A clear and succinct description of your research.
A brief explanation of what you propose to research, why the research is of value and how you propose to go about it. Your introduction should summarise your problem statement, motivation and original approach in a way that can readily communicate why it is worth pursuing. You can think of the introduction as the equivalent of abstracts in research articles.
A thorough examination of key pieces of research relating to your topic. You should use the literature review to identify gaps in, or problems with, existing research to justify why further or new research is required.
A detailed presentation of your proposed project and study. Building upon the previous section, in this part you develop your thoughts and arguments on the research problem or question you identified. You should explain why your proposed work is novel and significant and you should provide details on how you propose to go about developing it. You may want to provide a chapter summary or a roadmap of your investigation.
A clear description of your choice of methodology, including details of research questions, methods of data collection, sampling and analytical strategy. A time schedule showing key activities would be useful.
Any literature cited in the proposal should be listed at the end of the document. Use of Harvard or OSCOLA referencing is recommended.
*Word count excludes footnotes.
Please click on each of the seven headings below to see the regulations which must be followed to format your dissertation correctly:
One electronic copy must be uploaded to the Assessed Assignment Submission area, within the module section of Minerva.
A hard copy of the Dissertation is not required.
If you need to upload any additional data in a separate document, there is an additional submission area to upload this.
The main body of the Dissertation must not exceed the word limit.
The word count covers everything within the main text of the Dissertation, including:
The word count does not include;
Any words presented in graphs, tables, or other graphics must be included in the word count.
Words displayed in these formats may need to be counted manually, as they will not be detected by the word count function on most word processing software.
You must not use appendices to present matters of substance which should be included in the main body of the text.
The text must remain understandable without reference to any appendices.
Font and size.
Dissertations should be presented using a standard font, and a font size of between 10 and 12 points.
Text must not be presented using only upper case letters.
All standard text must be presented using double or one and a half line spacing.
Indented quotations and footnotes have an exception to the above rule, and may use single spacing.
For Microsoft Word this means standard dissertation text should have a spacing setting of either 2.0 or 1.5
Margins along all sides of the document (left, right, top and bottom) should not be less than 2.5cm (25mm).
For reference, the "normal" margins setting on a Microsoft Word document is 2.54cm on all sides - this is acceptable.
All pages of text and appendices in your dissertation should be numbered consecutively.
Images and diagrams should also have their own consecutive numbering where possible.
You must use the Leeds University Business School Dissertation / Project coversheet as your title page.
This can be downloaded from the Forms and Guidance Page
Your dissertation document must include a contents page.
The contents page should list all main numbered chapter headings (such as 1, 2 , 3).
It is good practice to break down chapters into numbered sections, and these should also be listed on your contents page (such as 1.1, 1.2, 1.3).
Please carefully check the section above on word counts (2. indicative length) for information on which text contributes to your maximum permitted word count.
It is common to include a list of acknowledgements at the start of your dissertation, but you do not have to do so.
Students may wish to acknowledge the help their Supervisor provided, as well as the support of others such as family members or friends.
Literature reviews can be individual assignments or chapters in a larger project (such as a dissertation or research report ). They examine a large body of information relevant to a topic and position your research in relation to what has come before it. They provide an overview of the research that has led you to your topic. In a literature review, you must analyse, pass judgment on, and compare / contrast previous studies. When included in a larger project, literature reviews highlight gaps or limitations, and justify further research.
We run interactive workshops to help you prepare for writing literature reviews. Find out more on the Skills for Learning Workshops page.
We have online academic skills modules within MyBeckett for all levels of university study. These modules will help your academic development and support your success at LBU. You can work through the modules at your own pace, revisiting them as required. Find out more from our FAQ What academic skills modules are available?
You might be starting from scratch and have to find a research topic. Make sure you select a topic which you find interesting and that you're passionate about. You'll spend a long time completing this project. It will help if you're interested in it. Begin with a scoping search of the literature to assess whether there is enough material on your topic.
