Masters Degrees in Military History, United Kingdom

The MA in Imperial History will be administered by the School of History and convened by Dr. Giacomo Macola, Senior Lecturer in African History.

This programme allows you to examine key themes and regions in the making of world history, from the 18th century to the present day.

Imperial history is a rapidly growing and innovative field of historical research, which offers you the opportunity to explore the origins, workings and legacies of empires. By critically engaging with a range of theoretical and empirical literatures, as well as conducting original research, you use historical data to tackle momentous questions relating to violence, development and global inequality.

Led by five specialists in the School of History, the programme takes a broad interdisciplinary approach which also encompasses renowned academics from other departments. The team offers particular expertise in African political history, the history of military technology and conflict, global histories of religion and the newly-emerging field of children and childhoods. You also have the opportunity to participate in the activities of the Centre for the History of Colonialisms (http://www.kent.ac.uk/history/centres/colonialisms/index.html).

This programme offers an ideal launching pad for students who envisage careers with an international dimension or plan to embark on doctoral work.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/360/imperial-history

The School of History at the University of Kent offers a great environment in which to research and study. Situated in a beautiful cathedral city with its own dynamic history, the University is within easy reach of the main London archives and is convenient for travelling to mainland Europe.

The School of History is a lively, research-led department where postgraduate students are given the opportunity to work alongside academics recognised as experts in their respective fields. The School was placed eighth nationally for research intensity in the Research Excellence Framework 2014, and consistently scores highly in the National Student Survey.

There is a good community spirit within the School, which includes regular postgraduate social meetings, weekly seminars and a comprehensive training programme with the full involvement of the School’s academic staff. Thanks to the wide range of teaching and research interests in the School, we can offer equally wide scope for research supervision covering British, European, African and American history.

At present, there are particularly strong groupings of research students in imperial and African history, medieval and early modern cultural and social history, early modern religious history, the history and cultural studies of science and medicine, the history of propaganda, military history, war and the media, and the history of Kent.

Course structure

The MA in Imperial History is available for one year full-time, or two years part-time study

Students take four modules: two compulsory and two additional specialist modules (to be chosen from a menu of at least five variable yearly options). 60 further credits are earned through a final 15,000-word-long dissertation.

Modules

Compulsory modules

- Methods and Interpretations in Historical Research
- Themes and Controversies Modern Imperial History
- Dissertation of 15,000 words

Optional modules

- Liberation Struggles in Southern Africa
- War in the Hispanic World since 1808
- Colonial Childhoods
- An Intimate History of the British Empire
- Europe in Crisis, 1900-1925
- No End of a Lesson: Britain and the Boer War
- Writing of Empire and Settlement
- Colonial and Postcolonial Discourses

Assessment

This is by coursework and a 15,000-word dissertation, which counts for one-third of the final grade.

Study support

Postgraduate resources
The resources for historical research at Kent are led by the University’s Templeman Library: a designated European Documentation Centre which holds specialised collections on slavery and antislavery, and on medical science. The Library has a substantial collection of secondary materials to back-up an excellent collection of primary sources including the British Cartoon Archive, newspapers, a large audio-visual library, and a complete set of British Second World War Ministry of Information propaganda pamphlets.

The School has a dedicated Centre for the Study of Propaganda and War, which has a distinctive archive of written, audio and visual propaganda materials, particularly in film, video and DVD. Locally, you have access to: the Canterbury Cathedral Library and Archive (a major collection for the study of medieval and early modern religious and social history); the Centre for Kentish Studies at Maidstone; and the National Maritime Collection at Greenwich. Kent is also within easy reach of the country’s premier research collections in London and the national libraries in Paris and Brussels.

Dynamic publishing culture
Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Journal of Contemporary History; English Historical Review; British Journal for the History of Science; Technology and Culture; and War and Society.

Global Skills Award
All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme (http://www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/skills/programmes/gsa.html). The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.

