IGNOU MA English (MEG) Syllabus 2026: Year-wise Subjects, Credits and Study Blocks
Part of IGNOU Syllabus: IGNOU Syllabus 2026: Programme-wise Course Structure
IGNOU MA English (MEG) syllabus structure: 2 years, 80 credits
The IGNOU MA English (MAEG) programme is a two-year postgraduate degree with a total of 80 credits. Students must complete 40 credits in the first year and another 40 credits in the second year. Each course in the programme carries 8 credits. The minimum duration to complete the MA English is 2 years, with a maximum duration of 4 years. The programme fee for the July 2026 session is Rs. 8,200 per year, making the total fee for the minimum duration Rs. 16,400, excluding registration, development, and exam fees.
In the first year, MEG 05 Literary Theory and Criticism is compulsory. Learners must choose four additional elective courses from the available options, such as MEG 01 British Poetry or MEG 07 Indian English Literature. The second year requires learners to choose any five courses from a different set of electives, including MEG 15 Comparative Literature and MEG 04 Aspects of Language. The programme offers a systematic study of literary theory, British literature, and literatures in English, with advanced options in language studies, comparative literature, translation, and marginal writings.
MA English (MEG) structure at a glance
| Semester / group | Courses | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1st year | 9 courses | 72 |
| 2nd year | 10 courses | 80 |
Syllabus for other programmes: IGNOU syllabus, programme by programme.
IGNOU MA English (MEG) 1st year subjects: Literary Theory and Criticism, British Poetry, British Drama
The IGNOU MA English (MEG) first year syllabus includes one compulsory course and several elective options. Students must complete **MEG 05 Literary Theory and Criticism**, which carries 8 credits. This course covers topics such as Classical Criticism, Romantic Criticism, and Feminist Theories across its eight eGyanKosh blocks.
For the remaining credits, students choose from a range of 8-credit elective courses. These include **MEG 01 British Poetry**, **MEG 02 British Drama**, and **MEG 03 British Novel**, each with eight or nine eGyanKosh blocks. Other elective options are **MEG 07 Indian English Literature**, **MEG 08 New Literatures in English**, **MEG 12 A Survey Course in 20th Century Canadian Literature**, **MEG 06 American Literature**, and **MEG 09 Australian Literature**.
Take MEG-5 and any four of these courses.
IGNOU MA English (MEG) 1st year: courses and credits
| Course code | Course title | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEG 05 | Literary Theory and Criticism | 8 | Compulsory |
| MEG 01 | British Poetry | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 02 | British Drama | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 03 | British Novel | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 07 | Indian English Literature | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 08 | New Literatures in English | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 12 | A Survey Course in 20th Century Canadian Literature | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 06 | American Literature | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 09 | Australian Literature | 8 | Elective |
MEG 05 Literary Theory and Criticism: study blocks
- Block 1: An Introduction
- Block 2: Classical Criticism
- Block 3: Romantic Criticism
- Block 4: New Criticism
- Block 5: Marxist View of Literature
- Block 6: Feminist Theories
- Block 7: Deconstruction
- Block 8: Contemporary Literary theory
MEG 01 British Poetry: study blocks
- Block 1: Orientation For the Study of Poetry & The Medieval Poet Chaucer
- Block 10: Some Modernist and Postmodernist Poets: Dylan Thomas, Philip Larkin & Sylvia Plath
- Block 2: Undertaking A Study of Spenser
- Block 3: The Metaphysical Poets: Donne, Herbert
- Block 4: Studying Milton
- Block 5: The Neoclassical Poets: Dryden and Pope
- Block 6: The Romantic Poets: Blake, Wordsworth & Coleridge
- Block 7: The Second Generation Romantic Poets: Shelley & Keats
- Block 8: The Victorian Poets: Browning, D.G. and Christina Rossetti & Oscar Wilde
- Block 9: The Modernist Poets
MEG 02 British Drama: study blocks
- Block 1: Christopher Marlowe : Doctor Faustus
- Block 2: William Shakespeare : A Midsummer Night's Dream
- Block 3: William Shakespeare : Hamlet
- Block 4: Ben Jonson : The Alchemist
- Block 5: The Playboy of the Western World
