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Postgraduate degree

Early Modern English Literature: Books That Matter MA

books

Please note the course details apply to 2025 entry. Details for 2026 entry for our postgraduate courses will be published from mid-October 2025.

Key information

Delivery mode:
In person
Study mode:
Full time
Part time
Duration:
One year full-time, two years part-time, September to September
Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent):
UK 180/ECTS 90
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2025
Apply

This master’s in Early Modern English Literature is uniquely taught in collaboration with the British Library. You’ll study early modern literary texts—published between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries—through contemporary critical lenses such as race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, religion and nationality. And you’ll be given the tools to delve into archives independently and work with neglected texts to decide why they matter, what key questions they can answer about the early modern period and our own time, and how they should be edited and re-presented to modern readers. Throughout the Early Modern English Literature MA: Books That Matter, you’ll discover alternative readings of canonical texts and get the unique opportunity to learn not only how to re-read them from new theoretical perspectives but also how to explore the archives of the British Library, which houses the largest collections of early modern texts in the world.

Key benefits

  • Get unique access to the British Library and its unparalleled collections
  • Learn from world-class curators at the British Library, who will teach a required module that uses rare original books as case studies.
  • Benefit from the strong tradition of Shakespeare, textual editing and early modern literary studies at King’s English Department and its close links with the London Shakespeare Seminar, the London Renaissance Seminar and the Institute of English Studies
  • Discover a wider variety of texts and authors that tell unexpected, richer, and more diverse stories about this key period in the history of English literature and the rise of world literatures in English.
  • Learn how to read early modern handwriting, transcribe neglected literary manuscripts and rare printed texts, and edit them for the modern reader.
  • Use London as your classroom, with some of the world’s best archives and libraries on your doorstep and dozens of unique historical sites just minutes away from campus.

Taught in exclusive partnership with the British Library, this Early Modern English Literature MA: Books That Matter focuses on the transmission of key early modern literary texts to investigate their circulation, print, and reception. This allows you to explore the impact of the materiality of the text and the material conditions of its (re)production on how it is interpreted. You’ll join one of the strongest departments in the country for early modern literature, and learn directly from world-leading experts in Shakespeare, Milton, Donne, early modern women poets, and many other major dramatists, poets, and prose writers, in editing, book-history, and palaeography. It’s an exciting opportunity to learn from world-leading academics about innovative literary methods, including the politics of literary form, ecocritical studies, and intersectional approaches to issues of race, gender, and class. During this MA you will cover the period of literary history from the reign of Henry VIII through the period Shakespeare was writing, and through the Civil War up to the Restoration, when Milton was composing Paradise Lost. And you’ll get to study this in the very same city they were based, giving you first-hand experience of the capital. This also means you can enjoy field trips to nearby libraries and archives, at places like Shakespeare’s Globe, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the National Archives. This Early Modern English Literature master’s will teach you a range of skills that will empower you to explore archives independently, such as how to read early modern handwriting from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. You’ll learn how to spot what was once folded and sent as a letter or how to transcribe neglected manuscripts and rare printed texts. You’ll also discover how to re-read these texts to apply contemporary theoretical perspectives and how you can edit them for modern readers. The first required module of this master’s in Early Modern English Literature will explore how to work with early modern literary texts and provides a grounding in the research methodologies you’ll need to use in your dissertation later. You’ll consider the developments and changes in the critical study of early modern texts over the last fifty years or so, then learn more about how these texts were disseminated to their target audiences. Every lesson will be centred on a case study of texts like Shakespeare’s Othello, Middleton's 'Hengist King of Kent', or Ford’s '’Tis Pity She’s a Whore'. The British Library will teach another required module all about the ‘Life of the Book’. You’ll get to look at rare original books with an expert Curator, who will help you understand the mechanics of how a book is made. You’ll also think about the economics and practicalities of the book trade and start to familiarise yourself with the British Library’s vast collections. You’ll also get to choose a couple of optional modules and tailor your syllabus. For example, you could look at the period’s ‘Contested Voices’ and study topics like competing Catholic and Protestant literature during the Reformation or how the role of women was vigorously debated. You could also consider the relations of theatre, gender and culture in Jacobean London, or explore the poetic movements and moods of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, or use geographical questions of place to study recent productions of Shakespeare. The final Early Modern English Literature MA module will help you prepare for your dissertation over the year. Through skills workshops, advanced research seminars and one-on-one supervision, you’ll be supported in outlining your dissertation’s focus and then get to present some aspect of your project at a colloquium or conference.