Once you have selected your topic, you need to make it appropriate for academic study. This might mean changing your original wording to a thesis statement using academic language. For example, you might be interested in researching refugees, but this is not specific enough. There are also certain elements which could be defined further:
It is important to define your key ideas and any limitations to your study at this early stage. This will help you frame your research interest and give it a clearer focus.
It is also useful to explore your chosen academic field and become familiar with any specialist terminology and vocabulary.
Top tip! Think about what your research interest is and try turning it into a thesis statement. You can read more about developing a thesis statement on the Essay Writing web page.
The Literature Review Planning Worksheet can help you shape your research interest and formulate a research question.
Once you have your selected topic, you need to develop an understanding of exactly how arguments are constructed. A good literature review builds a well-argued case using logically framed arguments. These arguments are typically made up of claims, evidence and warrants.
A claim is a statement used to convince your reader of a particular argument. They are contestable and so require evidence to support them.
Claim: Cycling to work is better for the environment than driving a car.
We might back up this up with a piece of evidence which states that if more people are cycling to work, there are fewer cars on the road, which leads to fewer emissions.
Making strong claims and using solid evidence to support them up will make your academic writing more persuasive and convincing. A good argument proves its claims by using credible evidence to validate each assertion. All sides of a question should be presented before coming to a justified conclusion.
The warrant forms a connection between your claim and your evidence. It helps explain why or how that piece of evidence supports the particular claim being made. It is important to think about what your warrant is, since you might have a piece of evidence which is completely true but that lends no credence to the claim.
To connect our claim and our evidence, we might warrant that more car emissions are worse for the environment.
We can then come to the logical conclusion that cycling to work is better for the environment than driving a car, and we have the evidence to support it, along with a warrant as to why that is the case.
Top tip! Think about what claims you are making in your literature review. What evidence do you need to find which will help support your claims? How does that evidence support the claim? What is the connection?
For your literature review, your evidence will be made up largely of different pieces of literature which back up your thesis statement.
Don't worry if your topic alters and shifts at this point. You are reading literature which influences and shapes your ideas around the subject. Your knowledge on the topic will increase and you may find your thesis statement becoming narrower and more concrete. You can then continue to refine your topic based on the evidence you have found.
You can find techniques and strategies about literature searching on the Finding Information & Reading pages .
Top tip! Look at the Library Subject Guides for your course. These have information on finding high quality resources for your literature review.
Once you have found the sources you want to use, assemble and organise them in a way that works for you. This might include adding tags or subjects, organising by author, themes or chronology.
You should then review the quality and strength of the sources you have found and consider how well they support your argument.
It might also be helpful at this stage to analyse any patterns you find within the literature as these could be a key focus for your literature review and can help you gain an understanding of what is currently known about the research topic.
Top tip! Using reference management software like Zotero and EndNote can help you to organise your literature and provide tags and subjects for each source. See the Reference Management pages to help you get started.
Now you have surveyed the existing knowledge on your chosen topic, you can begin to draw your own logical conclusions based on the findings within the literature. Critiquing involves interpreting the current understanding of the research topic and logically determining how this knowledge answers your research question or supports your thesis statement. Think about the strengths and weaknesses of each piece of literature and evaluate the author's claims, making comparisons with other pieces of literature. You should spend some time ensuring you really understand your literature before you critique it.
Download the Critical Analysis Questions and Evidence Matrix Worksheets to help you with this process.
Once you have compiled your literature and you have a good idea as to which evidence supports which claim, you can then start writing your literature review. It can be helpful to write a plan for your literature review before you begin the writing process. Think about what needs to be written and how best to convey it to your audience.
Typically your literature review will be comprised of an introduction, main body and a conclusion. You should refer back to your module handbook for any specific stylistic guidance. See the headings below for guidance on what to include in each section.
Always include an introduction, even if your literature review is part of a dissertation or larger project.
Your introduction will:
You might also provide some context and highlight any significance your review has within the field. Tell your reader why there needs to be a focus on this subject. Why now? Define major trends, gaps or changes in the topic. You should also introduce your thesis statement and inform your reader how you plan to structure your literature review.