- Block 6: Bernard Shaw: Pygmalion
- Block 7: T.S. Eliot: Murder in the Cathedral
- Block 8: John Osborne: Look In Anger
- Block 9: Samuel Beckett: Waiting for Godot
MEG 03 British Novel: study blocks
- Block 1: Henry Fielding: Tom Jones
- Block 2: Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice
- Block 3: Wuthering Heights
- Block 4: Charles Dicknens: Great Expectations
- Block 5: George Eliot: Middlemarch
- Block 6: Joseph Conrad: heart of darkness
- Block 7: James Joyce: A Portrait of The Artist As A Young Man
- Block 8: Edward Morgan Forester: A Passage to India
- Block 9: Muriel Sprak: The prime of Miss Jean Brodie
MEG 07 Indian English Literature: study blocks
- Block 1: Non-Fictional Prose
- Block 2: Mulk Raj Anand: Untouchable
- Block 3: Raja Rao: Kanthapura
- Block 4: Anita Desai: Clear Light of Day
- Block 5: Midnight’s Children
- Block 6: The Short Story
- Block 7: Poetry
- Block 8: Mahesh Dattani: Tara
MEG 08 New Literatures in English: study blocks
- Block 1: Introduction
- Block 2: A Gain of wheat: Ngugi Wa Thiong’o
- Block 3: A Dance of Forests: Wole Soyinka
- Block 4: Bapsi Sidhwa: Ice-Candy-Man
- Block 5: A House for Mr. Biswas: V.S. Naipaul
- Block 6: Caribbean Poetry: Derek Walcott and Edward Brathwaite
- Block 7: The Solid Mandala: Patrick white
- Block 8: The Stone Angle: Margaret Laurence
MEG 12 A Survey Course in 20th Century Canadian Literature: study blocks
- Block 1: Contexts of Canadian Writing
- Block 2: Recent Canadian Poetry
- Block 3: Surfacing
- Block 4: The Tin Flute (Novel)
- Block 5: The English Patient
- Block 6: Canadian short Story
- Block 7: The Ecstasy of Rita Joe : Drama
- Block 8: Development of Canadian Criticism
MEG 06 American Literature: study blocks
- Block 1: Contexts of American Literature
- Block 2: American Fiction-I
- Block 3: American Fiction-II
- Block 4: American Prose
- Block 5: American Poetry-I
- Block 6: American Poetry-II
- Block 7: American Short Story
- Block 8: American Drama
- Block 9: The Bluest eye by Toni Morrison
MEG 09 Australian Literature: study blocks
- Block 1: An Introduction to Australian Literature
- Block 2: Nineteenth Century Australian Poetry
- Block 3: Introduction to Short Fiction
- Block 4: Modern Australian Poetry (1901-1970)
- Block 5: VOSS
- Block 6: Contemporary Australian Poetry (1970-onwards)
- Block 7: David Malouf: Remembering Babylon
- Block 8: David Williamson: The Removalists
IGNOU MA English (MEG) 2nd year subjects: Comparative Literature, Aspects of Language
The IGNOU MA English (MEG) 2nd year syllabus includes a selection of elective courses. Students choose from options such as MEG 15 Comparative Literature, MEG 04 Aspects of Language, and MEG 14 Contemporary Indian Literature in English Translation.
Other available elective subjects in the 2nd year include MEG 10 English Studies in India, MEG 13 Writing from the Margins, and MEG 11 American Novel. Students can also select MEG 16 Indian Folk Literature, MEG 17 American Drama, MEG 18 American Poetry, or MEG 19 Australian Novel. Each of these elective courses is worth 8 credits and has dedicated study blocks available on eGyanKosh.
Take any five of these courses.
IGNOU MA English (MEG) 2nd year: courses and credits
| Course code | Course title | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEG 15 | Comparative Literature | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 04 | Aspects of Language | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 14 | Contemporary Indian Literature in English Translation | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 10 | English Studies in India | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 13 | Writing from the Margins | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 11 | American Novel | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 16 | Indian Folk Literature | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 17 | American Drama l | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 18 | American Poetry | 8 | Elective |
| MEG 19 | Australian Novel | 8 | Elective |
MEG 15 Comparative Literature: study blocks
- Block 1: Introduction
- Block 2: Comparative Indian Literature-1
- Block 3: Comparative Indian Literature-2
- Block 4: Comparative World Literature-1
- Block 5: Comparative World Literature-2
- Block 6: Literature and Culture: Exchanges and Negotiations-1
- Block 7: Literature and Culture: Exchanges and Negotiations-2
MEG 04 Aspects of Language: study blocks
- Block 1: What is Language?