Base campus

The Quad - Strand campus
Strand Campus

Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.

Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the modules you study.

Regulating bodies

King's is regulated by the Office for Students

UK applicants

Standard requirements

A minimum 2:1 undergraduate Bachelor’s (honours) degree

If you have a lower degree classification, or a degree in an unrelated subject, your application may be considered if you can demonstrate significant relevant work experience, or offer a related graduate qualification (such as a Masters or PGDip).

Programme-Specific Requirements

Minimum 2:1 BA honours degree in English Literature or in a subject in which English literature plays a significant part; other well-qualified candidates may be considered.

In order to meet the academic entry requirements for this programme you should have a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree with a final mark of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme. If you are still studying you should be achieving an average of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme.

International applicants

Equivalent International qualifications

English language requirements

English language band:
C

To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.

Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UKVI) who have permanently resided in this country are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. This is also the case for applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in a majority English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI) within five years of the course start date.

For information on our English language requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.

Selection process

Your application will be assessed by at least two academics.

All applicants who qualify will be invited to an online interview with the faculty.

You are also welcome to call the programme leader to arrange a visit. We aim to process all applications within four to six weeks, although this may take longer over holiday periods.

Applications must be made online using King's Apply, the Admissions Portal.

A non-refundable application fee of £85 applies. 

Personal statement and supporting information

You will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:

Personal Statement Yes

Please provide a personal statement of around 500 words, answering the following questions:

Briefly explain why you are applying for this specific programme and how it fits with your future plans? (max 250 words)

How does your experience and education make you a suitable candidate for this programme? (max 250 words)

Please write these questions as separate answers, with a clear title for your answer to each question. Documents where your answers are not clearly titled and separated will not be accepted.

Previous Academic Study Yes A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. Applicants with academic documents issued in a language other than English, will need to submit both the original and official translation of their documents.
References Yes One Academic reference is required. Professional references will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago.
Other Optional Applicants may wish to include a CV (Resume) or evidence of professional registration as part of their application.

Teaching methods - what to expect

Our Early Modern English Literature MA is an innovative and exciting partnership between the Department of English at King’s and the British Library.

The course focuses on the transmission of key early modern literary texts, investigating both the circulation of literary texts in manuscript and print and the way they were received. The specific process through which a literary text reaches its readers or its audience is central to its interpretation.

You will learn to read early modern handwriting, to transcribe neglected literary manuscripts and rare printed texts, and to edit them for the modern reader. In focusing on transmission alongside more traditional literary approaches, the course explores the impact of the materiality of the text and of the material conditions of its (re)production on the way it is interpreted.

The Life of the Book: Constructing Knowledge at the British Library module, which is taught at the British Library, is specifically designed to teach you how to search collections of early modern manuscripts and rare books held in major research libraries worldwide, and how to identify the factors and people involved in their production, transmission and preservation in libraries and private collections.

Teaching

If you are a full-time student, we will provide you with four to six hours of teaching each week through lectures and seminars. We will expect you to undertake 26 hours of independent study

If you are a part-time student, we will provide you with two to four hours of teaching each week through lectures and seminars. We will expect you to undertake 13 hours of independent study.

We will use a delivery method that will ensure students have a rich, exciting experience from the start. Face to face teaching will be complemented and supported with innovative technology so that students also experience elements of digital learning and assessment.

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

Assessment

    Your performance will be assessed through a combination of coursework and written/practical examinations. Coursework contributes 100% to your final mark.

    The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they are subject to change.

    Structure

    Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totalling 180 credits.

