2026-27 entry

English Literature MA

School of English, Faculty of Arts and Humanities

Explore the breadth and depth of English literature and choose to develop your creative writing skills on our MA degree. You can opt to focus on a particular time period, genre, style or theme, creating a programme that is unique to you and your interests.
  • Start date
    September 2026
  • Duration
    1 year 2 years
  • Attendance
    Full-time Part-time

Explore this course:

    Student holding a book stood in front of bookshelf looking up at the books

    Course description

    You’ll study a range of areas in depth, such as contemporary and modernist literature, world cinema, Gothic studies, poetry, letter writing and literary linguistics. You can also engage with contemporary creative writing methods and practices.

    Your assessment through essay assignments and research exercises will support your development as a scholar and equip you with a wide range of broadly applicable and employable skills.

    Your masters dissertation allows you to undertake a significant and personal piece of research, with individual supervision from a member of our expert academic staff.

    If you opt for creative writing, you’ll be producing portfolios of both creative and critical work for each module and for your dissertation, all of which may take the form of poetry, prose poetry, short stories, a novel extract, poetic prose, hybrid texts and other genres, as well as formal or cross-media experimentations.

    As a postgraduate student you’ll also be encouraged to connect with the Faculty research centres (eg the Centres for the Gothic, for Film and Poetry and Poetics) and to engage with the research culture of the school. Sheffield also has a buzzing literary culture, and there are plenty of public and University readings, publications and festivals for you to get involved in.

    Modules

    We're revising the curriculum of the course for this year of entry and are in the process of confirming the modules. The information here gives you an idea of the areas we expect the course to cover. There may be changes before you begin your studies. As you progress through your course, we’ll confirm additional details of the core and optional modules available to you.

    Our wide range of modules will allow you to develop your knowledge across a range of fields including narrative, poetry, cinema and theatre from the 1400's right up to modern day.

    Core Modules:

    Core Skills in Postgraduate Study

    This module will help support you in making the transition to MA study. It is taught through a series of workshops on topics such as writing essays at MA level, finding and using secondary materials, giving presentations, and employability. Throughout, you'll be encouraged to reflect on your experiences and expectations, as well as receiving guidance from lecturers. Although the module is not formally assessed, and does not carry credits, it's taken by all students on the MA English Literature programme and as well as helping you to understand the skills you'll be using at MA level will include reflection on your learning and development.

    Plus the below:
    - Dissertation

    Optional Modules may include:

    Contemporary Cinemas

    This module encourages you to engage with recent developments in world cinema, and to research and interpret films, filmmakers and movements in contemporary film. You will study examples of contemporary international cinema which are currently being researched by academic staff, and be introduced to key critical and theoretical concepts which can be applied to the analysis of film. The films included for study will be actively chosen to reframe national, aesthetic and cultural debates and to foreground the empowerment and relevance of cultural production. As well as being able to view, appraise and discuss diverse and relevant examples of twenty-first century filmmaking, you will be encouraged to select, analyse and critically evaluate films of your choice, using the module's texts, ideas, approaches and debates as points of departure for your own cinematic research. You will gain and develop skills in close analysis, the application of theory, contextual reading, and researching and writing on important, influential and challenging film texts.

    30 credits
    Romantic Gothic

    Romantic Gothic considers the various manifestations of the Gothic mode, from the middle of the eighteenth century towards the end of the Romantic period in 1830. Looking at how the Gothic became such an enduring and powerful mode of expression in literature, the module will look at Gothic poetry, Gothic novels, Gothic bluebooks, and accounts of supernatural occurrences in the popular magazines and newspapers of the age. By the end of the module, you will have a good knowledge of the rise of the Gothic during the eighteenth century and Romantic periods, and will have examined some of the most popular Gothic works of the age alongside less canonical works.

    30 credits
    Shakespearean Transformations

    This module approaches the literature of Shakespeare's era through the theme of transformation. This theme has multiple dimensions: first, you'll look at how Shakespeare and other Renaissance writers transformed existing literary traditions such as the classical epic, religious scripture, and medieval romance within their own writing. Then, you'll look at examples of transformation in Renaissance writing, such as changing sex, changing religion, and changes between the human and the animal. The module also reflects self-consciously on Shakespeare/Renaissance studies as a discipline and how it has been transformed - and might be transformed in future - in light of changing critical, ethical and social priorities. The module is diverse in its content, covering drama, poetry and prose, reflecting the different specialisms and expertise of staff members. The form of assessment, critical essay, helps you to hone your writing skills at graduate level and to carry out independent research into your chosen topic.

    30 credits
    Mid-Century Modernism

    The module will engage with current research and scholarship relating to literature of the 'long modern' period (1930 to 1975), introducing you to the history and contemporary state of criticism and theory in relation to mid twentieth-century cultural production. You will receive a thorough grounding in research methods specific to the period. This is a period of unprecedented violence and transformation, from the momentous impact of totalitarian systems, the rise and impact of the Second World War on global culture, host to the worst events the world has ever experienced with the Holocaust and Bomb, the age of rapid and shifting groups and movements, existentialism through abstract expressionism to confessional, innovative and pop art styles. It is also an era of very deep reflection on the idea of the relations between systems of thought across disciplines. The module will chart that reflection as well as a forum for thinking about art's power in a world under new techno-political compulsions, be they nuclear-apocalyptic, Cold War-propagandized, or transnational, neo-imperial, superpowered or postcolonial.

