Masters Degrees in Modern History

Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Early Modern History at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).

The MA in Early Modern History offers the study of the period of history that runs from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries, and encompasses the Renaissance, Reformation and Counter Reformation, and Enlightenment.

Key Features of MA in Early Modern History

The wide-ranging expertise of Swansea University's early modern historians allows students to study British, European, American or Asian History. The MA in Early Modern History explores the history of art and culture, empire, gender, politics, religion, sexuality and science.

Swansea University has excellent research resources for postgraduate study in the area of Early Modern History. In addition to the general holdings in the University library, the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth is within travelling distance. The University works closely with the National Galleries and Museums of Wales. There are a postgraduate common room and an electronic resources room available in the James Callaghan Building for students enrolled in the MA in Early Modern History programme.

The College of Arts and Humanities has a Graduate Centre. The Graduate Centre fosters and supports individual and collaborative research activity of international excellence and offers a vibrant and supportive environment for students pursuing postgraduate research and taught masters study. The Centre provides postgraduate training to enhance academic and professional development and facilitates participation in seminar programmes, workshops and international conferences.

The full-time Early Modern History course structure is split across the year with three modules taken in each academic semester (a total of six modules) and then a dissertation over the summer.

Students study three compulsory modules and three optional modules. The dissertation is written on a specialist research topic of the student's choosing.

Part-time study is available.

Who should Apply?

Students interested in early modern history from a history or related background. Students interested in preparation for postgraduate research, MPhil or PhD, or who wish to develop skills and knowledge related to early modern history.

Modules

Modules on the Early Modern History course typically include:

• Historical Methods and Approaches

• New Departures in the Writing of History

• Gender & Humour in Medieval Europe

• From Princely Possessions to Public Museums: A History of Collecting and Display

• Venice and the Sea

• Medieval Manuscripts

• Directed Reading in History

MA in Early Modern History Programme Aims

- To acquire advanced knowledge and understanding of a range of topics related to early modern history.

- To develop theoretical and methodological skills relevant to all aspects of the study of early modern history.

- To lay a solid foundation of knowledge and analytical and presentational skills for further research work in the field.

Research Interests

All staff in the Department of History and Classics are research active and publish books and articles in their areas of expertise. Our researchers are involved with the Arts and Humanities research centres: the Callaghan Centre for the Study of Conflict, Power and Empire, the Richard Burton Centre for the Study of Wales and the Research Groups: MEMO: the Centre for Medieval and Early modern Research and GENCAS: the Centre for Research into Gender in Culture and Society. Regular research seminars and lectures are run through these groups and also through the Research Institute for Arts and Humanities (RIAH) which students are encouraged to attend.

Careers

Career expectations are excellent for Early Modern History graduates. MA degree holders may move on to doctoral study or enter employment in such areas as museums, heritage and tourism; marketing, sales and advertising; business, art, design and culture; media and PR; social and welfare professions; humanitarian organisations; the civil service, and education.

Student Quotes

“I graduated with a First-Class Honours BA History degree and an MA in Early Modern History from Swansea University. My four years of study here were truly the most enjoyable of my life so far! The lecturers, tutors and all members of the History department were also incredibly friendly and always willing to help. The MA was fully funded by a University Alumni bursary. The range of modules available to MA students is exceptional and the facilities here are fantastic. With a designated Arts and Humanities Postgraduate computer room and common-room area, as well as the University’s very own archives, Swansea is a great place to study History.”

Cath Horler, Early Modern History, MA

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Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Modern History at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).

The MA in Modern History is designed for students who are particularly interested in the study of the modern period and the emergence of the characteristics of modernity from the pre-modern world.

Key Features of MA in Modern History

The expertise of Swansea’s modern historians encompasses Welsh, British, European and global history, with specialisms in economic and industrial history, questions of identity and nationality, imperialism, medicine, politics, sexuality, and sport.

Swansea has a long history of excellence in the study of modern history, and many students who have completed their MA successfully have also studied for their doctorate here.

Students on the MA in Modern History course will benefit from the College of Arts and Humanities' Graduate Centre. The Graduate Centre fosters and supports individual and collaborative research activity of international excellence and offers a vibrant and supportive environment for students pursuing postgraduate research and taught masters study. The Centre provides postgraduate training to enhance academic and professional development and facilitates participation in seminar programmes, workshops and international conferences.

The full-time Modern History course structure is split across the year with three modules taken in each academic semester (a total of six modules) and then a dissertation over the summer. Students study three compulsory modules and three optional modules. The dissertation is written on a specialist research topic of the student's choosing.

Part-time study for the MA in Modern History is available.

MA in Modern History Programme Aims

- To acquire advanced knowledge and understanding of a range of topics related to modern history.

- To develop theoretical, practical and methodological skills relevant to all aspects of the study of modern history.

- To lay a solid foundation of knowledge and analytical and presentational skills for further research work in the field.

