English Literature MA (Hons)

Level: Undergraduate

Subject: English Literature and Scottish Literature

Year of entry: 2026

Key facts

UCAS Code

Q306

Award

MA (Hons)

Duration of study

4 years

Delivery

Full-time

Study location

Central Area

Start date

September 2026

School

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

College

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Study abroad

Available

Placement

No

Open days and events

About the degree programme

Edinburgh is the first UNESCO World City of Literature. For centuries, it has been the home and muse of many great writers.

On this programme, you will develop your critical, analytic, linguistic and creative skills by engaging with a broad range of texts and a variety of approaches to reading.

You will explore the cultural contexts of writing in English from the late Middle Ages to the present, and many different topics and genres.

Studying literature prepares you to contribute to a society in which an understanding of texts of all kinds is crucially important. It shows an openness to ideas and perspectives other than your own, an essential attribute in many careers and a global marketplace.

Why Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a remarkable place to study, write, publish, discuss and perform prose, poetry and drama.

We are the oldest department of English and Scottish Literature in the UK, one of the longest-established in the world.

From the University's Special Collections to the National Library of Scotland, the city's resources for studying literature are exceptional.

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme is studied over 4 years. This enables us to build choice and flexibility into your studies, giving you time to explore options, find what you like and build your skills.

Your first two years will be your pre-honours years. They will give you a good grounding in literary study. In addition to studying core courses in literature, you will broaden your education and skill set by choosing option courses from a range of disciplines. This may enable you to change or widen your focus by, for example, moving onto a joint honours programme.

Your final two years will be your honours years. They will be tailored to your interests in specific topics, periods, genres, or approaches to English Literature.

Programme rankings

Programme benefits

  • Study over four years, giving you choice and flexibility.
  • Try out different subjects in your first two years.
  • Learn in the heart of a UNESCO World City of Literature.
  • Join societies related to what you are studying.
  • Delve into fantastic libraries and collections.
  • Try your hand at creative writing and publishing.

One of the best things about studying in Edinburgh is how the cultural history and contemporary social ethics interweave with literature's narrative to cultivate a great love in its study. With an extensive library and writing festivals, studying English Literature has been a thoroughly fulfilling experience.

Carina Year 4, English Literature MA (Hons)

Find your entry requirements

Use the dropdowns to find out your entry requirements.

  1. Select the country where you are studying or where you studied your qualification.
  2. Select the qualification you are studying or studied.
United Kingdom,

Tuition fees for MA (Hons) English Literature

View the tuition fees for one academic year of MA (Hons) English Literature.

Tuition fees for this programme

Additional costs

There are likely to be additional costs if you choose to study abroad in Year 3.

Accommodation and living costs

You need to cover your accommodation and living costs for the duration of your programme.

We estimate that a single student can potentially spend a maximum of £920 to £2,257 on living costs each month, depending on your accommodation.

This estimate covers the costs of:

  • accommodation
  • food
  • utility bills
  • travel within Edinburgh
  • health and wellbeing costs

See a breakdown of living costs

Scholarships and funding

Funding information

You can find detailed information on financial support available, based on where you are living, in our funding section.

Funding

What you will study

You will take two literary studies courses. These will introduce you to the essential skills needed for the critical close reading of the core literary genres:

  • poetry
  • drama
  • prose

You will read works of literature written in English from around the world, and encounter a range of ideas about the nature and purpose of literary study.

Option courses 

You will complete your Year 1 studies with option courses chosen from a wide range offered by the University.

You can, for example, opt to study a language in its cultural context. This includes reading literature written in that language, starting with short texts.

We offer one of the widest ranges of languages of any UK university, and the majority are suitable for complete beginners.

Other options include, but are not limited to, courses in:

  • business, economics and informatics
  • politics, social policy, social anthropology and international relations
  • art and architectural history
  • history, classics and archaeology
  • Celtic and Scottish ethnology
  • linguistics and English language
  • philosophy, divinity and law
Find Year 1 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

You will be introduced to the study of English literature in its cultural and historical contexts via a survey of literature from the late Medieval period to the mid-twentieth century.