Research areas

Medieval and early modern history
Covering c400–c1500, incorporating such themes as Anglo-Saxon England, early-modern France, palaeography, British and European politics and society, religion and papacy.

Modern history
Covering c1500–present, incorporating such themes as modern British, European and American history, British military history, and 20th-century conflict and propaganda.

History of science, technology and medicine
Incorporating such themes as colonial science and medicine, Nazi medicine, eugenics, science and technology in 19th-century Britain.

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.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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About the course

This Military History MA offers an in-depth study of warfare on land, sea and air across a range of periods and continents, from the Classical Age to the present.

The core modules on the course examine:

- the Royal Navy in the twentieth century.
- warfare in ancient and medieval times.
- the impact of the French and Industrial Revolutions on warfare in the age of 'total war'

Optional modules give students the opportunity to study the Second World War, warfare in modern Africa and, additionally, the programme draws on Brunel’s expertise in intelligence studies. Students have the chance to take an optional module in this area with Brunel's Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies (BCISS).

Students will also complete a 15,000 dissertation on any military history topic, drawing on the wide expertise of staff in the department.

Aims

The MA in Military History will provide students with a systematic understanding and critical awareness of debates and interpretations of military history.

Students will gain a comprehensive and practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in specific subject areas.

Students will be encouraged to extend and develop their analytical, evaluative and critical capacities, and increase their ability to reflect on their own learning and intellectual development.

The MA in Military History will give students transferable skills in writing, discussion, analysis, and independent judgement.

Students will also work independently, thus demonstrating initiative and the ability to organise their time and work through their research project (a dissertation) of 15,000 words.

Course Content

The MA consists of both compulsory and optional modules, a typical selection can be found below. Modules can vary from year to year, but these offer a good idea of what we teach.

Compulsory modules:

Dissertation
War in History, 1789 to present
The Royal Navy in the Twentieth Century
European Warfare in the Age of Muscle.

Optional modules:

Intelligence History: Failure and Success
The Second World War
War and the Military in Modern African History
International Security

Special Features

Taught by internationally recognised academics in the field of Military History, Naval History, War Studies, Intelligence History and Security/Intelligence Studies.

Situated in London, the MA Military History has established links to world-renowned archives and libraries based in and close to London including the Caird Library (National Maritime Museum), The National Archives and the Imperial War Museum, among others.

Students on the MA Military History can automatically receive membership to the Royal Institute for International Affairs.

Students have access to the Specialist Angus Boulton Military History library held at Brunel University.

The MA in Military History regularly invites guest speakers to lecture on specialist subjects. Previous speakers have included, Professor Ilan Pappe (University of Exeter), Emeritus Professor Avi Shlaim (Oxford University), Sir Tony Brenton (Cambridge University), and Professor Brian Holden-Reid (KCL).

Research at Brunel

The Isambard Centre for Historical Research
The Isambard Centre for Historical Research brings together scholars at Brunel whose work examines the tensions inherent in the transnational connections that have shaped the modern world. The Centre takes its title from the University’s namesake, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. During the nineteenth century, the dockyards, steamships and railways that he built, revolutionised transportation and communication, helping to create the infrastructure that underpinned increasing global trade. People, products, ideas and cultural artefacts were all transmitted along these routes, producing transnational exchanges that stretched across traditional political, cultural and geographic divides. But such processes helped to make borders as well as transcend them. They stimulated anxieties that led to new efforts to control, define and regulate ownership, identity and exchange. Attending to these dual impulses is crucial if we are to understand the social, cultural and political landscapes of the modern world.

Brunel Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies
Brunel's Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies (BCISS) is a University Inter-Disciplinary Research Centre, taking in members from the School of Engineering and Design, School of Law, and from the Department of Economics and Finance from the School of Social Sciences, as well as core members from the Department of Politics and History. BCISS is the first academic Centre established in the UK to deal specifically with intelligence issues, policy and institutions. Established in November 2003 the Centre aims to promote and develop social science and policy-oriented approaches to intelligence.