Modules

Modules on the MA Modern History course typically include:

• Historical Methods and Approaches

• New Departures in the Writing of History

• Communicating History

• Fascism and Culture

• From Princely Possessions to Public Museums: A History of Collecting and Display

• Power, Conflict, and Society in the Modern World

• Venice and the Sea

• Directed Reading in History

Who should Apply?

Students interested in Modern History from a history or related background. Students interested in preparation for postgraduate research, MPhil or PhD, or who wish to develop skills and knowledge related to modern history.

Careers

Career expectations are excellent for Modern History graduates. MA degree holders may move on to doctoral study or enter employment in such areas as museums, heritage and tourism; marketing, sales and advertising; business, art, design and culture; media and PR; social and welfare professions; humanitarian organisations; the civil service, and education.

Research Interests

All staff in the Department of History and Classics are research active and publish books and articles in their areas of expertise.

Our researchers are involved with the Arts and Humanities research centres: the Callaghan Centre for the Study of Conflict, Power and Empire and the Richard Burton Centre for the Study of Wales. Regular research seminars and lectures are run through these Centres and also through the Research Institute for Arts and Humanities (RIAH) which students are encouraged to attend.

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Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study History at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).

The MA by Research in History is a research degree pursued over one year full-time or two years part-time. Students on the History research programme undertake research under the supervision of History staff, and produce a thesis that makes an original contribution to knowledge and understanding of some aspect of the past.

Key Features of the MA by Research in History

The expertise of the Department of History and Classics spans from the ancient cultures and languages of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome to the history of late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century Europe. The research of our staff and postgraduates is integral to the life of the Department of History and Classics, and it means that Swansea is a dynamic, exciting, and stimulating place to study.

History and Classics is part of the Research Institute for the Arts and Humanities (RIAH: http://www.swansea.ac.uk/riah/), which organises a large number of seminars, conferences, and other research activities. There are also a number of research groups which act as focal points for staff and postgraduates, including: the Richard Burton Centre for the Study of Wales, Centre for Ancient Narrative Literature (KYKNOS), Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Research (MEMO), and the Centre for research into Gender in Culture and Society (GENCAS).

As a student of the History research programme you have access to skills and training programmes offered by the College of Arts and Humanities and the University.

The MA by Research in History is ideal for those who would like to do an initial research degree, either as a stand-alone culmination to their studies or with a view to further, subsequent research, e.g. in form of a PhD. Research proposals are invited on any topic in medieval, early modern, or modern history for which staff can provide supervision.

For informal enquiries regarding the MA by research in History programme please contact: Dr Fritz-Gregor Herrmann ([email protected]).

Research Interests

Research interests in the Department of History and Classics include:

Medieval History

• The Anglo-Norman ‘Realm’ and the Angevin Empire

• Capetian France, especially the monarchy, aristocracy, and religious orders

• The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade

• Charters and the documentary records of medieval France and England

• The Mediterranean world, especially the Crusades, later medieval Italian society and politics, and the Italian Renaissance, including art history

• England and Wales in the central and late Middle Ages, including the aristocracy and gentry, the Welsh Marches, urban history, law and crime, women and the law, religious belief and practice, and education and literacy

• Gender and the life cycle in late medieval Europe

• Medieval frontier societies and borderlands, and concepts of frontiers from the late Roman Empire to the present day

Early Modern History

• Most aspects of British history between 1500 and 1800, especially religious, scientific, cultural and gender history

• The history of health and medicine in early modern Britain

• History of Disabilities

• The Portuguese Empire

• The Reformation and Counter-Reformation

• Science, intellectual life, collecting and museums in early modern Europe

• The social history of early modern sex and marriage

• Crime and witchcraft

• The Enlightenment, republicanism and international relations in the eighteenth century

Modern History

• Most aspects of Welsh history, especially industrial society

• The cultural, intellectual and urban history of nineteenth-century and twentieth-century Britain

• Modern international history

• The United States since 1750, in particular slavery, the South and the Civil War

• The economic and imperial history of Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

• Emigration and urbanisation in the British Isles between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries

• The political history of the UK since 1800

• Military and society in Europe between 1750 and 1815

• Austrian and German history in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

• Austrian, German and Central European history, especially in the fields of urban, labour and post-1945 history

• Modern economic history

• Quantitative aspects of British economic growth from the sixteenth to the twenty-first centuries

• Anti-capitalist and socialist political economy

• Policing and police forces in twentieth-century Europe

• Italian fascism

• Allied Occupation of Italy

• Contemporary French and Italian social an d cultural history

• Memory studies and oral history of twentieth-century Europe

• History of protest and activism in the 1960s and 1970s

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Durham's MA in Modern History is a broad-ranging Master's programme which seeks to equip students with historical research techniques and approaches, advanced skills in critical analysis and independent study, as well as strong and effective communication skills. The MA programme is designed to enable students with different career ambitions to succeed in their chosen area, and it caters for students of different backgrounds, previous training, and areas of specialisation. The breadth of research interests of the modern historians at Durham allows the department to offer supervision in topics about modern history from the nineteenth century through to contemporary history. The programme seeks to enable students to build an awareness of the contemporary boundaries of modern scholarship, to master advanced understanding of historical concepts and methods, and ultimately to make their own contributions to the field.

