Masters Degrees in British & Irish History

In the first term, students on the course will be offered an intensive training programme consisting of classes, seminars, workshops, individual and group assignments. Each student will take a compulsory core readings course in Modern British history. This course will include weekly classes on major themes, historiography, and methods, based on key readings, so that students come to a foundational understanding of central themes in Modern British history.

Students will also choose two Options, one in Michaelmas Term and one in Lent Term, from a range of Options in British history and historiography.

From the first term students begin research for a 15-20,000-word dissertation, working closely with a supervisor.

See the website http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/hihimpmbh

Course detail

By the end of the programme, students will have acquired:

1. a firm grasp of the historiographical debates in Modern British History;
2. research skills relevant to the specific area in which they will have written a dissertation;
3. the ability to situate their own research findings within the context of previous and current interpretative scholarly debates in the field.

Format

1. Compulsory core option, Michaelmas Term, taken from the core course ‘Readings in Modern British History and Historiography’. The core course focuses on key debates in British political, social, cultural or economic history. The following fields will be covered: the industrial revolution; the language of the social order; faith and secularisation; democracy; liberalism; the impact of empire; gender history. Students will attend weekly classes on these major themes, based on key readings, in order to come to a foundational understanding of key themes in British history. The final essay, of a maximum of 4,000 words, will be assessed and worth 10% of the final MPhil mark.

2. One option in Michaelmas Term and one option in Lent Term. Weekly classes on broad but more specialized topics, such as ‘the long eighteenth century’, ‘class and social mobility in the long twentieth century’, ‘history and public policy’. Each of these modules will require an essay (maximum word length of 4,000) which will count for 10% of the final mark for the MPhil (so all three modules, including the core course essay, will count for 30% of the final degree mark). In addition, each Option will incorporate a presentation (unassessed) for each student.

3. Dissertation. Those who satisfactorily complete this programme of study will continue on to a research project, closely supervised by one of Cambridge’s outstanding group of historians of Modern Britain. The dissertation, of between 15,000 and 20,000 words, will be submitted by the middle of June. This dissertation is worth 70% of the final mark in the degree.

4. Research seminar. The students are asked to regularly attend at least one seminar offered by the Modern British history subject group (among which the Modern British history, Modern Cultural History, Irish history, British social and economic history) and to engage in the discussion.

5. Graduate training. Alongside regular presentations and debates with the Options, a graduate workshop or ‘training day’ will take place late in Lent Term at which students will present their work to other students and to the Faculty involved in the Modern British history MPhil. This workshop provides an excellent opportunity to exchange with other students as well as senior historians about their present work, their achievements and difficulties, and to learn a variety of presentation skills.

Continuing

In order to be considered for continuation to the PhD, and always subject to satisfactory supervision arrangements being in place, students are expected to obtain an overall mark of 70 for the MPhil and a mark of at least 70 for their dissertation.

Please see the Faculty website for more information:

http://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/prospective-graduates/apply/apply-mphil-phd
http://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/prospective-graduates/apply/apply-ltc-home

How to apply: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying

Funding Opportunities

Please see the History Faculty’s Funding Guide via the History Faculty’s weblink below:
http://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/prospective-graduates/faculty-funding/funding-options

General Funding Opportunities http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/funding

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Gain a detailed knowledge and understanding of historical methodology as you explore a range of subjects within British, European and world history, from the 15th century to the present day. Benefit from the history team’s specialist knowledge and links across the global historical community and develop the deep and systematic understanding of historical research to excel in further studies, or begin your career with confidence thanks to the professional-experience opportunities offered.

Key features

-Join a community of student-historians from a variety of backgrounds with a programme designed to appeal to a range of audiences, including recent graduates, teachers looking to enhance their professional qualifications and those in the local community with a long-standing passion for history.
-Explore history through a variety of means – with a combination of taught and self-led learning, regular research seminars run by -Plymouth University’s Centre for Research in Humanities and Performing Arts, and access to Peninsula Art’s history lecture series featuring world-leading academics.
-Work alongside internationally recognised researchers* and experienced professionals as you develop the skills that will allow you to choose how you progress upon graduation: take your studies further with a PhD, or enter the workplace with the confidence and skills to fast-track your career.
-Plot your own course through the centuries as you take the lead in your masters dissertation research project, and choose areas of study from the history team’s range of research specialisms.
-Explore history with your friends and colleagues by joining the History Society, a lively and supportive community hosting educational and social events.
-Discover the most up-to-date ways of studying history through our online resources including a vast eBook library. Build links with local record offices and archives, accessing opportunities to develop your expertise in the local and regional history of Plymouth and the South West.

* In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 85% of History’s research outputs (primarily books and journal articles) were considered to be internationally recognised in terms of significance, originality and rigour.

