Masters Degrees in Economic History, United Kingdom

MSc Economic History

About the MSc programme

The MSc Economic History offers a flexible programme to those who have already studied economic history at first degree level, or for those who have studied a related discipline and whose interests have moved towards economic history.

You will be able to choose from a wide range of elective courses in economic history, allowing you to compile a programme according to your interests and career goals. You will also complete a dissertation on an approved topic of your choice. The programme provides a broad training in social science research methods and their application to historical study, including the role of theory, evaluation, analysis and explanation, quantitative techniques and computing, the use of sources and presentational skills.

Economic History combines the skills of the economist, the statistician and the sociologist, as well as those of the historian, therefore graduates leave the programme with a portfolio of highly transferable skills that can be applied across a wide variety of employment sectors.

Graduate destinations

Economic history graduates can be found in management and administration in the public and private sectors; banking; journalism; economic consultancy; and library and museum services, to mention just a few.

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Durham's MA in Social and Economic History at Durham provides training in research methods for historical topics in any aspect of social and economic history. The MA provides quantitative and qualitative research methods appropriate to a wide range of historical approaches. Accredited by the ESRC, this MA is part of our four year funding scheme offered by the North-East Doctoral Training Centre. Students can apply for 1+3 funding for this MA followed by a PhD in any aspect of social and economic history with expert supervision available within the Department – and with our partner institution in the NEDTC at Newcastle University. This includes African history, and aspects of governance, as well as traditional social and economic topics. For further information on funding see further below.

The MA programme is shared with the School of Applied Social Science and will help you to build an awareness of the contemporary boundaries of social and economic history and to master advanced understanding of the concepts and methods with which it may be interrogated. It seeks to equip you with a diverse portfolio of research techniques and approaches to enable you to undertake extended independent research in your dissertation, and to make your own contribution to the field. The skills provided by this MA are also transferrable to a wide range of careers.

Durham has a long tradition of economic and social history, on which this MA draws. The breadth of possible subjects for study mirrors the comprehensive and global nature of the department staff: from medieval Europe to modern-day Africa, and from north-east England to the global economy. Durham's History Department is situated in the historic setting of the World Heritage Site, which includes Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. Students of social and economic 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.

Course Structure

The MA in Social and Economic 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.

Students take 30 credits of core modules from History: Archives and Sources (15 credits), and Critical Practice (15 credits); and 30 credits of core modules from the School of Applied Social Sciences: Perspectives on Social Research (15 credits) AND EITHER Qualitative Research Methods in Social Science (15 credits) OR Fieldwork and Interpretation (15 credits). They write a 60-credit dissertation (15,000 words) supervised by a member of academic staff in the History Department. They also choose a 30-credit optional module in History; AND 30 credits of optional modules from Social Sciences: EITHER Statistical Exploration and Reasoning (15 credits) and Quantitative Research Methods in Social Science (15 credits) OR Applied Stastics (30 credits).

The programme is structured as follows:
Michaelmas Term (October-December)
-Archives and Sources (15 credits)
-Perspectives on Social Research (15 credits)
-*Statistical Exploration and Reasoning (15 credits; OPTIONAL)
* Fieldwork and Interpretation (15 credits; OPTIONAL)
* Applied Statistics (30 credits; OPTIONAL; runs across Michaelmas and Epiphany Terms)

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 medieval history in depth, and to consider different historical approaches to this topic over a full term's study. In previous years, options included: Power and Society in the Late Middle Ages; The Wealth of Nations; Race in Modern America; 'Tribe' and Nation in Africa since 1800; 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.
-*Qualitative Research Methods (15 credits; OPTIONAL)
-*Quantitative Research Methods (15 credits; OPTIONAL)

Easter Term (April-June), and the summer vacation (until early September)
-Dissertation (60 credits)

The formal requirements and structure of the programme can be found at: https://www.dur.ac.uk/courses/info/?id=9202&title=Social+and+Economic+History+%28Research+Methods%29&code=V1KB07&type=MA&year=2016#coursecontent 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: please contact the Department if you are interested in exploring this option further.

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. 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. Social science modules are taught through lectures, seminars, workshops, and practical classes.

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The course is designed to introduce students to current and important approaches to the study of History, drawing insights from across the social sciences. This is done in the first instance through the Central Concepts in Economic and Social History course, and more specifically, in a choice of two courses from a list of specific topics offered by staff members in History and in related Social Sciences. Students are also expected to undertake training in social science research methods, encompassing quantitative and qualitative analytical tools, which are taught at all levels, from beginner to advanced.

Throughout the course students will be supervised by a dedicated member of staff, who will guide their research towards the completion of an original historical subject chosen and developed by them. In addition students will benefit from Cambridge’s vibrant research environment in Economic and Social History, attending and participating in guest talks, workshops and other events throughout the year.