Durham's History Department is an international centre for the study of the Modern period, and is situated in the historic setting of the World Heritage Site, which includes Durham Cathedral, Durham Castle, and the surrounding area. Students of modern history at Durham benefit from the rich archival and manuscript resources in the collections of the University (at Palace Green Library - especially the Sudan Archive - and Ushaw College) and in the Cathedral Library, while the wider regional resources for study of the period are also highly significant: the landscape of industrial revolution and of post-industrial response, of globalisation and regional identity. Modern History at Durham is comprehensive and international in its reach, with specialists in the cultural and political history, visual culture and media studies, sports history, regional and international histories. Area specialisms include the British Isles, Continental Europe, Africa, North America, China and the Steppe regions.

Course Structure

The MA in Modern History is a one-year full-time programme (or two-years part-time). All students are allocated a supervisor at the beginning of the first term, and s/he guides each student through the year. The programme is structured as follows:

Michaelmas Term (October-December)
-Archives and Sources (15 credits)
-Issues in Modern History (30 credits)
-*Skill module (30 credits) - taken over Michaelmas and Epiphany Terms
Students may choose to take a skills module: these are mainly medieval/ancient languages (e.g. Old English, Old Norse, Latin, Greek), modern languages for reading (e.g. Academic French, Academic German), or research skills (e.g. palaeography). Students who take a skills module write a 60-credit dissertation instead of a 90-credit dissertation.

Epiphany Term (January-March)
-Critical Practice (15 credits)
-Option module (30 credits)
Option modules allow students the opportunity to learn about a particular topic or issue in modern history in depth, and to consider different historical approaches to this topic over a full term's study. In previous years, options for modern history included: The Wealth of Nations; Race in Modern America; 'Tribe' and Nation in Africa since 1800; Interpretations of Terror and Genocide in Modern Europe; Tradition, Change and Political Culture in Modern Britain; Gender, Nationalism and Modernity in East Asia; History, Knowledge and Visual Culture (a full list of MA option modules is available at: https://www.dur.ac.uk/history/postgraduate/ma_degrees/optionalmodules/). Option modules are taught in weekly two-hour seminars for a full term's study.

Easter Term (April-June), and the summer vacation (until early September)
-Dissertation (90 credits, or 60 credits if taking a *Skill module)

The formal requirements and structure of the programme can be found at: https://www.dur.ac.uk/courses/info/?id=9200&title=Modern+History&code=V1K707&type=MA&year=2016#essentials a full list of optional modules is available at: https://www.dur.ac.uk/history/postgraduate/ma_degrees/optionalmodules/

The MA can be taken part-time, over two years. In the first year the module combination consists of Archives and Sources, Critical Practice, Issues and in addition a Skills module OR Optional module. In the second year your work will consist of either a 90 credit, 20,000 word dissertation (if you took an Optional module in the first year) OR a 60 credit, 15,000 word dissertation, AND an Optional module (if you took a Skills module in the first year).

Additional courses can be taken on an audit-basis (not for credit), and can include language modules as well as optional modules. You will need to ask and receive the permission of the module leader before auditing a class. If the class is outside the department you will also need to inform the Director of Taught Postgraduates.

Learning and Teaching

The programme is delivered primarily through small group seminar teaching with some larger classes, and lecture-style sessions. Termly division of contact hours between terms depends on student choice. Issues in Modern History has 16 contact hours, all classroom-based; this module is team-taught and exposes students to a wide variety of staff support and expertise. Archives and Sources has 8 contact hours, split between lectures, classes and seminars. Skills modules are taught through seminars or classes and are usually more contact-hour-intensive. Optional modules are taught in seminars and provide a total of 16 contact hours. Critical Practice involves lectures, a drama workshop, and oral presentation to a group (at a 'mini-conference'). Dissertation supervision involves 8 hours of directed supervision, individually with a dedicated supervisor.

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About the course

The MA Modern History at Aberystwyth offers you the opportunity to study modern British, continental European, American and/or world history from the early 19th century to the present with a team of leading specialists in their fields. The course embraces a range of perspectives including political, diplomatic, social, cultural and media history, and also provides you with intensive training in research skills and methods for modern history, including the opportunity to develop or enhance your knowledge of a European language.

Why study MA Modern History at Aberystwyth University?

Study just five minutes away from one of five UK copyright libraries, the National Library of Wales

History has been taught in Aberystwyth since 1872, making our department the oldest in Wales and one of the foremost in Britain

Aberystwyth University is a top 50 university for research power and intensity – REF 2014

All our lecturers are active researchers who publish their work

Benefit from small group teaching

Opportunity to undertake a work placement as part of this course with an institution that engages on a daily basis with history

Engage with a variety of paradigms, perspectives, methodologies, sources and interdisciplinary approaches to history

Develop your own research interests in the field of modern history (18th 19th, 20th centuries including the contemporary period) aided by the longstanding expertise of the Department of History and Welsh History

A wide variety of option modules are available as part of this course and staff expertise within the Department is varied and expansive

Course structure and content

When studied full-time, the first two semesters consist of six 20 credit modules. Students will take a core module that addresses the concept of political culture in the modern era and a research training module - Research Methods and Professional Skills in History.