Course details

You can study MA History full time over one year, or part time split across two years. Your studies will consist of four modules, two of which are core modules: key debates and research methods in history - an assessment of current trends and methodologies in the discipline of history, and the public history module - an examination of the theory and practice of how the past is presented to public audiences. You’ll supplement these with two option modules, where you select the areas of history that interest you the most as you select from the research specialisms of history team. The group’s areas of expertise include: imperialism, colonialism and de-colonisation in the modern period; the political and social history of 19th century Britain; Ireland since 1900; British military and diplomatic history during the 20th century; European integration; politics and society in the USA since 1900; amongst others. The programme culminates in an independently researched MA History dissertation.

Core modules
-MAHI700 Key Debates and Research Methods in History
-MAHI701 Public History
-MAHI702 MA History Dissertation

Optional modules
-MAHI703 Britain in the Sixties
-MAHI710 The Irish Revolution 1912-37
-MAHI718 Independent Research Project in History
-MAHI704 Piracy and Privateering, 1560-1816
-MAHI706 The Civil Rights Movement
-MAHI712 Empire of Law. Ruling the British Empire 1760-1960
-MAHI705 The African American Experience
-MAHI709 The French Wars of Religion 1558-1598
-MAHI714 Culture and Society. Britain c 1760-1914
-MAHI716 America and the United Nations 1945 to the present
-MAHI720 Key Debates in Post War Japanese History
-MAHI721 From Unification to Reunification: Key Themes in Modern German History

Every postgraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the programme aims, the programme structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

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Would you like to participate in a dynamic and flexible course that can be tailored to meet your own individual interests and career aspirations?

The MA History course consists of broad, thematic taught modules that focus on the middle ages through to present day.

Offering an extremely flexible approach to study, this course incorporates three core modules - historical contexts, digital history and dissertation preparation - which you will study alongside two modules of your own choice, in subjects such as American history, British history, European history and early modern history.

In addition to the taught modules of this course you will also complete a dissertation that will be conducted under the careful guidance of our specialist academics.

Throughout your studies you will have access to our leading learning facilities and new Institute for the Humanities.

Northumbria has just launched its first MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) exploring the fascinating history and culture of the American South from colonial times to the 21st century.

Experience for free Northumbria's excellence in teaching and research with the University's Institute of Humanities, all from your own home.

This course has several available study methods - for more information, please view the relevant web-page:
2 years part time: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/history-dtphtr6/

1-2 years full time distance learning: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/history-ma-ft-dl-dtdhtr6/

2 years part time distance learning: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/history-dtdhty6/

Learn From The Best

Throughout your studies you will benefit from working with our team of specialist academics who were recently ranked in the UK’s top 20 for the quality of their history publications (REF 2014).

Our academics are not only teaching their specialist subjects but also writing textbooks and adding new knowledge and perspectives to our understanding of the past.

When undertaking your dissertation you will be assigned a dedicated supervisor with specialist knowledge of your chosen subject area. They will guide you through your project with the help of our team of support staff.

Boasting doctorates, awards and extensive academic knowledge in their particular specialism, you can rest assured you are learning from the best.

Teaching And Assessment

The MA History course offers a programme of study that will empower you to problematise the past, set your own field of enquiry and test your ability to manage a yearlong project.

This course is primarily delivered via a classroom setting, with regular face-to-face supervision. This course can also be undertaken as a distance-learning course through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLR).

The assessment methods employed on this course include historical and historiographical essays, oral and written presentations, critical reviews and portfolios of work.

Your dissertation will form a large part of the assessment process and will be overseen by a supervisor who specialises in your subject area.

Module Overview
EF0126 - E.S.A.P. in FADSS Level 7 (Optional, 0 Credits)
HI7001 - Historical Contexts (Core, 30 Credits)
HI7004 - War and Peace in Historical Perspective (Core, 30 Credits)
HI7005 - Digital History and Research Methods (Core, 30 Credits)
HI7007 - The British Empire and its Imperial Rivals (Core, 30 Credits)
HI7010 - History Dissertation (Core, 60 Credits)

Learning Environment

Throughout the duration of your course you will have access to state-of-the-art facilities to support your learning experience.

Further facilities are available at the Institute for the Humanities, a special research space in the University’s Lipman Building. These include a resource room, specialist computing equipment and interview rooms. You will also have access to a designated Humanities Student Hub, providing space for self-study, group work or a rest in between teaching sessions.

You will receive support at every step of your learning journey through our on-campus facilities and innovative e-Learning Portal, Blackboard, which will allow you to access electronic versions of your course’s supporting documentation.

We provide a supportive and informal learning environment, offering feedback at all key stages of your course.

Research-Rich Learning

The MA History course is centred around research-rich learning and delivery.

Delivered by our team of renowned academics, you will be learning from research-active experts who boast specialisms in all aspects of history including the British co-operative movement, eighteenth and nineteenth century British political and imperial history, the British empire and modern Irish political history.

Many staff are qualified to professorial level and engaged in collaborative research projects, which are often part of national or international research networks.

