The published course and module descriptions were accurate when first published and remain the basis of the course, but the University has had to modify some course and module content in response to government restrictions and social distancing requirements
English Literature
MA or PGDip or PGCert
Key facts
Start dates
September 2022 / September 2023
Location
Course length
Full time: PGCert: 4 months, PGDip: 9 months, MA: 12 months
Part time: PGCert: 2 semesters, PGDip: 3 semesters, MA: 24 months
Department
Overview
Explore writers, forms and genres - and see where your passion for literature will take you.
On this course, you’ll take your interest in literature to the next level. You’ll explore everything from Elizabethan lyrics to New York stories. You’ll consider key social issues through a literary lens - like gender, sexuality and mental health. You’ll discover new interests. And you’ll have the freedom to specialise in the area you care about most.
You’ll join a close-knit community where everyone knows each other well. And you’ll learn directly from leading experts who are internationally recognised in their fields.
You’ll study in one of the world’s most iconic literary cities. Oxford has been home to major literary pioneers - from Lewis Carroll, to Vera Brittain and Monica Ali. And it features in countless literary works - from Brideshead Revisited to His Dark Materials. You’ll have access to the renowned Bodleian Library, one of the most important literary collections in the world.

How to apply
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
You should normally hold an upper second-class honours degree, or its equivalent, in English Literature or a related subject.
You also need to provide a writing sample; it should showcase your writing at its best. For many the sample would consist of an advanced-level undergraduate essay that features:
- Close engagement with primary sources (literary texts and/or other evidence)
- Critical engagement with secondary sources (scholarly criticism, and/or theory, where appropriate)
- A formal scholarly apparatus (notes, bibliography, works cited, etc).
If the above is not an option for you, then we're happy for you to submit one of these alternatives:
- A piece of professional writing that engages with academic study or other research
- A review of a literary work you have read recently, which makes use of current literary criticism/academic sources about the writer(s).
The sample should be 1500-2500 words, but if you use a longer piece - highlight the 2500 words you want us to focus on.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language you will need to provide certification of your English language proficiency. For this course you will need an IELTS score of at least 7, with at least 6.0 in each element.
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.
Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.
If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Application process
All applicants should send their writing sample in English – together with the application form.
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year your fees will increase each year.
Financial support and scholarships
There's International Student Scholarships available for 2022 and other scholarships and funding options for postgraduate international students.
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course, if any, are detailed below.
Learning and assessment
You’ll explore literature from the Renaissance through to the 21st century. The course is highly flexible, and you’ll have the freedom to explore your interests. You’ll be able to pursue a specialist pathway in:
- Renaissance Literature
- Nineteenth Century Literature
- Modern and Contemporary Literature
Or you can create your own specialist pathway - based around your specific interests.
Sharing ideas is central to how you’ll learn. You’ll explore your opinions and those of your peers. You’ll question. You’ll challenge, and be challenged - in a supportive and trusting environment.
You’ll have full reader access to the world-renowned Bodleian Library. And you’ll have direct access to the:
- Man/Booker Prize archive
- Royal Literary Fund fellows
- Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre.
You’ll be taught by internationally-renowned tutors with a wide range of specialisms. This means you can access highly specialised insight and expertise in almost any area of literature - from the American literary canons, to women’s writing and speculative technology.

Study modules
On the MA, you’ll take a total of four modules, including:
- one compulsory core module
- two elective modules
- a dissertation.
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from that shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Learning and teaching
On this course, you’ll learn through:
- Small-group seminars
- Collaborative workshops
- Individual tutorials.
Your classes will take place in the evenings, with sessions often running from 6:30pm to 9:00pm.
As a full-time student your classes are on two evenings per week and you’ll spend 30 hours per week in independent study.
Or if you’re a part-time student, your class is on one evening per week and you’ll spend an extra 12-15 hours per week in independent study.
Research
The Department of English and Modern Languages has several collaborative research communities, including:
- The Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre
- Materialities
- Networks and localities
- Medicine, science and technology
- Memory and life-writing
- The Oxford Brookes language and discourse.
We support our doctoral students and encourage wide participation both through our partnerships and our busy programme of conferences, public events and lectures.
Research students are supervised by a team of tutors, including a director of studies and at least one other supervisor.
Research supervision is offered in the following areas:
- Romantic writing
- Contemporary literature
- The pre-raphaelites
- American literature avant-garde writing
- Witchcraft in the 19th century
- John Clare and eco-criticism
- Ben Jonson
- Shakespeare
- Theatre and science
- Utopias
- Thomas More
- Modernist Poetry
- Stylistics
- Victorian religion
- Literature and technology
- Literature as therapy
- Literature and war.

After you graduate
Career prospects
Our alumni go on to a wide range of careers in different sectors, including:
- teaching
- publishing
- NGO/charity work
- media production
- the creative industries.
Employers value our postgraduate students’ advanced problem-solving, research, and communication skills.
Recently, Jenny Mayhew, English PhD student, had her first novel published, A Wolf in Hindelheim. A significant number of successful MA students continue into further research and academic careers, at Brookes and other institutions.
The MA course offers an excellent grounding in further study in English no matter what you decide to do afterwards, and provides the research experience and training you need to pursue a successful PhD project.
Student profiles
Our Staff
Dr Eric White
Eric White works on American modernism in the transatlantic context, and his research focuses on avant-garde writing, literary networks, and technology
Read more about EricProfessor Nicole Pohl
Nicole Pohl has published and edited books on women's utopian writing in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, European salons and epistolarity.
Read more about NicoleProgramme Changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website.For more information, please visit our Changes to programmes page.