- Block 2: History of English Language
- Block 3: (A) English Phonetics and Phonology-I
- Block 3: (B) English Phonetics and Phonology-II
- Block 4: English Morphology
- Block 5: English Syntax
- Block 6: Language in Use-I
- Block 7: Language in Use-II
- Block 8: The Spread of english
- Block 9: Stylistics
MEG 14 Contemporary Indian Literature in English Translation: study blocks
- Block 1: Background Studies
- Block 2: Samskara : U. R. Anantha Murthy
- Block 3: Tamas : Bhisham Sahni
- Block 4: Short Story-I
- Block 5: Short Story-II
- Block 6: Poetry
- Block 7: Tughlaq : Girish Karnad
- Block 8: Non-Fictional Prose
MEG 10 English Studies in India: study blocks
- Block 1: Institutionalisation of English Studies in India
- Block 2: Beginnings of Indian English Writing
- Block 3: Beginnings of the Indian English Novel
- Block 4: Different Englishes
- Block 5: Problems of Teaching and Learning English Literature
- Block 6: Questioning the 'Canon'
- Block 7: Evolutions of Canons in Indian English Writing
- Block 8: Decolonising the Mind
MEG 13 Writing from the Margins: study blocks
- Block 8: Poetry, drama and short fiction
- Block 7: Fiction and autobiography
- Block 6: Oral narratives
- Block 5: Theory, culture and the history of tribals
- Block 4: Drama and short fiction
- Block 3: Poetry
- Block 2: Fiction and autobiographical writing
- Block 1: Theory, culture and history of dalits
MEG 11 American Novel: study blocks
- Block 1: James F. Cooper: the Last of the Mohicans
- Block 2: Theodore Dreiser: Sister Carrie
- Block 3: F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby
- Block 4: William Faulkner: Light In August
- Block 5: Henry Miller: Black Spring
- Block 6: J.D. Salinger: The Catcher In The Rye
- Block 7: John Barth: Floating Opera
- Block 8: Scott Mamaday : a House Made of Dawn
- Block 9: Alice Walker: The color Purple
MEG 16 Indian Folk Literature: study blocks
- Block 1: Folk Literature and Language : Research and Pedagogy
- Block 2: Identity and Hybridity : Kshetra and Desha
- Block 3: Folk Literature : Sources, Characteristics, Classifications and Functions
- Block 4: Folktales of India : Motifs, Modes and Mores
- Block 5: Folk Poetry
- Block 6: Folk in Contemporary Indian Fiction
- Block 7: Folk Theatre
MEG 17 American Drama l: study blocks
- Block 1: American Drama: An Introduction
- Block 2: Musicals and Farce
- Block 3: Naturalism/Realism
- Block 4: The Twentieth Century Poetic Drama
- Block 5: Absurd Drama
- Block 6: Expressionism
- Block 7: Avant-gardism
MEG 18 American Poetry: study blocks
- Block 1: An Introduction to American Poetry: Themes and Issues
- Block 2: Eighteen and the Nineteenth Century-I
- Block 3: Eighteen and the Nineteenth Century-II
- Block 4: Early Twentieth Century
- Block 5: Mid Twentieth Century
- Block 6: Late Twentieth Century
- Block 7: Contemporary Poetry
MEG 19 Australian Novel: study blocks
- Block 1: The Australian Novel: the Beginnings
- Block 2: From Colony to Federation
- Block 3: New Directions
- Block 4: War Novels
- Block 5: Fiction by Indigenous Writers
- Block 6: Multicultural Writing
- Block 7: Contemporary Novel (1)
- Block 8: Contemporary Novel (2)
IGNOU student services
IGNOU MA English (MEG) assessment: assignments, term-end exams and pass marks
IGNOU assesses the Master of Arts (English) (MAEG) programme through assignments and term-end examinations. Assignments are compulsory for all courses. Learners must submit their assignment responses before appearing for the Term-End Examination (TEE) for that course. Failed assignments require re-submission, but once passed, they cannot be re-submitted to improve the grade. Tutor Marked Assignments (TMAs) are submitted to the Coordinator of the learner’s Learner Support Centre. Assignments for the current session are available for download from the IGNOU website.
