English

It has been said that books are humanity in print so if the thought of understanding the world and its ways appeals to you, then a postgraduate course in the realm of English studies could be a good place to begin, or indeed continue, this journey. All the universities and many colleges in Ireland today have an established School of English which offer postgraduate courses in various areas under both taught and research structures.

English at a postgraduate level is on a very different scale to that of degree courses. For example a student with experience of English at third level will know that one semester may concentrate on American Short Fiction where writers such as Jack London and Tobias Wolff might be looked at briefly. In a postgraduate course an entire year could be dedicated to the genre of short stories and the level of discussion and investigation would be far greater and more indepth. Therefore the most essential characteristic for any potential entrant into a course in this area is an insatiable love of reading and the English language. A true interest in the subject will make the degree of intensity and attention to detail seem less intimidating and tiresome. The most important element is to choose an area that you are most likely to retain an affection for, even when poring over miniscule typing in the small hours of a Tuesday morning.

The choice of subject matter is as diverse as you would expect from an area where personal taste plays such a key role. Some examples of popular topics would be Creative Writing, Anglo-Irish Literature, Critical Theory and Popular Literature. A course in Creative Writing would involve a great deal of interaction with others in the class through workshops where individual pieces of work would be shared and assessed with the common hope of benefiting each student through advice and criticism (so leave your ego at home). Due to the concentrated nature of the curriculums a high level of commitment is called for. Those who have a whimsical penchant for fiction might want to question themselves before applying for a masters in Creative Writing – a course which demands serious undertaking with regards to time and effort.

However if your intentions are sincere, there are massive benefits in choosing to undergo the expense and effort. One huge attraction is the chance to dedicate time to a subject that sparks your interest – something that you may have only touched on in your degree. The first step is to decide between a taught programme and a research programme.

Taught programmes follow a similar design to degrees and are not a million miles away from learning through lectures. In most of these courses the year is divided into seminars and workshops as well as independent research. Work is usually marked on the merit of long essays and a dissertation rather than on an exam basis. Most are yearlong courses taught through full time learning. While you do have to stay within the spectrum of your course title, e.g. Gender and Literature, the opportunity and freedom to choose a more specific subject matter from the broad spectrum of texts is yours. A big advantage of this format is the presence of the seminars, which greatly help postgrad students by instilling discipline and guidance. 

Those more confident in their inherent ability to self-motivate might be interested in considering a research programme. This choice will automatically chain you to a library desk for much of the course duration (which is usually longer than that of taught programmes, up to four years in some cases). Research programmes participants are required to take part in a Research Methods elective; a mandatory condition that will prove itself to be invaluable to any research student. Considering the length of some dissertations (which can demand a word count of up to 80,000 words), too much emphasis cannot be placed on the need for rigorously efficient methods of research. The skill of analysing huge volumes of works and quickly deciding upon and acquiring the small sections which are of aid to you is an art that will make the most intimidating projects seem accessible and uncomplicated.

A brief look at the website of your chosen college or university will show you the subject areas that they invite applications in, and will also give you guidance with regards to what sample work (if any) is requested for inclusion. The most common criteria are an honours degree in English, or in an appropriately related subject such as History or a language.

Employment opportunities for English postgraduates are wide and diverse. The most common choice of career following course completion is that of lectureships and postdoctoral fellowships; unsurprising considering how prepared the programmes makes students for academic posts such as that of teacher and professor. However there are many other options available to those with proven capabilities aside from this natural progression. The research skills honed and developed throughout the (taught or research) programme’s duration are ones that are valuable and essential for success in any industry. Immediately it will be absolutely apparent to a prospective employer that you are capable, organised and motivated. In addition to this you will be demonstrating that you are accomplished in acting independently and have the instinct to make a jungle of information concise and accessible.

For anyone with a love of English and a particular interest in developing a specific topic into a matter of serious study and thought, then a masters in English is undoubtedly a good choice. This area has the unique combination of adding to your education, feeding your passion for literature, as well as making an invaluable contribution to your future employment prospects.