These courses will explore the relationship between literary texts and the construction of national, international and imperial cultures.

Option courses

As in Year 1, you will choose from a range of option courses. You can, for example, opt to:

  • study Scottish Literature in a selection of major periods
  • learn (or continue to learn) a language
  • take classes in English Language and Linguistics
  • do something completely different
Find Year 2 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

This is the first of your honours years.

You will take two courses in reading theory which will introduce you to key issues, concepts, and developments in literary theory and criticism. You will be encouraged to reflect on the critical reading skills you have gained in your pre-honours years, and given the concepts and vocabulary to develop these further.

You will also start to specialise, choosing option courses that explore different literary periods, topics and approaches according to your area of interest and our staff expertise.

Depending on staff research and other commitments, we typically offer a wide range of courses to choose from over Years 3 and 4.

Find Year 3 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

You will choose further honours-level courses from a very wide range of courses, including many exclusive to Year 4 students.

Building on all the knowledge and skills you have developed over four years, including in independent research, you will also complete a dissertation.

Find Year 4 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

Study abroad

In Year 3, you may have the opportunity to spend the year studying abroad through the University's international exchange programme. There are also shorter-term and virtual opportunities to study or work abroad throughout the four years, including over the summer months.

What are my options for going abroad?

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

University is a place to plan your own goals under expert guidance, study independently and in groups, and reflect upon your learning throughout your degree.

Our approach to learning and teaching is active, inclusive and question-driven, so it may be different to your experiences at school. It will help you gain the skills for life after university, and we will guide you through the steps from one phase to the next.

Depending on the size of your year group, and which option courses you take, your classes will typically fall into three categories:

  • lectures
  • tutorials
  • seminars

In addition to these classes, to get the most out of your courses, you will need to read widely.

Lectures

Lectures are taken by all students on a course, typically at the same time. They are delivered as interactive presentations which may involve audio-visual material.

Lectures are given by an experienced academic. They are designed to guide you through the background, questions and debates related to the topic you are studying.

Tutorials

Tutorial groups are smaller. They are also led by an academic, but here the emphasis is more on what you think about the topic yourself. So, tutorials are your chance to discuss and expand upon what you have learned in a lecture.

Seminars

Seminars blend features of lectures and tutorials. Again, they are designed to encourage and facilitate your active participation in learning.

On some courses, you will have seminars instead of lectures, especially in your honours years (Years 3 and 4).

Assessment

You will be assessed through a combination of coursework and final assessments.

Coursework is generally completed throughout the year, while assessments (which may include exams) take place at the end of a teaching block.

Coursework will take a range of forms to give you the opportunity to practice different skills. For example, you may be asked to:

  • write an essay or learning journal
  • respond to a piece of writing through close reading
  • give a short talk or presentation
  • record a podcast or video

In your final year, you will also complete a dissertation.

Support for your studies

As well as the teaching staff and other staff members you will meet day-to-day, there are lots of ways to get help with your learning, including through the University’s Institute for Academic Development (IAD). Peer support schemes bring together students across year groups to help each other with specific study skills, topics or themes.

Where you will study

Study location

When you are on campus, you can expect to spend most of your time in the University of Edinburgh's Central Area - in class, in the library, or in one of the University’s many social and support spaces.

The Central Area is located on the edge of Edinburgh's historic Old Town, surrounded by lots of green space.

Academic facilities

Libraries and collections

The Main University Library holds academic books, journals and databases, films and other media.