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Are you interested in exploring military history? Do you want to study a whole series of different aspects of war?

Our two-year MA in Military History by distance learning programme offers you the opportunity to explore military history, drawing in particular on Birmingham's expertise in the history of the two World Wars and air power. Subjects to be studied include command and leadership; tactics, operations and the use of technology; ethics and war; and the individual's experience of war. You will complete the MA with a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic of your choice.

From the walls of Troy to the streets of Sangin, warfare has been at the centre of human life and death.

Those who know nothing of war can understand neither the past nor the present, for, as Trotsky famously said, ‘war is the locomotive of history’. Modern military history does more than re-fight old battles, however. It can, for example, teach us much about the cultures and societies that find themselves at war, and indeed about the souls of the men and women who do the fighting.

This course will stimulate and challenge you to think about the history of warfare in all its aspects, building a skill set over two years of part-time study which will equip you for further research in the field and/or broaden and deepen your understanding of the cruel, complex but endlessly fascinating phenomenon that is war.

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 new MA programme explores the military, cultural, political and social history of the First World War, introducing you to advanced concepts of historiography and cultural theory.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/765/first-world-war-studies

About the School of History

The School of History at the University of Kent offers a great environment in which to research and study. Situated in a beautiful cathedral city with its own dynamic history, the University is within easy reach of the main London archives and is convenient for travelling to mainland Europe.

The School of History is a lively, research-led department where postgraduate students are given the opportunity to work alongside academics recognised as experts in their respective fields. The School was placed eighth nationally for research intensity in the most recent Research Excellence Framework, and consistently scores highly in the National Student Survey.

There is a good community spirit within the School, which includes regular postgraduate social meetings, weekly seminars and a comprehensive training programme with the full involvement of the School’s academic staff. Thanks to the wide range of teaching and research interests in the School, we can offer equally wide scope for research supervision covering British, European, African and American history.

At present, there are particularly strong groupings of research students in medieval and early modern cultural and social history, early modern religious history, the history and cultural studies of science and medicine, the medicine, the history of propaganda, military history, war and the media, and the history of Kent.

Modules

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 in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.

HI915 - Landscapes of the Great War: Interpretations and Representations (30 credits)
HI932 - Landscapes of the Great War: Public Histories (30 credits)
HI823 - Testimonies of War: Oral History in Theory and Practice (30 credits)
HI828 - Ireland and the First World War (30 credits)
HI860 - The British Army and the Great War (30 credits)
HI827 - Home Front Britain, 1914-18 (30 credits)
HI883 - Work Placement (30 credits)
HI815 - War, Propaganda and the Media (30 credits)

Assessment

Assessment is dependent on module choice, but is typically by coursework and a dissertation of 15-18,000 words.

Research areas

Medieval and early modern history
Covering c400–c1500, incorporating such themes as Anglo-Saxon England, early-modern France, palaeography, British and European politics and society, religion and papacy.

Modern history
Covering c1500–present, incorporating such themes as modern British, European and American history, British military history, and 20th-century conflict and propaganda.

History of science, technology and medicine
Incorporating such themes as colonial science and medicine, Nazi medicine, eugenics, science and technology in 19th-century Britain.

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.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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Course outline

With military history one of the fastest-growing areas of academic study, the University of Buckingham introduced a one-year MA in Military History, by research, in 2009. This is a groundbreaking programme: the first one-year Research MA in Military History, and the first with an integral course of seminars by visiting lecturers of international repute. The programme was enthusiastically reviewed by The Financial Times, which noted that “Intellectually curious professionals are signing up for a new course that gives them the opportunity to exchange thoughts on security, diplomacy and the armed forces over dinner with stellar historians and military top brass.”

