Whether you simply enjoy Victorian literature or are looking to prepare for PhD research in the future, the Victorian Literature MA pathway provides rigorous and comprehensive training in nineteenth-century literature and culture.
Taught and studied in perhaps the best-preserved of all Victorian cities, Victorian studies at the University of Liverpool has a long history of combining a strong literary focus with a commitment to innovative critical techniques and interdisciplinary study. On this MA pathway, you will look at topics as diverse as the Victorian supernatural, the way the Victorians imagined the end of the world, the reinvention of the medieval in the Victorian period (the same reinvention that is still embodied in so much of Liverpool’s nineteenth-century architecture), Victorian thinking about murder and serious crime, and what literature in the Victorian period meant to readers at the time, and the wide variety of meanings it might have for us now.
With superb Victorian collections and institutions in easy visiting distance (the Walker and Lady Lever art galleries, Sudley House, Gladstone’s Library, to name only a few), the Victorian MA pathway aims to provide a study of Victorian literature that is thoroughly rooted in writing and ideas, but also in the felt experience and physical reality of the Victorian period.
Please note: when applying, please choose ‘MA English Literature’ from the list of programmes. You should specify the specific pathway which you wish to study in your personal statement.
The MA in English Literature provides students with rigorous academic training in the broad interdisciplinary field of literary history, theory and culture. The professional skills that students will develop upon completion of the programme will prepare them well for a wide range of potential employment areas.
Departmental support includes:
The qualifications and exam results you'll need to apply for this course.
You'll need to demonstrate competence in the use of English language, unless you’re from a majority English speaking country .
We accept a variety of international language tests and country-specific qualifications .
International applicants who do not meet the minimum required standard of English language can complete one of our Pre-Sessional English courses to achieve the required level.
Do you need to complete a Pre-sessional English course to meet the English language requirements for this course?
The length of Pre-sessional English course you’ll need to take depends on your current level of English language ability.
If you don’t meet our English language requirements, we can use your most recent IELTS score, or the equivalent score in selected other English language tests , to determine the length of Pre-sessional English course you require.
Use the table below to check the course length you're likely to require for your current English language ability and see whether the course is available on campus or online.
If you’ve completed an alternative English language test to IELTS, we may be able to use this to assess your English language ability and determine the Pre-sessional English course length you require.
Please see our guide to Pre-sessional English entry requirements for IELTS 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0, for further details.