Program Overview

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English MA (Honours) 2025 entry

The MA (Hons) in English will teach you to closely read texts across a range of genres and historical eras, and to consider the ideas, human values and historical forces that have helped shape literature.

Overview

As part of your degree, you will be introduced to a wide spectrum of literary works, from medieval texts in Old English and Older Scots to Renaissance plays, revolutionary 19th-century novels, contemporary poetry and more.

UCAS code

Q300

Start date

September 2025

End date

September 2029

Duration

Four years full time

School

School of English

Entry requirements

The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about Standard, Minimum and Gateway entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.

SQA Highers

• Standard entry grades: AAAAB, including A in English.
• Minimum entry grades: AABB, including A in English.
• Gateway entry grades: Applicants who have narrowly missed the minimum entry grades, but meet the University's contextual criteria, may be interested in one of the University’s Gateway programmes.

GCE A-Levels

• Standard entry grades: AAA, Including A in English or English Literature.
• Minimum entry grades: ABB, Including A in English or English Literature.

IB points

• Standard entry grades: 38 (HL 6,6,6), Including HL6 in English.
• Minimum entry grades: 36 (HL 6,5,5), Including HL6 in English.

General entry requirements

All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.

SQA qualifications

• SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following:
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computing science
  • Geography
  • Applications of Mathematics
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychology.

GCSE qualifications

• GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following:
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computing Science
  • Geography
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychology.

Other qualifications

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes. Please see our entry requirements for more information.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

Students must have studied English or English Literature at SQA Higher, GCE A-Level or equivalent.

Alternative study options

Gateway programmes

Applicants who have narrowly missed the minimum entry grades but meet the University's contextual criteria may be interested in the Gateway to Arts programme.

Study abroad

Students on the English programme can apply to participate in the University-wide St Andrews Abroad programme. You may also have the opportunity to participate in the School Abroad exchange programme.

International applicants

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability.

Course details

The MA (Hons) in English is a four-year course run by the School of English. In the first two years, you will read and reflect on a broad range of topics across a variety of literary genres from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Specialist subject areas

• Old English literature
• literature and gender
• Literary theory
• Shakespeare and race
• Victorian culture
• creative writing
• Cold War writing
• world literature

Modules

In the first two years of your degree, known as sub-honours, you will take the required modules in English alongside modules in at least one other subject.

First year

• Culture and Conflict: An Introduction to Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Literature: looks closely at texts in prose and verse from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
• Empires and Revolutions: Literature: examines travel, colonialism, and different constructions of ‘man’s natural estate’ in the 18th century.

Second year

• Drama: Reading and Performance: introduces a number of representative plays from the Renaissance period to the 21st century.
• Medieval and Renaissance Texts: introduces early forms of English language and literature, using specially edited texts from Old English, Middle English, and Older Scots.

Teaching

• Teaching format: lectures which are supported by smaller seminar groups or tutorials.
• Assessment: essays, examinations, and coursework.
• Support: the University’s Student Services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities.

Fees

• Scotland: £1,820
• England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man: £9,535
• EU and overseas: £31,670

Joint Honours degrees

You can also take English as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take core modules of your chosen subjects.

Careers

A degree in English from St Andrews will open doors to a large and varied number of possible careers.

• art administration
• charitable organisations
• internships with the United Nations
• public policy
• sales
• the financial sector
• writing and editing

What to do next

If you are interested in studying English at the University of St Andrews, you can find more information on the University’s website.