Students will then take a further four optional modules. Option modules are varied and allow students to direct their study into a diverse range of topics. Students will also be able to undertake additional research training modules tailored to their own particular research interests (such as the use of public opinion data or private correspondence, visual and sound media, newspapers and broadcast sources, and oral history). Students on this course will also have the opportunity to study a modern European language at either beginners or advanced level.

In the final semester, students complete their MA dissertation, an original research project (15,000 words) undertaken under the close supervision of a specialist within the Department.

Core modules:

Dissertation *
Political Culture in Modern Britain, Europe and the Usa
Research Methods and Professional Skills in History

Optional modules:

Class and Community in Wales 1850 - 1939
Concepts and Sources in Heritage Studies
Heritage Organisations and the Presentation of the Past
Information and Society
Landownership and Society in Wales
Media History: An Introduction
Political Power and the Media in Britain
Politics and Culture of the Cold War in Southeast Asia
Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis
Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis (1120)
Science, Place and Victorian Culture
Sources for Postgraduate Research in the Modern Humanities and Social Sciences
The American Public, Washington and the World
The European Powers in the Age of World Wars
The Georgian Spa and Seaside Resort
The Making of Modern Wales
Understanding the Cold War
Working with History

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh

Contact time

Approximately 10 hours a week in the first two semesters. During semester three you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned supervisor.

Assessment

Assessment for this course is largely essay based, with some optional modules also incorporating report writing and oral assessment.

The Research Methods and Professional Skills in History module will be assessed via an oral assessment of MA conference presentation, an assessed outline of an MA conference presentation, a critical assessment of a departmental research seminar, and a dissertation research proposal.

Successful submission of the MA dissertation in the final semester leads to the award of an MA.

Skills

This course will empower you to:

• Increase your critical faculties
• Develop study and research skills
• Develop strong writing and analytical skills as well as the capacity to work independently
• Develop your abilities in structuring and communicating complex ideas clearly, accurately, and authoritatively
• Interrogate historical practices at an advanced level
• Develop practical skills and hands-on experience in researching Modern History

Careers

Graduates from the Department of History and Welsh History at Aberystwyth University have expansive and varied careers.

Examples of pathways our previous graduates have taken include:

• Archivists
• Publishers
• Local and national politics
• Tourism
• Heritage administration
• Public administration
• Real Estate Development
• Law
• Civil Service
• Journalism
• Broadcast media
• Armed Forces
• Education
• Management
• Accountancy
• Entrepreneurs
• Academia/further study

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Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study History at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).

The MA in History is an exciting programme that covers a wide range of topics in history from the Middle Ages onwards.

Key Features of MA in History

The wide-ranging expertise of Swansea University's historians offers the study of British, European, American or Asian History. The History MA allows students to explore the history of art and culture, empire, gender, politics, religion, sexuality and science.

Students on the MA History programme are introduced to key concepts that shape the study of history. The MA in History students benefit not only from the unusual concentration of historians at Swansea, but also from the existence of the College of Arts and Humanities Research Centres, the Callaghan Centre for the Study of Conflict, Power and Empires and the Richard Burton Centre.

History MA students benefit from the the College of Arts and Humanities' Graduate Centre. The Graduate Centre fosters and supports individual and collaborative research activity of international excellence and offers a vibrant and supportive environment for students pursuing postgraduate research and taught masters study including the MA in History programme. The Centre provides postgraduate training to enhance academic and professional development and facilitates participation in seminar programmes, workshops and international conferences.

The full-time History course structure is split across the year with three modules taken in each academic semester (a total of six modules) and then a dissertation over the summer. History students study three compulsory modules and three optional modules. The dissertation is written on a specialist research topic of the student's choosing.

Part-time study for MA in History is available.

MA in History Programme Aims

- To acquire advanced knowledge and understanding of a range of topics related to history.

- To develop theoretical and methodological skills relevant to all aspects of the study of history.

- To lay a solid foundation of knowledge and analytical and presentational skills for further research work in the field.

Modules on the MA in History

Modules on the History course typically include:

• Historical Methods and Approaches

• New Departures in the Writing of History

• Communicating History

• Directed Reading in History

• From Princely Possessions to Public Museums: A History of Collecting and Display

• Power, Conflict, and Society in the Modern World

• Venice and the Sea

• Medieval Manuscripts

• Fascism & Culture

Who should Apply?

Students from a history or related background. Students interested in preparation for postgraduate research, MPhil or PhD, or who wish to develop skills and knowledge related to history.

Research Interests

All staff in the Department of History and Classics are research active and publish books and articles in their areas of expertise. Staff and students are members of a range of Arts and Humanities research centres: the Callaghan Centre for the Study of Conflict, Power and Empire, the Richard Burton Centre for the Study of Wales and the Research Groups: MEMO: the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Research and GENCAS: the Centre for Research into Gender in Culture and Society. Regular research seminars and lectures are run through these groups and through the Research Institute for Arts and Humanities (RIAH) giving students including those of the MA in History programme access to cutting-edge research.