    Required modules

    You are required to take:

    The Life of the Book: Constructing Knowledge at the British Library (30 credits)
    Dissertation (60 credits)

    Optional modules

    In addition, you are required to take two modules, totalling 30 credits, from a range of optional modules that may typically include:

    Shakespeare’s Poems (15 credits)
    Contested Voices in Early Modern England (15 credits)
    Poetic Movements, Poetic Moods 1660-1800 (15 credits)
    Water and Environmental Humanities: Archives, Narratives, Futures (15 credits)
    A range of master’s modules offered in the School of Arts & Humanities or Global Institutes, subject to approval.

    If you are a part-time student, you will take The Life of the Book: Constructing Knowledge at the British Library (30 credits) in your first year along with 15 credits from the list of optional modules above. In your second year you will take Working with Early Modern Literary Texts (30 credits), Research Methods and Practice (30 credits), Dissertation (60 credits), and 15 credits of optional modules.

    King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

    Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

    Employability

    Graduates of this Early Modern English Literature MA: Books That Matter have pursued PhD level study in this area, which has led to teaching or academic careers. Other graduates are ideally placed for jobs in the arts, creative and cultural industries, journalism, special collections libraries and archives, curatorship and broadcasting.

    Follow us on Instagram @booksthatmatterkcl and see what our lively and supportive graduate community is up to.

    Tuition Fees

    UK:

    Full time: £13,500 per year (2025/26)

    Part time: £6,750 per year (2025/26)

    International:

    Full time: £30,000 per year (2025/26)

    Part time: £15,000 per year (2025/26)

    These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

    Deposit

    If you receive an offer for this programme, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. Deposit payments are credited towards the total tuition fee payment.

    The Home deposit is £500. The International deposit is £2000.

    • If you receive an offer before March, payment is due by 20 March.
    • If you receive an offer between 1 March and 20 May, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
    • If you receive an offer between 21 May and 15 July, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
    • If you receive an offer between 16 July and 10 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.
    • If you receive an offer from 11 August onwards, payment is due within three days of receiving the offer.

    If you are a current undergraduate King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary this academic year, you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.

    Please visit our web pages on fees and funding for more information.

    King’s Bridge Scholarship

    King’s College London offers King’s Bridge Scholarships, covering full-time or part-time tuition fees for selected Arts & Humanities master’s programmes. Open to home students from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds. Learn more.

    Additional Costs

    In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:

    • books if you choose to buy your own copies
    • library fees and fines
    • personal photocopies
    • printing course handouts
    • society membership fees
    • stationery
    • travel costs for travel around London and between campuses
    • graduation costs

    Funding

    To find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans, and other financial help available at King's please visit the Fees and Funding section.

    Taught in exclusive partnership with the British Library, this Early Modern English Literature MA: Books That Matter focuses on the transmission of key early modern literary texts to investigate their circulation, print, and reception. This allows you to explore the impact of the materiality of the text and the material conditions of its (re)production on how it is interpreted. You’ll join one of the strongest departments in the country for early modern literature, and learn directly from world-leading experts in Shakespeare, Milton, Donne, early modern women poets, and many other major dramatists, poets, and prose writers, in editing, book-history, and palaeography. It’s an exciting opportunity to learn from world-leading academics about innovative literary methods, including the politics of literary form, ecocritical studies, and intersectional approaches to issues of race, gender, and class. During this MA you will cover the period of literary history from the reign of Henry VIII through the period Shakespeare was writing, and through the Civil War up to the Restoration, when Milton was composing Paradise Lost. And you’ll get to study this in the very same city they were based, giving you first-hand experience of the capital. This also means you can enjoy field trips to nearby libraries and archives, at places like Shakespeare’s Globe, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the National Archives. This Early Modern English Literature master’s will teach you a range of skills that will empower you to explore archives independently, such as how to read early modern handwriting from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. You’ll learn how to spot what was once folded and sent as a letter or how to transcribe neglected manuscripts and rare printed texts. You’ll also discover how to re-read these texts to apply contemporary theoretical perspectives and how you can edit them for modern readers. The first required module of this master’s in Early Modern English Literature will explore how to work with early modern literary texts and provides a grounding in the research methodologies you’ll need to use in your dissertation later. You’ll consider the developments and changes in the critical study of early modern texts over the last fifty years or so, then learn more about how these texts were disseminated to their target audiences. Every lesson will be centred on a case study of texts like Shakespeare’s Othello, Middleton's 'Hengist King of Kent', or Ford’s '’Tis Pity She’s a Whore'. The British Library will teach another required module all about the ‘Life of the Book’. You’ll get to look at rare original books with an expert Curator, who will help you understand the mechanics of how a book is made. You’ll also think about the economics and practicalities of the book trade and start to familiarise yourself with the British Library’s vast collections. You’ll also get to choose a couple of optional modules and tailor your syllabus. For example, you could look at the period’s ‘Contested Voices’ and study topics like competing Catholic and Protestant literature during the Reformation or how the role of women was vigorously debated. You could also consider the relations of theatre, gender and culture in Jacobean London, or explore the poetic movements and moods of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, or use geographical questions of place to study recent productions of Shakespeare. The final Early Modern English Literature MA module will help you prepare for your dissertation over the year. Through skills workshops, advanced research seminars and one-on-one supervision, you’ll be supported in outlining your dissertation’s focus and then get to present some aspect of your project at a colloquium or conference.