The programme is London-based and directed by one of the country’s finest military historians, Professor Saul David. The lectures offered by the Course Director will be supplemented by a series of ten guest seminars by some of the most eminent scholars and authors in the field, including Professors N.A.M. Rodger, Hew Strachan, Richard Overy, Tim Blanning and Gary Sheffield, Antony Beevor and Sir Max Hastings.

The programme will run from October to September, with thirteen research seminars – three on research techniques and ten by guest lecturers.

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

Teaching methods

The MA does not offer systematic instruction in the facts of history; instead, the emphasis is on independent research.

At the heart of the Buckingham MA is the close working relationship between student and supervisor. While the final thesis must be an independent work, it is the supervisor who offers advice on refining the topic (if necessary), on primary sources, on secondary reading, on research techniques and on writing the final text (which should be not less than 20,000 words). Supervisors and students will meet frequently throughout the year, and not less than twice a term; and the supervisor shall always be the student’s primary contact for academic advice and support.

This is a London-based course. The seminars in 2016-17 will be held at Caledonian Club, 9 Halkin Street, London SW1X 7DR (http://www.caledonianclub.com). The nearest London Underground stations are Hyde Park (Piccadilly Line) or Victoria (Victoria, District and Circle Lines). The introductory classes will be at the University’s London headquarters in Gower Street (details below).

Each seminar (approximately 90 minutes, 18:45-20:15) is followed by a post-seminar dinner, also at the Cavalry and Guards Club, for those who wish to attend, where there will be an opportunity to continue the seminar discussion in an informal environment. Attendance at these dinners is entirely at the choice of the student, and their cost is not covered by the tuition fee.

Associate students

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

Apply here http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/humanities/ma/militaryhistory.

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This fully-online MA in Military History offers potential graduate students from around the world a chance to engage with reputable military historians and leading academics, also from around the world, through 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ongoing lectures and discussion seminars in state-of-the-art learning environments.

This is military history like never before; universally-accessible, affordable and dynamic. Students will be offered a wide range of fascinating topics to explore, from classic 'war theorists' to military technologies to counter-insurgency tactics. You will then be able to combine your research with skills-based analysis, under the personal supervision of a qualified expert in the field.

Successful completion of this course will enhance your career prospects, whether studied at PGCert, PGDip or MA level . It will be particularly relevant to archivists and curators, researchers, journalists, political and central government professionals, civil servants, military professionals, conflict resolution and NGO workers, charity and campaign workers. Attainment of the MA degree could also lead to doctoral research.

Typical modules include:

The Discipline of Military History
The Rise of Air Power
The Evolution of Modern Sea Power
War Media & Propaganda
The American Civil War
The Second World War
The Art of War to the Age of Napoleon

All of our modules can be easily accessed and feature exciting ‘virtual classrooms’ where lectures and seminar discussions are conducted on a weekly basis, making the most of a variety of multi-media formats. Furthermore, our online platform gives you access to unlimited course materials and University-supported learning resources at no extra cost.

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Taught at the University Centre Shrewsbury, this course aims to provide you with the opportunity to explore specific military themes in depth, to contribute to the wider academic debate on the relationship between the military and society, and to conduct original research.

In principally addressing the study of British military history, both within the European context and the wider world, the course seeks to explain why wars occur, highlight how warfare has changed through the ages, and to show how the military interacts with wider human society

The County of Shropshire and the town of Shrewsbury have a long association with the British military, and there is a wide range of relevant and accessible source material relating to the study of British military history deposited locally and regionally.

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

Why this programme

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

Programme structure

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

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

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

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

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

Core course
-Research resources and skills for historians

Career prospects

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

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

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As a postgraduate researcher in the Department of History you will have the opportunity to work alongside academic staff whose research is at the forefront of current historical scholarship.

The Department was ranked first in the country in the Research Excellence Framework 2014, and is unrivalled in the geographical and chronological breadth of its research. From medieval Afghanistan to the modern United States, our staff provide expertise across British, European and world history from around 500 to the present day.

