MA English with Black Humanities
- MA
- PG Certificate (Postgraduate Certificate)
- PG Diploma (Postgraduate Diploma)
Overview
This unique interdisciplinary MA offers you the opportunity to study English Literature and Black Humanities, deepening your passion for literature through an engagement with the global histories, philosophies, languages and arts of people of African descent.
On this programme you will not only engage with the work and creative contexts of Black authors, vital though that is, you will be trained as a literary specialist to approach research, writing and thinking through Black Humanities as an interdisciplinary and undisciplined field of study. Based on cutting-edge research from across the arts and humanities, you will study the histories, methodologies and intellectual frameworks that underpin contemporary debates about race, the parameters of knowledge and knowledge production, the legacies of systemic racism and campaigns for social justice. These will be discussed through consideration of historical and contemporary contexts in Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas, and Europe.
You are invited to participate fully in the life of both the English Department and the Centre for Black Humanities, an international hub for research on Black life that directly informs our teaching. Our members are engaged in pioneering research on topics including UK hip-hop, Black British art, the histories and memories of Enslavement, African literary activism and film, Caribbean literature, and the Lusophone Atlantic.
We place critical importance on being part of an international and multilingual community. This is reflected in the Centre's annual programme of external speakers and seminars, offering you the opportunity to engage with world-renowned scholars as well as Bristol's cutting-edge cultural scene.
Programme structure
As a full-time student, you will undertake a Black Humanities core unit that cuts across the year-long programme, providing you with a firm footing in key historical, methodological and creative developments in the field of Black Humanities. This unit is shared with the MA History with Black Humanities, ensuring that you are part of our Centre for Black Humanities student community.
Alongside the core, you will undertake research training and select optional units from across the English Department's rich offering. These can supplement your interest in Black Humanities or be used to explore the wide range of specialisms on offer from Shakespeare to Literature and the Environment.
After successfully completing the taught portion of the programme, you must complete a dissertation of up to 12,000 words.
Visit our programme catalogue for full details of the structure and unit content for our MA English with Black Humanities.
Entry requirements
You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in any subject.
We will consider your application if your interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements and may make you an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so you would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of your degree. Specific module requirements would still apply.
We will also consider your application if your final overall achieved grade is slightly lower than the programme's entry requirement.
If your achieved grade is lower than our entry requirements, your application may be more likely to receive an offer if you have additional relevant work experience or qualifications. If you have at least one of the following, please include your CV (curriculum vitae / résumé) when you apply, showing:
- evidence of relevant work experience in: Creative Industries, Journalism, Education, Curating, Museums, Publishing, Editing, Professional careers (eg Law, Accounting, private business, Medicine), Charity and third sector.
- a relevant postgraduate qualification .
See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level A.
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.
Fees and funding
- Home: full-time
- £14,000 per year
- Overseas: full-time
- £29,500 per year
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.
Alumni discount
University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.
Funding and scholarships
Funding and studentship opportunities are listed on the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences funding pages.
Click here for further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Career prospects
Graduates of this programme are equipped to go on to careers in a variety of fields, such as education, politics and campaigning, the arts and heritage sector, publishing, the civil service, media and journalism. They are also well placed to continue on to doctoral studies in fields across the humanities. Crucially, graduates will have acquired not only a firm grounding in a rich intellectual tradition that continues to shape society, but also transferable skills including critical thinking, and the ability to argue persuasively.
Contact us
- Contact
- Enquiries Team
- Phone
- +44 (0) 117 394 1649
- choosebristol-pg@bristol.ac.uk
- Faculties
- Schools