The main body forms the central part of the literature review. This is where you bring together all the evidence you have found to support your thesis statement. Start with the broad context, examining the background to your topic. Finish with the more specific details of your research area. You should paraphrase or summarise others’ ideas, writing concisely and clearly. Focus on the key ideas in the literature, explaining their significance in relation to your topic.
You might provide some background to the key pieces of literature here and also analyse, interpret and critique your sources, considering the strengths and weaknesses of different works and what this means for your argument, as well as any gaps in the literature. Avoid simply listing or describing sources. Remember to continue referring back to your thesis statement and explain how the content helps answer the main research question. Your literature review should be an argument for this statement, so make sure you don't include anything which is irrelevant.
The way you structure your main body will be informed by the nature of your academic discipline and any patterns you've recognised within the literature. Think about some of the important elements you considered when surveying the literature and what the most logical structure would be for your piece of work. Would it be best to organise the literature by themes or in a more chronological manner?
The Paraphrasing and Summarising Information Worksheet provides guidance on how you can write some of the content of the sources you find in your own words. This will help with developing your academic voice, as well as ensuring you avoid plagiarising content.
Synthesising information from different sources improves the criticality of your academic writing. Download our Synthesising Sources in Writing worksheet which explains how to do this.
This is where you pull together the key themes and ideas you have explored and summarise your thesis argument, based on the literature you have read. You can acknowledge any gaps, weaknesses or significant issues in your topic and include recommendations for future research. You can also remind your reader about the importance of your research, in light of everything you have found. You should not introduce any new information at this stage but rather use it as a stepping stone for getting started on your own research. Finish by summarising your review. If the literature review is a dissertation chapter, explain how the information links to your project.
Top tip! Remember to draft, edit and proofread your work. This will ensure your work flows and reads fluently and it can also be useful for developing your academic voice. Try reading your work out loud to hear how it sounds. Find out more from our Editing and Proofreading pages.
You should paraphrase or summarise others’ ideas, writing concisely and clearly. Focus on the key ideas in the literature, explaining their significance in relation to your topic.
Top tips! For help with literature searching, visit our pages on Finding Information . For advice on paraphrasing and referencing correctly, take a look at the Academic Integrity module in MyBeckett and our Paraphrasing and Summarising Information worksheet. For ideas about using reporting verbs to explain and analyse sources, download our Reporting Verbs Worksheet. The Synthesising Sources in Writing Worksheet will help you compare ideas from different sources.
Before using any generative artificial intelligence or paraphrasing tools in your assessments, you should check if this is permitted on your course.
If their use is permitted on your course, you must acknowledge any use of generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT or paraphrasing tools (e.g., Grammarly, Quillbot, etc.), even if you have only used them to generate ideas for your assignment or for proofreading.
Annotated bibliographies contain a list of citations, each followed by one or two descriptive and analytical paragraphs. These paragraphs summarise the content and the main argument of the source. They also evaluate the usefulness of the source within the context of the research.
The Annotated Bibliographies Worksheet provides a step-by-step guide on exactly how to tackle this assignment, as well as how to organise and critique your sources.
Skills for Learning home
{{You can add more boxes below for links specific to this page [this note will not appear on user pages] }}
Skills for learning faqs.
0113 812 1000
Structuring your dissertation, keeping going, finishing off and checking through, useful links for dissertations and major projects.
Writing up your dissertation makes it sound like this is the last big step that you do, but it is a good idea to start writing as you go along, as the writing process will help clarify your thinking. It is also reassuring to have some words down on the page. You may have other coursework due so it is important to protect your dissertation writing time.
The guidance on this page takes you through the whole writing process from managing your time to those crucial mark-gaining final checks.
Plan an overall work schedule
Break down your dissertation into stages and plan backwards from your deadline to fit them all in.