The History MA by Research programme requires you to prepare a dissertation of up to 40,000 words on a topic of your choice, for which an academic staff member will provide expert supervision.

The History PhD – the most advanced research degree – leads to a dissertation of up to 80,000 words on a subject of your choice, under the expert supervision of an academic member of staff.

Distance learning:

You can study an MA by Research or PhD programme on campus or by distance learning. Please note that if you are studying with us by distance learning, the programme includes a fully-funded annual visit to campus for each full year of your programme (every two years for part-time students).

Research degrees in History at Birmingham provide opportunities for detailed engagement with a specific topic, enhanced by the debates and cross-fertilisation of ideas sparked by working in contact and association with members of the UK’s leading History department, as judged in the most recent Research Excellence Framework exercise. Opportunities for collaboration across the University, particularly in the fields of Byzantine, Hispanic and Music History, as well as Philosophy, Politics and Economics, also help to generate stimulating and rewarding research.

The extensive holdings of the University’s library, and ready access to other regional archives and libraries, offer abundant raw material for research. Within the department, groups such as the Centre for the Study of the Middle Ages (CeSMA) , generate a lively inter- and multi-disciplinary research culture, through delivery papers and broadening intellectual horizons.

Current research topics range from questions such as how England became a Protestant nation in the 16th century, to why smoking played such an important role in 20th century life. Whatever your interest, whether it is cultural or social history in the 6th century, or military history in the 20th century, Birmingham’s History department has someone available to supervise your research with expert knowledge and understanding.

At Birmingham you also have the option of studying languages, free of charge. Almost no other UK University offers you the opportunity to learn the intense graduate academic language skills which you may need to pursue your research.

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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Course outline

With Britain having recently been more heavily involved in overseas wars than at any point in the last half century, the University of Buckingham has launched a Master’s degree in Modern War Studies and Contemporary Military History based at a central London Club. The course commences in October with a ‘Research Skills Study Day’ and after a year of supervised independent research, culminates with the student’s submission of a dissertation. During the first six months, candidates are encouraged to attend a series of guest seminars and dinners (set out in detail under Teaching & Assessment) at which some of the most eminent names in the field present papers. This series of talks examines why and how modern wars are fought, and the principal influences that will affect the conduct of war – and Britain’s role – in the future. This seminar programme will also be attended by Associate Students who are not degree candidates but wish to attend the talks and enjoy the ensuing discussion.

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

Teaching methods

For Master’s degree candidates the core of the programme is the writing, under supervision, of the dissertation on a subject chosen by the student in the field of Modern War Studies. Subject to approval by the Course Director, the topic to be examined in the dissertation can address any aspect of warfare since 1945, and the precise topic is usually formulated in a process of discussion with the Course Director and/or the student’s supervisor. The length of the dissertation is not more than 40,000 words and usually not less than 20,000. Research does not have to be confined to British-related subjects. Some of the themes which students may wish to examine include: political decision making; alliances; warfare and faith; the impact of critical strategic thinkers; intelligence gathering; the impact of technology on the battlefield; the development of doctrine; military-media relations; leadership; command and control; the application of force at the strategic, operational and tactical levels of war on land, sea and air; and the influence of war on non-combatants, politics, society, economies and cultures.

Where will you study?

This is a London-based course. The seminars will be held at a central London Club. Seminars begin at 19:00 and are followed by a formal post-seminar dinner at which students can engage in a general discussion with the speaker.

Seminars

There will be a programme of three research skills sessions and ten guest seminars, directed by Professor Lloyd Clark. Running approximately every other week from October ]to March, seminar speakers will include recently serving generals and some of the most distinguished scholars and commentators in the field of modern war studies.

How is the programme assessed?

Examination is by a research dissertation on an approved topic of not less than 20,000 words.

Associate students

For those who wish to attend the seminars and dinners, but do not have time to complete the coursework involved in the MA programme, it is possible to register for the course as an Associate Student. This status enables Associate Students to attend the seminars and to meet the guest lecturers, but not to proceed to the MA degree.

