Masters Degrees in English

The course is made up of 120 credits of taught modules, which students take during the Autumn and Spring Semesters, and a 14,000 word dissertation which students work on during the Summer. All classes take place during weekdays.

Studied full time, an on-site Masters course takes a calendar year to complete (October to September.)  If studied part time, students may complete the on-site course in 24 months. Students should check the eligibility requirements with their funding body before enrolling on a part-time course.

All of our on-site Masters courses start in September each year.

All of our onsite Masters courses can be studied part time.  Students should check the eligibility requirements with their funding body before enrolling on a part-time course.

We also offer a number of masters courses by distance learning.
Please visit our distance learning pages for more information. 

Here in the School of English we think it is important to acknowledge the efforts and achievements of our students, so each year we award two prizes to Postgraduate students with the highest average mark for their Masters degree courses.

Click here to find out more about Masters prizes.

Social Science and Arts Graduate Centre (SSAGC)

This Graduate Centre for postgraduate students in the Arts and Social Sciences is available on the first floor of Highfield House, next to the Trent Building. Accessible 24/7, this space provides computer stations, a social area with informal seating and areas where students can work individually or in groups. Students also have access to a small seminar room and kitchen facilities.

The SSAGC is part of the Graduate School. Its aim is to provide Faculty-specific training and support for postgraduates and early-career researchers. The SSAGC is steered by a student users' group and assisted in its work by student interns from across the Faculty.

The Social Sciences and Arts Graduate Centre offers support for students interested in developing their own ideas in the form of seminars, conferences, events, and socials.

Students working in the Social Sciences and Arts Graduate Centre

Library Facilities

The University of Nottingham has rich resources in the early and medieval periods, with a large collection of manuscripts from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries and extensive book holdings in Old and Middle English, Old Icelandic, Viking Studies, and runology. Find out more about Manuscripts and Special Collections.

The School is, in addition, home to the English Place-Name Society (EPNS) library and archive.

In English Literature, the University's Hallward Library has an exceptional DH Lawrence archive, containing Lawrence family papers, manuscripts, first editions, and books owned by Lawrence. It has also acquired the famous Lazarus collection.

Other internationally renowned collections include the Portland Literary Collection (seventeenth and eighteenth century materials), the Cambridge Drama Collection (a printed collection of over 1,500 items, comprising plays and works about the British theatre from 1750-1850), and a rich collection of 1930s theatre materials.

Additional resources are offered by the locally held Byron collections and the Tennyson Research Centre.

Eye-tracking

Eye-tracking has been "hailed as an opportunity for researchers to 'look into the mind' of the subject". In the School of English we have a psycholinguistics lab housing an Eyelink 1000+ eye-tracking system from SR Research. Staff and postgraduates interested in language make use of eye-tracking technology to monitor eye movements when comprehenders are reading, or when looking at a static scene or video while listening to auditory input.

Click here to learn more about Eye-tracking

Accommodation

Masters students talk about accommodation options and living on campus

Postgraduate Accommodation

Computer Rooms

Students can access general IT facilities through a number of IS computer rooms/areas conveniently located around the University campuses.  

MA Dissertation Preparation Day

MA Dissertation Preparation Day is an opportunity for students to learn more about the challenges of a larger-scale research project, about supervision and support, and about the resources available to Masters researchers at the University of Nottingham. It is also a social occasion, bringing together our postgraduate students as an academic community. 

MA Dissertation Preparation Day

The School of English peer mentoring programme will exist to help all our new students adjust to life and study at Nottingham and to feel part of the School community.   

Every new Masters student in the school will be linked up with a peer mentor who is a fellow student at a higher level of study and who already has some experience of studying at Nottingham.

In a large school community, alongside tutors, peer mentors can be an invaluable source of support as students begin to find their way around, especially in the first few weeks of studying in a new environment.

Peer mentors will be: 

• on hand for new students to contact before they arrive
• available during the first week of term, and at other times thereafter
• there to guide new students through the process of settling into student life and postgraduate study
• available to provide advice about all kinds of issues, such as using the library and online learning resources, and preparing for further study

Offer Holder Day

All those holding an offer to study will be invited to a March Offer Holders event.

Other visits

You are welcome to come and visit Nottingham and should use the enquiry form to arrange your visit. The School of English is located in the Trent Building.

Campus tour video

Virtual open day

If you can't visit in person, The University of Nottingham welcomes you on a virtual postgraduate open day.