It is also the home of the University's Centre for Research Collections which brings together:

  • more than 400,000 rare books
  • six kilometres of archives and manuscripts
  • thousands of works of art, historical musical instruments and other objects

The Centre's literary treasures include:

  • an exceptional collection of early Shakespeare quartos and other early modern printed plays
  • the Corson Collection of works by and about Sir Walter Scott

Highlights of its holdings in modern literature and poetry include:

  • the W.H. Auden collection
  • the libraries of Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Hugh MacDiarmid and Norman MacCaig

Many of the University's Special Collections are digitised and available online from our excellent Resource Centre, computing labs and dedicated study spaces in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC).

Centres for research, teaching and outreach

We are home to the SWINC (Scottish Writing in the Nineteenth Century) project and network, which promotes awareness of the richness and diversity of Scottish writing and culture in the 19th century.

We are the Scottish base of The Collected Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle, Duke-Edinburgh edition, one of the major editorial projects in Victorian studies of the last half-century.

We are collaborators in the Edinburgh Environmental Humanities Network and have developing strengths in the Digital Humanities. For example, we have led both phases of LitLong, a digital transformation project to interactively map the ways in which Edinburgh has been used as a literary setting over the course of five centuries.

Career paths

Skills and experience

Studying English Literature shows an openness to ideas and perspectives other than your own, an essential attribute in many careers and a global marketplace.

By engaging with a broad range of texts and a variety of approaches to reading on this programme, you will gain literary, critical thinking and creative skills.

Graduating with a four-year Master of Arts degree from the University of Edinburgh also shows intellectual maturity, resilience, and flexibility.

The skills you will be able to demonstrate to employers when you graduate include the ability to:

  • understand, analyse and articulate complex issues and concepts
  • manage your time to meet deadlines on different types of projects
  • work independently and as part of a group

Opportunities across sectors

During your time with us, you will study a range of subjects, with the option to take courses in languages, and in other areas of the humanities and social sciences, for example.

As you progress through your honours years (Years 3 and 4), you will specialise in selected literary topics, periods or genres.

This breadth of education gives you the foundations to excel in a range of career sectors, especially those that value transferable humanities skills.

Our alumni have gone on to careers in the private, public, not-for-profit, and for-benefit sectors, sometimes through graduate training schemes where the ability to communicate well is essential in securing a competitive place.

Typical sectors include:

  • business, finance, commerce and tech
  • communications, marketing, advertising and public relations
  • creative writing, publishing, culture, heritage, and the arts
  • education, outreach, advocacy and training
  • journalism, broadcasting and media
  • leisure, tourism and travel
  • politics, policy work, diplomacy, civil service and law
  • research, development, consultancy and venture acceleration

Careers Service

Throughout your time with us, we will encourage you to identify and hone your employability skills.

Through the University's excellent Careers Service, you can:

  • get careers advice tailored towards English Literature
  • book one-to-one appointments and practice interviews
  • access a range of online resources
  • attend events and themed fairs such as the Creative and Cultural Careers Festival
  • get help finding work while you study and for around two years after you graduate

The Careers Service is also a partner in Life After LLC, a panel event where you can draw inspiration from recent graduates of programmes in literatures, languages and cultures.

Visit the Careers Service website

Further study

The enhanced research skills you will develop on a four-year programme, particularly in your honours years, are a valuable asset if you wish to continue studying at postgraduate level.

At the University of Edinburgh, we typically offer:

  • a Masters by Research programme in English Literature
  • taught masters programmes in:
    • Literature and Modernity: 1900 to the Present
    • Literature and Society: Enlightenment, Romantic and Victorian
    • Playwriting
    • Creative Writing
    • Comparative Literature
    • Intermediality

Any of our masters degrees, whether research-based or taught, is a good foundation for a PhD, but is equally of value as a stand-alone qualification.

Beyond literature and associated fields, a degree in English Literature prepares you for further study in almost any humanities and social science discipline.

Graduate profiles

How to apply

You must submit a full application through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) before the relevant deadline.

