Program Overview

---

Languages, Literatures and Cultures

The MA in Languages, Literatures and Cultures will take you on an intellectual journey across continents with an enthralling study of languages, literatures and cultures.

Start Dates

• September 2025

Degree Type

• MA

Course Length

• 1 year

Location

• Durham City

Programme Code

• R9T207

Course Details

Our MA in Languages, Literatures and Cultures will draw on a vast wealth of knowledge in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Hispanic and Russian Studies to take you on an intellectual journey across continents through an enthralling study into languages, literatures and cultures and how they are transmitted, exchanged and established.

The course will nurture your interests in world literatures and comparative studies by enabling you to work on literary materials in their original language, understanding their local, regional and national contexts and exploring what happens when they become entwined with intellectual elements such as translation, philosophy and visual culture.

The course is taken full-time over one year and will consist of innovative core and optional modules from the full range of Arts & Humanities subjects.

You will also be required to complete a dissertation involving the detailed study of a particular aspect of a topic related to world literature.

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures will provide you with a stimulating environment for your study and the strongest emphasis will be on your own research which you will carry out under the supervision of a subject specialist.

The School is also home to several cutting-edge research groups and we will encourage you to become an active member of the academic community, with the important Centre for Visual Arts and Cultures and Centre for Culture and Ecology both offering innovative opportunities for engagement.

Course Structure

Year 1 Modules

Core Modules

• Critical Theory and Frameworks will give you the methodologies, tools and skills required for the study of literatures and cultures and will provide you with an overview of the crucial debates that take place within cultural studies and critical theory.

Optional Modules

• You will choose either 60 or 90 credits (depending on which dissertation you have selected) of elective modules from across the Faculty of Arts & Humanities so that your total number of credits adds up to exactly 180.

Learning

The course is delivered through a mixture of seminars, workshops, lectures, group projects, research seminars and individual tutorials, supported by independent preparation and research. It consists of core modules, optional modules, and a dissertation with the core module setting out the overall intellectual framework for the course.

The optional modules will offer further specialised areas of study in related topics in which you have a particular interest.

The dissertation will require a detailed study of an aspect of a topic within world literature that, again, is of interest to you and will be of either 15,000 (60 credits) or 20,000 (90 credits) words in length.

The learning environment will be relaxed and supportive of your work and will offer you individual time with your supervisors. There will also be an emphasis on independent study.

Assessment

Assessment is thorough and ongoing and will be carried out by careful analysis of your completed work over the year and will comprise of formative class presentations, as well as summative essays on core coursework and selected modules as well as a dissertation of 15,000 words or 20,000 words in length.

Entry Requirements

You will be expected to have a BA degree (upper-second class degree or equivalent) in a relevant subject, such as language (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian), literature or linguistics from a recognised national or international university.

Students holding a degree in a non-language-related field may be admitted provided they can demonstrate they have sufficient competence in one of the above mentioned languages.

You will also need to provide a personal statement of no more than 500 words. You are invited to cover the following points in your personal statement:

• Why have you chosen the MA in Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Durham University?
• What are your specific interests (literature, film, cultural or literary theory; maybe also potential modules you would choose)?
• In which specific language(s) the School of Modern Languages and Cultures offers are you interested?
• How do your prior qualifications prepare you for this degree course? Please focus on the ones you would consider particularly pertinent.
• What do you hope to get out of the course?

Alternative Qualifications

• Other UK qualifications
• EU qualifications
• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year. Home students who do not meet our direct entry requirements, may be eligible for our Foundation Programme which offers multidisciplinary programmes to prepare you for a range of specified degree programmes.

Fees and Funding

Full Time Fees

• Home students: £12,500 per year
• EU students: £27,500 per year
• Island students: £12,500 per year
• International students: £27,500 per year

The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase and are expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only.

Scholarships and Bursaries

We are committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances and are delighted to offer a range of funding opportunities.

Career Opportunities

Our approach to learning and research encourages a freedom of thinking and expression about language and cultures that provides sought-after skills and a worldview that will be attractive to top employers.

In an environment of globalisation, the ability to display a knowledge and understanding of the diverse world we inhabit and to understand and communicate effectively is crucial.

Following graduation, we offer the option of building on your research activity at a higher academic level and progressing into teaching with roles at universities across Europe, the USA, Australia and the Middle East a viable option.

If your aspirations lie more towards developing a professional career, our qualifications offer a weather of opportunities with recent graduates taking up positions in university administration, translation, analytics, museum curating, rare bookselling and the French film industry.

Department Information

Languages and Cultures

Postgraduate language provision at Durham spans the world in its exploration of languages and cultures. By considering literary, artistic and visual heritage and their place in individual societies, our research fosters insight and understanding from a global perspective.

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures is a world-class centre for teaching and research in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hispanic, Italian, Japanese and Russian Studies. We provide an outstanding environment for research activity, adopting an open and flexible approach to study.

Support and guidance are given by the committed subject experts that can be found in our academic team. They are passionate about their specialisms, which cover the relevant languages, literature, cultural history, cinema and visual culture, and translation.

This significant reservoir of knowledge is reflected in the diversity of the topics being researched in the School. Key areas of in-depth study activity range from Translation Studies and Film Studies through to Science and the Humanities, and Gender and Sexuality.

Our postgraduate community is vibrant and active and is fully involved with events both within the School and within wider University postgraduate groups. Our research postgraduates are involved in organising major conferences and lead research seminars as part of their learning experience.

Language provision at Durham consistently ranks within the top five performing Schools in the UK according to university league tables. We feel this reflects our deep commitment to research that nurtures cultural understanding and inspires a love of languages and fosters an understanding of different cultures in an era of increasing globalisation.

Facilities

The School is located on Elvet Riverside, which is close to the ancient Elvet Bridge and within easy walking distance of the University colleges, the Students’ Union and the historic centre of the city of Durham.

Learning facilities include language laboratories, computer classrooms and a large study area. There are also satellite and recording facilities for viewing programmes in all the major taught languages.

The University's fully equipped Centre for Foreign Language Study is housed in the same building, and members of the Languages and Culture School have access to its facilities.

Similarly, the Translation Zone provides a place to meet translators, learn how we teach translation and attend seminars and master classes.