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This MA programme provides the opportunity to explore some of the most exciting and challenging works written in English, by writers from across the world, from c.1900 to the present – along with major artistic achievements in film, music and popular culture. It provides contexts for understanding these works in relation to historical, social, political, philosophical and technological developments of the period.
Key information
Programme starts
September 2021
Modes and duration
Part-time students take the Critical Contexts and Special Topics in their first year, and Modern Literature and Culture and the Dissertation in the second year.
Application dates
Tuition fees (2021/22)
Note on fees:
The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.
Entry requirements
A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard will normally be required. This is a competitive MA, however, and the majority of our successful applicants either have, or are predicted to gain, a first class undergraduate degree (or overseas equivalent).
English language requirements
If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.
The English language level for this programme is: Good
UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level. International Preparation Courses
Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.
International students
Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.
International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below.
Select your country:
About this degree
The programme explores a range of media, forms and genres using a variety of scholarly approaches, and encourages the development of independent research skills. The Modern Literature and Culture module encourages close reading of works by writers of the period, while the Critical Contexts and the Special Topics modules offer the opportunity to analyse technologies, media, philosophical perspectives and art forms underpinning writing from c.1900 to the present.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of the following modules: Modern Literature and Culture (60 credits), Critical Contexts (30 credits) and two Special Topics modules (15 credits each), and a 12,000 word research dissertation (60 credits).
Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded a MA in English: Issues in Modern Culture.
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.
Compulsory modules
Modern Literature and Culture runs over two terms; Critical Contexts in term one, Special Topics modules in term two.
Please see the English department website for details of module contents.
- The Modern Literature and Culture
- Critical Contexts
- Special Topics in Modern Culture 1
- Special Topics in Modern Culture 2
Dissertation/report
All MA students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 12,000 words (60 credits), to be submitted at the end of August.
Teaching and learning
Each module is taught through a weekly two-hour seminar. The Modern Literature and Culture, Critical Contexts and Special Topics modules are assessed by essay. The final piece of assessment is a Dissertation research project. Abstracts for the Critical Contexts essay and Dissertation will be discussed in one-to-one tutorials.
Additional costs
Additional costs may include expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying, and conference registration fees.
For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.
Accessibility
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.
Funding
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
Careers
Graduates from this MA will be strongly equipped to find employment in fields such as professional writing, publishing, journalism, film and television, advertising and marketing, third-sector work, social enterprise, and teaching. The programme is also an ideal preliminary stage to doctoral research in literature; candidates who obtain the MA and have found a promising subject requiring further study are encouraged to apply to the UCL MPhil/PhD programme.
Employability
Studying on this MA programme will help students to develop their written and oral communication skills; their ability to analyse and synthesise ideas and to organise complex materials in a lucid manner; their capacity for logical argumentation and critical thinking; and their time management and independent working skills.
Why study this degree at UCL?
UCL English has an outstanding record of world-leading research. Staff publish in mainstream as well as academic media, and some publish original creative work.
Excellent facilities are provided by the UCL library. It has several important holdings including the James Joyce Collection, the Little Magazines, Alternative Press and Poetry Store Collections, and the George Orwell Archive.
Students have access to an incomparable range of resources, including those at Senate House Library and the British Library nearby. The department holds regular research seminars and facilitates engagement with a range of events and institutions of literary culture in London.
Department: English Language & Literature
What our students and staff say
"UCL English is a world-class department with a reputation both for prioritising the pedagogic relationship between academic staff and students and for nurturing original literary-historical scholarship. My research over the last few years has focused on the history and representation of metropolitan cities, especially at night. The various modules are terrifically rewarding, especially as the department encourages thinking outside narrow scholarly specialisms."
Professor Matthew Beaumont
English: Issues in Modern Culture
UCL English Language and Literature
Application and next steps
Applications
Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.
This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found in our How to apply section.
There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at: ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/application.
Who can apply?
The programme is particularly suitable for graduates with a first degree in English, although applicants holding a degree in a related subject will be considered. The programme gives students a thorough grounding in the skills needed for independent research, and is an ideal foundation for further academic study in this field.
Application deadlines
- All applicants
- 10 May 2021
For more information see our Applications page.
Apply nowWhat are we looking for?
When we assess your application we would like to learn:
- why you want to study English: Issues in Modern Culture at graduate level
- why you want to study English: Issues in Modern Culture at UCL
- what particularly attracts you to this programme
Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.
UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.
Page last modified on 28 August 2021