Do a little bit on a regular basis
No one ever sticks to their plan perfectly, and you can't predict all the things that might intervene, so build in some extra time for "catching-up". Also be aware that mechanical tasks like sorting the bibliography and proofreading will take longer than you think. Computers and printers know when you're in a hurry and will scheme to break down at the most inconvenient moment! |
Dissertations based on qualitative or quantitative research are usually organised as follows: | Other dissertations may be based around discussions of themes or texts: |
|
This kind of structure often can't be finalised until you've done some research and found out what themes or texts you want to focus on as your chapter titles will depend on this. |
It's a good idea to write an overall plan outlining what you need to cover in each chapter.
Think of a dissertation like a series of linked essays; each chapter is self-contained and has its own purpose, but they all connect together to contribute to the argument of your dissertation.
The chapters don't have to all be the same length – some can be longer because they are more detailed (like the literature review) and others can be shorter because they are summarising and finalising information (like the conclusion).
Write up as you go along . It is much easier to keep track of how your ideas develop and writing helps clarify your thinking. It also saves having to churn out 1000s of words at the end.
You don't have to start with the introduction – start at the chapter that seems the easiest to write – this could be the literature review or methodology, for example. Alternatively you may prefer to write the introduction first, so you can get your ideas straight. Decide what will suit your ways of working best - then do it.
Think of each chapter as an essay in itself – it should have a clear introduction and conclusion. Use the conclusion to link back to the overall research question.
Think of the main argument of your dissertation as a river , and each chapter is a tributary feeding into this. The individual chapters will contain their own arguments, and go their own way, but they all contribute to the main flow.
Write a chapter, read it and do a redraft - then move on. This stops you from getting bogged down in one chapter.
Write your references properly and in full from the beginning. Consider using a reference management tool such as EndNote or Mendeley to store the details of the materials you will want to use and to add them to your text.
Keep your word count in mind – be ruthless and don't write anything that isn't relevant. It's often easier to add information, than have to cut down a long chapter that you've slaved over for hours.
Save your work! Remember to save your work frequently to somewhere you can access it easily. It's a good idea to at least save a copy to a cloud-based service like Google Docs or Dropbox so that you can access it from any computer - if you only save to your own PC, laptop or tablet, you could lose everything if you lose or break your device.
After the initial enthusiasm wears off, it can be hard to keep motivated – it's also natural to feel confused and overwhelmed at points throughout your dissertation; this is all part of sustaining a longer project. Here are some suggestions to keep you going:
Break down large, unappealing tasks into smaller bearable ones. Molehills are always easier to climb than mountains!
Give yourself rewards when you've completed tasks - these might range from a cup of coffee, to an exercise session, or a night out.
If you're not in a good thinking mood, do more straightforward tasks like compiling the bibliography or doing the title page.
If you're feeling confused about what you're doing, try writing a short paragraph summarising what your research is about. This can help you find a focus again.
If you're feeling overwhelmed, try identifying the one thing that you need to do next ; often this will logically lead to further steps, and you'll be able to get started again.
Talk to friends or your supervisor about what you're doing ; explaining where you are in your project and how it's going can help clarify your thinking.
General principles are:
If you're trying to track down that missing reference for your bibliography, you can always ask your Academic Liaison Librarian for help finding it.
Undergraduate dissertations are usually 'soft bound'. This means having a soft card cover, with the pages joined together with comb, spiral, or thermal binding. You can get this done at many print shops, often while you wait.
If you choose to get your work hard bound, it can take a few days (more at busy times), so check with the printers / stationers beforehand.
Check your course or dissertation handbook for your department's preferences on: If possible, look at dissertations from previous years to see how they have been presented. |
A dissertation assesses your research skills. These skills include being able to find and critique existing research on your topic; this process can be called reviewing the literature or doing a literature review. Research skills also involve being able to select and justify an appropriate way to conduct your research; this process is often called your methodology or methods. It is important to have reasons for why your methods are suitable for answering your research question rather than just selecting the easiest or most familiar approach.
Scroll down for our recommended strategies and resources:
Some long- and short-term planning is essential when working on a larger project. Have a look at this video for advice on planning your dissertation with some flexibility for the unexpected!
Managing time for your dissertation [video] (University of Reading).