Guidance on applying through UCAS

What you need to apply

As part of your application, you will need:

  • your academic qualifications
  • a personal statement
  • evidence of your English language skills (with relevant qualifications)
  • a reference

How we select

If you have met, or are predicted to meet, all our entry requirements by the relevant deadline, then your application will go into our selection process.

As part of this selection process, we will review all the information you submit in your UCAS application when we decide who to select for this degree programme.

How we select applicants

When to apply

  • 2026 entry UCAS deadline: 14 January 2026 (6:00pm GMT)

This is the deadline for all UK, EU and international applicants to non-medicine and veterinary medicine programmes.

To find out if any degree programmes have spaces after 14 January 2026, search the University of Edinburgh on the UCAS website.

Search degrees that are open on the UCAS website

Key application dates and deadlines

After you apply

After you have applied for your degree programme, we suggest you have a look at the following information to help you prepare for university:

Applying as an international student

As an international student, you apply for this degree programme through UCAS.  

Find out more about applying through UCAS  

Visas and immigration 

If you do not have the right to live in the UK, you will need to apply for and secure a Student visa before the start date of your degree programme.  

Our Student Immigration Service can help you with the Student visa application process. 

Applying for a visa  

Agents  

An education agent is someone who can help you with the application process as an international student. 

We work with education agents around the world and have a list of local offices you can contact.  

Find contact details for an education agent

What our students say

I think what makes Edinburgh special is that there is so much to do whatever your interests are! Whether you enjoy hiking, relaxing in a café, socialising with friends, or literally anything else, you will never run out of options here.

Minju Kim LLC graduate (2024)

In her final year studying at Edinburgh, Minju served as the Undergraduate Representative for the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. Together with Programme Representatives for English Literature, Undergraduate Representatives are your voice in the university - sharing your feedback to continually improve the student experience for everyone. Their roles are supported by the Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA).

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of University accommodation for all new, single undergraduate students from outside Edinburgh. To be eligible, you need to meet all criteria and apply for accommodation by 16 August in the year of your entry to the University.

University accommodation website

Accommodation guarantee criteria

If you prefer to live elsewhere, we can offer you advice on finding accommodation in Edinburgh.

Accommodation information from the Edinburgh University Students' Association Advice Place

Societies and clubs

The Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) supports more than 300 student-led societies and clubs, and promotes opportunities with local charities through its volunteering centre.

Across the University, there are lots of opportunities to get involved in:

  • reading and writers' groups
  • poetry slams
  • creative writing and publishing
  • student theatre

We also have a fantastic Writer in Residence. They organise our annual writing prizes for students.

Throughout the year, their drop-in sessions give you the chance to:

  • share your work
  • get feedback
  • meet other student writers
  • get inspiration and prompts for new work

They also regularly host talks and workshops, many of which feature guest writers.

Societies

Sports clubs

The city of Edinburgh

As a UNESCO World City of Literature, Edinburgh is a remarkable place to study, write, publish, discuss and perform prose, poetry and drama.

The city's resources for studying literature are exceptional. Many of them are located close to the University's Central Area, making them easy to access between classes.

In addition to a fantastic range of publishing houses, bookshops, theatres, and cinemas, you will study near the:

  • National Library of Scotland
  • National Museum of Scotland
  • Edinburgh Central Library
  • Scottish Poetry Library
  • Scottish Storytelling Centre
  • Writers’ Museum

We have strong links with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which annually welcomes around 1,000 authors to our literary city.

Find out more about living in Edinburgh

Health and wellbeing support

You will have access to free health and wellbeing services throughout your time at university if you need them.

The support services we offer include:

  • a student counselling service
  • a health centre (doctor's surgery)
  • support if you're living in University accommodation
  • dedicated help and support if you have a disability or need adjustment

Health and wellbeing support services

Contact us

Contact us through our enquiry team if you have any questions about this programme.

Open days, events and visits

Find out when our next open days will be taking place

Open days, events and visits

Chat to our students on Unibuddy

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It is one of many sources of information which will enable you to make an informed decision on what and where to study.

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