    Base campus

    The Quad - Strand campus
    Strand Campus

    Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.

    Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the modules you study.

    Regulating bodies

    King's is regulated by the Office for Students

    UK applicants

    Standard requirements

    A minimum 2:1 undergraduate Bachelor’s (honours) degree

    If you have a lower degree classification, or a degree in an unrelated subject, your application may be considered if you can demonstrate significant relevant work experience, or offer a related graduate qualification (such as a Masters or PGDip).

    Programme-Specific Requirements

    Minimum 2:1 BA honours degree in English Literature or in a subject in which English literature plays a significant part; other well-qualified candidates may be considered.

    In order to meet the academic entry requirements for this programme you should have a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree with a final mark of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme. If you are still studying you should be achieving an average of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme.

    International applicants

    Equivalent International qualifications

    English language requirements

    English language band:
    C

    To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.

    Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UKVI) who have permanently resided in this country are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. This is also the case for applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in a majority English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI) within five years of the course start date.

    For information on our English language requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.

    Selection process

    Your application will be assessed by at least two academics.

    All applicants who qualify will be invited to an online interview with the faculty.

    You are also welcome to call the programme leader to arrange a visit. We aim to process all applications within four to six weeks, although this may take longer over holiday periods.

    Applications must be made online using King's Apply, the Admissions Portal.

    A non-refundable application fee of £85 applies. 

    Personal statement and supporting information

    You will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:

    Personal Statement Yes

    Please provide a personal statement of around 500 words, answering the following questions:

    Briefly explain why you are applying for this specific programme and how it fits with your future plans? (max 250 words)

    How does your experience and education make you a suitable candidate for this programme? (max 250 words)

    Please write these questions as separate answers, with a clear title for your answer to each question. Documents where your answers are not clearly titled and separated will not be accepted.

    Previous Academic Study Yes A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. Applicants with academic documents issued in a language other than English, will need to submit both the original and official translation of their documents.
    References Yes One Academic reference is required. Professional references will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago.
    Other Optional Applicants may wish to include a CV (Resume) or evidence of professional registration as part of their application.

    Teaching methods - what to expect

    Our Early Modern English Literature MA is an innovative and exciting partnership between the Department of English at King’s and the British Library.

    The course focuses on the transmission of key early modern literary texts, investigating both the circulation of literary texts in manuscript and print and the way they were received. The specific process through which a literary text reaches its readers or its audience is central to its interpretation.

    You will learn to read early modern handwriting, to transcribe neglected literary manuscripts and rare printed texts, and to edit them for the modern reader. In focusing on transmission alongside more traditional literary approaches, the course explores the impact of the materiality of the text and of the material conditions of its (re)production on the way it is interpreted.

    The Life of the Book: Constructing Knowledge at the British Library module, which is taught at the British Library, is specifically designed to teach you how to search collections of early modern manuscripts and rare books held in major research libraries worldwide, and how to identify the factors and people involved in their production, transmission and preservation in libraries and private collections.