A key aspect of dissertations is demonstrating your wider reading and your ability to find a range of suitable sources. Have a look at this guide to creating, refining and saving your search strategy:
Developing a search strategy (University of Leeds)
A dissertation will usually involve reviewing the literature that relates to your topic. See our guide for more on what literature reviews are and how to do them:
Literature review resources (Centre for Academic Development)
Your Academic Liaison Librarian is a good contact for help with finding sources for your dissertation. Use the course resource help page below to find your course-specific databases, journals, referencing information and support as well as your Academic Liaison Librarian's contact details.
Course resource help (Oxford Brookes University Library)
Having a clear idea of what you want to find out and how you will find this out makes researching much easier. Look at this guide to prompt you to think about the primary and secondary research you may need to do:
Primary and secondary research (University of Reading)
A dissertation will involve selecting, justifying and explaining the process that you use to gather your data and find an answer to your research question. This is usually called your methodology. Look at this guide to the methodology of a dissertation:
Dissertations: Methodology (University of Westminster)
If you are confused about research methods or how to structure literature reviews, it is worth investing time in reading more to understand these processes. Brookes Library have compiled a useful list of study skills books on dissertations that are available at Brookes:
Dissertations and independent research study skills book list
Back to top
PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews). This register includes protocol details for systematic reviews.
PRISMA (Statement for Reporting Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses).
AMSTAR (Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews).
EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) Library of reporting guidelines and also links to other resources relevant to research reporting and writing.
Cochrane Collaboration Systematic reviews of health care interventions.
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions .
Centre for Reviews and Dissemination Guidance on the undertaking of systematic reviews.
Systematic Reviews CRD’s guidance for undertaking reviews in health care.
Institute of Medicine (IOM)
Finding What Works in Health Care: Standards for Systematic Reviews.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
AHRQ Methods Guide for Effectiveness and Comparative Effectiveness Reviews (2018)
The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) The JBI promotes and supports the synthesis, transfer and utilization of evidence.
Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer's manual
The Campbell Collaboration Systematic reviews of the effects of social interventions.
Writing a Campbell Collaboration Systematic Review .
Year of entry 2024, masters study and funding online event.
Watch on demand to receive expert advice on how to fund your Masters and invest in your future. Book your place
Get a taste for life in the School of English as Masters student Alex takes you on a tour of the School building as well as some campus highlights.
The MA in Creative Writing offers the opportunity to develop your skills in creative writing within the context of a School of English with a long and distinguished history in creative writing. The course appeals both to those who wish to deepen and broaden their creative writing practice, and to those who are working towards a single publishable piece of work.
With expert guidance from teaching staff who are actively engaged in producing and publishing creative writing, you will engage with a wide variety of literary genres, including poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. You will also have the chance to develop your literary and critical skills more broadly.
Throughout the course, you will be able to explore areas of personal interest and participate in workshops to hone your skills in diverse forms of writing.
You will also produce an independent research project, which can be dedicated to a single creative idea, or which might comprise a portfolio of your creative writing, according to your interests.
The School of English has a long and prestigious history in creative writing. Creative Writing at Leeds has a great history of alumni and former staff, including Wole Soyinka, Geoffrey Hill, JRR Tolkien, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Hannah Copley, Luiza Sauma, literary agent Caroline Hardman, and our recent Douglas Caster Poetry Fellows Helen Mort, Anthony Vahni Capildeo and Malika Booker.
Our current staff includes Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, JR Carpenter, Kimberly Campanello, Campbell Edinborough, Zaffar Kunial, Alison Peirse, Sarah K. Perry, Jay Prosser, Jess Richards, Ross Raisin, Caitlin Stobie and John Whale. Our practices and passions run across creative and critical writing. They include: visual and experimental poetry; eco poetics; the contemporary novel and contemporary lyric poem; literature and medicine; disability studies; autofiction; and transgender memoir.
We are home to the University of Leeds Poetry Centre, which brings together the University’s strength and heritage in creative writing. It hosts regular poetry readings by visiting international poets and supports a poetry reading group.