More than three quarters of Northumbria University’s History department’s research outputs are rated as being world-leading or internationally excellent, placing us in the upper quartile for history research in the UK. We have also been ranked among the top 20 universities in the UK for research power in History, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework.

Give Your Career An Edge

On completion of this course you will possess expert research skills thanks to your ability to collect, sift through and organise historical data. You will also be able to confidently use state-of-the-art digital researching tools.

Employability skills are embedded throughout all aspects of this course and, on completion, you will possess a range of attributes that are highly valued in today’s competitive job market. These skills include effective workload management, IT, problem solving, communication, teamwork and self-motivation.

Your Future

Your previous qualifications and the specialist nature of this course will provide a strong foundation for your future work or study.

The MA History course has been designed to form the basis for those wishing to progress to PhD level and we offer advice in writing PhD and funding applications should you decide to take this route.

The broad range of skills and knowledge acquired on this course can help to enhance promotion prospects in many professions, most notably teaching, professional research, museums or archives, public policy and project management. It should also enhance your prospects of employment should you wish to move into such vocations.

You will also leave prepared for a career as a researcher or employment within a broader business environment.

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This MA in the History of the British Isles will deepen your appreciation of the distinctive political, social and cultural aspects of the British and Irish historical experience, from the Reformation period to the present day, while also fostering your awareness of values and experiences the British and the Irish share with their European and global neighbours. This Master's degree considers the constituent countries of the British Isles - England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales - and asks how and why the geographical and political entities that are Great Britain, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland came into being.

The pressing current day issue of devolution is encouraging discussions about the formation of nation-states and national identities which feed into debates amongst historians about whether the territorial state is the most useful or constructive means of assessing historical developments and how the creation (and re-creation) of national identities relate to religion, race, gender and class.

The core module will introduce you to the systematic study of historiography and the methodologies used in the analysis and interpretation of historical source material. You can explore the enormous breadth of research interests in the department via the 3 option modules you choose, which span from the ancient period to the contemporary moment. This programme will enable you to engage with the most important and up-to-date themes, debates and historiographies in the study of the British Isles.

Finally, the dissertation gives you the chance to pursue your own interests and undertake your own research and critical thinking under the supervision of a member of staff with relevant expertise. By drawing on the expertise of staff directly engaged in English, Irish and Scottish research areas, the programme provides support and encouragement if you want to go on to pursue independent, professional or PhD research, develop new skills in relation to existing careers, or simply deepen your own understanding of the richness, diversity and complexity of the British historical experience in comparative perspective.

Key teaching staff on this programme

Course director: Professor Jerry White.

Other staff who teach on this MA programme include:

Dr Laura Stewart
Dr Sean Brady
Professor Joanna Bourke
Dr Jan Rueger
Professor Frank Trentmann
Professor Vanessa Harding
Professor David Feldman.

Why study this course at Birkbeck?

Arts and humanities courses at Birkbeck are ranked third best in London and 11th in the UK in the Times Higher Education 2015-16 World University Subject Rankings.
This exciting, collaborative Master's degree offers you the chance to use the British Isles as a focus for the study of broad historical themes.
You can follow, further develop and enhance your own interests, with a wide choice of option modules, while improving your research skills and undertaking a dissertation in an area that interests you.
Our Department of History, Classics and Archaeology is one of the leading research and teaching departments for history in the UK. It is ranked 6th in the UK for the percentage of our research deemed world-leading or internationally excellent.
Our academic staff are international authorities in their fields, delivering stimulating, research-led teaching.
Our department is home to thriving student societies and a number of affiliated research centres that actively run seminars, conferences and other events where some of the world's best scholars present their latest research. These include the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism, the Raphael Samuel History Centre and the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities.
We are located 5 minutes' walk from the British Museum and the British Library, while the Museum of London is easily reachable. The Institute of Historical Research is located in Bloomsbury, near the main Birkbeck campus, and has an internationally renowned library collection and seminars that you can attend.
Birkbeck Library has an extensive history collection, including the major specialist journals, and access to online materials.

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The programme is taught by a team of academics in the social, political and cultural history of Scotland from the medieval period through to the 20th century. It has a particular geographical emphasis on Gaelic Scotland, Scotland’s place in the British Isles and Europe, and on urban Scotland.

Why this programme

◾Teaching and research in Scottish history are firmly embedded in the University, giving benefits from synergies with Celtic and Gaelic, archaeology and Scottish literature, all contributing to the work of the Centre for Scottish & Celtic Studies.
◾You will enjoy access to the Baillie Collection, our prized collection of printed medieval and modern sources in Scottish, Irish and English history. The collection also offers printed state papers, Historical Manuscript Commission publications and a select collection of modern monographs.
◾Our programme has strong links with the University's Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, giving you access to primary source material including an enormous collection of anatomical and pathological specimens, coins, books, manuscripts and ethnography.
◾You will join an extensive medieval research community. Glasgow has active charter and chronicle research groups in medieval studies, a reading group and regular staff-student seminars. The annual Edwards Lecture is the keynote event in the calendar of this scholarly community.

