English Literature MA

Postgraduate
Conversion course

A girl in a library, smiling into the distance whilst holding a book

Our English Literature MA course aims to help you get insight into the relationship between literature and the environment and develop transferable skills to prepare for careers in industries such as publishing, education and marketing.

Year of entry

2025-26

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time

Duration

1 year full-time

Course code

CAST015

Start date

September 2025
November 2025
January 2026
March 2026
May 2026
June 2026

How to apply

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Course overview

Explore various areas of literary study including waste studies, indigenous studies, and the blue humanities, alongside classics like Shakespeare, romanticism, gothic, and utopian and dystopian fiction. This course aims to equip you to address 21st-century environmental challenges through literature.

Key course content

Literature and the environment: examine the relationship between human and non-human worlds, exploring diverse cultural perspectives on ecological and social issues.
Romantic and gothic narratives: study Romantic-era environments, utopian/dystopian themes, and their intersections with gender, technology and ecology.
Global perspectives on waste: analyse the cultural and ecological impacts of waste through literature, paired with interdisciplinary frameworks like eco-criticism, ecofeminism and climate justice.

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

Ranked 9th Modern University in UK by the Times

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

Ranked 8th for Overall Satisfaction in PTES

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2024

Why you should study this course

Academic community: we foster learning experiences built around collaboration and research, taught by a team of accessible scholars (subject to change) who will help you to develop a portfolio of work for the post-graduation market or further studies.
Academic skills: each module embeds English academic skills into its delivery. Material is tailored to the module and covers a wide variety of academic skills necessary for success at the postgraduate study level.
Employability: gain the transferable skills needed in a knowledge-based job market. These typically include flexibility, creativity and strong communication skills.
Technology: become proficient in using emerging technologies and methods to solve complex problems while adhering to ethical standards and considering the societal impacts.
Innovative assessments: produce work for assessments that move beyond the academic essay, preparing you for a multitude of ways to disseminate your ideas.

Collaborations

Endorsement: Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)

Coventry University and the RSA have collaborated on a module concerning social and ethical responsibility. You will be entitled to a 12-month fellowship of the RSA so you can access all RSA resources and platforms during your period of study. Once you have successfully passed the Professional Practice and Innovation module, you will receive an RSA digital credential.

What you'll study

Examine the relationship between literature, the environment and the built world. Explore topics such as waste and the environmental crisis, early modern theatre spaces, Romantic-era settings like gardens and war ships, and the interplay of utopian and dystopian genres with technology and ecology. Use the city of Coventry as a case study with its environmental and cultural impacts of war, urban transformation and colonial legacies, providing a context for understanding the connections between people, place and space, and the non-human world.

Modules

American Wests: Literary Spaces and Cultural Maps – 30 credits

Explore American Western writing from the early 20th century to today, focusing on how diverse cultural groups, including African American, Native American and Japanese American communities, depict the relationship between human and non-human Western spaces. Examine power and identity dynamics while addressing ecological and social challenges. By studying these narratives, gain a deeper understanding of the American West as a geographical, cultural, and literary space, transforming how you view Western films and novels.

Compulsory

Romantic Environments – 30 credits

Explore Romantic-period views of the environment through literature and non-literary forms like novels, poems, philosophy and life writing. Examine diverse settings, including gardens, cities, domestic spaces and war ships, while challenging traditional male-dominated perspectives with a focus on female authors. Combine critical and creative skills, resulting in a digital presentation.

Compulsory

Postcoloniality and Environment: Narratives of Waste – 30 credits

Explore waste studies through global literature and real-world scenarios, focusing on how environmental devastation links with inequality and injustice. Analyse texts across periods, genres, and cultures, examining the effects of global capitalism, environmental exploitation, and concepts of value and progress. Paired with interdisciplinary theories like eco-criticism and postcolonialism, apply your insights through close readings, group tasks, and creative projects. Also examine cultural artifacts, offering fresh perspectives on the environmental crisis.

Compulsory

Professional Practice and Innovation – 30 credits

Gothic Nightmares and Utopian Dreams – 30 credits

Learn to think critically and strategically about utopian, dystopian and gothic components in a range of fiction and film. Examine how these forms of writing combine with ideas of gender, technology and the environment and develop a flexible approach to reading by drawing on a range of disciplinary approaches. Gain the opportunity to think dynamically and collaborate with others to design your own utopian, dystopian, or gothic worlds.

Compulsory

Reimagining Shakespeare – 30 credits

Explore Shakespeare’s role in shaping ideas about gender, race, status, the environment, nation and self, both in the early modern period and today. Examine early modern theatre spaces, modern literary and cultural theories, and multimedia adaptations. Critically analyse Shakespeare’s relevance to contemporary issues like ecology and democracy. Flexible assessments include critical essays or creative work to understand Shakespeare’s ongoing cultural impact.

Compulsory

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

Teaching and learning methods may include:

seminars
tutorials
presentations
group projects
workshops.

