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Our postgraduates study and research across the spectrum of English Studies with support from world-leading scholars and an excellent research environment.
Postgraduate students benefit especially from our links with research centres and institutes within Durham University, such as the Institute for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, the Centre for Poetry and Poetics, the Centre for Modern Conflicts and Cultures, and the Institute for Medical Humanities.
Postgraduates also experience our extensive extra-curricular events programme, which brings leading researchers and writers to share their expertise, as well as our partnership with external organisations such as Durham Book Festival.
Graduates from our MA or PhD programmes are highly employable, and go on to further academic study or varied careers in the UK and internationally.
With the choice to connect with us online, in-person or both, our Open Days are the best way to explore your postgraduate study options in Durham.
Discover the big picture and the little details of our Department of English Studies.
My time doing an MA was my favourite year of my whole time at university, and I’m so glad I followed my gut when it was telling me I wasn’t quite ready to leave academia and enter the job market straight after finishing third year. I felt a lot less pressure to get top marks during my MA and therefore had more confidence to experiment with my ideas, take risks, push the boundaries of analysis and also follow other interests alongside literary works, such as art history and theatrical performance.
A postgraduate degree in English from Durham doesn't just offer you higher-level insights into our subject. It also provides a range of transferrable skills that prepare you for a range of careers. The stats and stories of our MA and PhD alumni show success in all sorts of areas.
After I arrived in Durham, it was quite daunting to move from the light-hearted welcoming week at my college to the serious, academic environment of the English department. As it turned out, I had no reason to worry at all - the staff were very friendly and welcoming, as were the students. Most of us were new to Durham, and a large portion of the group is international as well.
Thanks to our large body of world-leading scholars, our courses give you the freedom to study broadly or to specialise within English, or to engage in interdisciplinary learning and research.
As well as our wide-ranging postgraduate courses in Literary Studies we contribute to interdisciplinary postgraduate qualifications:
For prospective applicants to an English MA at Durham, I would advise that the degree opens a variety of exciting and thought-provoking opportunities – both within professional and personal spheres...Undertaking an MA has enabled me to seamlessly transition into a career path that I had never considered before, equipping me with the necessary skillset to succeed in a fulfilling marketing-based role.
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