I

Programme structure

Our History Masters are built around a hands-on research training course, specialised courses on historical and theoretical themes, and other courses developing your technical skills and other abilities like languages and palaeography.

If you choose to study Scottish History, there will be a guided selection of courses that will provide you with the specialised knowledge in that field. You will be taught through a series of seminars and workshops. Internationally recognised historians give guest lectures throughout the year.

In the final part of the programme, you will select a specialised topic and conduct original primary source research for your dissertation. You are supported in your research and writing up by an assigned supervisor with expertise in your field of inquiry.

Core courses
◾Research resources and skills for historians.

Optional courses

Course options may include
◾Politics and literature in Jacobean Scotland
◾Culture, politics and society in the Highland clearances
◾Interdisciplinary perspectives on Scottish culture
◾Specialist course in Medieval Scottish studies
◾Revolutionary Scotland: literature, culture and politics 1830-1939
◾The Scottish Wars of Independence
◾Scottish popular culture
◾Scottish Reformation.

The courses taught each year vary depending upon staff availability.

To widen your approach and develop an interdisciplinary perspective, you are also strongly encouraged to take one or two complementary courses in cognate subjects, such as
◾Monuments in transition in Medieval Scotland
◾Records and evidence
◾Introduction to museology
◾Approaching the past
◾Sources for early Medieval Scottish Christianity.

Courses in Scottish literature, English literature, theology, history of art and other College of Arts subjects can also be studied, by agreement with the programme convener.

Career prospects

Apart from continuing to study a PhD, you can transfer the arts research skills and methods you learn on this programme to positions in the public and private sectors, such as heritage, policy and projects, journalism and teaching.

Positions held by recent History graduates include Editor Business & History Products, Lead Scholar/Instructor and Secretary.

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If you have a passion for history and are looking for an intellectual challenge, this fascinating MA course could be what you are looking for. It explores aspects of British and Irish local and regional history between 1750 and 1950, introducing the key themes of Poverty and welfare, Crime, Police and Penal Policy, The role of families, Urban History, Religion and Industrialisation. Using our world-class collection of online primary source materials, you will be encouraged to produce an independent research project on a topic of your choice.

Key features of the course

•Develops your ability to present a sustained argument in clear, logical prose
•Builds your skills of analysis, critical thinking and practical research
•Provides a firm foundation for further research studies
•Applicable to a wide range of careers.

This qualification is eligible for a Postgraduate Loan available from Student Finance England.

Modules

To gain this qualification, you need 180 credits as follows:

Compulsory modules

• MA History part 1 (A825)
• MA History part 2 (A826)

You must pass A825 before studying A826.

The modules quoted in this description are currently available for study. However, as we review the curriculum on a regular basis, the exact selection may change over time.

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The MA Eighteenth Century Britain draws on one of the department’s main research specialisms. It enables you to study the history of eighteenth-century Britain as an integrated whole whilst at the same time offering you specialization in the history of England, Ireland, Scotland and/or Wales. The scheme explores the numerous 'revolutions' (political, cultural, religious and intellectual) experienced over the course of the century, and offers specialist options in such topics as Radicals and Romantics, the ‘Atlantic world’, and the 1798 Irish rebellion.

See the website http://courses.aber.ac.uk/postgraduate/eighteenth-century-Britain-%20masters/

Course detail

Eighteenth-century British history has become one of the key research specialisms of the Department of History and Welsh History at Aberystwyth, with leading specialists such as Peter Borsay, Martyn Powell, Eryn White and David Ceri Jones based here and contributing to the MA programme.

All our lecturers are active researchers who publish their work, and you will benefit from being taught the latest historical theories and techniques. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (2014) assessment the university was placed in the top 50 institutions for research power and intensity. It submitted 77% of eligible staff and 95% of the university's research was of an internationally recognised standard

Format

In Semester 1, you’ll follow a core module which discusses Britain and Ireland in the ‘Age of Revolutions’. This is followed by a range of options in Semester 2 that address, for instance the study of landownership and society, Georgian towns and tourism, and the British Atlantic World.

Alongside this study, you will benefit from specialist research training tailored to your particular research interests, including in post-medieval palaeography.

There are also classes to help you research and write your MA dissertation, an original research project (15,000 words) undertaken by you and written over the course of the year under the close supervision of a specialist within the Department.

Contact time is approximately 6 hours a week in the first two semesters. During semester three you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned supervisor.

Assessment

The course is assessed through a diverse range of assignments, including the 15,000 word MA dissertation.

Employability

Many of our Masters graduates go on to PhD study and academic careers. Others apply their skills in heritage administration, in tourism, museums and archives, or related branches of public administration, the civil service and local government, or go on to careers in related fields such as teaching, journalism or the broadcast media.

Work placements in collaboration with the National Library of Wales, the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments in Wales, or another of the heritage agencies based in and around Aberystwyth, are available for course credit in some schemes (please contact us for further information).

