Overview

About the Program

Through courses, conferences, collaborative projects, and digital media, the Comparative Literature program of the University of California, Irvine (UCI) advances critical cosmopolitanism—a kind of worldliness cultivated by creative engagements with power, peoples, and their symbolic practices. From novel to poetry, drama to film, monuments to political protest, comics to audio, urban space to visual culture—Comparative Literature introduces students to global cultures in the widest sense, and to the theoretical lenses essential for putting them in perspective. Writing, speaking, visualizing, blogging, social networking: through multiple media Comparative Literature students at every level interpret and engage with other academics and publics outside the academy. Together, students of Comparative Literature strive for a continually evolving practice of critical awareness and political action: a global literacy and citizenship through which to face the challenges of life and work in the 21st century.

The Department seeks to foster and maintain a lively community that includes undergraduates, graduates, and faculty, and to that end holds a variety of meetings and activities so that majors can get to know one another and other members of the Department.

Career Opportunities

Courses in Comparative Literature train students to read critically, to think and write analytically in a variety of genres and media, to learn languages, and to do independent research, always in a global context. This course of study helps qualify majors for careers in education, international relations, law, government, technology, communications and media, nonprofit organizations, and publishing. In recent years graduates from the Department of Comparative Literature have won Fulbrights, gone on to law school, nursing school, and master’s programs in social work or psychology, and found jobs in public relations firms, done editorial work, and conducted clinical research in pharmaceutical firms. The Comparative Literature major is also excellent preparation for an academic career. Graduates have gone on to Ph.D. programs at Michigan, Cambridge, Harvard, Princeton, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and other schools. Many also teach English, world literature, and modern foreign languages at the high-school level.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

World Literature

Reading with Theory

Cultural Studies

Advanced Seminar in Comparative Literature and Theory

Gender, Sexuality, Race, Class

Nations, Regions, and Beyond

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-03-31 00:00:00
- Apply before 2025-07-31 00:00:00
Starting 2026-09-26 00:00:00
- Apply before 2025-12-02 00:00:00

Language

English

IELTS

6.5

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TOEFL^® IBT

Duolingo English Test

115

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Credits

120 alternative credits

Delivered

On Campus

Disciplines

Literature View 1306 other Bachelors in Literature in United States

Academic requirements

GPA

English requirements

IELTS

6.5

Schedule an IELTS test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Duolingo English Test

115

Take A Free Practice Test!

Student insurance

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items, so make sure your student insurance ticks all the following:

Additional medical costs (i.e. dental)
Repatriation, if something happens to you or your family
Liability
Home contents and baggage
Accidents
Legal aid

We partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.

Get your student insurance now

Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at University of California, Irvine (UCI) and/or in United States, please visit Student Insurance Portal.

Other requirements

General requirements

You must receive a 3.0 GPA (3.4 for non-California residents) or higher in the 15 required “a-g” subject courses, with no grade lower than a C.

UCI will not consider SAT or ACT scores for admission or scholarship purposes. After enrollment, exams may be used for class placement or some graduation requirements.

Personal Insight Questions (your personal insight questions should be exactly that – personal. This is your opportunity to tell us about yourself, what matters to you, your hopes, ambitions, life experiences, and inspirations. Key points about the personal insight questions include: freshman applicants choose four out of eight questions to answer, each response is limited to a maximum of 350 words. We encourage you to take your time. Be open, be reflective, and be honest. Your personal insight questions provide context for the rest of your application.)

English proficiency requirements

Tuition Fee

To always see correct tuition fees

International

47346 USD/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 47346 USD per year during 48 months.
National

47346 USD/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 47346 USD per year during 48 months.
In-State

13146 USD/year

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 13146 USD per year during 48 months.

Living costs for Irvine

1560 - 2585 USD /month

Living costs

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Bachelor's scholarship opportunities for Comparative Literature.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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