Comparative Literature MA
Comparative literature is the study of literature across cultural and national frontiers, time periods, languages and genres, even across the boundaries between literature and the other arts.
You can study Comparative Literature alongside a whole range of other subjects and you may want to consider studying it with a foreign language to further expand your horizons.
- September start
- Session dates
- Comparative Literature MA (Hons): Q200 4 year degree
- Glasgow: Gilmorehill campus
- Degree options
- Study abroad available
Programme structure
Defined most broadly, comparative literature is the study of ‘literature without walls’. The comparative or cross-cultural study of literatures is, in some ways, an idealistic academic discipline: it assumes that people from different cultures, times, places and languages can communicate with each other, understand (if not fully share) each other’s traditions, and benefit from such contacts.
The comparatist needs to have intellectual curiosity, an open mind and the courage to confront unknown cultures and unfamiliar writers and texts. A degree in Comparative Literature at Glasgow also gives you the opportunity to include the study of a foreign language (even as a beginner) as part of your curriculum. Comparative Literature is also available as a joint degree, meaning you will study another subject alongside it.
Year 1
The courses on our year 1 programme currently have heroism as the overarching theme. The courses interrogate the notion of heroism, its absence in our lives and our longing for it as this finds expression in various historical contexts and cultures.
Some of the texts currently studied across our courses include: Aleksandr Pushkin, The Queen of Spades; The Tain (Táin Bó Cúailnge – The Cattle Raid of Cooley); Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter; Heinrich Böll, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum and Jean Racine, Phaedra.
Year 2
Courses in year 2 currently focus on the idea of crossing frontiers in geographical, scientific, political, psychological, social, cultural and gender-orientated terms. They examine the human motivations behind and the consequences of various 'crossings', as well as the exploration of identity, otherness, secrets, mysteries and taboos.
The Comparative literature 2B course, taught in the second semester, is devoted to literary criticism and theory and is a requirement for all students who intend to take the subject to Honours level. Comparative Literature can be taken either as a joint with another subject or as a single Honours subject in years 3 and 4.
Some of the texts currently studied include: Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory; Nikolai Gogol, The Nose; Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis; Mohsin Hamid, Exit West; Gianfranco Rosi, Fire at Sea (film); Gracialiano Ramos, Barren Lives; and José Eduardo Agualusa, Creole.
You will also study other subjects in years 1 and 2: see Flexible degrees.
Years 3 and 4
If you progress to Honours (years 3 and 4), you will take current core courses on literary and cultural theories, and you will read texts from an intercultural perspective. You will also gain an awareness of issues of language and translation as they relate to the reading of texts from different cultures.
At Honours level you choose your own optional courses, which reflect the research specialisms of our staff. Current courses we offer currently include:
- Myths & modern imagination
- Writing subjects
- Cervantes in Hollywood
- Writing Persia
- Postcolonial literature, thought & visual culture
- Holocaust literature & film
- Narrating the City: representation of urban spaces in literature & film
- Classic European cinema: East and West
- What is a human?
- Book history
- Collecting, archiving & exhibiting
- Migration on screen.
You may also choose to write a dissertation on a comparative literature-related topic supervised by a specialist in the area.
Course details
Year 1
- Students typically take two of:
- 1A Heroic Men
- 1B Heroic Women
- 1C Heroism across Times and Cultures.
- Two further Level 1 subjects
Year 2
- Students typically take two of:
- 2A Crossing Borders
- 2C Exploring Identity
- A second Level 2 subject
- A new Level 1 subject may be taken
Year 3
- Comparative Literature Junior Honours
[Year 3 could be studied abroad via exchange agreements]
Year 4
- Comparative Literature Senior Honours
Courses you will take as part of a Comparative Literature programme may include:
Year 1
- Comparative Literature 1A - Heroes (Heroic Men)
- Comparative Literature 1B - Heroes (Heroic Women)
- Comparative Literature 1C: Heroism across Time and Cultures
Year 2
- Comparative Literature 2A - Frontiers (Crossing Borders)
- COMPARATIVE LITERATURE 2B, INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY CRITICISM
- Comparative Literature 2C - Frontiers (Exploring Identity)
Years 3 and 4 (Honours)
(Not all courses listed will be available in each session)
- Intercultural Readings
- Theories Of Reading
- The Brothers Grimm and the European Fairy Tale
- Postcolonial Literature, Thought and Visual Culture
- Magical Narratives: Imagination, Fantasy and the Creation of Worlds
- Narrating the City: Representation of Urban Space in Literature and Film
- Classic European Cinema East and West
- The Everyday in Film, Photography and Literature
- Global Novels: how translated fiction becomes World Literature
- Myths and Modern Imagination
- Transcultural Connections: 'Classic' Texts and their Adaptations across Cultures
- Comparative Literature 2C - Frontiers (Exploring Identity)
- Bestsellers in the Pre-Industrial Age
- Cervantes in Hollywood
- Comparative Literature Dissertation
- Applied Dissertation with Placement in Comparative Literature
- Subsidiary French Language (Beginners)
- Subsidiary German Language (Beginners)
- Subsidiary Spanish Language (Beginners)
- Subsidiary Italian Language (Beginners)
Some students take Comparative Literature as a joint degree programme with a modern language. In this case, the programme lasts five years, with a year abroad after year 2, in the country of the language you are studying.