    30 credits

    Plus the below:

    - Exchanging Letters
    - Work Placement with Research Essay
    - Humans, Animals, Monsters and Machines
    - Murderers and Degenerates
    - Memory and Narrative
    - Creative Writing: Fiction, Genre, Theory
    - Creative Writing: Poetry, Poetics, Fusion
    - Creative Writing: Prose, Ekphrasis, Experiment
    - Creative Writing: Poetry, Prose, Hybrid

    The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it's up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we will inform students and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption.

    Duration

    • 1 year full-time
    • 2 years part-time

    Teaching

    Teaching is through weekly seminars, typically of 90 minutes, during which you will explore set texts, secondary criticism and theory in depth and discuss the key issues with your tutors and classmates.

    The creative writing modules will consist of a weekly two-hour workshop, an informal, creative and critical environment that allows you to receive feedback on your writing from both the tutor and your fellow students.

    Teaching staff

    Our current staff are active and internationally recognised authors, academics and creative forces in their fields:

    Assessment

    In most modules you’ll be assessed by essay assignments of 4,000 to 6,000 words; some modules will feature research skills exercises, such as preparing an annotated bibliography.

    If you opt for creative writing modules, your creative writing portfolio will be assessed at the end of each term.

    In some modules there will be other varied types of coursework to extend and refine your research and writing skills, and there is a final 12,000-word dissertation on a topic you have selected and researched.

    Your career

    During your studies, you can develop and hone a range of wider skills that are embedded throughout your learning. From time management and digital fluency to problem-solving and critical thinking, we'll help you to build your confidence as you enter the workplace.

    We also have a strong record of publishing success for alumni and current students who have taken our creative writing modules.

    You can use the skills you develop in your degree to work in a wide range of sectors both nationally and internationally, including health, education, local government, marketing and journalism. Some of our recent graduates are working with local collections, in national banking groups and as teachers overseas.

    In particular, you’ll have the opportunity to develop practical skills and apply your studies via the Work Placement scheme. This optional 100-hour activity is a fantastic way to distinguish yourself in the job market and many of our students have continued to work with their partner organisation after they've completed the module.

    Students taking the Work Placement module have worked with organisations in sectors including: heritage and tourism, archives, charities, galleries and arts performance, publishing, events organisation, health and wellbeing and more.

    School

    School of English

    We're a research-intensive school with an international perspective on English studies. Students can specialise in their chosen subject, while taking modules from other programmes, forging interdisciplinary connections. We encourage you to get involved and to apply your academic learning, working in partnership with external organisations both within the city of Sheffield and beyond.

    Our staff are researchers, critics, and writers. They're also passionate, dedicated teachers who work tirelessly to ensure their students are inspired.

    We keep seminar groups small because we believe that's the best way to stimulate discussion and debate. Our modules use a range of innovative assessments and can include designing websites, writing blog posts, and working with publishing software, in addition to writing essays and delivering presentations.

    We're committed to providing you with the pastoral support you need in order to thrive on your degree. You'll be assigned a personal tutor with whom you'll have regular meetings. You're welcome to see any of our academic staff in their regular student consultations if there's anything you want to ask.

    Entry requirements

    Minimum 2:1 undergraduate honours degree in a relevant subject.

    You will be required to provide a portfolio submission of written work from your undergraduate degree level study, such as a dissertation or essay on an English topic.

    Subject requirements

    We accept degrees in the following subject areas: 

    • English Language
    • English Literature
    • History
    • Linguistics
    • Modern Languages
    • Philosophy

    Your degree should be in an Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences subject.

    View an indicative list of degree titles we would consider

    We also consider a wide range of international qualifications:

    Entry requirements for international students

    We assess each application on the basis of the applicant’s preparation and achievement as a whole. We may accept applicants whose qualifications don’t meet the published entry criteria but have other experience relevant to the course.

    If required degree subjects and modules are listed, these are indicative only. Sometimes we may accept subjects or modules that aren’t listed, and sometimes we may not accept subjects or modules that are listed, depending on the content studied.

    English language requirements

    IELTS 7.5 (with 7 in each component) or University equivalent

    Other requirements

    We will not ask you to provide references or referee details as part of your application.

    We do not require a supporting statement for this programme.

    Pathway programme for international students

    If you're an international student who does not meet the entry requirements for this course, you have the opportunity to apply for a at the . This course is designed to develop your English language and academic skills. Upon successful completion, you can progress to degree level study at the University of Sheffield.

    If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the school.

    Fees and funding

    Fees

    Funding

    The Ragdoll Foundation - School of English Postgraduate Scholarships

    We're offering two scholarships worth £10,000 each for home fee-paying students starting a taught postgraduate course in the School of English in 2025.

    Studentships

    There are a number of other studentships and fee bursaries available, funded by the University. Deadlines for funding applications are usually in winter/early spring.

    Alumni discount

    Save up to £2,500 on your course fees

    Are you a Sheffield graduate? You could save up to £2,500 on your postgraduate taught course fees, subject to eligibility.

    Apply

    You can apply now using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It's a quick and easy process.

    Apply now

    Contact

    Start a conversation with us â€“ you can get in touch by email, telephone or online chat.

    Contacts for prospective students

    Any supervisors and research areas listed are indicative and may change before the start of the course.

    Our student protection plan

    Recognition of professional qualifications: from 1 January 2021, in order to have any UK professional qualifications recognised for work in an EU country across a number of regulated and other professions you need to apply to the host country for recognition. Read and the .