Program Overview

MA Global Literatures and Cultures

Overview

Work with world-leading Humanities scholars across three terms to explore the works of literature, art and thought that have shaped our global culture. Develop a range of skills desired by employers including intercultural understanding, critical thinking, communication, and independent research. Benefit from one-to-one dissertation supervision with an academic expert in your chosen field. Attend a diverse range of guest speaker events, symposia and workshops linked to research centres across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as access on-campus to the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, and the University of Exeter’s Special Collections. Meet local and international writers, artists, and creatives through university-aligned events hosted at different centres in Exeter, a UNESCO City of Literature. International students enjoy access to tailored help, including optional extra classes and one-to-one support with academic English and study skills from our quality-assured INTO study centre. Study a language as part of your course through the Language Centre.

Entry Requirements

We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above in their first degree in a relevant subject area. While we normally only consider applicants who meet this criteria, if you are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level, or have relevant work experience, we would welcome your application.

English Language Requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2.

Course Content

Led by the Department of Languages, Cultures and Visual Studies, with expertise in seven language areas (Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish), this MA allows students to access specialist teaching on literature, film, visual culture and thought from the pre-modern to contemporary period.

Students can choose from a wide variety of option modules across Languages, Cultures and Visual Studies, the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, English, Film and Screen Studies, Publishing and other Humanities programmes. You can learn about culture from Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

The programme is divided into units of study called modules which are assigned 'credits'. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload, with 1 credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work. Students may also opt to take languages credits as part of their MA programme.

You may take the MA in Global Literatures and Cultures full time over one academic year or part time over two, completing the core module (30 credits), the compulsory dissertation (60 credits), and selecting three or more optional modules (90 credits), amounting to 180 credits in total. You will take the core module over Term One and Term Two, alongside one or two optional modules each term (subject options available).

Modules

• Compulsory modules:
  • SMLM113: Dissertation in Global Literatures and Cultures (60 credits)
  • SMLM235: Key Concepts for Global Literatures and Cultures (30 credits)
• Optional modules:
  • ARAM248: Texts and Traditions in Islamic Intellectual History (15 credits)
  • ARAM251: Esotericism and the Magical Tradition (30 credits)
  • CLAM078: Classical Reception: An Introduction (15 credits)
  • EAFM008: Global Girlhoods in Film and Television (30 credits)
  • EASM151: Modernism and Material Culture (30 credits)
  • EASM152: Criticism and Theory: Critical and Literary Theory in a Global Context (30 credits)
  • EASM167: World Cinema / World Literature (30 credits)
  • EASM179: Translation and Publishing: New Approaches to Literary Activism (30 credits)
  • EASM197: Global Romanticisms (30 credits)
  • HASM004: Let's Get Medieval (15 credits)
  • SMLM155: Translation as Multimedia and Audiovisual Practice (15 credits)
  • SMLM156: Translation as Literary and Creative Practice (15 credits)
  • SMLM158: Translation as Cultural and Intermedia Practice (15 credits)

Fees

• 2025/26 entry:
  • UK fees per year: £12,500 full-time; £6,250 part-time
  • International fees per year: £25,300 full-time; £12,650 part-time

Scholarships

The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships.

Teaching and Research

Teaching will be through a mixture of lectures and student-led, discussion-based seminars, as well as experiential learning. You will be assessed in a variety of methods including research reports, essays and group or individual presentations.

Students are exposed to a range of teaching about the international circulation and exchange of ideas, with attention to challenging traditional hierarchies and power structures. The core module provides a strong foundation for comparative critical study. You can then shape your programme to focus on your interests.

Dissertation

You will also carry out a Dissertation or Dissertation by Practice, which will require you to produce an original piece of independent research or practice-based work, based on your interests.

Research Areas

Drawing directly on the internationally recognised research and teaching expertise across the department. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in research projects and events. For instance, our MA students were recently involved in organising the Translation Festival at the University and Central Library. Current research projects in the Department include Venezuelan Voices, Cartas Vivas, RusTrans and Narrating Maternity in Russian and Comparative Literature.

Careers

Our programme will develop your specific competences to interpret and analyse complex textual and cultural artefacts, you will graduate with a full range of skills that will make you competitive in the job market. Graduates can look to work in a diverse range of sectors including publishing, civil service, teaching, translation and more.

You will be encouraged to become a productive, useful and questioning member of society, be able to assimilate significant quantities of data (written text and visual sources) and express yourself clearly and with precision in oral and written form.

Related Courses

• Translation Studies MA
• Curation: Art and Business MA

Why Exeter?

• Student life
• Our campuses
• International students
• Accommodation
• Apply for a Masters
• Immigration and visas
• Tuition fees and funding