Master of Letters in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture

at University of St Andrews

In each semester students take one module that concentrates on the literature of the period and one module that engages with the period’s theoretical, cultural and historical developments. Students are encouraged to develop their own, individual interests via one optional module.

Taught modules consist of weekly seminars, normally with a maximum class size of 15 students. Modules are assessed through coursework essays. The School of English prides itself on its support of student work through detailed feedback and commentary.

During the course of the year, but with particular focus during the last four months, students will research and write a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choosing.

Modules
The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue which is for the 2021–2022 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2022 entry.

Compulsory

• Contemporary Literature and Culture: exposes students to a range of contemporary authors, poets and playwrights, moving between a detailed focus on highlighted key works and a wider perspective on individual writer’s oeuvres.
• Contextualising the Modern: an exploration of the radical literary experiments following the First World War in the context of the wider movements in culture and society that informed literary modernism in the first decades of the 20th century. 
• Literary Research: Skills and Resources: trains students in the understanding and use of the essential skills and resources of research in English Studies; it also provides preparation for the MLitt dissertation.
• Reading the Modern: an exploration of influential British, American and French modernists' pursuit to develop modes of representation compatible with a newly urban, industrialised and mass-oriented age.
• Theorising the Contemporary: an introduction to key literary and cultural theories within the contemporary period via the close study of selected theoretical texts.

The University of St Andrews offers a variety of flexible entry options in order to ensure our doors remain open to all students, regardless of background or personal circumstances.

Although entry to St Andrews is competitive, we recognise a range of different qualifications and consider all aspects of your application, including context, your personal statement and references. Grades alone will not guarantee you admission, and actual offers may be higher or lower than the listed minimum grades required by each programme.

Information about our entry requirements can be found in academic entry explained and UK-based applicants can use our indicator to see which set of entry requirements they need to look at. All non-UK based applicants should look at our standard academic entry requirements.

The University also offers alternative entry routes for applicants who come from areas where we receive limited applications and who are unable to obtain the required grades, or for those who are returning to education after an extended period of time.

• SQA Highers: BBBB to AAAAB
• A-Level: ABB to A*A*A
• International Baccalaureate (IB): 36 (HL 6,5,5) to 38 (HL 6,6,6 plus SL 6,6,6). From 2021, programmes requiring A-levels Mathematics will accept either Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches or Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation at higher level.

Tuition fees

• Home: £10,395
• Overseas: £21,390

Graduates of the course go on to pursue careers in a range of sectors including journalism, marketing, publishing and teaching. 

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students on a taught postgraduate course and offers a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.