparative literature students may be interested in joining the following student societies:
- Book Club holds regular meetings to discuss books and create a welcoming society for all.
- Inklight is a creative writing society which runs poetry slams, open mic nights, workshops and an annual journal of student writing.
The School of Modern Languages is situated at the very centre of St Andrews in the Buchanan Building on Union Street.
The town of St Andrews itself has lots to offer. As University buildings are located throughout the town, walking around you encounter ancient and modern buildings, parks and beaches, providing a rich, beautiful backdrop to learning. Find out more about the town of St Andrews.
Find out more about student life at the University of St Andrews.
“With texts from a wide range of countries and a variety of genres (novels to movies to paintings), Comparative Literature is perfectly suited to an increasingly globalised and intermedial world. The focus on contemporary cultural discourses has proved to be very useful in my joint course with Modern History, as well as helping me secure internships in museums and research institutes.”
Zoe (Bad Fischau, Austria)
Contact
Department of Comparative Literature
School of Modern Languages
University of St Andrews
Buchanan Building
Union Street
St Andrews
KY16 9PH
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2953
Email: complithod@st-andrews.ac.uk
Policies
Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our admissions policy.
Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive.
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.
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.