Careers

Career expectations are excellent for History graduates. MA degree holders in History may move on to doctoral study or enter employment in such areas as museums, heritage and tourism; marketing, sales and advertising; business, art, design and culture; media and PR; social and welfare professions; humanitarian organisations; the civil service, and education.

Student Quote

“I graduated with a First-Class Honours BA History degree and an MA in History from Swansea University. My four years of study here were truly the most enjoyable of my life so far! The lecturers, tutors and all members of the History department were also incredibly friendly and always willing to help. The History MA was fully funded by a University Alumni bursary. The range of modules available to MA students is exceptional and the facilities here are fantastic. With a designated Arts and Humanities Postgraduate computer room and common-room area, as well as the University’s very own archives, Swansea is a great place to study History.”

Cath Horler, History, MA

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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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This programme will allow you to take a broad approach to African, Indian, American, British and European history from the early modern period to the 21st century.

A core module will allow you to sharpen your research skills, and you’ll choose from a wide range of optional modules spanning nations, continents, periods and themes to explore topics that interest you. You could study black internationalism alongside early modern Europe, the Spanish state, Stalinism, political violence in India or apartheid.

You’ll be taught by leading researchers as part of a large and diverse School of History and Leeds Humanities Research Institute, supported by active research groups and extensive library resources. Our research interests range from social history and identity to political history, nationalism and internationalism, meaning this flexible programme offers plenty of opportunities to gain important skills while focusing on issues that suit your interests.

You’ll study in a supportive environment with a wide range of resources. The world-class Brotherton Library has one of the best history collections in the UK, ranging from monographs and journals to conference papers, theses and over 100 digital databases of primary sources and other materials for fundamental research. The Brotherton also has its own special collections including the Leeds Russian Archive and the Feminist Archive North.

The Alf Mattinson Collection is full of printed works and papers related to the history of the Labour Party, and the Romany collection and Liddle Collection offer insights into Romany culture and the First World War respectively.

This programme is also available to study part-time over 24 months.

Course content

You’ll study one core module in your first semester, introducing you to different research methodologies in history and allowing you to develop your skills. You’ll also select from a wide range of optional modules throughout the year, allowing you to pursue topics that interest you such as the history of Yorkshire, the European Enlightenment or issues surrounding global security.

You’ll also have the opportunity to work collaboratively with partner organisations, such as the West Yorkshire Archive Service, by studying the ‘Making History: Archive Collaborations’ module.

This programme will equip you with in-depth subject knowledge, as well as high-level skills in research, interpretation and analysis. You’ll be able to demonstrate these when you complete your dissertation on a modern history topic of your choice, which you’ll submit by the end of the programme.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.

Course structure

These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

Compulsory modules

• Research Methodology in History 30 credits
• Dissertation (History) 60 credits

Optional modules

• Making History: Archive Collaborations 30 credits
• Secrecy and Espionage in Early Modern Europe 30 credits
• Reformation(s): Belief and Culture in Early Modern Europe 30 credits
• Approaches to Contemporary European History 30 credits
• 'The continuation of war by other means? : Case Studies in Wartime Diplomacy 1931-1945 30 credits
• Medicine and Warfare in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 30 credits
• Women, Gender and Sexuality: Archives and Approaches 30 credits
• Defending the Nation: Britain during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793 to 1815 30 credits
• Stalinist Terror 30 credits
• Black Internationalism 30 credits
• India since 1947: Community, Caste and Political Violence 30 credits
• Sexuality and Disease in African History 30 credits
• Contesting Patriarchy: Debating Gender Justice in Colonial and Post-Colonial India.30 credits
• The War on Terror 30 credits
• Latin America and the Caribbean from Rebellion to Revolution, 1765-1845 30 credits
• Guns and Global Security 30 credits
• Britain and the Slave Trade 30 credits
• Insurgency and Counterinsurgency 30 credits
• The Fragility of the Spanish State: Identity, Conflict and Resistance, 1808-1939 30 credits
• Anti-Apartheid: Cultures of the Struggle 30 credits
• Race and Second Wave Feminism in the US30 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Modern History MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read Modern History MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

We use a range of teaching and learning methods. The majority of your modules will be taught through weekly seminars, where you’ll discuss issues and themes in your chosen modules with a small group of students and your tutors. Independent study is also crucial to this degree, giving you the space to shape your own studies and develop your skills.

Assessment

We use different types of assessment to help you develop a wide range of skills, including presentations, research proposals, case studies and essays, depending on the subjects you choose.

Career opportunities

This programme will heighten your cultural and social awareness as well as allowing you to build your historical knowledge. You’ll also gain high-level research, analysis and communication skills that will prove valuable in a wide range of careers.

Graduates have found success in a wide range of careers in education, research and the private sector. Many others have continued with their studies at PhD level.

