 The "Master of Letters" (MLitt) degree is a two-year research degree at many universities, including Cambridge and the ancient Scottish universities, and is generally awarded when a student cannot or will not complete the final year(s) of their PhD and so writes their research up for the MLitt.Because MLitt is also used for a taught degree, the suffix (T) or (R) for "taught" or "research" is often added, so the more prestigious two-year research degree is called MLitt (R).Like the PhD, the MPhil and MRes degrees are generally awarded without class or grade as a pass (the standard grade) or can, rarely, be awarded with a distinction.