Our creative writing community benefits from partnerships with llkley Literature Festival, Leeds Playhouse and Leeds Grand Theatre. We also support a thriving range of events and workshops with visiting writers.
The University of Leeds Library is one of the UK's major academic research libraries. It has extensive holdings to support your studies, including English Literature Collections that have been designated of national and international importance.
Our Special Collections offer a huge range of rare books, manuscripts and art, as well as the archives of poets like Tony Harrison, Geoffrey Hill and Simon Armitage, and literary publications such as Stand and The London Magazine.
Other highlights include materials relating to novelists like Arthur Ransome, Angela Thirkell, Melvyn Bragg and Sophie Hannah, and critics like George Wilson-Knight and Bonamy Dobrée. The library also holds original manuscripts by the Brontë family.
Take a 360 tour around our libraries:
Brotherton Library Laidlaw Library Edward Boyle Library
The MA in Creative Writing covers a range of literary forms, including poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction genres.
The course develops your skills as a creative practitioner. It also explores the history, generic conventions and experimental possibilities of creative literary forms. Through the Creative Writing core module you will learn about key practices in and approaches to creative writing, which you will then expand on through optional modules that allow you to tailor your studies to suit your interests and career ambitions. Optional modules include offerings in Creative Writing and English Literature, alongside modules in digital media and performance in the School of Performance and Creative Industries. Your research project will apply and expand upon what you have learned in these core and option modules.
Through your research project you will gain experience of creative practice as research. You will write a creative research project on a subject of your choice with support from a specialist supervisor and with access to the outstanding research resources of the University's Brotherton Library.
In this student panel our current Masters students discuss why they chose Leeds and what it's like to study a Masters in the School of English.
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions .
Most courses consist of compulsory and optional modules. There may be some optional modules omitted below. This is because they are currently being refreshed to make sure students have the best possible experience. Before you enter each year, full details of all modules for that year will be provided.
For more information and a list of typical modules available on this course, please read MA Creative Writing (Full Time) in the course catalogue.
For more information and a list of typical modules available on this course, please read MA Creative Writing (Part Time) in the course catalogue.
Module Name | Credits |
---|---|
Approaches to Creative Writing | 30 |
Creative Writing Research Project | 60 |
Module Name | Credits |
---|---|
The Long Poem: Self, Land, Witness | 30 |
So Where do you come from? Selves, Families, Stories | 30 |
Writing Poetry | 30 |
Writing Prose Fiction | 30 |
Caribbean and Black British Writing | 30 |
Romantic Identities: Literary Constructions of the Self, 1789-1821 | 30 |
Writing Places and Identities | 30 |
Medical Humanities: Representing Illness, Disability, and Care | 30 |
The Digital & English Studies | 30 |
Postcolonialism, Animals and the Environment | 30 |
Shakespeare's Tyrants | 30 |
Planetary Aesthetics: Animism, Mimesis and Indigeneity | 30 |
Digital and Intermedial Storytelling | 30 |
Script Development for Film and Television | 30 |
For more information please read MA Creative Writing (full time) or MA Creative Writing (part time) in the course catalogue.
You’ll have weekly seminars or workshops in each module where you discuss the themes and issues arising from your reading and writing. You’ll have the opportunity to share your writing and receive feedback on work-in-progress. You’ll be able to enhance your learning by attending the wide range of seminars and talks by visiting speakers and creative writers that we arrange throughout the year.
Independent study is a vital part of the degree, as it allows you to build your skills and explore your own ideas as an academic researcher and a creative writer.
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment for this programme includes both creative and critical reflection on your creative practice. Modules are assessed either by a combination of these equivalent to 4,000 words, or by a single essay of around 4,000 words. While formal assessment tends to take place at the end of the module, during term you may also be expected to submit work in progress in order to gain feedback, or give presentations in your seminars.
The research project is typically a 9,000-word (or poetry equivalent) creative writing project with a 3,000-word critical reflection.
