The School of English at Nottingham has long been in the forefront of research and teaching in the interface between language, literature and culture. The MA Literary Linguistics provides an exciting opportunity to explore the interface of language, cognition, literature and culture. You will work with several leading world figures while discovering your own position as a stylician. The programme covers a wide range of material, with options to develop your own thinking and pursue your own interests and research. The principle of language study that we have established at Nottingham combines theoretical and ideological dimensions with practical applications. We believe in a humane linguistics and a rational approach to literary scholarship. This course explores the role of language in literature using a variety of approaches, ranging from discourse analysis to corpus linguistics and cognitive poetics. We believe that linguistics and literary study cannot be separated, and we aim to turn you into a creative-thinking interdisciplinary expert in literary linguistics.

Our postgraduate students move into an extraordinarily wide range of careers following their time in the School. Previous MA Literary Linguistics graduates have gone on to a wide range of careers, with a particularly high proportion continuing their dissertation research into doctorates and into academic posts at universities around the world. According to The Times, “English graduates have almost any career path open to them ... All of the big graduate recruiters look for communication skills.” (Clare Dight, ‘Degree Doctor…English’, The Times, 6 April 2006). Conducting postgraduate work in the School of English fosters many vital skills and may give you a head start in the job market. Studying at this level allows you to develop qualities of self-discipline and self-motivation that are essential to employment in a wide range of different fields. We will help you develop your ability to research and process a large amount of information quickly, and to present the results of your research in an articulate and effective way. A postgraduate degree from the School of English at Nottingham shows potential employers that you are an intelligent, hard-working individual who is bright and flexible enough to undertake any form of specific career training. Average starting salary and career progression In 2013, 94% of postgraduates in the school who were available for employment had secured work or further study within six months of graduation. The average starting salary was £18,063 with the highest being £31,500.