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

Course detail

By the end of the course, students should have:

- developed a deeper understanding of their chosen area of social and economic history and the critical debates within it

- a conceptual and technical understanding that enables the evaluation of current research and methodologies

- the ability to situate their own research within current and past methodological and interpretative developments in the field.

Format

In Michaelmas Term students will have a weekly two-hour class in Central Concepts in Economic and Social History, alongside three short courses in Social Sciences Research Methods. In addition, students will opt for two option courses from a range of choices, which will be taught in weekly classes in each of the two first terms. Throughout the year, students are also expected to participate in the Faculty’s range of graduate workshops and research seminars. Finally students will work towards their dissertation, supervised by one of Cambridge’s experts in Economic and Social History. A variety of additional training opportunities in both subject-specific and general skills are also available to students across the university.

Students receive regular feedback in a number of ways. Teaching staff will provide feedback orally via supervisions and in seminars, and in the dissertation proposal presentation. In addition, students will receive written comments from two examiners on the Central Concepts essay, on the two option course essays and on the dissertation proposal essay. Feedback will also be provided for coursework undertaken for The Social Sciences Research Methods Course (SSRMC) . Formal written feedback from two examiners is also provided after the submission of their dissertations.

Assessment

- Part I -

comprises the taught components of the MPhil and is worth 30% of the mark. 
Central Concepts: 3,000 word essay due at the end of Michaelmas Term (10%) 
SSRMC Courses: (Pass/Fail )
. Option Courses: 2 x 4,000 word essays due at the end of Michaelmas and of Lent (10% each) Dissertation Proposal. Essay: 4,000 word essay due at the beginning of Easter Term (Pass/Fail).

- Part II -

entails a preparatory dissertation proposal essay, see "essays, projects and written papers", and the thesis itself, which accounts for 70% of the mark. 15,000-20,000 Word Dissertation due in mid-August (70%)

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-...

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

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About the MSc programme

The MSc Quantitative Economic History is designed for those with a strong grounding in undergraduate economics who wish to take the first steps towards a PhD in Quantitative Economic History. Although it can be taken as a standalone programme, you will need to meet certain criteria to progress through to the MRes and PhD stages of the programme.

The MSc degree aims to increase students’ methodological competencies and to assist and inform their dissertation work. Successful completion of the MSc allows progression to the MRes in Quantitative Economic History, which builds on the foundations laid in the MSc and includes substantive courses in economics and economic history and the production of a research paper in quantitative economic history, as well as a research prospectus.

Graduate destinations

Students leave the Department equipped for any profession that requires intellectual judgement, the ability to assess and analyse evidence and ideas, and good communication skills. Economic history graduates can be found in management and administration in the public and private sectors; academia; banking; journalism; economic consultancy; and library and museum services, to mention just a few.

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Are you looking to undertake research training that will prepare you for research in the field of economic and social history?

Our MA in Social Research is particularly useful if you want to convert to the study of economic and social history, or if you have already studied in this area and wish to improve your skills. It is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council as providing the requisite research training for a PhD so you can apply for funding for the MA to be the first (training) year of a four-year PhD.

This programme provides research training that will prepare you to undertake research in the field of economic and social history.

You will study five core modules (full descriptions available below):

Introduction to Social Science Research
Research Design
Social Research Methods I
Social Research Methods II
Historical Methods

Many of the core modules are delivered at a wider level, so you will study with students from the School of Social Sciences as well as those from the Department of History.

You will then choose one optional module from a range which may include:

Sites and Sources in Modern British Studies
Economics of War
Globalisation since 1945

You will also complete a 15,000-word dissertation.

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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The MRes in Economic and Social History will allow you to focus specifically on economic and social history and its methods of analysis, while giving you the opportunity to study other topics in international history, religious and cultural history, political history, naval or gender history.

You can select from option modules that include subjects such as ritual in the Middle Ages; witchcraft and the supernatural in the 16th and 17th centuries; sexuality; health, medicine; gender and the body; party politics and international diplomacy; and the impact of modern wars on culture, economy, society and memory.

The MRes provides essential training for PhD study in History, as well as an opportunity to develop particular interests in the history of different countries and periods through taught modules and a 25,000 word dissertation on a topic of your choosing within the MRes programme subject area.

The Programme

- offers an excellent education in a very wide range of historical subjects and geographical locations over a broad time-span from Anglo-Saxon England to modern Western and Eastern Europe, some parts of Asia, North and South America, and Africa;
- produces graduates who are highly competent in subject-specific, core academic, and personal and key skills that are both relevant and transferable to employment;
- draws on the expertise of a number of highly respected research centres which are at the forefront of their respective disciplines;
- participation in joint seminar programmes offering insights into a very wide range of research cultures and specialisms;
- excellent preparation for students intending to continue on to doctoral-level research with a good track record in obtaining funding for further study.