Term-end examinations are held twice a year, in June and December, at examination centres across India and abroad. There are two daily exam sessions: 10 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 5 PM. The examination fee is Rs. 200 per theory course. Learners may write the exam in Hindi, even if registered in English medium, except for language programmes. Hall tickets are uploaded on the University website; they are not sent by post. Only term-end theory exams can be re-evaluated, not projects, practicals, workshops, assignments, or seminars. A copy of the answer script costs Rs. 100 per course.
Exam and assignment guides: IGNOU assignment format; IGNOU TEE date sheet and IGNOU result and grade card.
IGNOU MA English (MEG) study material: printed blocks and eGyanKosh
IGNOU provides self-instructional study material for the Master of Arts (English) programme. Learners receive this material as a print book or an e-book. Choosing the soft copy of study material instead of printed material offers a 15% discount on the programme fee for the July 2026 admission cycle.
The eGyanKosh repository contains self-learning material for over 3923 courses across 384 programmes. For instance, the MEG 05 Literary Theory and Criticism course includes eight study blocks: An Introduction, Classical Criticism, Romantic Criticism, New Criticism, Marxist View of Literature, Feminist Theories, Deconstruction, and Contemporary Literary Theory. Similarly, MEG 01 British Poetry has ten study blocks, ranging from Chaucer to Modernist and Postmodernist Poets. MEG 02 British Drama covers nine blocks, from Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus to Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.
Counselling sessions are also available, scheduled by the Learner Support Centre. Technology-enabled support is provided through Gyan Darshan, Gyan Vani, Swayam Prabha, and web-based resources.
Study support: IGNOU study material status; IGNOU previous year question papers and IGNOU regional and study centres.
Notices and Documents from IGNOU
Common IGNOU Questions
What is the total programme fee for the IGNOU MA English?
The total programme fee for the IGNOU MA English is Rs. 16,400 for the minimum two-year duration. This amount is calculated at Rs. 8,200 per year, as stated in the July 2026 prospectus. This fee does not include additional charges like registration, development, or examination fees.
How many credits must a learner complete each year for the IGNOU MA English?
Learners must complete 40 credits each year for the IGNOU MA English programme. The total credits required for the degree award are 80. Each individual course within the programme carries 8 credits.
Which courses are compulsory in the first year of the IGNOU MA English programme?
MEG 05 Literary Theory and Criticism is the only compulsory course in the first year of the IGNOU MA English programme. This course carries 8 credits. Learners must select four additional elective courses to complete their first-year credit requirements.
Are there any project or practical components in the IGNOU MA English syllabus?
The programme focuses on literary theory, British literature, and literatures in English through theory courses.
Where can I find the study blocks for the IGNOU MA English courses?
The study blocks for IGNOU MA English courses are available on eGyanKosh. For example, MEG 05 Literary Theory and Criticism has eight blocks, covering topics from 'An Introduction' to 'Contemporary Literary theory'. Learners can access self-learning material for over 3923 courses on this platform.
What is the minimum and maximum duration to complete the IGNOU MA English?
The minimum duration to complete the IGNOU MA English programme is 2 years. Learners have a maximum duration of 4 years to complete all requirements for the degree. This flexibility allows students to manage their studies alongside other commitments.
Can I get a discount on the programme fee if I choose digital study materials?
Yes, learners who opt for soft copies of study materials instead of printed books receive a 15% discount on the programme fee. This option is available during the admission process. The self-instructional study material is provided as a print book and/or e-book.
How many courses must be chosen in the second year of the IGNOU MA English?
Learners must choose any five elective courses in the second year of the IGNOU MA English programme. Each of these courses carries 8 credits.
Is the IGNOU MA English programme offered on a semester or yearly basis?
The IGNOU MA English programme is offered on a yearly basis, with admissions cycles in January and July. Learners must complete 40 credits each year. The programme has a minimum duration of two years.
What is the eligibility criteria for admission to the IGNOU MA English programme?
To be eligible for admission to the IGNOU MA English programme, applicants must hold a Bachelor’s Degree or a higher degree from a recognized University. The programme is offered in English medium. The current admission cycle is July 2026.