    Teaching

    If you are a full-time student, we will provide you with four to six hours of teaching each week through lectures and seminars. We will expect you to undertake 26 hours of independent study

    If you are a part-time student, we will provide you with two to four hours of teaching each week through lectures and seminars. We will expect you to undertake 13 hours of independent study.

    We will use a delivery method that will ensure students have a rich, exciting experience from the start. Face to face teaching will be complemented and supported with innovative technology so that students also experience elements of digital learning and assessment.

    Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

    Assessment

      Your performance will be assessed through a combination of coursework and written/practical examinations. Coursework contributes 100% to your final mark.

      The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they are subject to change.

      Structure

      Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totalling 180 credits.

      Required modules

      You are required to take:

      The Life of the Book: Constructing Knowledge at the British Library (30 credits)
      Dissertation (60 credits)

      Optional modules

      In addition, you are required to take two modules, totalling 30 credits, from a range of optional modules that may typically include:

      Shakespeare’s Poems (15 credits)
      Contested Voices in Early Modern England (15 credits)
      Poetic Movements, Poetic Moods 1660-1800 (15 credits)
      Water and Environmental Humanities: Archives, Narratives, Futures (15 credits)
      A range of master’s modules offered in the School of Arts & Humanities or Global Institutes, subject to approval.

      If you are a part-time student, you will take The Life of the Book: Constructing Knowledge at the British Library (30 credits) in your first year along with 15 credits from the list of optional modules above. In your second year you will take Working with Early Modern Literary Texts (30 credits), Research Methods and Practice (30 credits), Dissertation (60 credits), and 15 credits of optional modules.

      King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

      Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

      Employability

      Graduates of this Early Modern English Literature MA: Books That Matter have pursued PhD level study in this area, which has led to teaching or academic careers. Other graduates are ideally placed for jobs in the arts, creative and cultural industries, journalism, special collections libraries and archives, curatorship and broadcasting.

      Follow us on Instagram @booksthatmatterkcl and see what our lively and supportive graduate community is up to.

      Tuition Fees

      UK:

      Full time: £13,500 per year (2025/26)

      Part time: £6,750 per year (2025/26)

      International:

      Full time: £30,000 per year (2025/26)

      Part time: £15,000 per year (2025/26)

      These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

      Deposit

      If you receive an offer for this programme, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. Deposit payments are credited towards the total tuition fee payment.

      The Home deposit is £500. The International deposit is £2000.

      • If you receive an offer before March, payment is due by 20 March.
      • If you receive an offer between 1 March and 20 May, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
      • If you receive an offer between 21 May and 15 July, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
      • If you receive an offer between 16 July and 10 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.
      • If you receive an offer from 11 August onwards, payment is due within three days of receiving the offer.

      If you are a current undergraduate King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary this academic year, you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.

      Please visit our web pages on fees and funding for more information.

      King’s Bridge Scholarship

      King’s College London offers King’s Bridge Scholarships, covering full-time or part-time tuition fees for selected Arts & Humanities master’s programmes. Open to home students from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds. Learn more.

      Additional Costs

      In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:

      • books if you choose to buy your own copies
      • library fees and fines
      • personal photocopies
      • printing course handouts
      • society membership fees
      • stationery
      • travel costs for travel around London and between campuses
      • graduation costs

      Funding

      To find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans, and other financial help available at King's please visit the Fees and Funding section.

      Application closing date guidance

      We encourage you to apply as early as possible so that there is sufficient time for your application to be assessed and we may need to request further information from you during the application process.

      The final application deadlines for this programme are:

      · Overseas (international) fee status: 25 July 2025 (23:59 UK time)

      · Home fee status: 25 August 2025 (23:59 UK time)

      If the programme becomes full before the final application deadlines stated above, we will close the programme to further applications. Please note, you will not be eligible for an application fee refund if we are unable to process further offers because places are filled and we close the course before the final application deadline.

      Key information

      Delivery mode:
      In person
      Study mode:
      Full time
      Part time
      Duration:
      One year full-time, two years part-time, September to September
      Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent):
      UK 180/ECTS 90
      Application status:
      Open
      Start date:
      September 2025
      Apply

      Contact us

      For more information regarding our courses please contact us using the details below

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