Find out how to apply here https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/postgrad/howtoapply/

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Programme description

This programme offers students an introduction to the study of the ways in which writing in English has shaped or mediated political identities in England, Scotland and Ireland.

This programme introduces you to the relationship between literary writing and political and social discourse in Britain and Ireland between the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 and the end of the 19th century. This is the period of the creation of the Britain in which we live today, and also the time in which ancient British, Scottish and Irish national cultures were conceptualised as a response to radical literary, social and political innovations.

In examining the role of literary writing in this period, you will evaluate the ways in which it changed in response to social and political developments. You will also explore how Romantic conceptions of history, society and the aesthetic are developed and questioned during the course of the 19th century.

Programme structure

The programme will be taught through a combination of seminars and tutorials over two semesters, after which you will complete an independently researched dissertation. You will complete two compulsory and two option courses, along with courses in research methods.

Compulsory courses:

Enlightenment and Romanticism 1688–1815
Romanticism and Victorian Society 1815–1900
Research Skills and Methods

Option courses may include:

Poet-Critics: the Style of Modern Poetry
Fairy Tales
Digital Humanities for Literary Studies
Green Thoughts: Landscape, Environment and Literature
The Long Summer: Edwardian Texts and Contexts 1900–1910
Shakespeare Adapted
Fairy Tales

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully follow this programme will gain:

knowledge and understanding of the role of literary writing in the formation of British, Scottish, Irish and English national identities in the 18th and 19th centuries
practical knowledge of the range of theoretical and philosophical ideas informing contemporary literary criticism
a grounding in the research methods of literary studies

Career opportunities

This programme will help you to identify possible topics for advanced research in English literature, potentially leading to an academic career. The transferable skills you gain, such as communication, project management and analysis, will give you an edge in a competitive employment market.

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The Public History degree looks at how historical knowledge is produced, mediated and consumed in public spaces beyond the formal education sector.

Why study Public History?

Most people's sense of the past comes from public history, through film and television, fiction, museums, heritage sites and memory work.

This course looks at the kinds of pasts that are produced in these popular forms. It examines how they are made and the ways in which they are consumed and understood.

As part of your study you will be able to gain practical experience of working in a cultural heritage site, museum, gallery or archive.

The degree will help to prepare you for a career in public history related fields. It will also show you why the uses we make of the past are not just matters of academic interest.

Why St Mary's?

This is the only degree in the UK that is taught in partnership with The National Archives, which is a leading national and international site not just for archiving government documents, but also for engaging with the past in other forms.

You will attend workshops at The National Archives, delivered by their highly experienced staff and drawing on their wealth of original materials.

With the St Mary's campus located in South-West London, we also have excellent opportunities for field visits, and unrivalled links for volunteering and work experience with Hampton Court Palace, Strawberry Hill House, Turner's House, Sir John Soane Museum and Orleans House Gallery.

The degree is taught by historians with a strong record of publication and high-quality teaching.

Course Content

What you will study
› Public History
› Making Histories
› History: Spaces and Places
› Memory, History, Testimony
› Research Methods and Dissertation
› Professional Attachment

Please note: All information is correct at the time of publication. However, course content is regularly updated and this may result in some changes, which will be communicated to students before their programme begins.

Teaching and Assessment

Modules will be taught using a variety of modes – classroom-based discussions, field work, distance learning, work placements (where appropriate). You will write essays, produce project work, critique different types of source material, and learn to create work using a variety of digital tools. You will also design and deliver presentations about your work. In order to complete the MA, you will produce an extended, independent research project. This will either be a project based on your work placement or a text-based piece of academic research.

This course is designed to help you find a career in fields such as cultural heritage, archives, education and media. It can be used as part of your professional development if you are already employed in these sectors. It will also provide a critical and methodological platform for you if you wish to progress to doctoral level research.

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The Masters in History provides you with an outstanding learning experience in the company of Glasgow's thirty-strong cohort of historians, and the opportunity to conceive, design and execute a research project/dissertation. The programme combines training in historical theory, skills and methods with a wide range of specialist taught options which cover all periods from medieval to late modern, in relation to Scotland, Britain, Europe, America and elsewhere.

Why this programme

-Our links with the University’s museum and art gallery, The Hunterian, provide access to primary source material including an enormous collection of anatomical and pathological specimens, coins, books, manuscripts and ethnography.
-You will also enjoy access to The Baillie Collection, our prized collection of printed medieval and modern sources in Scottish, Irish and English history, which includes printed state papers, Historical Manuscript Commission publications and a select collection of modern monographs.
-If you are looking for the opportunity to pursue your own historical interests in a lively and friendly environment, led and supported by internationally-regarded historians, this programme is ideal for you.

Programme structure

Our pathway structure allows you to tailor your degree to match an interest in one of the following fields:
-Medieval history
-Modern and late modern history
-Scottish history
-Social and cultural history
-Gender history
-Military history

Each programme is built around a hands-on research training course, specialised courses on historical and theoretical themes, and other courses developing your technical skills and other abilities like languages and palaeography.