If you study Comparative Literature as Joint honours with a non-language subject (for example English Literature), you may apply to spend your Junior Honours year (year 3 of study) abroad in any of the countries with which the University of Glasgow has an exchange agreement.
This includes, for example, the Czech Republic, Canada and the USA.
At Honours level you choose your own optional courses, which reflect the research specialisms of our staff. Some of the courses we offer currently include:
- magical narratives: Imagination, fantasy & the creation of worlds
- postcolonial literature, thought & visual culture
- narrating the city: representation of urban spaces in literature & film
- classic European cinema
- transcultural connections: ‘classic’ texts and their adaptations across cultures
- myths and modern imaginations
You may also choose to write a dissertation on a comparative literature-related topic supervised by a specialist in the area.
Programme alteration or discontinuation
The University of Glasgow endeavours to run all programmes as advertised. In exceptional
circumstances, however, the University may withdraw or alter a programme. For more information,
please see: Student contract.
Our international links
You will have the opportunity to study abroad at one of our partner universities as part of your degree. This won’t add any extra time to your studies. See: Study abroad
Some students take Comparative Literature as a joint degree programme with a modern language. In this case, the programme lasts five years, with a year abroad after year 2, in the country of the language you are studying.
Entry requirements
for entry in 2027
Admissions guidance
Glasgow International College
International students with academic qualifications below those required should contact our partner institution, Glasgow International College, who offer a range of foundation certificates.
English language
For applicants from non-English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Government, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.
English language requirements
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)
- 6.5 with no subtests under 6.0
- IELTS One Skill Retake Accepted
- Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.
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Common equivalent English language qualifications for entry to this programme
TOEFL (ibt, mybest or athome)
Tests taken up to 20 January 2026
- 90 Overall, no subtest lower than Reading 20; Listening 19; Speaking 19; Writing 21
- Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test, this includes TOEFL mybest.
Tests taken from 21 January 2026
- 92 Overall, no subtest lower than Reading 22; Listening 20; Speaking 23; Writing 21
- Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test, this includes TOEFL mybest.
Pearsons PTE Academic
- 59 with minimum 59 in all subtests
- Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.
Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE)
- 176 overall, no subtest less than 169
- Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.
Oxford ELLT
- 7 overall with no subtest less than 6
- Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.
LanguageCert Academic SELT
- 70 overall with no subtest less than 60
- Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.
Password Skills Plus
- 6.5 overall with no subtest less than 6.0
- Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.
Trinity College Tests
- Integrated Skills in English II & III & IV: ISEII Distinction with Distinction in all sub-tests
- Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.
University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses
- Tests are accepted for 2 years following date of successful completion.
School Qualifications
- IGCSE English First Language, grade C
- IGCSE English Second Language, grade A
- A Level English, grade C
- International Baccalaureate English A SL5 or HL5
- International Baccalaureate English B SL6 or HL5
- SQA National 5 English or ESOL, grade B
- SQA Higher English or ESOL, grade C
International School Qualifications
- Brunei: O-Level English Language 1120 grade B and above
- Denmark: Studentereksamen English at 7
- European Baccalaureate: English as Language 1 pass, if taken as Language 2 grade 7, if taken as Language 3 grade 7.5
- Finland: Ylioppilastutkinto / studentexamen English grade C or 4
- France: International Option Baccalaureate (OIB) / Baccalauréat Français International (BFI) grade 12
- Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone: West African Examination Council (WAEC) / Senior Secondary School Certificate English grade C6
- Germany: German Abitur English Grade 11
- Hong Kong: Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, English Language grade 4
- India: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) / All India School Certificate (ISC) English at 80%
- Kenya: Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) English grade B
- Netherlands: Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (VWO) grade 7
- Norway: Vitnemal English grade 4 or above
- Singapore: Cambridge International O Level English Language (1128 Singapore only) at Grace C; Singapore Integrated Programme Secondary 4 English Language at grade B
- South Africa: National Senior Certificate (NSC) / Independent Exam Board (IEB) Grade 4 (English as Home Language) OR Grade 4 (English as First Additional Language)
- Sweden: Avgangsbetyg / Fullständigt Slutbetyg fran Gymnasieskolan English grade VG
- Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe General Certificate of Education at English at Ordinary Level grade C
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Alternatives to English Language qualification
- Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
- students must have studied for a minimum of 2 years at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.
- Undergraduate 2+2 degrees from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
- students must have completed their final two years study in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELT) but we do not require a specific UKVI SELT for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.
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Pre-sessional courses
We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:
- direct entry to your University programme for successful students (no need to take IELTS)
- essential academic skills to help you study effectively at University
- flexible entry dates so you can join the right course for your level.
