Romantic and Victorian Studies (MLitt)

This course is not running for 2025 entry

The Romantic and Victorian Studies MLitt will not run for 2025 entry but is expected to return for 2026 entry. If you are interested in applying for this course you can register your interest and our Admissions team will be in touch when more information is available.

The MLitt in Romantic and Victorian Studies enhances students' knowledge and thinking about Romanticism and Victorian literature through the study of literary culture from the 1790s to 1900. By exploring a range of literary genres, students will gain knowledge of the phases of literary production and reception, and of relevant cultural and historical contexts. 

Duration
One year full time
School
School of English

Application deadline

Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships and for international visa purposes.

Entry requirements

The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.

Application requirements

  • Supplementary application to School of English (Word)
  • CV or résumé - this should include your personal details with a history of your education and employment to date 
  • sample of your own, single-authored academic writing on a Romantic or Victorian topic (approximately 2,000 words) 
  • two original signed academic references (on university headed paper) from your most recent degree awarding institution
  • academic transcripts and degree certificates 

For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.

English language proficiency

If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability.  See approved English language tests and scores for this course.

Course details

The MLitt in Romantic and Victorian Studies is an intensive one-year taught programme run by the School of English. The course considers texts and topics from across the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Highlights 

  • Develop your skills as a researcher within a specific area of study, immersing yourself in the literature of this rich and diverse era.
  • Study Romantic and Victorian literature in relation to a diverse range of ideologies, including discourses of revolution and reform, debates about gender, and aestheticism. 
  • Strengthen your knowledge of the historical, cultural, and critical contexts of 19th-century literature, including visual art, music and textual history.
  • Benefit from research-led teaching by experts n the field, who share insights from their most recent discoveries.
  • Acquire experience of independent research through work on a postgraduate dissertation. 

Further course information

Modules

The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your programme. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.

  • Life and Texts: examines the phases of literary and cultural production and reception, from the lives of authors and cultural figures, through the conditions of publication of their work.
  • Texts and Afterlives: examine the phases of literary and cultural production and their reception in later works of literature (and in visual and musical adaptations/responses), their histories of publication and dissemination, and the challenges involved in presenting modern editions of their texts.
  • Literature and History: examines the interaction of literature and its various historical, philosophical, cultural and political contexts in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
  • Literary Cultures: shows how thoroughly literature is connected to broader discursive and historical contexts globally. Literary works could make decisive and poignant contributions to particular political debates, and the literary sphere itself has its own politics. 

     

    Further course information

In addition to the modules above, students will research and write a dissertation on a Romantic/Victorian topic of their choice, during the Summer months.

Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of not more than 15,000 words must be submitted by a date specified in August.  

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.  

 

 

Teaching

Taught modules consist of weekly seminars and group discussions, normally with a maximum class size of 15 students. 

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

Modules are normally assessed through coursework essays. The School of English prides itself on its support of student work through detailed feedback and commentary. 

Events

The School of English hosts research events through its four research groups: 

The School of English normally also hosts an annual colloquium. Recent themes have been: 

  • Reimagining Andrew Marvell: The Poet at 400  
  • The English Legal Imaginary, 1500-1700 
  • Bannockburn, 1914: Anniversary culture, war and national identity in Scotland 
  • Opera and Fiction 
  • World Literature and Dissent 
  • (Un)Civil War? 
  • John Keats and Romantic Scotland 
  • Libraries in Literature 
  • Devouring Men: Food, Masculinity and Power. 

The Postgraduate Forum offers postgraduates the opportunity to present research in progress to a group of their peers. ;

After your degree

Careers

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

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.

Further study

Many graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews.  

In addition to the MLitt, the School offers a two-year Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree option in Romantic and Victorian Studies. 

Postgraduate research

What to do next

Online information events

Join us for one of our information events where you can find out about different levels of study and specific courses we run. There are also sessions available for parents and college counsellors.

Postgraduate online visiting days

We encourage all students who are thinking of applying to the University to attend one of our online visiting days.

Contact us

Phone
+44 (0)1334 46 2668
Email
pgeng@st-andrews.ac.uk
Address
School of English
Castle House
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9AL

School of English website