English MA

Who is it for?

City’s MA English will appeal to graduates from backgrounds in English, the Humanities, Creative Writing and other aligned disciplines who wish to develop their skills further at postgraduate level. The programme allows you to focus solely on English Literature, or to combine English Literature with Creative Writing and/ or Publishing. You will gain both academic and transferable skills, preparing you for a diverse range of graduate careers. You will benefit from City’s reputation as a provider of academic excellence for business and the professions and from London’s outstanding research, cultural and creative facilities.

Objectives:

City’s MA English aims to produce graduates who are versatile researchers, effective communicators and active, reflective learners with a range of subject-specific, transferable and employability skills. Underpinned by the conviction that English is an academic subject that makes a significant contribution to cultural life, this distinctive degree enables you to combine literary scholarship with creative and/ or professional writing.

The programme brings together:

• Theoretical and research training in English
• A predominantly modern and contemporary module diet centred around identity and genre that views literature as an active participant in social and cultural debates
• A varied assessment regime that fosters your subject-specific, research and transferable skills
• Access to elective modules in Publishing and Creative Writing that will enable you to develop additional, aligned skill-sets

Career prospects:

The MA in English develops key transferable skills in research, analysis and oral and written communication relevant to a range of careers, including publishing, advertising and marketing, library science, digital media, charities and the heritage industry, teaching and journalism. English graduates are able to think analytically, initiate and conduct projects creatively, articulate complex conclusions effectively both orally and in writing, and display sensitivity to diversity and wider contextual issues. If you avail yourself of the study options in Publishing and/or Creative Writing, you will benefit from our established reputation in these fields. Aspiring creative writers will get exposure to agents, editors and others within both traditional and electronic publishing. We have for many years supported the career prospects of our Publishing graduates via links with an industry advisory board as well as with alumni. The MA in English also prepares you for further MPhil/PhD research and expedites your access to such programmes.