Text only
University of Aberdeen Takes you to the main page for this section

Masters Degree and Diploma

The Novel

For further information and an application form contact:

Dr. Catherine Jones
Programme Co-ordinator, MLitt in the Novel 
English Department
School of Language & Literature
King's College
Aberdeen AB24 3UB
Scotland
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 1224 273759
Fax: +44 (0) 1224 272624
E-mail: c.a.jones@abdn.ac.uk
Website: www.abdn.ac.uk/english/novel/

The application form is also available at: www.abdn.ac.uk/sras/postgraduate/apply.shtml

Introduction

Since its inception in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the novel has become the dominant literary form in our culture. It has helped to shape modern consciousness. Critical analysis of the novel lies at the heart of theories of literary representation and aesthetic response. The English Department's MLitt in the Novel will embrace all aspects of the theory and practice of the novel in English, from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. The programme includes a core course in narratology, genre theory, and the sociology of the novel, as well as elective courses on individual authors and periods. The MLitt will explore the regional, national and international significance of the novel as an art form, and address such general topics as subjectivity and identity, medical theory and fiction, aesthetics, print culture, the history of reading, mass and elite fiction, and issues of nation, class, race and gender. The programme will provide research training for those intending to progress to a doctoral degree while also offering a self-contained Masters degree for anyone interested in the study of the novel. Students enrolled on the programme will participate in the activities of the newly formed Centre for The Novel, which hosts regular talks, seminars and conferences with distinguished visiting speakers.

Course Structure

In addition to a core course in the Theory of the Novel, students are required to take two compulsory courses in research methods and scholarly writing during the first semester. They also take a total of 60 credits from elective courses over the two semesters. Elective courses, normally 20 credits each, may be from any area of the novel or related fields. There are also opportunities for students to take courses from other graduate programmes. MLitt students are required to write a dissertation over the course of the summer. Students who attend and satisfactorily complete all compulsory and optional courses, but who not write a dissertation, will be awarded a diploma.

Core Courses

Elective Courses:

These vary from year to year depending on staff availability, but are likely to include:

Who Can Take This Degree?

The MLitt is intended for anyone with a first degree in English or a related discipline who wishes to explore the history and theory of the novel at postgraduate level. The English Department is keen to attract students irrespective of age or nationality, and welcomes overseas students and mature students returning to study after a period away. No specific knowledge is assumed, and the core course and training modules will provide the methodological grounding necessary for the elective courses and dissertation. Students can take this programme as a Diploma (without the dissertation), a stand-alone one-year (full-time) or two-year (part-time) Masters degree, or as a first step towards an MPhil or PhD (subject to admission to a further degree programme at Aberdeen or elsewhere). Please note that immigration regulations prevent an overseas student from studying part-time.

Entrance Requirements

The standard entrance requirement is a good first degree in English or a related discipline. UK applicants should normally have a 2.i or above, though applicants with non-standard qualifications are also invited to apply. International students will be considered on the basis of their transcripts and references. Non-native speakers of English need to have a minimum of IELTS at 6.5, or TOEFL at 580.

Cost

Full-time British nationals and students from European Union countries pay £3,240 per annum in postgraduate fees and part-time £1,620.  Students from non-EU countries pay £8,750 per annum.  Accommodation and food would be expected to cost between £5K and £8K per year.

Grants And Scholarships For Study At Aberdeen

The College of Arts and Social Sciences has a number of generous Postgraduate Studentships offered competitively to outstanding students. Details are available via the website: www.abdn.ac.uk/cass

Scottish students with a first class honours degree may apply to the Carnegie Trust: www.carnegie.org.uk

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) offer Studentships which provide fees and maintenance for UK students and fees only for European Union students: www.ahrc.ac.uk

The Overseas Research Student (ORS) scheme makes awards competitively to outstanding non-EU nationals undertaking a research degree, usually a PhD, and lowers the fees payable to British levels. Taking the MLitt in the Novel may enhance a student's chance of obtaining ORS funding towards a PhD at the end of their MLitt course: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/ORS

What If I Do Not Want To Write A Dissertation?

Students who attend and satisfactorily complete all compulsory and elective courses, but who do not write a dissertation, will be awarded a diploma.

For international students, all postgraduate taught programmes, beginning in September 2008, have a deadline of the 1 st of July 2008.  Any application received after this date, will not be considered for September 2008, but instead will be considered for the next available intake, either January 2009 or September 2009.  For more information on the intakes for each programme please visit www.abdn.ac.uk/prospectus/pgrad/  Please note this deadline is to ensure students have sufficient time to complete the application process and apply for their visa, and arrive in Aberdeen in time of the start of their programme.

There is no programme deadline for those students classed as UK/EU for tuition fee purposes.