Literature & Culture

University College Dublin

Ireland, Dublin

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University College Dublin

Ireland , Dublin

Key Facts

Program Level

Master by Course Work

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Credit point

90 Points

Campuses

Main Site

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake Deadlines25-Sep-2026

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 1 year(s)

Tuition Fee

EUR 22,600 / year

Next Intake 25-Sep-2026

Literature & Culture

About

The MA in Literature & Culture is our flagship MA programme in English-language literature and culture. Students work with leading international scholars and world-class teachers, who have expertise in a wide range of areas, from the literature of the Middle Ages to the modern and contemporary. The programme provides an intensive combination of taught courses and supervised research, designed to develop students’ skills and confidence as scholars and critics of literature and its contexts. Current courses include seminars in Medieval and Renaissance LIterature, 18th and 19th-Century literature and culture, Contemporary American Poetics, Modernism, World Literature, Social Network Analysis, and Research Methods.

The supervised dissertation gives you the unique opportunity to work closely on a topic of your choosing with published experts in your field of interest. All students take the core module Research Methods, and can choose other modules in a variety of areas, including British, American and World Literature.
Recent courses have included:

Chaucer and the Fourteenth Century
American Modernism at Home
Re-reading the Renaissance
American Lyric: Document and Memoir
Memory Cultures
Feeling Modern: Thinking and Being in 18th and 19th-Century Britain
Social Network Analysis and Fiction
World-Systems, World-Literature: Mapping the Planet
Contemporary U.S. Genre Fiction: Intersection, Disruption, Protest
Concepts of Modernity

Further information on the MA in Literature & Culture is available on the UCD School of English, Drama & Film website: http://www.ucd.ie/englishdramafilm/study/postgraduate/literatureandculture/

Requirements

Entry Requirements

An honours undergraduate degree in English or in another cognate subject (NFQ Level 8) with a 2.1 classification (Second Class Honours, Grade One) or equivalent* is normally required. A sample of written work of c.3000 words and two academic references are also required. Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency of IELTS 7 (no band less than 6.5 in each element), or equivalent.

Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the English language requirements, may enter the programme upon successful completion of UCD’s International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information: https://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/int%20pmp/

*equivalencies will vary depending on grade scale of award presented but will generally require a grade average of B or a GPA no less than 3.08;

*However, all applicants will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and in certain exceptional cases an award at a lower level or a 2.2 classification may be considered.

These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes 

You may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as UCD recognises formal, informal, and/or experiential learning. RPL may be awarded to gain Admission and/or credit exemptions on a programme. Please visit the UCD Registry RPL web page for further information. Any exceptions are also listed on this webpage.

English Program Requirements

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

Taught Master's: A minimum overall score of 7.0 over all components and a minimum of 6.0 in each band on the Academic Version. The non-academic version is not accepted.

Research Programmes: A minimum overall score of 6.5 over all components and a minimum of 6.0 in each band on the Academic Version. The non-academic version is not accepted.

IELTS Indicator: A minimum overall score of 7.0 over all components and a minimum of 6.0 in each band. This test will be accepted for 2022/23 and 2023/24 intake.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

Taught Master's: A minimum score of 100 is required in the Internet based TOEFL (iBT) with a score of at least 20 in each section.

Research Programmes: A minimum score of 90 is required in the Internet based TOEFL (iBT) with a score of at least 20 in each section.

TOEFL iBT Home: A minimum score of 100 is required with a score of at least 20 in each section.

Duolingo Test of English (DET)

UCD has approved the use of the Duolingo Test of English (DET) for the 2024/25 intake.
An overall score of 130 will be accepted with no section below 110.

Please note that this does not apply to the CEMS MiM / MSc in International Management. In the case of the CEMS MiM the Duolingo English Test will not be accepted.