MA
MA 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.
How to apply Apply via UCAS
Course details
Start date
Degree Type
MA
Program Code
R9T207
Course length
1 year
Typical offer
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): 12,500 per year
- Overseas (Full-time): 27,500 per year
Overview
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. To find out more about this course and hear from our students, you can view our webpages here.
Course details
Start date
Degree Type
MA
Program Code
R9T207
Course length
1 year
Typical offer
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): 12,500 per year
- Overseas (Full-time): 27,500 per year
What you'll study
All the MA programmes offered by the Faculty of Arts & Humanities consist of three components: a Major Research Project to the value of at least 60 credits Core Modules to the value of 0-90 credits, depending on the programme Elective Modules, making up the total number of credits to 180; some of these modules will be defined as Recommended Electives for particular programmes. For students studying the MA in Languages, Literatures and Cultures, the Dissertation (your Major Research Project) will enable you to carry out your own detailed exploration of an area of languages, literatures and cultures of particular interest to you and to produce a piece of scholarly writing that demonstrates how you are able to understand the relevant theoretical frameworks and apply them appropriately. You can choose between a 15,000-word (60-credit) or a 20,000-word (90-credit) dissertation.
Core modules
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You will be required to take the following 30-credit core module:
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
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60
Finally, you will choose either 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
Fees & Funding
Choose which fees you want to see:
Home / Island students
12,500 per year
International / EU Students
27,500 per year
Home / Island students
Part Time - per year
International / EU Students
Part Time - per year
The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
Find out moreDepartment Information
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Top 10
in The Complete University Guide 2026The 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. For more information see our department pages.
Read moreFacilities
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.
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