For your chosen programme, there will be a guided selection of courses that will provide you with specialised knowledge in that field. You will be taught through a series of seminars and workshops. Internationally recognised historians give guest lectures throughout the year.

These courses are taught in history, economic and social history (in the College of Social Sciences), and by related subject areas in the School of Humanities (archaeology, Celtic, classics) and the College of Arts (such as English language and French).

In the final part of the programme, you will select a specialised topic and conduct original primary source research for your dissertation. You are supported in your research and writing up by an assigned supervisor with expertise in your field of enquiry.

Core course
-Research resources and skills for historians

Career prospects

Apart from continuing to study a PhD, you can transfer the Arts research skills and methods you learn on this programme to positions in the modern public and private sectors, such as heritage, policy and projects, journalism and teaching.

Positions held by recent History graduates include Editor Business & History Products, Lead Scholar/Instructor and Secretary.

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The MA in Victorian Studies offers postgraduate students a uniquely flexible, wide ranging and affordable opportunity to study the Victorian period.

It is closely linked with the Leeds Centre for Victorian Studies which is based at Leeds Trinity University and involves other universities in the UK and beyond, in a programme of seminars, colloquia and conferences.

The Centre is also the base for The Journal of Victorian Culture, which is published in conjunction with Taylor & Francis.

Benefits of Victorian Studies

- Full or part time study: the MA is a modular degree designed to be taken at your own pace, between one and three years.
- Sessions are held in the evening, so that part time study can be combined with full time employment.
- Wide range of subjects: in addition to two broad-ranging compulsory core modules, you will have a wide range of option modules to choose from and a chance to undertake supervised research as part of your degree.
- You will undertake a 12,000 word dissertation on a Victorian topic of your choice.
- Choice of MA, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate: study for shorter periods of time, taking fewer modules, and take the Postgraduate Diploma or the Postgraduate Certificate instead of the MA Pay as you learn: the cost of the MA is phased so you can pay module by module.
- Course fees are very competitive, about half the standard cost for most taught Masters degrees.
- Bursaries are also available.

Graduate Destinations

Graduates have gone on to further study: PhD and PGCE. Some of our part time students take the MA for professional development purposes, e.g. as teachers or curators. ​

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Course Description

This course is to be an interdisciplinary programme enabling students to examine, by way of a thesis, aspects of the history of the English country house between 1485 and 1945. Students will be encouraged to consider the interrelation of architectural history, art history and social history in the evolution of the country house as a political power house, a setting for the display of art and craftsmanship, a self-contained community and a symbol of continuity and loss in a changing world.

The seminar programme, which serves to complement the student’s individual research, will explore these themes in a series of ten meetings which will be addressed by some of the United Kingdom’s most distinguished country house historians. These will be prefaced by an introduction to research techniques, with particular reference to the use of primary sources such as inventories, estate records and collections of private papers; an introduction to relevant library resources available in London and through the University of Buckingham’s online subscriptions; and an introduction to the most recent academic approaches to the subject.

Each seminar will take place in the early evening, followed by a 40-minute question-and-answer session with the seminar speaker, and a dinner at which there will be further questioning of the speaker and a general conversation about the topic in hand. Four seminars will be scheduled for the period between October and December, and a further six in the period between the New Year and March.

The programme begins with an overview of the architectural and social history of the country house and an examination of recent academic perspectives on the subject, including the latest thematic and period-based approaches and studies of particular mansions and individual architects from Robert Smythson to Sir Edwin Lutyens. It goes on to discuss the changing function of the country house between 1485 and 1945, and to explore how architectural form has been modified by social change.

A series of seminar papers will then explore architectural style; the mechanics of building, owning and living in a country house; and the wider cultural context, which has seen the country house playing a crucial role in the invention of the past, from Ben Jonson’s ‘To Penshurst’ to Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.

Find out more about our School of Humanities on http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/humanities/.

The Course Director

Adrian Tinniswood, OBE, MPhil, Senior Research Fellow of the Humanities Research Institute, Buckingham, and Visiting Fellow in History and Heritage, Bath Spa

Adrian Tinniswood has a distinguished reputation as an architectural and social historian on both sides of the Atlantic. He has worked for many years as a consultant and adviser to the National Trust, and has lectured extensively on the country house and on the architecture and social history of the seventeenth century at British universities including Oxford, Bristol and Nottingham and for the University of California at Berkeley.

His books include His Invention So Fertile: A Life of Christopher Wren, The Verneys (short-listed for the 2007 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction) and The Polite Tourist: Four Centuries of Country House Visiting.

His latest book, The Long Weekend: The Country House Between the Wars, is published by Jonathan Cape in March 2016.

He was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to heritage.

Associate students

For those wishing to attend the evening research seminar programme, but unable to devote the time to the coursework or to register for the MA degree, there is the option of becoming an Associate Student. This status will enable the student to attend the ten research seminars and to meet the guest lecturers, in the first six months of the programme, but does not require the submission of written work. Associate Students are not registered for, and do not receive, the MA degree.

