Arts & Humanities

Master of Arts in Comparative Literature

The Master of Arts in Comparative Literature is a postgraduate programme offered by Kaimosi Friends University through the School of Education and Social Sciences. The programme provides advanced training in the comparative study of literature across languages, cultures, and regions, preparing graduates for careers in academia, publishing, and cultural analysis.

The programme combines literary theory with comparative methodology, equipping students to analyse literature across national and linguistic boundaries. Students develop competence in literary criticism, comparative literary theory, translation studies, and the study of African and global literary traditions.

Core areas of study include comparative literary theory, African literature, European literary traditions, literary criticism, translation studies, oral literature, postcolonial literature, and research methods in literary studies. The programme emphasises both canonical and contemporary literary works from diverse traditions.

Kaimosi Friends University is a public university located in Vihiga County, established as a constituent college of Masinde Muliro University before gaining full university status. The School of Education and Social Sciences offers programmes in literature, languages, and social sciences, serving the western Kenya region.

The programme is designed for both recent graduates and experienced educators seeking advanced training in literary studies. Students benefit from the university's focus on African literary traditions and its location in a region rich in oral literary heritage.

Graduates are prepared for careers as literature lecturers, literary researchers, editors, publishers, writers, cultural analysts, and language teachers in educational institutions, publishing houses, media organisations, and cultural institutions.

Skills Required

Comparative Literary Analysis
Literary Theory and Criticism
African Literature Studies
Translation Studies
Postcolonial Literary Analysis
Oral Literature Documentation
Academic Research and Writing
Textual Analysis
Intercultural Literary Comparison
Publishing and Editorial Skills

Key Subjects

Comparative Literary Theory
African Literature
European Literary Traditions
Literary Criticism
Translation Studies
Oral Literature
Postcolonial Literature
Research Methods in Literary Studies
Diaspora Literature
Intercultural Literary Comparison

Certifications

African Literature Association Membership
International Comparative Literature Association Membership

Specializations

African Literature

Focuses on the study of African literary traditions including oral literature, contemporary African fiction, poetry, and drama across the continent.

Postcolonial Literature

Examines literature from postcolonial contexts, exploring themes of identity, power, language, and cultural hybridity in formerly colonised regions.

Translation Studies

Covers the theory and practice of literary translation, including translation between African languages and European languages.

Comparative Literary Theory

Focuses on theoretical frameworks for comparing literature across cultures, including influence studies, reception theory, and intertextuality.

Oral Literature

Examines oral literary traditions including folklore, myths, legends, songs, and oral poetry in African and global contexts.

European Literary Traditions

Covers major European literary movements and traditions, providing a comparative framework for understanding African literature.

Literary Criticism

Focuses on methods and approaches to literary criticism including formalist, structuralist, post-structuralist, and cultural studies approaches.

Diaspora Literature

Examines literature of the African diaspora, exploring themes of migration, identity, and cultural belonging in global African writing.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 216,000
Private, up to: Ksh 249,800
Job market: Low

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 15 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Comparative Literary Theory
African Literature
European Literary Traditions
Literary Criticism
Translation Studies
Oral Literature
Postcolonial Literature
Research Methods in Literary Studies
Diaspora Literature
Intercultural Literary Comparison

Modules

10 in the programme

Comparative Literary Theory
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines theoretical frameworks for comparing literature across cultures, including influence studies, reception theory, intertextuality, and world literature concepts.
African Literature
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers major works and movements in African literature, including oral traditions, contemporary fiction, poetry, and drama from across the continent.
Literary Criticism
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines methods and approaches to literary criticism including formalist, structuralist, post-structuralist, feminist, and cultural studies approaches.
European Literary Traditions
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers major European literary movements and traditions from classical to modern periods, providing a comparative framework for understanding African literature.
Postcolonial Literature
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines literature from postcolonial contexts, exploring themes of identity, power, language, and cultural hybridity in formerly colonised regions.
Oral Literature
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines oral literary traditions including folklore, myths, legends, songs, and oral poetry in African and global contexts, with fieldwork methods.
Translation Studies
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers the theory and practice of literary translation, including translation between African languages and European languages, and translation as comparative methodology.
Research Methods in Literary Studies
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers quantitative and qualitative research methodologies for conducting original research in comparative literature and literary studies.
Diaspora Literature
Year 2Semester 13 creditsElective
Examines literature of the African diaspora, exploring themes of migration, identity, and cultural belonging in global African writing.
Thesis
Year 2Semester 26 creditsCore
Original research thesis on a comparative literature topic, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

African Literature
Focuses on the study of African literary traditions including oral literature, contemporary African fiction, poetry, and drama across the continent.
Postcolonial Literature
Examines literature from postcolonial contexts, exploring themes of identity, power, language, and cultural hybridity in formerly colonised regions.
Translation Studies
Covers the theory and practice of literary translation, including translation between African languages and European languages.
Comparative Literary Theory
Focuses on theoretical frameworks for comparing literature across cultures, including influence studies, reception theory, and intertextuality.
Oral Literature
Examines oral literary traditions including folklore, myths, legends, songs, and oral poetry in African and global contexts.
European Literary Traditions
Covers major European literary movements and traditions, providing a comparative framework for understanding African literature.
Literary Criticism
Focuses on methods and approaches to literary criticism including formalist, structuralist, post-structuralist, and cultural studies approaches.
Diaspora Literature
Examines literature of the African diaspora, exploring themes of migration, identity, and cultural belonging in global African writing.