We offer different forms of support to help you reach your career goals. You’ll have the chance to attend our career groups, meeting students with similar plans, or you could become a paid academic mentor to an undergraduate completing their final-year dissertation. You could also apply for one of the internships we offer each year.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

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This popular Modern History course is focused on European and British history from the mid 18th century onwards and explores the key topics of the period, from European nation building to modern British politics. The couse is designed primarily for those interested in Continental European and/or British History and draws on a wide range of approaches to give you a comparative perspective. 

It offers a huge range of options taught by world-leading experts, including modules taught in the Institute of Contemporary British History.

The degree leads to further research or careers in education, journalism, finance, politics and cultural sectors.

Key benefits

• One of the best history departments in the world, ranked in the top five in Europe (QS World University Rankings 2016).
• King’s graduates enjoy one of the best employment rates and starting salaries in the UK. Ranked 6th in the UK for graduate employment (Times and Sunday Times Good Universities Guide 2016).
• Innovative comparative approach to British and Continental European history since the 18th-century.
• The central London location offers students unrivalled access to world-class museums, collections, archives and libraries as well as easy access to resources in Europe.
• Vibrant research culture, including seminars and conferences at which students are encouraged to participate and give papers.

Description

The history of modern Europe and Britain has always been central to our teaching. This popular Modern History MA course will give you the skills that you need to study modern history, and you will explore the key topics of the period, from European nation building to modern British politics. We have designed this MA primarily for those interested in Continental European and/or British History since the mid-18th century, and the course draws on a wide range of approaches to give you a comparative perspective. You will also have the opportunity to study a modern language, which will extend the range of sources that you can engage with.

We will help you to make comparisons between the experiences of different societies and polities, a skill that we believe is fundamental to understanding historical issues, and to think broadly, not just in terms of country, period and discipline.

The course will give you access to an exceptionally wide range of optional modules from across the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, as well as other institutions. You can also attend relevant undergraduate lecture series, such as Europe from 1793–1991 and Politics & Society in Britain, 1780–1945. 

Institute of Contemporary British History (ICBH) 

The Institute of Contemporary British History (ICBH) joined us in September 2010, and it has close links with the Department of History, enabling you to take ICBH modules and participate in Institute activities.

Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHoSTM)

The Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHoSTM) joined us in August 2013. The Centre is one of the most vibrant groups of historians devoted to the study of science, technology and medicine in the world, covering a wide chronological range, and concerned with global as well as national histories. You can take modules offered by CHoSTM and we will encourage you to attend their fortnightly seminar series.  

Course purpose

Provides a distinctive programme suitable both for those intending to proceed to a PhD and for those who wish to study modern history at an advanced level. Encourage a broad vision in study that escapes rigid divisions of country, period or discipline.

Course format and assessment

Teaching

Full-time study: 4-8 hours of taught classes per week.

Part-time study: 2-6 hours of taught classes per week.

Assessment

The taught compulsory and optional modules are assessed by coursework and/or take-home examination. The compulsory 15,000 word dissertation enables students to research a topic of their choice, working one-to-one with an academic supervisor.

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The Cultural History pathway encourages you to investigate artefacts and ideas, material objects and mentalities, medical documents and museums, photographs and films and explore key themes that have shaped the past, including national identity, gender, race, sexuality and modernity.

On this absorbing MA programme you’ll study one of the most exciting fields of historical inquiry; cultural history examines the culture of the time in order to understand how people made sense of the world they inhabited.

It will introduce you to the specialist research methods used by cultural historians, to ongoing historiographical and theoretical debates and to related disciplines such as cultural studies, literary studies, history of art and sociology. You will also get the opportunity to explore the area of cultural history that interests you most in your dissertation.

The MA draws together case studies from across Britain and continental Europe, the European Empires and North America from the 18th century to the present day. Taking the Cultural History MA will:

- Deepen your understanding of the cultural history of Britain and its Empire, continental Europe and North America since the 18th century
- Encourage you to think about a broad range of questions and debates in cultural history
- Allow you to engage with current debates on such themes as gender, modernity, national identity, sexuality and the politics of culture
- Give you the chance to work closely with a dynamic group of young historians and established scholars who themselves research and write about the cultural history of Britain, continental Europe and North America.

Students study two 30-credit core modules and four 15-credit research training modules, culminating in a 60-credit dissertation.

Why History?

Breadth of expertise

The interests of our staff and PhD students are extremely diverse and span the medieval, early modern and modern periods.

Their work encompasses political, social, cultural, economic, military and diplomatic history, across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

Active seminar programmes, linked to our research centres and MA programmes, enable staff and postgraduates to present their work and listen to eminent visiting speakers.

These are our on-going seminar series:

Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Eighteenth-Century Worlds
Contemporary Cultural and Social
History
International Slavery
Contemporary History and Policy
New Research (run by our postgraduate students)
Recent conferences and workshops have addressed ‘Religion in the Spanish Baroque’, ‘Text and Place in Medieval and Early Modern Europe’, ‘Re-thinking Post- Slavery’ and ‘British Nuclear Culture’.

