Master of Letters

The Master of Letters (M.Litt. or Litt.M.; Latin Magister Litterarum or Litterarum Magister) is a postgraduate degree.

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

Within the English University system MLitt degrees are not offered in all institutions, nor in all disciplines. An MLitt is a Master's degree by research, where a Master of Arts degree is taught. 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 postgraduate Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Science (MSc), then Master of Philosophy, and finally Master of Letters. Note that this varies from the position in Scotland.

Students attending English Universities may apply for an MLitt in the first instance; for others who have completed two years of a Doctorate (such as a PhD or DPhil) 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 degree.

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

The MLitt is awarded 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).

The MLitt (Research) may be awarded to a student whose postgraduate course of special study and research represents a significant contribution to knowledge. The period of full-time study is two years and the thesis is normally 40,000-70,000 words.

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

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