A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in English literature or Creative Writing, or a degree scheme that includes a significant proportion of English Literature or Creative Writing content, or a related subject. You will also submit a Creative Writing sample comprising approximately 1,000 words of prose or 3 pages of poetry (or a portfolio combining both genres). This gives us a chance to get to know some of the writing you have produced so far to help us determine suitability for this course.
Applications from those with degrees in other subjects may be considered on an individual basis, along with the sample you will submit.
We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. Contact the Postgraduate Admissions Office for more information.
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in each component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications .
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks) .
We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional .
You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses .
Please see our How to Apply page for information about application deadlines.
You will need to apply for a place before applying for any scholarships, so check the deadlines for available scholarships on our website .
The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.
If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
You’ll need to upload the following documents when completing the online application form:
A transcript of your completed BA degree or grades to date
A personal statement of around 500 words in response to the questions asked in the supporting statement section of the application form. It is important that you consider and respond to these questions.
A Creative Writing sample comprising approximately 1,000 words of prose or 3 pages of poetry (or a portfolio combining both genres)
If English is not your first language, you’ll need to submit proof of your English language results (eg IELTS).
We do not generally request references, unless further information is required to support the assessment of your application.
We will decide whether to offer you a place based on your application form, personal statement, transcripts, predicted or actual degree results and, where appropriate, any additional documentation requested.
The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures receives very large numbers of high-quality applications and regrets that it cannot make offers to all of its applicants. Some particularly popular schools may have to reject many that hold the necessary academic qualifications.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students . We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025
School of English
Postgraduate Administrator
Email: [email protected] Telephone:
UK: £12,000 (Total)
International: £25,250 (Total)
For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees .
Read more about paying fees and charges .
Part-time fees Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page .
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more at Masters funding overview .
The School of English also offers a range of scholarships for taught postgraduate study. Find out more on our Scholarships page .
This course will equip you with advanced transferable skills which are valuable in a wide range of careers.
You’ll be a confident researcher who can work independently as well as within a team. You’ll be a strong communicator, both verbally and in writing, and be able to think critically and analytically. In addition, you’ll have a strong level of cultural and critical awareness, and you’ll be able to look at a situation from different points of view.
All of these qualities are attractive to employers across sectors, and you’ll be well equipped to pursue a career in a wide range of fields depending on your interests. These could include teaching, journalism, publishing, advertising, broadcasting and law. Many of our graduates also progress to PhD-level study and you’ll be in a good position to develop a career in academia. Students from our programmes have gone on to have successful careers as literary agents, journalists and researchers, as well as to become published novelists and award-winning poets.
Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website .
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support .
Whether you're looking to pursue further study, change career, or stand out in the competitive graduate job market, you'll receive expert support in applying the skills you've developed in your chosen career.
Find out more about the careers and employability support that you'll receive as a student in the School of English.
English literature ma, postcolonial studies ma, rankings and awards, qs world university rankings by subject.
36th in the world for English Language and Literature
13th in the UK for English
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Literature relating to BMI and health is available in abundance, providing that the researcher is seeking to prove a link between obesity and ill health. More difficult to find is literature relating low BMI to health i.e. underweight and the health problems that are associated with underweight. This literature review aims to evaluate the
The Final Chapter resource contains lots of useful information for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students working on a research project or dissertation. It covers choosing your topic, doing a literature review, structuring your work and critical thinking. You can also watch videos of staff and students from the University of Leeds ...
This checklist will help you assess your literature review. Writing a literature review is an iterative process, so be prepared to re-visit it if you feel you haven't addressed all of these questions: ... The following is from a Leeds University Business School undergraduate research project entitled 'Dressed to Disrupt: Motivations Behind ...
The literature is also important in establishing your ideas, arguments, outcomes, recommendations etc., that may form part of your work. For some projects, you may be required to write a separate literature review chapter, as well as incorporating information sources throughout your work.
Interpret your assignment. Create a plan. Planning how you approach your writing will make sure that you understand the task, can manage your time, and present a researched, structured and focused assignment. Before you start writing, you need to understand what type of writing you are required to produce. For example, you might be asked to ...
