Overview
Storytelling is part of every culture and reveals much about a person’s lived experience, values and aspirations within a given time.
Studying the English Literature MA at Brunel gives you the opportunity to uncover the richness of the history of English Literature – through selected periods, genres and diverse storytellers – through a set of underlying themes that act as windows into deeper understanding.
Whether your purpose is to explore a long held interest, build on previous studies or to benefit your career, studying a literature degree at Brunel will keep you close the one of the key literary capitals of the world.
Your journey will commence with an introductory module on ‘Reading, Writing and Research’ to help equip you with the required skills and competencies relevant to literary studies, so you will have the confidence to pursue self-directed study on any given topic.
You will then study four additional modules including ‘Authors’, where you will study one author or a well-recognised group of authors from a list that includes: John Keats and P.B. Shelley; the Brontes; Charles Dickens, or selected modernist authors such as Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield or postmodernist and experimental writers, B.S. Johnson and J.G. Ballard.
‘A British Literary Decade’ will immerse you in the literary and cultural aspects of one nominated decade from a range including the 1850s, 1890s, 1920s, 1930s, 1960s, 1970s or 1980s, crossing into neighbouring disciplines like history and politics along the way.
You will also have the opportunity to cover more contemporary works in ‘Postmillennial Literature’ including texts from a selected field, which includes: Anglophile writing post 9/11; science fiction and fantasy; LGBT writing, or experimental fiction.
Finally, after a series of planning and skills workshops to prepare topic, under the guidance of a nominated supervisor, you will undertake critical reading towards a 15,000 word dissertation on an agreed area of English post-1789 literature.
Outside your classroom, you can look forward to a calendar of events and activities organised by the Brunel Centre for Contemporary Writing, including the annual Hillingdon Literary Festival: a free weekend of literary performances from internationally renowned authors, writing workshops and lively debates right here on the Brunel campus.
Course content
The English Literature MA will provide you with a deeper understanding of English literature’s rich past, as you develop key investigative research skills relevant to literary studies. You will study five compulsory modules, four of which will cover a range of texts and the fifth will be in preparation your dissertation.
Compulsory
- EN5601 - Reading, Research and WritingThis module aims to introduce or build upon research skills usually gained during undergraduate studies by honing your approach and technique to a standard required for postgraduate work. The module draws on research council frameworks in order to advance you to the standards of taught postgraduate research, particularly in preparation for the dissertation element. It will also provide practical preparation in English Literature research methods for those hoping to progress to PhD level work.
- EN5602 - Postmillennial LiteratureIn this module you will develop a detailed knowledge of contemporary literatures in terms of their contemporaneity, interaction with key themes such as trauma, identity, diversity, and the development of their genres or forms or influence in the field. You will also develop a sophisticated understanding of the socio-historical, cultural, geographical and theoretical frameworks used in the analysis of such literature in particular ideas pertaining to their contemporaneity qualities.
- EN5603 - A Literary DecadeThe Literary Decades module offers a contextual and historical understanding of selected dynamics of a literary period. The module adopts a historical and cultural approach to the literature of a decade, by considering a nominated period in British literary history, considering major texts, themes and historical events of significance relevant to such key texts that are selected to illustrate the aesthetic dynamics of the nominated period.
- EN5604 - Author(s) StudyThis module will allow you to develop a wide familiarity with the writings of the nominated writer/s [such as the Brontë sisters; George Orwell; J.G. Ballard; Katharine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf; William Shakespeare etc.]. You will also develop a sophisticated understanding of the socio-historical, cultural, and theoretical frameworks used in the analysis of the period in which the nominated writer/s were active aesthetically.
- EN5605 - DissertationThis module will enable you to undertake a substantial independent investigation of a topic, issue or design project agreed with the module leader and produce written dissertations that are supported by evidence, are scholarly, that present a high level of independent learning and an original contribution to knowledge in your chosen area.
This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
An English master’s will equip you with a set of enviable skills which are vital for careers in publishing, print and electronic media, the culture industries and education.
Your skills will also be attractive to employers within sectors where accuracy in the written descriptive word is a central feature, including law, the civil service, advertising, marketing, financial services and business.
Above all, an MA in English Literature will benefit your own writing, critique and self-expression.
If, at the end of the course, you decide to continue your studies to doctoral level, you will have the essential research skills, and the opportunity, to join a flourishing research culture at Brunel.
UK entry requirements
- A 2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree, or equivalent internationally recognised qualification, in English Literature or Creative Writing. We also welcome applications from applicants with backgrounds in other disciplines and will consider these on a case by case basis. If you do not have a degree in English Literature or Creative Writing then we may need to arrange a short call with you to find out more about your interests and motivations for a studying our MA in English Literature.
EU and International entry requirements
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
- Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2024/25 entry
UK
£11,550 full-time
£5,775 part-time
International
£21,260 full-time
£10,630 part-time
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
Module teaching across the programme (lectures/seminars/tutorials) will take place in person on campus, and will be supported by the provision of asynchronous materials (e.g. lecture recordings etc.).
Other activities, including dissertation drop-ins, personal tutor meetings, assessment workshops, guest speaker events, and one-to-one tutorials may take place in person or online, as appropriate. We'll endeavour to take into account student preferences when arranging these activities, as well as other practical considerations, with an eye firmly on providing an excellent student experience at all times.
Students are strongly advised to purchase core texts from module reading lists, although copies are also available via Brunel Library.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
The English Literature MA at Brunel is taught by world-leading specialists in post-1789 literature theory, each with an international reputation for publication, with their work informing the content of the course.
The curriculum is designed to enable you to revisit and reassess ideas and their relationships within and between the modules, running over two terms, offering an intellectual pathway to your dissertation of 15,000 words on a topic of your choice.
Lectures and presentations will give you an overview of a particular topic and provide material for evaluative discussion during the seminars where you will be encouraged to contribute, present your own interpretations and raise new questions for debate.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
Your knowledge will be assessed using a variety of methods including written work (essays and a dissertation), oral presentations, seminar attendance and performance, and the organisation and planning of your dissertation.
Some of your assessments will be formative, providing you with feedback but not graded, to enable you to improve and work towards graded assessments.