A day as a student

A typical day involves attending lectures on comparative literary theory, African literature, or postcolonial studies at Kaimosi Friends University. Students engage in close reading of literary texts from diverse traditions, participate in seminar discussions analysing literary works comparatively, and present research papers on selected topics. The programme includes sessions on oral literature fieldwork methods, translation exercises, and literary criticism workshops. Those in the research phase conduct field research on literary traditions, analyse texts, and work on their thesis under faculty supervision.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme offers comprehensive study of African and global literary traditions, with particular strength in African literature and oral traditions.
Offered at a public university with affordable fees compared to private institutions.
Located in western Kenya, making the programme accessible to students in the region without relocating to Nairobi.
KNUT employees and their dependents receive a 16% fee waiver, making the programme more affordable for education sector workers.

Against it

Career prospects are relatively limited, with most opportunities in academia and education rather than the private sector.
Kaimosi Friends University is a relatively new university with less established literary research networks compared to older institutions.
Limited access to major publishing houses and literary organisations compared to Nairobi-based institutions.
The programme may have limited specialised library resources for comparative literature compared to larger, better-funded universities.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 188 arts & humanities courses

Public129k to 216k

129k at Kaimosi Friends University216k at Kenyatta University

Private138k to 250k

138k at KCA University250k at Daystar University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

KU 216K, Kaimosi 129K avg verified. Daystar 249.8K verified. KCA unverified.

Funding options include HELB postgraduate loans for Kenyan students, Kaimosi Friends University bursaries for demonstrated financial need, and county government scholarships for students from Vihiga and surrounding counties. KNUT employees and their dependents are entitled to a 16% fee waiver.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
Kaimosi Friends University Bursary
County Government Scholarships

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
Kaimosi Friends University Bursary
ScholarshipKsh 50,000Kenyan
KAFU students demonstrating financial need, with priority for students from the local community.
KNUT Fee Waiver
ScholarshipKsh 41,300Kenyan
KNUT employees and their legal dependents are entitled to a 16% fee waiver on tuition fees.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Applicants with degrees in Literature, English, Linguistics, or related humanities disciplines from recognised institutions may be considered. Foreign students pay 20% more on tuition fees.

How you are assessed

4 components

Continuous Assessment
Coursework40% of the mark
CATs, literary analysis essays, text commentary assignments, seminar presentations, and research papers conducted throughout each semester.
Final Examination
Examination60% of the mark
End-of-semester examination covering course content, including essay questions, textual analysis, and comparative literary criticism.
Research Paper
Research30% of the mark
Original research paper on a comparative literature topic, demonstrating research skills and literary analysis competence.
Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original research thesis on a comparative literature topic, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

Accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE), ensuring recognition across Kenya and the wider East African region. The programme is offered by Kaimosi Friends University, a chartered public university.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Statutory accreditation for all Kenyan universities and their degree programmes.
African Literature Association
Professional membership
International association for African literature scholars. Membership recommended for professional networking and research collaboration.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Literature Lecturer
Low demandKsh 70,000 to Ksh 180,000
Teaches literature, comparative literature, or literary studies at universities, colleges, and secondary schools, conducting research and publishing scholarly work.
Literary Researcher
Low demandKsh 60,000 to Ksh 150,000
Conducts research on literary traditions, publishes scholarly articles, and contributes to literary scholarship in research institutions.
Editor
Moderate demandKsh 55,000 to Ksh 160,000
Edits literary works, academic publications, or educational materials for publishing houses, media organisations, or educational institutions.
Publisher
Low demandKsh 60,000 to Ksh 200,000
Works in publishing, managing literary publications, developing authors, and overseeing publication of literary and academic works.
Writer
Low demandKsh 40,000 to Ksh 200,000
Writes literary works including novels, poetry, essays, or literary criticism, contributing to literary and cultural publications.
Language Teacher
Moderate demandKsh 50,000 to Ksh 120,000
Teaches English, Kiswahili, or other languages at secondary schools or colleges, applying literary analysis skills to language education.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as literature lecturers, literary researchers, editors, publishers, and writers in educational institutions, publishing houses, and cultural organisations.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

Zotero
SoftwarePrimary
Reference management software for organising literary sources, citations, and research materials for thesis and publication writing.
NVivo
SoftwarePrimary
Qualitative data analysis software for textual analysis, coding literary texts, and managing qualitative research data in literary studies.
Google Scholar
Software
Academic search engine for finding scholarly articles, books, and literary criticism relevant to comparative literature research.
AntConc
Software
Corpus analysis toolkit for examining literary texts, analysing language patterns, and conducting computational textual analysis.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Comparative literature is just about reading books from different countries.
The programme involves rigorous theoretical analysis, comparative methodology, and critical engagement with literary traditions across languages, cultures, and historical periods.
You need to be fluent in multiple languages to study comparative literature.
While knowledge of multiple languages is beneficial, the programme can be completed with English-language sources and translations, with optional study of additional languages.
Comparative literature has limited career prospects in Kenya.
Graduates work in education, publishing, media, cultural organisations, and civil service, with opportunities in curriculum development, editorial work, and cultural analysis.
The programme focuses only on Western literary traditions.
The programme places significant emphasis on African literature, oral traditions, and postcolonial literary studies, alongside European and global literary traditions.
A master's in comparative literature is only for those wanting to become academics.
Graduates pursue diverse careers including publishing, editing, writing, cultural consultancy, and media work, applying literary analysis skills across various professional contexts.
The programme is only offered at elite Nairobi universities.
Kaimosi Friends University offers this programme, making it accessible to students in western Kenya at public university fees.