Master of Letters

The Master of Letters (MLitt from the Latin Magister Litterarum) is a postgraduate degree.

United Kingdom

The MLitt is a postgraduate degree awarded by a select few British and Irish universities, predominantly within the ancient English and Scottish universities.

England

Within the English University system MLitts are not universally offered, either by institution or by discipline. An MLitt is effectively a Masters by research, where an MA is a taught Masters. An MLitt may be awarded as an alternative to the Master of Philosophy research degree and is usually placed higher in the hierarchy; starting with degrees such as the Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Science (MSc), then Master of Philosophy, and finally Master of Letters.

Students attending English Universities may apply for an MLitt in the first instance; for others who have completed two years of a Doctorate (PhD) and who do not wish to, or cannot, continue with the final year(s), there is the option to write up their completed research so far and graduate with an MLitt(R).

Scotland

Within the Scottish University system the MLitt is awarded either as a one year taught postgraduate degree during which students study three/four taught components, sit examinations on those components (or complete assessed coursework) and successfully submit a dissertation (generally between 15,000 and 18,000 words) or as a one year degree by research in Arts subjects having successfully submitted a dissertation of between 35,000 and 40,000 words.

The MLitt is awarded within Scottish Universities on its own merit on the basis of a one year taught or research course of postgraduate study rather than as a sub-PhD compensatory alternative as in the English model.

The Scottish Universities;University of St Andrews, University of Aberdeen, University of Glasgow, as well as University of Stirling as example, all award one year MLitt taught postgraduate degrees. In addition the University of Aberdeen also awards a one year MLitt by research.

The University of Edinburgh normally offers the degree of MSc for a one year taught postgraduate degree and offers either an MLitt or Master of Philosophy over two years by research.

In all cases, the MLitt is usually awarded in Arts, Divinity, Fine Art, Humanities, or Social Sciences.

Republic of Ireland

The National University of Ireland Ireland offers MLitt degrees across the Human Sciences/ Arts. Often students register initially for the MLitt programme before being 'promoted' to PhD studies. Different schools and institutes have different requirements for an MLitt. Generally a number of seminars in the relevant area need to be completed as well as the substantial disseration researched and written over the period of 4 semesters (6 part-time).

United States

The M.Litt. is awarded by at least five schools in the United States. Middlebury College offers the degree for the advanced study of English and writing beyond the Master of Arts through its Bread Loaf School of English; Drew University offers it as an intermediate degree in its Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) program, an interdisciplinary Humanities program in scholarly writing (the only earned/non-honorary Doctor of Letters degree in the US). Mary Baldwin College awards a unique M.Litt. degree requiring two years of study for in-depth research in Shakespeare and Performance, which it offers as an intermediate degree in its three-year MFA program. Oxford Graduate School in Tennessee offers an M.Litt. degree in Family Life Education and Organizational Leadership. Sewanee: The University of the South also offers an M Litt. degree in English.