Optional modules

Some examples of the optional modules which may be available are; Qualitative Methods in Social Research; Applied Quantitative Data Analysis; Philosophy of the Social Sciences ; Gender, Society and Culture in Early Modern England; Medieval Research Skills; Interpreting the Middle Ages; Supervised Independent Study in the Humanities; Supervised Independent Study in the Humanities; British Naval Power in the Era of Sail 1660-1815; Approaches to War and Society in the Twentieth Century; Medicine in Medieval and Early Modern England; Everyday Life in the Soviet Union; War 1450 to the Presen and Empires and Globalisation, c.1800-2000.

The modules listed here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand

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Research profile

The MSc by Research in Economic & Social History is aimed at students who have a specific topic of interest into which they wish to conduct their own research.

The programme provides structured research training while at the same time enabling you to pursue a research project that you design yourself, in consultation with supervisors. It serves as both a self-contained research degree and a preparation for further study for the PhD degree.

Economic and social history addresses the historical processes underlying the evolution of modern society by employing a range of insights and approaches from the social sciences, including economics, sociology and social anthropology.

Edinburgh has a large and distinguished group of academics in this research area. Their specialist fields provide students with an outstanding range of options, both in terms of historical period and areas of the world.

Facilities

Our home is the William Robertson Wing, an A-listed building on the southern edge of Edinburgh’s Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Designed by the distinguished 19th-century architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, the building – part of the University’s Old Medical School – has recently been refurbished to an exceptional standard, providing state-of-the-art facilities for research, teaching and study.

Graduate students are able to use two further large School study and resource rooms, which are open to all staff and students. There is access to lockers equipped with laptop charging facilities as well as standard lockers.

The building is wireless enabled and includes state of the art teaching rooms, meeting rooms, a common room, a refreshment area, and open social/breakout areas.

Programme structure

The programme combines lectures, seminars, tutorials, and computer-lab sessions. The skills and theory imparted in the research-training courses, along with many of the assignments, are designed to feed directly into the final dissertation work.

You will be examined through coursework and a dissertation totalling approximately 30,000 words.

The programme focuses on civil society, material culture, youth, gender, crime, cinema, economic growth and energy policy in a variety of historical contexts.

You take four compulsory courses and complete a dissertation. Each course is assessed by essays, usually of around 2,500 words.

Compulsory courses:

Historical Research: Skills and Sources

Historical Methodology and Historiography

Economic and Social Theory for Historical Analysis

Supervised Reading Course

Option courses may include:

Culture and Society in Early Modern Britain

Material Culture of Gender in Eighteenth-Century Britain

Cinema and Society in Britain

Slavery in the Atlantic World

British at War: 1939–45

Cinema and Society in South Asia

Clothing and Culture in Comparative Historical Contexts

Career opportunities

This programme is specifically designed for students who anticipate progressing to a doctoral programme, but it can also function as excellent preparation for a wide variety of careers.

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Postgraduate work in Economic and Social History is devoted essentially to research and the preparation of dissertations. The length of the MSc is one year.

About the department

The portfolio of MSc programmes offered by the Department is amongst the largest and best regarded in the UK. Courses covering aspects of economics, finance, econometrics, development and health are available. These match the expertise of the members of the Department, who offer high level modules reflecting the cutting edge of research.

The taught MSc courses provide an excellent preparation for those starting research, or entering a career in economics or finance. Our MSc students have previously studied in the best universities in the UK and around the world. Some arrive directly from university, while others come from central banks, government departments and agencies, and the commercial sector.

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The International Master's in Economy, State and Society is a unique, innovative, dynamic yet firmly established postgraduate programme offered by a consortium of leading European universities. It leads to the award of a highly prestigious double degree.

See the website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/degrees/economy-state-society-nation-history-international-ma

Key Information

- Application dates
All applicants:
Open: 5 October 2015
Close: 29 July 2016
Scholarship applicants:
Close: 27 March 2016
Fees note: Fee quoted in Euros

English Language Requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.
The English language level for this programme is: Good
Further information can be found on http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/life/international/english-requirements .

International students

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/international .

Degree Information

The programme combines rigorous research methods training, discipline based and area studies training and intensive language tuition. Students develop cultural and linguistic knowledge of Eastern and Western Europe, and acquire the skills to identify and critically analyse key factors shaping the economies, states and societies of the expanding European region.

Students take modules to a total value of 120 ECTS, with 60 ECTS taken in year one at UCL and 60 ECTS taken in year two at their chosen institution.