Taught programmes that prepare you for future research

By pursuing our programmes you’ll gain the skills and knowledge you need to carry out further research towards a PhD.

Our MA programmes are taught by research-active experts who bring their knowledge of, and passion for, their subjects into the seminar room.

Teaching takes place in small-group seminars or workshops and through one-to-one tutorials, as we believe this leads to the best collaboration between students and staff.

We offer programmes in:-

Cultural History
Eighteenth-Century Worlds
International Slavery Studies
Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Twentieth-Century History
You can also pursue an MRes in History or a vocational Masters in Archives and Records Management.

Support and skills training for PhD students

As a postgraduate research student you’ll receive comprehensive skills from the Graduate School, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and History Department.

This will equip you with the research skills you need to successfully complete your PhD.

Our PhD programmes place a strong emphasis on independent research and study, culminating in a 100,000-word dissertation. Two supervisors (normally experts in your chosen field) who will advise and support you through the process.

Our commitment to postgraduate students

We welcome enquiries from all postgraduate students interested in studying here and will give you all the academic, practical and pastoral support we can.

Students have a voice here and are represented on the School Postgraduate Committee. There’s also a dedicated staff – student liaison committee to oversee our MA and PhD programmes.

Postgraduate studentships and bursaries are often available.

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The MA is a distinctive programme designed for applicants whose interests lie in the study of early modern history, and who feel that they have much more to discover. The course provides both a thorough research training and an opportunity to explore new approaches to the history of early modern Britain, Europe and their overseas empires. Students are introduced to a wide range of sources and approaches drawn from the entire span of the early modern period, and thereby gain an unusual breadth of vision which transcends more conventional boundaries, not only between British and European history but also between Europe and the differing cultures encountered on Europe's frontiers and overseas.

The MA is run by the Department of History and students are encouraged to participate in the lively scholarly community of the department's active graduate school through attendance at relevant MA seminars, research training sessions and the weekly departmental research seminar. Students also have full access to the Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies which provides an active programme of academic seminars, small conferences and reading groups involving both the academic staff and graduate students.

Programme of study

The programme consists of four taught modules (20 credits each), a 20,000 word dissertation (90 credits), and a Research Training module (10 credits). These make up the 180 credits that are normal for an MA in the UK higher education system. For students registered for full-time study, the programme is as follows:

Autumn Term (October-December)
-Core Module: Approaches to Early Modern History
-Option Module 1
-Research Training (taught content)

All students take the core module Approaches to Early Modern History. The module, taught by weekly seminar, introduces students to the key concepts, methods and practices which contribute to the diversity of early modern history; and to the study of particular topics, such as new approaches to the Reformation, early modern globalisation, women in early modern Europe, and the scientific revolution. Additionally, all students take an Option Module chosen from a list approved by the Course Convenor or the Core Module of the interdisciplinary MA in Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, which counts as an Option Module for Early Modern MA students. All students follow a research training module across both terms.

Spring Term (January-March)
-Option Module 2
-Option Module 3
-Research Training (independent writing of dissertation proposal)

Students choose two optional modules which should include at least one related to their pathway. With the approval of the Course Convenor and the Module Tutor they may also choose a module from other MA programmes (e.g. English or History of Art).

Summer Term and Summer Vacation (April-September)
-Research Dissertation

During the Summer Term and over the Vacation, all students will write a research dissertation of up to 20,000 words on a subject of their own choosing and under the supervision of a member of staff, and submitted at the end of the academic year.

Students receive advice about research topics and instruction in bibliography, plus additional specialist advice and guidance from a supervisor. Because of the range of expertise of staff members and the wealth of source material available in York, it is possible to provide supervision on a wide range of topics, both chronologically and geographically.

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MLitt in Modern History

• If you have an undergraduate degree in History or can demonstrate an equivalent level of historical training, this programme provides an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of key issues in the discipline by pursuing studies at a conceptually advanced level.

• An introduction to history and historiography for students interested in all branches of historical study.

• Make full use of the wide spectrum of specialist areas covered by members of the School of History.

• Explore the literature on a topic of individual interest under the guidance of an expert.

• This programme is designed in a way that maximises choice:
– Either specialise in a particular area (e.g. French history, German history, American history)
– Or gain a broader introduction to the study of History at postgraduate level.

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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Early modern history has become increasingly interdisciplinary, with researchers drawing on the insights of anthropology, sociology, cultural and literary studies, art history, and musicology, as well as history, when writing about the past.

Topics such as violence, clothing, gender, exploration, art, drama, music, buildings and material culture have come to be seen as crucial to understanding the transformations that were taking place across the period c.1500-c.1700. These new approaches are integral to the teaching and research training provided on this course. There is also an annual field trip, designed to explore key themes and issues outside of the classroom, in the context of key buildings, documents and historical artefacts.

You will study two core modules in early modern history:

Introduction to Early Modern History
Writing Early Modern History: Sources and Approaches

You will also study the department's core module in 'Historical Methods', take a module in research preparation, and choose from a range of optional modules, including special subjects, advanced options, and further research training.

