MA English

at National University of Ireland Galway

Students take one core taught module (Writing and Research). In this module students study some indispensable works of literary theory and criticism, develop their critical thinking and refine their skills in writing, research methods and the use of libraries and other scholarly resources. Students learn how to design, revise and carry out a credible dissertation plan. Students choose a further five elective taught modules from a wide range of options in the areas of literature (e.g., Shakespeare, Old and Middle English, American literature, Dickens, travel literature), literary theory (e.g., narratology) and cultural and social theory as well as in the cognate areas of film studies, drama, Irish studies, digital humanities and journalism (e.g., textual studies, book history, colonialism, film theory, Beckett, Wilde, digital film, Irish modernity). The coursework takes place during term, and work on the dissertation spans the second semester for full-time students, or fourth semester for part-time students, and the summer after coursework has been concluded. The dissertation is 15,000 words long and is submitted in early August.
 

Modules potentially on offer each year include ones on Book History, Literature & Colonialism, Introduction to Digital Humanities, Cinema & Politics, Textual Studies, Medieval Aesthetics and Poetic Art, Thinking About Theatre, Young Ireland to the Free State: Writing in English 1849–1922, Critical Approaches, Representations of the Book in Literature and Film, Early Modern Print and Manuscript Cultures, Approaches to Culture & Colonialism, Travel Literature, Aspects of Old and Middle English Literature, Irish Drama and Theatre, The Nineteenth-Century Century Literary Marketplace, Nineteenth Century Periodicals and Serial Fiction, and Literature of North America, among others.

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Year 1 (90 Credits)

• Optional EN541: Colonialism In Twentieth Century Cultural Theory - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional IS105: Young Ireland to the Free State: Writing in English, 1849-1922 - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional DT6102: Irish Drama and Theatre from Wilde to O'Casey - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional IS106: Decline & Revival: Language, Literature & Society 1800-1939 - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional FM521: Critical Theory I - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional EN601: Writing Workshop: Poetry - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional EN529: Dissertation - 30 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional EN547: Literature And Colonialism - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional GR6100: Language & Intercultural Communication - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional EN6105: Introduction to Digital Humanities - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional EN6136: Thinking about Books/Thinking about Theatre - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Required EN6116: Writing and Research - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional IS108: The Politics of Modernity: Writing in English, 1922 to the present - 10 Credits - Semester 2
• Optional IS109: Gaelic & Free: Cultural Politics & Writing in Irish since 1939 - 10 Credits - Semester 2
• Optional MV504: Old & Middle English - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional EN597: Approaches to the Study of Culture and Colonialism - 10 Credits - Semester 2
• Optional DT6101: Irish Drama and Theatre from Beckett to the Present - 10 Credits - Semester 1
• Optional FM522: Critical Theory II - 10 Credits - Semester 2
• Optional FM6105: Digital Film and Culture - 10 Credits - Semester 2
• Optional EN527: Literature Of North America - 10 Credits - Semester 2
• Optional EN6113: Writing Workshop: Poetry 2 - 10 Credits - Semester 2
• Optional EN6125: WB Yeats and the Cultural Revolution - 10 Credits - Semester 2
• Optional FM6119: Film, Politics, and Colonialism - 10 Credits - Semester 2
• Optional EN6131: The Odes of John Keats - 10 Credits - Semester 2
• Optional EN570: Book History - 10 Credits - Semester 2
• Optional EN6134: Studies in Literary History and Aesthetics - 10 Credits - Semester 2

BA in an Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences discipline with a minimum result of H2.2 overall, with a H2.1 in English, or an equivalent international qualification (e.g., BA with minimum GPA of 3.0 for North American applicants). IELT score of 7 or equivalent at least is expected, if applicable.
 

Fees: EU
€6,850 full-time; €3,465 part-time p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Tuition
€6,710 full-time; €3,360 part-time p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Student levy
€140 full-time; €105 part-time p.a. 2022/23

Fees: Non EU
€16,540 p.a. 2022/23
 

Student levy €140 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. 

Career Opportunities

The taught coursework on this programme will enable students to extend their knowledge of English beyond the boundaries of their undergraduate experience and to develop a range of important and transferable skills that will serve them well in the job market, or in further education, for example on a PhD programme. Students will learn how to achieve a regular habit of research and writing, meet deadlines, give persuasive, well-researched talks and presentations, use libraries and resources effectively, articulate ideas to others, work in a team, write well, and revise, edit and improve drafts of written work. These are valuable skills that will translate easily into a wide range of careers. Graduates of this programme are well placed to succeed in arts administration, teaching, creative writing, PR, research, broadcasting, publishing, journalism, non-fiction writing and marketing.