Program Overview
Share Facebook Linkedin Email Postgraduate Taught 2026 autism-practice-msc robotics-artificial-intelligence-msc artificial-intelligence-pgcert history-pgdip engineering-energy-economics-the-environment-pgcert applied-cyber-security-pgcert data-analytics-pgcert technology-management-msc sound-music-pgcert sound-music-pgdip masters-law-mlaw international-commercial-business-law-llm cancer-medicine-mscres public-health-mph education-computingit-digital-skills-creative-enterprise-pgce public-health-systems-policy-theory-into-practice-pgcert international-political-economy-msc sound-music-ma public-health-sciences-pgcert public-health-data-systems-research-pgcert substance-use-substance-use-disorders-msc substance-use-substance-use-disorders-pgcert substance-use-substance-use-disorders-pgdip english-creative-writing-ma data-analytics-msc english-creative-writing-pgdip advanced-healthcare-practice-msc law-technology-llm intellectual-property-law-llm palliative-care-pgdip irish-studies-ma digital-marketing-analytics-msc conflict-transformation-social-justice-ma global-security-borders-ma molecular-biology-biotechnology-msc ecological-management-conservation-biology-msc one-health-parasitology-infection-biology-msc supply-chain-analytics-msc accounting-finance-analytics-msc actuarial-science-msc advanced-clinical-pharmacy-practice-msc advanced-clinical-pharmacy-practice-pgcert advanced-clinical-pharmacy-practice-pgdip advanced-food-safety-msc advanced-healthcare-clinical-practice-msc advanced-pharmacy-practice-msc advanced-social-work-children-young-people-families-msc advanced-social-work-children-young-people-families-pgcert advanced-social-work-children-young-people-families-pgdip ai-business-msc animal-behaviour-welfare-msc anthropology-ma anthropology-pgdip applied-behaviour-analysis-msc applied-cyber-security-msc applied-cyber-security-professional-internship-msc applied-developmental-psychology-msc applied-digital-construction-management-msc architecture-march 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independent-prescribing-pgcert industrial-pharmaceutics-msc international-business-msc international-human-rights-law-llm international-public-policy-msc international-public-policy-pgdip international-relations-ma international-relations-pgdip interpreting-ma law-llm leadership-sustainable-development-msc leadership-sustainable-rural-development-msc linguistics-ma linguistics-pgcert linguistics-pgdip management-msc marketing-msc master-business-administration-internship-mba master-business-administration-mba mechanical-engineering-management-higher-level-apprenticeship-msc mechanical-engineering-management-industrial-internship-msc mechanical-engineering-management-msc mechanical-engineering-management-pgcert mechanical-engineering-management-pgdip mechanical-engineering-pgcert media-broadcast-production-ma media-broadcast-production-pgdip mental-health-mental-capacity-law-msc mental-health-mental-capacity-law-pgdip mental-health-pgdip midwifery-msc net-zero-engineering-distance-learning-msc net-zero-engineering-msc net-zero-engineering-year-industry-msc pharmaceutical-analysis-higher-level-apprenticeship-msc pharmaceutical-analysis-industrial-placement-msc pharmaceutical-analysis-international-industrial-placement-msc pharmaceutical-analysis-msc philosophy-ma philosophy-pgdip planning-development-higher-level-apprenticeship-msc planning-development-msc planning-development-pgcert politics-ma politics-pgdip prescribing-pharmacists-pgcert professional-nursing-adult-nursing-msc professional-nursing-children-young-people-msc professional-nursing-learning-disabilities-nursing-msc professional-nursing-mental-health-nursing-msc professional-practice-architecture-pgcert psychological-science-msc public-history-ma social-science-research-mres social-science-research-pgdip sociology-global-inequality-msc software-development-msc software-development-part-time-msc specialist-cognitive-behavioural-therapy-msc sustainable-energy-systems-management-msc sustainable-energy-systems-management-pgdip systemic-practice-family-therapy-msc systemic-practice-family-therapy-pgcert systemic-practice-family-therapy-pgdip systemic-psychotherapy-msc teaching-english-speakers-other-languages-applied-linguistics-msc translation-ma violence-terrorism-security-ma violence-terrorism-security-pgdip youth-justice-msc youth-justice-pgdip zero-carbon-engineering-pgcert Share Facebook Linkedin Email Undergraduate 2025 MA | Postgraduate Taught English - Literary Studies Apply now Register Interest Entry year Academic Year 2026/27 Entry requirements 2.2 Attendance 3 years (Part-time) 1 year (Full-time) Places available 30 (Part Time) 30 (Full Time) Overview Course content Modules Entry requirements Careers Fees and funding Apply To provide students with the opportunity to develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of English Literary Studies, enabling students to pursue specialised fields of study or to choose a flexible arrangement of topics which bypass traditional period or national boundaries. English - Literary Studies highlights Internationally Renowned Experts You will be taught by staff with interests that range across the English subject area and who have research profiles of international standing. Student Experience The MA in English Literary Studies offers a number of special features. Some modules engage with contemporary art and culture through field work, while other modules use connections to different subject areas and to the archives in Armagh, Belfast and Trinity College Dublin. Students are also able to take some modules from other programmes, including the Masters in Liberal Arts.
Key Program Features
English - Literary Studies highlights
Internationally Renowned Experts
You will be taught by staff with interests that range across the English subject area and who have research profiles of international standing.
Student Experience
The MA in English Literary Studies offers a number of special features. Some modules engage with contemporary art and culture through field work, while other modules use connections to different subject areas and to the archives in Armagh, Belfast and Trinity College Dublin. Students are also able to take some modules from other programmes, including the Masters in Liberal Arts.
Further Study Opportunities
Students and staff across the degree also take part in a number of discussion groups, workshops and conferences both within and outside the University. There is the opportunity to organise and/or participate in the School's annual PG conference ('Common Ground') and regular research seminars.
Having studied at Queen’s as an undergraduate, the decision to do an MA here in the School of English was an easy one to make! Specialising in Renaissance Literature, the opportunity to incorporate other modules from a wide range on offer was fantastic and made for a more exciting and diverse degree. Jordan Carville "I applied for the masters in literary studies as I wished to expand on the research skills I had developed at undergraduate level. Literary studies provided me with both the opportunities to expand my investigative skills through tailored research-centred seminars and refine my area of interest through specialised modules. The modules on offer are fascinatingly diverse, covering literatures from Anglo-Saxon verse to 21st century Indian prose, and the teaching staff delivering seminars are world-class. Thanks to support and guidance from my lecturers, I gained the confidence and skills needed to pursue doctoral study, and I look forward to returning to Queen’s this autumn.” Jasmine McCrory "Studying the MA in English Literary Studies was an easy decision after a fantastic experience as an English undergraduate at Queen’s. I have always wanted to pursue an academic career and the enthusiastic and supportive English staff gave me the confidence to do so. The opportunities for independent research at MA level are invaluable; the Literary Research Methods module in particular is incredibly rewarding. It allowed me to engage with a variety of challenging theoretical paradigms which paved the way for many exciting class debates as well as equipping me with the skills to undertake further research at PhD level.” Michelle McLaughlin
Career Opportunities
Career Prospects
Introduction
Graduates from these programmes have a good employment record. Professions including publishing, journalism, public relations, teaching, IT, library science, corporate advertising, the Civil Service, business, industry and the media all recruit from our range of graduates. Some students choose to continue their studies to PhD level on a chosen, specialised topic in one of the pathways in English Literary Studies. Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as the Future Ready Award, bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with business experts helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally. http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/
Program Curriculum
Course Structure
Students may enrol on a full-time or part-time basis. Full-time students take three modules per semester. Part-time students typically take one or two modules per semester.