Apply here http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/humanities/ma/country-house.

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Summary

Our MRes in History offers a research-rich master’s programme for those students wanting to develop specialist knowledge and scholarly techniques, as the first step on the path to doctoral research or research-related career paths. We offer a unique combination of focused expertise and applied historical experience in a friendly, supportive graduate environment.

On this course, you will work closely with members of our History staff, who have internationally-recognised expertise in a wide range of subjects, periods and geographical areas. The programme would suit students who already have a well-defined research interest, and the course will help you to work at that higher level, primarily via research. You will engage with a broad range of research methods relevant for advanced historical research.

You will be closely supported in your research journey through informed, innovative and expert supervision, and receive training for doctoral work, particularly in the field of history. However, this course will also prepare you for a wide range of professional careers that require advanced level research and communication skills. Your training will consist of study in relevant methodological processes for research, including language skills, palaeography, quantitative methods, data presentation, and oral history.

Using these skills, you will gain experience of applied historical research in a range of working environments, via a tailored research internship. Students on this course will prepare an original, extended research project, engaging critically and creatively with historical texts, objects and images as well as extant research in historiography and history.

As part of having the opportunity to contribute to the national and international research profile of the University, as a student on the MRes in History, you will have access to opportunities for co-operation and collaboration with related institutions in the UK.

Content

The core module of the course is a 30,000 word dissertation. This is an intellectually-stimulating and challenging experience, representing substantial independent research into a topic in any period of history, approved in concert with an appointed supervisor. In this module, students will apply their advanced research skills developed on the rest of the course.

Another key module on the course is the Research Internship. It will provide a link between your academic training and practical research in cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, archives or archaeological sites. The placement will further develop your skills in critical and historical analysis and interpretation, and allow you to see them in use in your chosen area of employment. Students will come to understand and critically evaluate the range of possible career opportunities associated with the professional application of historical research skills, within an institutional setting in the private or public sector.

Other modules are designed to provide you with opportunities to engage with primary documents, and to use these to develop your research skills. There is an emphasis in these optional modules on developing a historiographical understanding of the study of history in areas such as the politics of health in recent Britain; Gender and Sexuality in Modern Europe; or in the History of the family.

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MLitt in Scottish Historical Studies

• Explore key themes in the study of Scotland’s past.

• Focused attention upon one of three time periods develops the understanding and skills required to pursue independent research.

• Explore multiple and often conflicting Scottish identities as they developed over time in the broader context of British, imperial and global history.

• Pursue more intensive study of the literature of a topic of your choice under the guidance of an expert supervisor.

• Supplementary classes in Scots, Gaelic, Latin, Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon, French and palaeography are also available.

Features

* With around 50 staff, we can offer an unusually broad and varied portfolio of research expertise.

* We have a friendly and collegial atmosphere, in which our postgraduates are actively involved. Social events run throughout the year, starting with a Welcome Reception, and including parties organised by the different Departments, Centres and Institutes.

* Our large postgraduate community includes around 90 research postgraduates and a further 50 taught postgraduates.

* We have a strong commitment to providing skills training to enhance the employability of our postgraduates.

* We are committed to the provision of language training throughout the degree; we also offer up to six language bursaries to incoming postgraduates wishing to develop skills essential to their research.

Postgraduate community

The University of St Andrews is one of the world’s Top 40 Arts and Humanities universities (Times Higher Education 2015) and home to a major centre for postgraduate historical study. Building on excellence in individual research, the School has expertise across the Mediaeval, Early Modern and Modern periods, and a wide geographical coverage. Our research interests range from sixth-century Scotland to Iran in the early twenty-first century (and innumerable other places in between). We have particular strengths in Middle Eastern, Transnational, British, Continental European and US History; as well as groupings focused on Reformation Studies, Environmental History, and Intellectual History. As befits Scotland’s oldest university, the School is also a leading centre of Scottish
historical research.
The School of History occupies three sites in the heart of the historic town of St Andrews. All are within a few minutes’ walk of each other, and of the University Library:
• On tree-lined South Street and close to the ruins of the Cathedral, most Mediaevalists and Reformation Studies colleagues are based in a charming seventeenth-century town house and the adjoining mediaeval residence of the Hospitallers.

• St Katharine’s Lodge is a nineteenth-century former school (attended by Field Marshal Earl Haig) close to St Andrews Castle and the magnificent West Sands beach.

• Middle Eastern History is in the Arts Building, which opened in 2008, with elegant new teaching and work spaces.

Facilities

• The University Library provides extensive collections for use in historical study, including an outstanding Special Collections facility, and continues to make substantial investment in materials, including electronic resources, each year.

• Computer facilities are also readily available within workspaces and University clusters.

• A scheme of competitive scholarships and bursaries is in place to support selected postgraduates financially.