It is important to use tenses correctly when writing up your final year project. There are a number of general rules to remember when using tenses: When describing your experiment/method, use the past tense. When referring to figures, use the present tense. When reporting your findings, use the past tense.
Proofreading your work is your final check. It is important that you do this yourself; the University of Leeds has a proofreading policy which states that only the person writing the piece of work should proofread it. Proofreading focusses on the accuracy and detail of your work so you will be looking at: Punctuation. Spelling.
Final Chapter can help throughout the process, from starting off and choosing your topic, to researching, structuring your chapters and writing up. In each section you will find advice and guidance that can be incorporated into different types of project, as well as tips from students and academic staff. You can find a range of complete ...
How to create Literature reviews. The University of Leeds 'Final Chapter' toolkit for dissertation students includes some excellent videos with lots of useful tips from staff and students alike. << Previous: Examples of Literature Reviews
Your literature review A thorough examination of key, recent contributions in research periodicals relating to the area of research in question. You should use the literature review to identify gaps in, or problems with, existing research to justify why further or new research is required. Methodology . Your research methods and schedule
Writing up your search methodology. A search methodology should document your search so that someone else can reproduce your steps and get the same results. Include: the names of the sources you search and which provider you accessed them through - eg Medline (Ovid), Web of Science (Thomson Reuters) any grey literature sources you used.
Literature review (1,200-1,400 words) - A thorough examination of key, recent contributions in research periodicals relating to the area of research in question. You should use the literature review to identify gaps in - or problems with - existing research to justify why further or new research is required.
Writing a research proposal. As part of the process of applying for a research degree, you will need to prepare an outline of your proposed research. Please see our guidance on what to include below, including word count: Key Elements. Content. Title (up to 20 words) Your research topic A clear and succinct description of your research ...
Your dissertation document must include a contents page. The contents page should list all main numbered chapter headings (such as 1, 2 , 3). It is good practice to break down chapters into numbered sections, and these should also be listed on your contents page (such as 1.1, 1.2, 1.3).
Overview. Dissertations are extended projects in which you choose, research and write about a specific topic. They provide an opportunity to explore an aspect of your subject in detail. You are responsible for managing your dissertation, though you will be assigned a supervisor. Dissertations are typically empirical (based on your own research ...
Overview. Literature reviews can be individual assignments or chapters in a larger project (such as a dissertation or research report ). They examine a large body of information relevant to a topic and position your research in relation to what has come before it. They provide an overview of the research that has led you to your topic.
Study and research support. Resources and support for taught students on academic skills from Skills@Library. For postgraduate researchers and staff, find out about open access and research data management from Researcher@Library. Library.
Plan an overall work schedule. Break down your dissertation into stages and plan backwards from your deadline to fit them all in. Start with your literature review. Think about your methodology. Identify primary sources. Identify secondary sources, if appropriate. Write as you go along. Organise and analyse your material. Write up.
A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in English literature or a related subject. Full entry requirements. English language requirements. IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in all components. UK fees. £12,000 (Total) International fees. £25,250 (Total) Contact.
A dissertation assesses your research skills. These skills include being able to find and critique existing research on your topic; this process can be called reviewing the literature or doing a literature review. Research skills also involve being able to select and justify an appropriate way to conduct your research; this process is often ...
Resources for conducting systematic reviews. PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews). This register includes protocol details for systematic reviews. PRISMA (Statement for Reporting Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). AMSTAR (Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews). Library of reporting ...
Course details. The MA in Creative Writing covers a range of literary forms, including poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction genres. The course develops your skills as a creative practitioner. It also explores the history, generic conventions and experimental possibilities of creative literary forms. Through the Creative Writing core module ...
How to Write a Literature Review University of Leeds - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. how to write a literature review university of leeds
Whilst academic writing requires a formal tone and style, it does not require the use of complex, long sentences and complicated vocabulary. It should present an argument in a logical manner and should be easy to follow using clear and concise language. Each subject discipline has certain writing conventions, vocabulary and types of discourse ...