MA in English Literature
Course Overview
The MA in English Literature sits inside the Education & Professional Studies department at LSCT and is a one-year postgraduate programme for English graduates, teachers and career changers who want a research-rigorous UK Master's grounded in the British literary tradition. Taught over 12 months on-campus in central London, fully online or by structured distance learning, the programme develops period-deep reading across medieval, early modern, Romantic, Victorian and contemporary literature, with a London-archive-led research-methods spine.
You will work directly with primary materials from your first term — close reading, archival research at the British Library reading rooms and contemporary critical theory. By the end you will have produced a 15,000-word dissertation, a publishable conference paper draft and a methods portfolio that supports PhD applications across UK Russell Group English departments.
The programme runs on a fortnightly seminar rhythm with research-methods workshops, supervised practice analysis and structured writing tutorials. Tutors include UK academic researchers, working teachers and policy specialists active in current UK education debates. Cohort sizes are deliberately small so each student's research voice can be developed rather than averaged out against a large lecture cohort.
Key Features
- Society for Education and Training (SET)-aware teaching-side options for students planning a route into UK secondary or post-16 English teaching.
- British Library reading-room induction in the first term for on-campus students; mediated remote access for distance students.
- Three study modes — on-campus in central London, fully online with live research seminars, or structured distance learning.
- Period optionals across Old English and Middle English, Renaissance drama, Romantic and Victorian writing, and contemporary British and postcolonial literature.
- Research-methods spine covering close reading, book history, theory and digital humanities tools.
- Dissertation supervision at 1-1 pace from week one of the dissertation phase.
What You Will Learn
You will graduate able to defend a research argument in writing and in person, read a primary text in its historical bibliographic context, and contribute to live debates in UK literary studies. Modules include:
- Research Methods for Literary Studies
- Old English and Middle English Literature (optional)
- Renaissance Drama and Early Modern Print Culture
- Romanticism, the Long Eighteenth Century and Print Networks
- Victorian Literature, Empire and Periodical Culture
- Contemporary British and Postcolonial Writing
- Critical and Cultural Theory
- Digital Humanities and Textual Editing
- 15,000-Word Dissertation
Assessment is portfolio-led with research evidence: you are graded on structured written work, dissertation drafts and live research presentations in front of the cohort and a working UK researcher or practitioner. This pattern is deliberate — it mirrors how UK academic and policy interview panels actually test postgraduate candidates, and it forces every student to develop the habit of articulating their research argument out loud rather than only on the page.
Who This Course Is For
- English graduates aiming for PhD applications in UK literary studies.
- Secondary and FE English teachers seeking research-led subject development.
- Career changers from publishing, journalism and the third sector entering academic work.
- International applicants seeking a UK postgraduate qualification recognised by Russell Group English departments.
Hybrid candidates with one foot in teaching or training and the other in research or policy are particularly well-served, since UK education-sector employers increasingly hire for people who can translate between classroom practice and evidence-based decision-making.
Career Pathways
Graduates step into research, editorial, teaching and cultural-sector roles that UK universities, schools, publishers and arts organisations recruit from each year. Typical first roles include:
- PhD Researcher (UK English faculty)
- Secondary English Teacher (via post-MA PGCE)
- FE / Sixth-Form English Lecturer
- Editorial Assistant (UK publisher)
- Cultural-Sector Researcher (British Library, museums, archives)
- Academic Writing and Skills Officer (UK university)
Graduates often progress to a PhD in English Literature, a PGCE for QTS, or to editorial roles in UK publishing.
Beyond the obvious academic and school routes, graduates are picked up by UK EdTech firms, awarding bodies, examination organisations, central-government education directorates and the UK's large training providers. Hiring conversations typically test research literacy and the ability to translate evidence into practice, so the dissertation and methods portfolio you build during the programme matters more than the title of the degree alone.
Recent intakes have included career changers from journalism and publishing, returners after parental leave, working teachers and training providers — the cohort mix itself becomes part of the curriculum.
Entry Requirements
- A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in English Literature or a closely related humanities subject.
- Applicants from non-cognate fields may apply with five years' senior professional experience in writing, editing or teaching and a strong writing sample.
- IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers — a 2,500-word writing sample is required for this programme at application.
- A personal statement, two references and (where applicable) a research proposal of 500-800 words.
Why Study at LSCT
The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. For literature students that proximity is the curriculum: the British Library, Senate House Library and Shakespeare's Globe are part of the year's working calendar, not optional add-ons.
We also run a structured careers service from intake onwards: scheduled mock postgraduate-application reviews with working UK academics and policy specialists, CV and research-statement reviews aligned to UK PhD and EdTech recruiter norms, and live cohort sessions on the application timelines for UK doctoral funding and PGCE entry. Every student is paired with an alumni mentor working in their target UK sector.
Apply for MA in English Literature
Specialise at postgraduate level with the MA in English Literature. Click Enrol Now to apply; admissions teams reply within one working day with scholarship and funding guidance, including a personalised dissertation supervisor match based on your area of interest.
