Indira Gandhi National Open University offers an MA through open and distance learning mode. IGNOU MA English is one of the most popular specialisations. With a two-year-long curriculum, the course covers various origins of English literature, such as American, Australian, and British. The IGNOU MA in English syllabus involves a total of ten subjects to be studied throughout the course. You would be provided with multiple electives in both years to choose from. With this blog, we shall provide you with the latest IGNOU MA English complete syllabus. Learn about the available subjects in IGNOU MA English, elective courses, and various other details, such as the fee and the admission process. So, let's get started!
Every year, IGNOU releases a common prospectus for all of its offered courses in PDF format. The same prospectus contains the detailed MA English syllabus with various other crucial details such as fee, eligibility, course credits, etc. You need to visit the official website of IGNOU and go to the “Student Services” section in the menu. It contains a section named “Downloads”. Clicking on it, you would be redirected to available links for downloading. You need to click on the “Common Prospectus January 2026” link to download the IGNOU MA English syllabus PDF. Here is the direct link to download the IGNOU MA English syllabus 2026 PDF:
Indira Gandhi National Open University offers an MA in English through its School of Humanities (SOH). This is a postgraduate degree programme that lasts two years. The university allows you to complete the course at your pace in a maximum of four years. It educates you about American literature, Australian literature, British drama, and poetry, among others. Furthermore, there are various electives available in the first and second years of the IGNOU distance MA course to choose from. Moreover, the medium of instruction of the IGNOU Master of Arts is English, which remains the same throughout the curriculum. The exams for the same would be conducted year-wise for evaluation. Here are the crucial details of IGNOU MA English covered:
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IGNOU MA in English spans a curriculum of two years. It focuses on various literatures, dramas, and poetry from different origins. In the first year, you would be studying five subjects. One is compulsory, and the other four would be additional subjects that you could choose from the available electives. Similarly, the IGNOU MA English second year syllabus includes five subjects that you can choose depending on your interest. Here is the detailed IGNOU MA English syllabus 2026:
Literary Theory and Criticism is the only compulsory subject in the first year of the IGNOU MA syllabus. Apart from this, you have to choose any four subjects from the list of eight electives available. Take a look at the IGNOU MA English syllabus for the first year:
You shall study five subjects during the second year of the IGNOU MA English course. There are ten elective options offered to you in the second year. Of this, you need to select any five to study throughout the year. Check out the IGNOU MA English syllabus for the second year:
A distance MA in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) costs INR 16,000 for the entire course. You need to pay INR 8,000 annually. Apart from this, registration fee, university development charges, and examination fee would be charged separately. The registration fee for IGNOU MA English is INR 300, and the university development fee is INR 400, which are one-time fees. IGNOU exam fees depend on the number of theory and practical subjects. The cost of each theory paper is INR 200.
To apply for the IGNOU MA English course, you need to satisfy the eligibility criteria. Indira Gandhi National Open University or IGNOU, organises two admission drives in a year: January and July. You can apply for any admission drive depending on your preferences. Additionally, IGNOU admissions to the distance MA in English are conducted online through the official website of the university. Here is the step-by-step process to apply for IGNOU MA English admissions:

🎓 Visit the official website of IGNOU: ignou.ac.in.
🎓 On the homepage, select “Student Services” from the drop-down list in the menu.
🎓 Click on “Admissions” to get redirected to the IGNOU admission links.
🎓 Now, click on the “Apply for ODL Programme” link, and the SAMARTH portal of IGNOU admissions shall open.
🎓 Log in to the portal and fill out the application form.
🎓 You have to upload the crucial documents, a passport-size photograph, and a digital signature to the form.
🎓 Double-check every piece of information and proceed to pay the registration fee through credit card/debit card/net banking.
🎓 The university shall verify your documents and send a confirmation to you via SMS or email.
🎓 You need to pay the course fee as per the guidelines to get your admission at IGNOU done.
Note: You need to keep your APAAR ID ready before beginning the IGNOU application process.
IGNOU MA English syllabus includes a range of subjects related to English literature, drama, poetry, and novels. You would be provided with a total of eighteen electives throughout the course to choose any nine; four in the first year, and five in the second year. The syllabus for IGNOU MA English is updated frequently and aligns with the contemporary English curriculum. The subjects are primarily theory-based and may not contain any practical. Interested learners can apply for the course in January or July admission sessions.
You would have to take a total of 10 papers (based on 10 subjects), containing 8 credits each in IGNOU MA English. To receive an IGNOU MA English degree, the total requirement of credits is 80.
You have to study a total of 10 subjects in MA English from IGNOU, five subjects each year. Of this, Literary Theory and Criticism is the core subject in the first year, which is mandatory, while you have to choose any 9 subjects (4 in the first year & 5 in the second year) from the list of given electives.
The MA course at IGNOU lasts 2 years, which is the minimum requirement to receive an MA degree. However, the university offers a maximum duration of 4 years to complete the MA programme with utmost flexibility.
Yes, an MA in English from IGNOU is a valid course as it is approved by the UGC-DEB. Your degree would be considered valuable as IGNOU is a worldwide esteemed open university with an NAAC A++ grade.
Yes, you could become a professor after earning an MA degree from IGNOU. However, it strictly depends on your eligibility apart from having a degree, as the post of professor requires certain years of teaching experience in the related field. To become a government professor, you may have to take entrance exams such as UGC NET or CSIR NET.
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