- Core Modules
Language Course
Interrogating Boundaries Workshop
Historical Methods and Approaches OR Theories of Social and Political Research
Understanding and Analysing Data
Comparative Analysis in Social-Political Research
Contemporary Cultural Studies
Literary and Cultural Theory
Qualitative Methods
Advanced Quantitative Methods

- Options
A selection of thematic SSEES modules from the relevant track

- Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project in their second year, which culminates in a dissertation of approximately 20,000–25,000 words.

Teaching and Learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and research supervision. Assessment is by written examination, coursework and dissertation; language courses involve an oral examination.

Funding

For funding opportunities please visit the IMESS website http://www.imess.eu/
IMESS Scholarships for Home/EU and Overseas applicants are available. Further information can be found on the IMESS website (http://www.imess.eu).
Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed (where available) below. For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships .

- Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme (CSSS)
Value: Full fees, flights, stipend, and other allowances (1 year)
Eligibility: Overseas students
Criteria: Based on both academic merit and financial need

More scholarships are listed on the Scholarships and Funding website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships

Careers

Graduates of this programme are qualified to progress to doctoral research in the European area; others may advance to careers in governmental or international organisations, and may specialise in finance, commerce, analysis or consultancy. Others still may seek a career in diplomacy, or in journalism, or in non-governmental organisations. Indeed, the scope of IMESS is broad and so too, correspondingly, are the post-IMESS possibilities.

Top career destinations for this degree:
- Lecturer, Vilnius University (2011)
- Management Trainee, Maersk (2011)
- Administration Assistant, New Zealand Embassy (2012)
- Researcher, The Work Foundation (2011)
- Development Officer, Vidre (2011)

- Employability
Graduates of the programme have taken leadership positions in distinguished private and public sector organisations (including in the IMF, EBRD, Risk Control, banks and financial institutions, diplomacy and media, civil service, self-employment) and many have also continued on into doctoral studies Read some of our student testimonials here. Scholarships, internship opportunities and excellent links with other universities in the region provide further benefits.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The International Master's in Economy, State and Society is fast becoming the programme of choice for students with a serious interest in the economies, states and societies of the wider European region.

Students benefit from an integrated study programme, with the first year spent at UCL SSEES and the second at one of the partner universities in the Czech Republic (Prague), Estonia (Tartu), Finland (Helsinki), Poland (Kraków) and Serbia (Belgrade).

Our nationally unequalled specialist library and central London location provide an ideal environment for research, while our close contacts with employers, policy-makers and alumni afford excellent opportunities for networking and career development.

Student / staff ratios › 70 staff › 200 taught students › 80 research students

Application and next steps

- Applications
Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

- Who can apply?
This programme is designed to attract and challenge the brightest European Union and international students as well as professionals wishing to retrain to acquire European expertise and meet the challenges of the changing global environment. Evidence of English language ability is essential but there are no other language pre-requisites.

What are we looking for?
When we assess your application we would like to learn:
- why you want to study Economy, State and Society at graduate level
- why you want to study Economy, State and Society at UCL
- what particularly attracts you to this programme
- how your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of a challenging and truly international academic environment
- where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

For more information see the Applications page http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/apply .

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Your programme of study

The programme gives you intensive research training in Modern History preparing you for doctoral research or careers requiring research and communication.

Courses listed for the programme

Compulsory

Special Subject

Engaging with Historiography

Presenting Historical Research

Research Preparation in Historical Studies

Dissertation in Historical Studies

Research Paper

Independent Reading in Historical Studies

Dissertation in Historical Studies

Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/degree-programmes/196/modern-history/

Why study at Aberdeen?

• If you are interested in history and further study this is an ideal degree to continue your interests to the next steps 
• Aberdeen is famous for Hector Boece who wrote his History of the Scottish People in 1520. He was the first principle and wrote the Chronicles of Scotland
• Aberdeen was founded in 1495 by William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen and Chancellor of Scotland. Kings College allows you to study in stunning historical architecture of 'Old Aberdeen'

Where you study

• University of Aberdeen
• Full Time or Part Time
• 12 Months or 24 Months
• September

International Student Fees 2017/2018

Find out about fees:

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/tuition-fees-and-living-costs-287.php

*Please be advised that some programmes have different tuition fees from those listed above and that some programmes also have additional costs.

Scholarships

View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/finance-funding-1599.php

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/funding/

Living in Aberdeen

Find out more about:

•            Your Accommodation

•            Campus Facilities

•            Aberdeen City

•            Student Support

•            Clubs and Societies

Find out more about living in Aberdeen:

https://abdn.ac.uk/study/student-life

Living costs

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/finance.php

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