Course summary
This degree is designed to give you an exciting exploration of literary and cultural products and critical issues that span national and linguistic borders as well as time periods. You will become acquainted with the theory and practice of comparative literary and cultural studies, consider how concepts of national cultures cross borders and media forms, and interact with ideas of the transnational and intermedial. You will gain a thorough grounding in literary, cultural and intermedial theories; critical reading and research skills; and put this theoretical knowledge into practice by studying topics and themes that span disciplines, national contexts and time periods. You could choose to follow a 'literature', 'visual culture', or 'history' pathway according to your interest, by selecting from different optional units taught by internationally recognised scholars in a wide range of disciplines covered by the School of Modern Languages and other schools and departments within the faculty. While knowledge of a foreign language is not a requirement for this programme, you will have the opportunity to learn a language at a variety of levels, from beginner to advanced, and to engage directly with material in foreign languages throughout the MA. The programme culminates in a dissertation – an extended piece of original academic research. As a postgraduate, you will be considered a full member of the academic community, with the opportunity to participate in the many research seminars and conferences taking place within the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences.
Assessment method
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/postgraduate/admissions-statements/2025/ma-comparative-literatures-and-cultures.pdf
How to apply
International applicants
The University of Bristol welcomes applications from international students and accepts a wide range of qualifications for postgraduate study. If you study or have studied at a university outside the UK, please select the relevant page for further information on qualifications, scholarships and education representatives in your country/region: bristol.ac.uk/international/countries
Entry requirements
You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in an arts or humanities discipline, such as: - Anthropology - Comparative Literature - Cultural Geography - English - Film - History - Linguistics - Modern Languages - Philosophy - Theatre - Visual Art Applicants should have studied one literature module, and have achieved 60% or international equivalent in this. Non-traditional qualifications/routes may also be considered. If you are currently completing a degree, we understand that your final grade may be higher than the interim grades or module/unit grades you have achieved during your studies to date. 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 you have at least one of the following, please include your CV (curriculum vitae / résumé) when you apply, showing details of your relevant qualifications: - a relevant postgraduate qualification. Specific module requirements would still apply. See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website. https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international/countries/
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| Channel Islands | £6600 | Year 1 |
| England | £6600 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £6600 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £6600 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £6600 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
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.
For more information, please view the programme page on our website.
Sponsorship information
Funding and studentship opportunities are listed on the Faculty of Arts funding pages: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/study/postgraduate/funding/
Provider information
University of Bristol
Beacon House
Queen’s Road
Bristol
BS8 1QU