For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see:
- English for Academic Study: Pre-sessional courses
We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:
- Heriot Watt
- Kingston Upon Thames
- Middlesex University
- Manchester University
- Reading University
- Edinburgh University
- St Andrews University
- UCL
- Durham
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FAQs
What do I do if...
my language qualifications are below the requirements?
The University's School of Modern Languages and Cultures offers a range of Pre-sessional courses to bring you up to entry level. The course is accredited by BALEAP, the UK professional association for academic English teaching.
my language qualifications are not listed here?
Please contact External Relations
If you require a Tier 4 student visa, your qualification must be one of the secure English language tests accepted by UK Border Agency:
- UK Border Agency Tier 4 English Language requirements
- UKBA list of approved English language tests [pdf]
Visa requirements and proof of English language level
It is a visa requirement to provide information on your level of English based on an internationally recognised and secure English language test. All test reports must be no more than 2 years old. A list of these can be found on the UK Border Agency website. If you have never taken one of these tests before, you can get an initial idea of your level by using the Common European Framework self-assessment grid which gives you a level for each skill (e.g. listening B1/writing B2 etc.) However, please note that this is not a secure English language test and it is not sufficient evidence of your level of English for visa requirements.
Further information about English language: English for Academic Study
Careers and future opportunities
Graduate destinations
The following are examples of roles that graduates are in 15 months after completing their programme:
- Consultant Success Manager
- Bookseller
- Crisis Support Worker
- Customer Experience Advisor
- Data Associate
- English Language Assistant
- Producer
- Reporter
- Researcher
- Student Experience Officer.
Example job titles are taken from responses received through the HESA Graduate Outcomes survey. Graduates surveyed 15 months after graduation. Includes single and joint honours programmes.
Job prospects
Graduate Outcomes data shows that:
- 93.3% of students are in work or further study within 15 months of graduating
- 75.4% of those in work are in graduate-level employment
- The average professional salary after 15 months is £29,161.
This university-level data is from HESA Graduate Outcomes survey. It relates to graduates who completed their programme in 2023–24 and were surveyed 15 months after graduation. Includes single and joint honours programmes.
Skills development
As well as building subject specific knowledge and skills throughout your degree, you’ll also develop transferable skills by:
- Analysing and interpreting literary and cultural texts from multiple cultures, languages and periods, both independently and in comparative context.
- Evaluating theories, critical approaches and cultural frameworks to develop insightful comparative arguments.
- Communicating ideas effectively in essays, presentations and seminar dialogue, adapting to varied academic audiences.
- Applying interdisciplinary, theoretical and intercultural perspectives to understand connections and differences across texts and traditions.
- Designing and completing an independent dissertation, integrating critical reading, methodological reasoning and structured argument.
Careers & employability support
Our Careers, Employability & Opportunity team are here to support you at every stage of your career journey. They’ll provide you with opportunities to explore your options, connect with employers in the UK and abroad, build your confidence and develop in demand skills.
You’ll have access to a wide range of support and resources that are designed to help you plan and prepare for your future including: masterclasses, 1:1 career coaching, a dedicated jobs board, employer events and much more.
Degrees and UCAS codes
When applying you will need to know the UCAS code for the subject or subject-combination that you wish to apply to:
MA (Hons)
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
How and when you pay tuition fees depends on where you’re from: see Tuition fees for details.
Scholarships
The University is committed to supporting students and rewarding academic excellence. That's why we've invested more than £1m in additional scholarship funding in recent years.
The scholarships shown are relevant to this programme. For more funding opportunities search the scholarships database
How to apply
Full-time students must apply through the Universities & Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
SQA applicants who are eligible for our Widening Participation programmes are encouraged to participate in one or more of these programmes, including Summer School, to support your application and the transition to higher education.
International students to Arts, Engineering, Law, Nursing, Science, and Social Sciences can also apply using The Common Application: however, if applying to more than one UK university, we recommend using UCAS. Applications to Dentistry, Education, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine must be made through UCAS.
Application deadlines
- 15 October: if including Dentistry, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine or also applying to Oxford or Cambridge
- 13 January: all other UK applicants (unless otherwise stated on the UCAS website)
- 30 June: international students.
We do not usually accept any applications after these deadlines.
It's your responsibility to ensure the accuracy of your application before submission. Requests to correct application content, change degree programme or change college of entry, will not be accepted after these deadlines. This policy is in place to ensure fairness and consistency to all applicants, and no exceptions will be made.
- Apply at www.ucas.com or through your school or college
- Contact UCAS on 0871 468 0468
- Apply at commonapp.org (international students to certain areas only)
How to apply for Advanced Entry
Apply for year 2 (Y2) on your UCAS application. If the specific subject is unavailable for Advanced Entry or your application for year 2 entry is unsuccessful, you will be automatically considered for year 1 entry. You do not have to submit a separate UCAS application.
Subject league tables
QS World University Rankings [English Language & Literature]
