Application deadline
31 January 2023 for those also applying for School of English scholarships; 31 May 2023 for all other applicants.
Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships and for international visa purposes.
Entry requirements
- A 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.
Application requirements
- Supplementary application to School of English (Word)
- CV
- sample of your own, single-authored academic writing on a modern or contemporary topic (approximately 2,000 words)
- two original signed academic references
- academic transcripts and degree certificates
For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.
English language proficiency
If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. See approved English language tests and scores for this course.
Course details
The MLitt in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture is an intensive one-year taught programme run by the School of English. The course aims to enhance students' textual knowledge and promote thinking about the interconnections between modern and contemporary literature and its historical, cultural and theoretical contexts.
Students will read and discuss some of the major texts and debates which have contributed to the shaping of the 'modernist', 'postmodern' and 'contemporary' cultural moments.
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.
- Typical seminar topics might include: women’s writing and gender studies; crime fiction; contemporary critical theory; modern and contemporary poetry; postcolonialism; Scottish literature; war writing; literature of the 1940s; British cinema and music.
Modules
The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your programme. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.
The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. For more details about each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue, which is for the 2022-2023 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2023 entry.
- 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.
- Contextualising the Modern: an exploration of the radical literary experiments following the First World War in the context of the wider movements in culture and society that informed literary modernism in the first decades of the 20th 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.
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
Teaching
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 consist of weekly seminars, normally with a maximum class size of 15 students.
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.
Modules are assessed through coursework essays. The School of English prides itself on its support of student work through detailed feedback and commentary.
Events
The School of English hosts research events through its four research groups:
- Creative Writing
- 18th Century, Romantic and Victorian
- Medieval and Renaissance
- Modern and Contemporary
The School of English normally also hosts an annual colloquium. Recent themes have been:
- Reimagining Andrew Marvell: The Poet at 400
- The English Legal Imaginary, 1500-1700
- Bannockburn, 1914: Anniversary culture, war and national identity in Scotland
- Opera and Fiction
- World Literature and Dissent
- (Un)Civil War?
- John Keats and Romantic Scotland
- Libraries in Literature
- Devouring Men: Food, Masculinity and Power.
The Postgraduate Forum offers postgraduates the opportunity to present research in progress to a group of their peers.
Fees
Home
£11,120
Overseas
£23,530
More information on tuition fees can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.
Funding and scholarships
The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of financial circumstances.
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.
After your degree
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 as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.
Further study
Many 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.
Postgraduate researchWhat to do next
Online information events
Join us for one of our information events where you can find out about different levels of study and specific courses we run. There are also sessions available for parents and college counsellors.
Postgraduate online visiting days
We encourage all students who are thinking of applying to the University to attend one of our online visiting days.
Contact us
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 2668
- pgeng@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Address
- School of English
Castle House
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9AL