Course Details
The MA in English Literary Studies offers a flexible system in which students can choose either specific topics to create a focused programme of study or widely diverse areas of literary study, according to their own preferences. The School's literary studies staff comprise the largest group within the School of Arts, English and Languages and are thus able to teach a broad range of material: modules span the earliest writings in English (studied in their own historical and cultural contexts but also in relation to new digital cultures), to contemporary American literature and culture in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries (incorporating literature and other aspects of culture, such as television and graphic arts). Other strengths of the School's expertise include Renaissance literature (particularly women's writing, the history of the child, and Shakespeare and World Cinema), eighteenth-century literature (women's writing, slavery and abolition, and Indian literatures in English), nineteenth and twentieth-century literature (with specialisms including the fiction of Dickens, the fin de siècle and modernism), and contemporary literature (Irish writing, African literatures in English, and American literature). All students on the programme take a subject-specific Literary Research Methods module that addresses the issues, challenges and research questions raised by advanced study in the subject. Students also select from a wide range of optional modules, permitting either specialism or diversity in the choice of study. Most modules are on offer annually, but there can be variation year to year subject to staff availability. Finally, after two semesters of taught modules, all MA students on the programme complete a 15,000 word dissertation, which they choose and design and then work on in conjunction with an academic supervisor.
Summer Period (June-September)
People teaching you Dr Michael Pierse Reader SAEL Email: m.pierse@qub.ac.uk The programme is taught by members of staff from across the English subject area. A full list of staff can be accessed here: https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/ael/Connect/KEYSCHOOLCONTACTS/#as-english
Teaching Times
Learning and Teaching
Learning opportunities associated with this course are outlined below:
Admission Requirements
How to Apply
Apply using our online Queen's Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply .
Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions that apply when you accept an offer of a place at the University on a taught programme of study. Queen's University Belfast Terms and Conditions .
Tuition & Financial Information
Tuition Fee
GBP 15,200/year (international)
Tuition Fees
| Northern Ireland (NI) 1 | £7,700 |
| Republic of Ireland (ROI) 2 | £7,700 |
| England, Scotland or Wales (GB) 1 | £10,400 |
| EU Other 3 | £23,000 |
| International | £23,000 |
1 EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled status, will be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB will be charged the GB fee.
2 EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI are eligible for NI tuition fees.
3 EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.
All tuition fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless stated otherwise. Tuition fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
More information on postgraduate tuition fees .
Additional course costs
There are no specific additional course costs associated with this programme.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Financial Aid & Funding Opportunities
A range of funding options may be available to students enrolling at Queen's University Belfast. Explore all options early — many scholarships have deadlines months before programme start.
- University Scholarships: Queen's University Belfast may offer merit-based, need-based, or programme-specific scholarships for postgraduate students. Contact the international or financial aid office for current awards.
- Government Scholarships (): National governments often fund outbound and inbound student mobility. Check your home country's government scholarship schemes (e.g., national student loan bodies, ministry of education awards).
- International Scholarships: Major funders include: Commonwealth Scholarships, Fulbright (USA programmes), Chevening (UK), Erasmus+ (Europe), DAAD (Germany), Campus France, Australia Awards, and many more.
- Employer Sponsorship: Professionals returning to study may negotiate tuition sponsorship with their employer, particularly for MBA or executive programmes.
- Graduate Assistantships / Fellowships: Some universities offer funded research or teaching assistant positions that include a stipend and partial or full tuition waiver.
- External Foundations: Rotary Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation, Ford Foundation, and many discipline-specific bodies fund postgraduate study globally.
- Payment Plans: Flexible instalment plans may allow you to spread tuition payments across the academic year.
About Queen's University Belfast
Queen's University Belfast
Botswana, Botswana
Visit the university profile page to learn more about this institution.
University Profile- Application Deadline 2018-06-30
- Start Date 2018-09-25
- Language English
- Duration 12 months
- Credits 60 ECTS / 180 credits (1-year programme)