• Language bursaries are available (through a competitive scheme) to enable students new to St Andrews to gain language skills in the summer before starting their postgraduate study.

• All History postgraduates at St Andrews receive financial assistance annually from the School of History specifically to subsidise research expenses.

• Postgraduate students can apply for material support for the organisation of conferences and seminars; this has led in the past to successful events and subsequent publication.

• Social events run throughout the year including the Welcome Reception, a Christmas Party and a Champagne Brunch at graduation. Students may also attend annual Reading Parties and enjoy the opportunity to meet visiting speakers over dinner after research seminars.

Careers

Following a taught postgraduate course in History at the University of St Andrews, students go on to pursue careers in a range of sectors including journalism, publishing, think tanks, government, law, and teaching. Others continue in academia, moving on to a PhD.

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Why take this course?

​What was the Royal Navy’s role in British history, and that of its empire? Why did Nelson become such a hero and how was he depicted? Through unique collaborations with the National Museum of the Royal Navy and HMS Warrior, this programme explores these questions in the context of 400 years of naval history. You will examine the importance of the Royal Navy to British and global history, while engaging with the life of the ordinary sailor in peace and war, the cult of the naval hero, and the navy – and its sailors – in popular culture. To do so, you will draw on a range of naval experts, curators, and primary sources, including the rich collections of Portsmouth’s naval museums. The flexible distance format allows you to learn from leading naval experts as well as the latest scholarship and debates in the field.

What will I experience?

On this course you will:

Access the rich archives and expertise of the National Museum of the Royal Navy and HMS Warrior to support your study.
Undertake study through flexible distance learning techniques, with the option to blend this with study days in Portsmouth.
Take advantage of unique connections with both Portsmouth and international maritime museums, with opportunities to go on field trips and experience behind the scenes tours.
Train in historical research and the interpretation of multi-archive sources.

What opportunities might it lead to?

This course is an excellent opportunity for students with an interest in British and Naval History to learn from experts in the field and develop a real grounding in this subject area. Offering specific real-life learning experience working with archives and museums, this course offers you the opportunity to develop key transferable skills, such as independent learning, written communication, textual analysis and time management. This course also assists you with refining key research skills appropriate for progression to PhD level research.

Possible career opportunities include:

Journalism
Law
Teaching
Administration
Archive and museum work

Module Details

You will study the following core units:

The Wooden Walls – The Royal Navy under Sail, 1509-1815
The navy changed immensely from that of Henry VIII, and his Mary Rose, to that of Nelson and Victory. Britain went from being a second rate European power to the sole world superpower by 1815. This module explores the changes which both navy and nation experienced in the early modern period. To do so, it looks at key events, including battles such as the Armada and Trafalgar, but also assesses how the navy was supplied and manned, and how the experience of the sailor changed in this period. Using the collections of the museums on the University’s doorstep, as well as the historic ships in Portsmouth, the course will look to understand what it was like to serve aboard a wooden sailing ship, and how the navy, and its heroes and ordinary sailors, were portrayed to the nation at large.

Rise and Fall – Naval Hegemony and Decline, 1815-1960
Emerging from the Napoleonic Wars as the dominant naval power, the Royal Navy assumed a role of imperial protector and global policeman. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, however, Britain began to be challenged globally, and found itself at war twice in the twentieth century. The rise of the USA, and the decline of its empire meant that, although victorious in both World Wars, Britain’s global power had disappeared soon after 1945. This module looks to understand how the navy fits into these wider trends, and the role it played in both peace and war. Using the collections of the naval museums, and those historic ships on our doorstep, including the first British ironclad, HMS Warrior, the course also looks at how technological change influenced its role, and how it changed the lives of those aboard.

Programme Assessment

The course can be studied entirely by distance learning through access to high quality interactive resources online, including unique primary sources, secondary literature, and video clips of world renowned experts. Dr Steven Gray, Lecturer in the History of the Royal Navy, will also be on hand to guide you through the course, as well as provide regular feedback and opportunities to discuss your work. Students will also be welcome to join optional campus based elements in Portsmouth, which will allow students to meet others on the course, participate in seminars, and access the resources, archives, historical artefacts and expertise of the naval museums in Portsmouth. There will also be optional field trips further afield, including abroad, that will further students’ understanding of the Royal Navy, and its role in the world. The MA is taught by university specialists in naval history, alongside staff from the National Museum of the Royal Navy and HMS Warrior, expertise, archives and galleries will offered to students at an unprecedented level. This flexible programme of delivery enables participation from students all over the UK and beyond.

Student Destinations

The degree will embed a range of highly desirable transferable skills such a communication, research and writing skills. In addition, the MA affords the student the opportunity to gain invaluable employability skills through internships arranged with the NMRN. Students who hold an MA in Naval History will be equipped for a variety of occupations such as teaching, the civil services, the armed forces, research for strategic studies bodies, and more general post-graduate employment. The MA also provides an ideal foundation for those who would like to embark on a PhD in naval history.

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