Overview

The Master of English Studies (MES) is one of Australia’s premier postgraduate coursework degrees in English studies. It attracts local and international students who seek a comprehensive and highly regarded coursework degree in English literature and who may also be using the MES as a stepping stone to entering doctoral studies in Australia or overseas.

English teachers find the MES an excellent way to enrich their subject knowledge and develop their love of literature. Furthermore, teachers in New South Wales may apply to the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards to claim a proportion of their coursework hours as recognised professional learning.

The Master of English Studies offers graduates opportunities to pursue or advance careers in any vocation or area that demands intellectual flexibility and versatility, critical thinking and the ability to communicate such as teaching, the media, the arts and cultural industries, public service, and academia.

This course brings together contemporary critical theory with literary narratives to investigate how and why literature continues to have an impact on our lives in the twenty-first century. We focus on four core critical approaches: critical reading, literary history, genre, and the question of English as a world literature. Part of this program's aim is to consider ways in which the study of literature in English resonates within contemporary contexts, including specifically Australian cultural contexts, as well as the repositioning of Australia within contemporary global cultures. It provides an excellent foundation for research students, both from Australia and overseas, who wish to reconsider literature in English within a dynamically expanding global field.

See also Creative Writing

Admission criteria and course requirements

Please refer to the course resolutions in this handbook for the admission criteria and course requirements for the Master of English Studies and its embedded courses.

The list of units for the Master of English Studies and embedded courses is available in the unit of study table.

Reduced volume of learning (RVL)

Candidates for the Masters program who have completed previous study in a relevant discipline may be eligible for a reduction in the requirements in accordance with the table below.

Level of prior learning	Full-time duration	Credit points to complete
AQF Level 8 eg. Honours in a relevant discipline, as determined by the Faculty	1 year	48

Contacts and further information

School website	School of Art, Communication and English
Discipline website	Discipline of English