Apply here http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/humanities/ma/warstudies.

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The centenary of the outbreak of the First World War has seen interest in the Great War reach unprecedented heights, and the University of Wolverhampton is very pleased to announce a new Part Time Masters programme exploring the History of Britain and the First World War.

Our team of academics

This is an exciting programme delivered by a truly world-class team of scholars. Led by Professor Gary Sheffield, it includes Professor Stephen Badsey and Dr Spencer Jones, Professor Peter Simkins, Dr John Bourne, Professor John Buckley and Dr Laura Ugolini. This is the strongest cluster of scholars specialising in the military history of the First World War to be found in any conventional UK university, and the team will be supported by a number of prestigious guest speakers. A particular strength of the programme is the quality of the teaching.

The University of Wolverhampton's cluster of First World War historians have excellent links within the wider historical community at home and overseas. Links with the military are very strong. The emphasis of the programme is on the military and political history of Britain and the British Empire in the 1914-18 war.

Modules include:

Major Debates in the Historiography of the First World War: Historical Methods
The British Empire at War
The Western Front: Core Concepts and Controversies
The Western Front: The Evolution of the British Expeditionary Force
Total War: The British Experience 1914-18

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This programme provides students with a thorough understanding of relevant methodological approaches and the questions and challenges of writing and researching military history. You’ll analyse the role of war in human history from its early beginnings to the present day in a core module which focuses on historiographical debates about warfare. You can then choose to study optional modules about a broad range of topics in the history of war, from medieval and early modern times to today.

You’ll have opportunities to use internationally-renowned collections in your studies, including the Liddle Collection of artefacts and private papers from the First World War in our Brotherton Library, the holdings of the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, and material from the Imperial War museum North at Salford. The Second World War experience museum in nearby Wetherby provides a huge collection of private papers from the Second World War.

Course Content

As well as the three compulsory modules, you also choose two optional modules from a selection, for example:

- Making History: Archive Collaborations

- Warfare in the Age of the Crusades

- Defending the Nation: Britain during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793 to 1815

- Medicine and Warfare in the19th and 20th Centuries

- The War on Terror

- Insurgency and Counterinsurgency

- Guns and Global Security

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An understanding of war, for good or ill, is of vital importance. This programme offers the opportunity to study the theory and practice of war in a wide range of aspects, from the Middle Ages to the present day, and from causes to consequences..

Why this programme

◾This MLitt aims to challenge, educate and engage by exposing you to a wide range of different ideas about war. It is specifically designed to broaden and deepen your understanding of the nature of war in theory and practice, and its place in history.
◾The University of Glasgow is home to the Scottish Centre for War Studies. You will be able to participate in regular research seminars on critical themes related to conflict as well as to related conferences.
◾All courses are designed to expose you to detailed research topics, source criticism and current debate, and are led by internationally acknowledged experts.

Programme structure

You will spend the first semester studying on the degree’s core course which covers both the major thinkers on warfare and the practice and conduct of war.

Core topics may include
◾Jomini, aggressive warfare and the Confederate States of America at war
◾The evolution of Military Thought between the two World Wars
◾Europe’s ‘small wars’, 1800–present
◾Vegetius and ‘Vegetian strategy’ in medieval warfare.

In the second semester, you will take three optional courses which delve in greater detail into a particular aspect of military or strategic history.

Optional courses may include
◾Chivalry and warfare in later medieval Europe, 1300–1450
◾The American way of warfare; from the Revolution to the War on Terror
◾Insurgency and counter-insurgency, 1800-present
◾Western intelligence in an age of terror.

You will complete the programme by writing a dissertation based on your own research. This requires you to engage in original research guided by an expert in the field.

Career prospects

The programme provides an excellent platform for you to move onto PhD studies and an academic career.

Positions held by recent graduates include Development Director, Professor, Correspondent, and Freelance Journalist.