Teaching and learning hours

As a full-time postgraduate student, you will study modules totalling 180 credits each academic year. A typical 30-credit module requires a total of 300 hours of study. Study hours are made up of teaching and learning hours, and guided and independent study.

Teaching hours

Teaching hours will vary, depending on where you are in your studies, but on average, you will have between 8 and 12 teaching and learning hours each week. You will also have the opportunity to attend optional sessions, including time with a Success Coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback.

Guided and independent learning

Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent learning which will make up the required study hours per module. You will be undertaking a variety of activities, learning through guided background research, planning and preparation, studio activity, creative practice and making, reviewing what you have learned and completing assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress towards the end of your studies, you will spend more time on independent learning.

Online learning

As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods, including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending on the module. Assessment methods may include:

reports
essays
practical coursework
assignments
presentations.

The Coventry University assessment strategy aims to ensure that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements:

An honours degree 2:2 or above (or international equivalent) in any discipline.

We recognise a breadth of qualifications; speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

Typical entry requirements

An honours degree 2:2 or above (or international equivalent) in any discipline.

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5.

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

Fees and funding

Student	Full-time	Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man	£11,200	Not available
EU	£11,200 per year with EU Support Bursary £18,600 per year without EU Support Bursary	Not available
International	£18,600	Not available

For advice and guidance on tuition fees³ and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page and see the university's Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

We offer a range of international scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

Any optional overseas ﬁeld trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.

How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.

If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.

Facilities

Our George Eliot Building plays host to interactive seminars, advanced research training, and group project activities. Interact with like-minded students, cross the Edible Garden to relax at the Hub, or immerse yourself in books at the Lanchester library.

The Delia Derbyshire complex offers more space to learn, design and make, including a hyper-studio for students across all disciplines to collaborate on projects together, a gallery space and an events atrium.

People walking in front of a building which has a big library sign

Lanchester Library

The library is usually open 24/7, in term-time. It’s where you can access your course’s specialist Academic Liaison Librarian. It’s also home to specialist teams which can support you with your academic writing and maths and statistics questions.

Glass modern building with a spire in the background

The Hub

The Hub is the centre of student life on campus. Facilities include a food court, convenience store, multi-faith centre, medical centre, hairdresser, coffee shops and the Your SU offices. It has fully licensed function spaces and a bar.

Two people working together with a laptop in front of them

Careers and employability

Get one-on-one career and employability guidance lasting up to 36 months from the end of your course. We’ll help you find placements and graduate roles, offer CV and application checks, mentoring, skills workshops, employer events and more.

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

Careers and opportunities

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

critically assess the importance of the environment to writing of different periods, geographical regions, genres and forms
articulate and critique the role of literature in reflecting environmental concerns and galvanising communities of resistance
employ high level information retrieval and analytical skills, including the ability to interpret, evaluate, synthesise and organise archival material, to formulate independent critical judgements, articulate reasoned arguments and find creative solutions
synthesise and critically employ a wide range of historical, philosophical, scientific and theoretical knowledge bases in the analysis of literature
analytically reflect on and engage with wider contexts and communities, including the political and societal effects of literary research and criticism
appraise the employment opportunities and career pathways open to you as literary and environmental researchers
critically assess the ethical applications of emerging technologies for English literature, enabling you to reflect on and employ these in your scholarly and professional practices.

Where our graduates work

Successful graduates of this course have gone on to work in fields and roles including:

funded PhD research
marketing
advertising
publishing
copywriting
journalism
education
civil services
content production
management
campaign organisations
heritage and arts organisations.

How to apply

UK students

To apply to study for a postgraduate course at Coventry University, you can apply online. Please read the entry criteria page before applying.

Full-time applications

For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.

+44 (0)24 7765 2222

ukadmissions@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

International students

Full-time international students should apply directly to the university. Please read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.

How to apply

For further support for international applicants applying for postgraduate degrees view our International hub.

You can also download our international mini guide for an overview of study options and why you should study with us.

Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.

+44 (0)24 7765 2152

applications.io@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

Disclaimers

Coventry University together with Coventry University London, Coventry University Wrocław, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough, and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the University) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.

¹Accreditations, partnerships and memberships

The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply. See the relevant body website for more details). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships are subject to successful renewal in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery. If the accreditation, recognition or membership of this course changes, we will seek to notify applicants and students as soon as possible.

Where relevant, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) module content is undergoing assessment by the CMI to confirm that all criteria are met to the required standard. Whilst it is expected that students who successfully pass the module will be eligible to be considered by CMI for the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice as an additional qualification, we cannot confirm this until the accreditation is approved. This is a normal part of the continuous improvement process for our courses to ensure they remain up-to-date and reflect best practice.

²UK and international opportunities

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or international opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be unpaid and/or subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel, public authority guidance, decisions or orders and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand any visa requirements, please contact the International Office.

³Tuition fees

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

⁴Facilities

Student Contract

By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the current 2024/2025 contract is available on the website for information purposes however the 2025/2026 contract will apply for the 2025/2026 intake. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.

Your next steps

Student life

Accommodation

Fees and funding