Finally, you will complete a 15,000-word dissertation on an agreed topic. The range of supervisory expertise within CREMS means that we can support dissertations in almost any area, so long as there are sufficient historical sources to support your chosen topic. Birmingham provides access to excellent library resources in early modern history, including an impressive range of digitised primary source material, from state papers and archives to printed books and much more.

About the School of History and Culture

The programmes in the School of History and Cultures offer students enquiry based learning within a rich and diverse environment to stimulate debate and challenge conventional thinking.
The programmes derive from departments which are all excellently rated by the QAA both in teaching and research terms (Medieval History 5, Modern History 5 and African Studies 5*). Our staff publish widely, and we are developing and consolidating a strong, supportive research culture in the School.
We are extremely proud to announce in June 2016, that History at Birmingham was ranked the top research department in the country by the Research Excellence Framework (REF). The national REF exercise assessed research publications and the public impact of research carried out in all universities in the UK between 2008-2014. Our department had an impressive 45% of its research judged to be ‘world-leading’.

Funding and Scholarships

There are many ways to finance your postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. To see what funding and scholarships are available, please visit: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding

Open Days

Explore postgraduate study at Birmingham at our on-campus open days.
Register to attend at: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/visit

Virtual Open Days

If you can’t make it to one of our on-campus open days, our virtual open days run regularly throughout the year. For more information, please visit: http://www.pg.bham.ac.uk

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This programme focuses on the period c1500-2000, drawing on the considerable range of expertise within the School to offer a broad selection of modules, allowing you to tailor your programme to your interests.

Visit the website: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/74/modern-history

Course detail

You learn from academics regarded as experts in their fields. You develop your capacity to think critically about past events, approach sources from a variety of perspectives and strive to understand the complex issues surrounding context and significance. You engage with the wider historiography and discourse associated with your studies, understanding the structure and nature of cultural, political and social forces in the modern period.

This programme aims to:

- place the study of texts, images and artefacts, in their historical contexts, at the centre of student learning and analysis;

- ensure that students of modern history (ie history after 1500) acquire knowledge and understanding in the historical modes of theory and analysis

- enable you to understand and use the concepts, approaches and methods of modern history in different academic contexts and refine their understanding of the differing and contested aspects between, and within, the relevant disciplines

- develop your capacities to think critically about past events and experiences

- encourage you to relate the academic study of modern history to questions of public debate and concern

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year.

- Methods and Interpretations of Historical Research

- Reading the Medieval Town: Canterbury, an International City

- Medicine, Environment and Society in the Modern World

- The Vietnam War in History, Media and Memory

- History of Science and Communication

- Religion and Society in Seventeenth-Century England

- No End of a Lesson:Britain and the Boer War

- Geographies of Knowledge c 1750-1950

- Science in Translation:Western Science in the Non-Western World

- Deformed, Deranged and Deviant

- The Black Death and Transformation of Europe, 1346-1400

- Dissertation: Modern History 1500-2000

All courses are assessed by coursework, and the dissertation counts for half the final grade (comprising one third assessed preparation, two thirds actual dissertation).

Careers

As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, postgraduate qualifications are becoming more attractive to employers seeking individuals who have finely tuned skills and abilities, which our programmes encourage you to hone. As a result of the valuable transferable skills developed during your course of study, career prospects for history graduates are wide ranging. Our graduates go on to a variety of careers, from research within the government to teaching, politics to records management and journalism, to working within museums and galleries – to name but a few.

How to apply: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

Postgraduate scholarships and funding

We have a scholarship fund of over £9 million to support our taught and research students with their tuition fees and living costs. Find out more: https://www.kent.ac.uk/scholarships/postgraduate/

English language learning

If you need to improve your English before and during your postgraduate studies, Kent offers a range of modules and programmes in English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Find out more here: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/international/english.html

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Modern History at Glasgow brings together social and political historians, active in research on topics from the French Revolution to the War on Terror in Afghanistan. The Masters in Modern History provides you with thorough research training and a wide set of transferable skills in the conception, design and execution of a research project.

Why this programme

◾Members of the Centre for Gender History, the Centre for War Studies and the Centre for Scottish Cultural Studies are all leaders in their fields.
◾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 also have unparalleled access to Scotland's world-leading collections including the National Library of Scotland, the National Collections and the Mitchell Library, Glasgow.
◾Internships are available with the Hunterian Museum. There are also opportunities to work closely with other key institutions such as Glasgow Museums and Glasgow Women's Library.

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 Modern 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
◾Secret intelligence in the 20th century
◾American material culture
◾Introduction to social theory for researchers
◾American counterculture
◾History of medicine, 1850-2000
◾The American way of war
◾Topics in historical computing
◾Issues, ideologies and institutions of modern Scotland
◾Gender, politics and power
◾Christianity and sexual revolution.

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
◾The art of war
◾Democracy and governance: classical political thought
◾Political philosophy
◾2D digitisation
◾Archives and records theory
◾Employers, elites and the state: capitalism in Britain.

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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