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Examining military history in the Greek, Roman and Medieval worlds from a broad comparative perspective, this course enables you to explore themes across epochs, or focus on specific periods and topics of interest.

The first of its kind in the UK, the interdisciplinary MA in Ancient and Medieval Warfare offers archaeological, historical and literary approaches to the subject.

The course consists of a flexible combination of taught modules and individual research, which enables you to specialise in a specific period if you wish, or, if you prefer, to study a particular theme across a wider timespan.

The course provides a solid foundation of research skills which can serve as a basis for doctoral research, but it also provides transferable skills, which will be valuable for a career in any field.

Distinctive features:

• Detailed concentration on the history and development of warfare in the Ancient and Medieval worlds
• Literary, historical and archaeological approaches
• Opportunities for interdisciplinary approaches

Structure

The course can be completed in 1 year by full-time study or completed part-time over three years.

You take a mix of core and optional modules totalling 120 credits. On successful completion of the taught stage, you will progress to your dissertation (60 credits).

You research and write a dissertation (20,000 words) on a topic or theme of your choice in consultation with academic staff.

Core modules:

Skills and Methods for Postgraduate Study
Themes in Ancient and Medieval Warfare
Ancient and Medieval Warfare Dissertation

Teaching

You will be taught through a mix of seminars, lectures, tutorials and language classes (depending on modules chosen).

As part of the programme, you will be encouraged to deliver presentations to your fellow MA students within our supportive community.

On successful completion of the taught elements of the programme you will progress to a dissertation of up to 20,000 words on a topic or theme of your choice (subject to the approval of your supervisor).

Assessment

Taught stage assessment is via essays, other assignments (such as book reviews and presentations), and written examinations (for ancient or modern languages).

Prospects

Our graduates typically find employment with organisations such as: CADW, Church in Wales, Council for British Archaeology, Element Productions, Glamorgan Archives, Heritage Lottery Fund, National Trust, Tate Gallery, Welsh Assembly Government, national and international universities.

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This programme offers an outstanding learning experience in a great city, in the company of Glasgow's thirty-strong cohort of historians. Core training in historical skills and methods is combined with a wide range of specialist taught options. These include theory, cover all periods from medieval to late modern, and focus predominantly on Scotland, Britain, Europe and America, although our geographical coverage is steadily expanding.

Why this programme

◾History staff also contribute to the Masters programmes in American Studies, War Studies and Global Security, and you can take taught options from these and other programmes, enhancing student choice.
◾The learning and research environment is dynamic and supportive because of the critical mass of staff and postgraduate students, grouped in clusters and centres which sponsor seminar programmes and other research-led initiatives. You are positively encouraged to participate.
◾Glasgow is an outstanding resource hub for the study of history. On campus, the University Library holds superb printed and manuscript collections from the medieval to the present. You can also use the Baillie Collection of printed medieval and modern sources in Scottish, Irish and English history. The University’s Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery provides access to primary source materials in fields such as fine art, numismatics and ethnography. The city is home to world-class museums and galleries, the Mitchell Library and Glasgow Women’s Library.

Programme structure

You will take 1 core and 5 optional courses, taught over two semesters, September to March. Teaching in history courses is overwhelmingly seminar and discussion-based. From April onwards you concentrate on your dissertation, submitted in September at the end of the programme.

Our pathway structure allows you to take either our generic Masters History, or to tailor your degree to match an interest in one of the following:
◾Gender History*
◾Scottish History
◾Medieval History
◾Early modern History
◾Late modern History
◾History of Medicine*

(*with two bespoke core courses)

Core course

Research, Resources and Skills for Historians (RRSH)

Optional courses

A very wide selection is available. We positively encourage you to explore options within and without History.

Career prospects

As well as continuing to PhD, you can transfer the Arts research skills and methods you learn on this programme to positions in the modern public and private sectors, such as heritage, policy and projects, the media and teaching.

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