Masters degrees in World History offer advanced study of the common patterns and key topics emerging across all multiple global regions and cultures, such as economieseconomic and, political changes or social eventsspecific military and international relations developments.
Related subjects include Social History and Modern History. Entry requirements normally include an undergraduate degree such as Cultural Studies, History, or International Relations.
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.
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.
- 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 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
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.
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.
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.
“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
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.
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 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
The aim of this course is to put something very big under the microscope.
By expanding the scale at which historians would normally operate, our Global History MA will present you with an opportunity to think with growing confidence and imagination about your world, its origins, its complexities and continuous transformations across a uniquely broad geographical and chronological scope.
You will be taught the latest skills, concepts and approaches to the subject, and you will share in the imaginative challenges and intellectual vistas that this exciting new field of history is opening up. It is from this largest of historical perspectives that you will be invited to choose your own specialist research topic, culminating in a supervised 15,000-word dissertation.
Times Higher Education ranked the Department of History first in the country for its performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework exercise.
You will study two course-specific core modules:
Both of these modules are team-taught, drawing on the diverse regional and chronological expertise available in the Department of History. Tutors include: Dr Arezou Azad; Dr Jakub Benes; Dr Courtney Campbell; Dr Michelle Chresfield; Dr Simon Jackson; Dr Christopher Markiewicz; Dr Sadiah Qureshi; Dr Daniel Reynolds; Dr Lucie Ryzova; [email protected]; Dr Margaret Small; Dr Kate Smith; Prof. Naomi Standen; Dr Frank Uekotter; Dr Simon Yarrow; and Dr Shirley Ye.
You will also study two core modules focused on developing your research skills:
Full descriptions of these four modules are available below.
You will also choose two optional modules, or a double special-subject module, from a wide range available across the Department of History.
Assessment
Modules are typically assessed by written assignment. You will also complete a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic of your choice.
Learning and teaching takes on this course place via seminars, tutorials, reading texts on theory and methods and your own research on primary sources and secondary material.
Support with academic writing
As a postgraduate student in the College of Arts and Law, you have access to the Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) which aims to help your transition from undergraduate to taught Masters level, or back into academia after time away. The service offers guidance on writing assignments and dissertations for your MA/MSc programme with individual support from an academic writing advisor via tutorials, email and the provision of online materials.
International students can access support for English Language development and skills through the Birmingham International Academy (BIA).
Your degree will provide excellent preparation for employment and this will be further enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University.
The University's Careers Network provides advice and information specifically for postgraduates that will help you to develop an effective career and skills development strategy, and to make the most of your time with us at the University. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team to deliver tailored programmes of careers events and local support.
You will have opportunities to: meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs; attend employer presentations and skills workshops; receive individual guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique; and access to comprehensive listings of hundreds of graduate jobs and work experience opportunities.
You will also be able to access our full range of careers support for up to two years after graduation.
Postgraduate employability: History
Birmingham’s History graduates develop a broad range of transferable skills that are highly valued by a range of employers. These skills include: familiarity with research methods; the ability to manage large quantities of information from diverse sources; the ability to organise information in a logical and coherent manner; the expertise to write clearly and concisely and to tight deadlines; critical and analytical ability; the capacity for argument, debate and speculation; and the ability to base conclusions on statistical research.
Some of our History postgraduates go on to use their studies directly, for example in heritage, museums or the armed forces; others use their transferable skills in a range of occupations from finance, to publishing, to fundraising. Employers that graduates have gone on to work for include: Royal Air Force; Ministry of Defence; University of Birmingham; Big Lottery Fund; Royal Air Force Museum; and University of Oxford.
This course offers you the chance to study the global, political, economic, and cultural interactions, the history of empires and the transnational histories of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.
Since the 1920s, King’s College London has been a key international centre for Imperial and Global History. This MA course provides you with a core training in global and transnational history, while offering broad scope for personally-tailored interdisciplinary education, as you can choose four optional modules from those offered by any department at King’s College London, or from available MA courses at our London partner institutions (which include UCL, Queen Mary and Royal Holloway).
Leads to doctoral level research and careers in education, journalism, finance, politics and cultural sectors.
This MA course provides you with training in global and transnational history, while offering you the opportunity to pursue a personally-tailored interdisciplinary education, through optional modules offered by any department at King’s College London, or from available MA courses at our London partner institutions. You will also be free to carry out your own research course, and to draw on an exceptional range of expertise within the World History research cluster at King’s, which includes experts on Africa, South Asia, China, Latin America and the Caribbean, Australia, and the Middle East, as well as leading historians of the British Empire, Portuguese Empire, and French Empire.
We aim to provide training in the historiographical and technical skills necessary for further study, and also to allow you to develop special expertise in the areas of history and the humanities that attract you. Our course is particularly suitable if you have a clear research interest and are looking to continue in academic study.
Teaching
If you are a full-time student, we will give you six hours of teaching each week through lectures and seminars, and we will expect you to undertake 34 hours of self-study.
If you are a part-time student, we will give you two to four hours of teaching each week through lectures and seminars in your first year and in your second and we will expect you to undertake 16 hours of self study in your first year and your second.
For the dissertation, we will give you six hours of supervision and we will expect you to undertake 594 hours of self-study both for full-time and part-time students.
Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.
Assessment
The majority of our modules are assessed through coursework essay, although this may be different for modules in other departments. The required 15,000-word dissertation enables you to research a topic of your choice.
Regulating body
King’s College London is regulated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
This MA draws on the wide range and depth of research and teaching expertise in UCL History to give students the opportunity to choose modules relating to a variety of historical periods and locations. The programme offers advanced-level teaching by leading practitioners in a range of fields.
Students will be introduced to key historical concepts and theories. The core course offers a forum for such debates, and also provides students with the technical and intellectual apparatus to pursue their own research interests under expert guidance.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of two core modules (30 credits), between two and four optional modules (60 credits) and a research dissertation (90 credits).
Core modules
Optional modules
Optional modules will be finalised in Spring 2018. Please contact the department for more information. The following optional modules were available in 2017/18 and this is an indicative list only:
Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project on a topic in History, which culminates in a dissertation of up to 15,000 words.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Some sessions will take place outside UCL in institutions such as the British Library, the National Archives, and the Institute of Historical Research. Students are assessed through written coursework, examination, and the dissertation.
Detailed module information
See full details of modules for this programme.
This programme not only provides an outstanding foundation for those hoping to undertake PhD research and pursue an academic career, but is also popular with students wishing to go into journalism, the civil service, business, museum and heritage and the education sector.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Employability
Debates, small group seminars and tutorials help students to acquire strong presentation and negotiation skills for their future careers. Likewise the analytical and research skills gained by students on this programme are highly valued by employers from a range of industries. There are many additional activities available, both within the department and the wider UCL community, to help students focus on employability skills whilst they are here, for example departmental careers talks and networking opportunities with history alumni.
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
UCL History enjoys an outstanding international reputation for its research and teaching.
The department is strongly committed to the intellectual development of all our students; if you come to UCL, you will receive individual supervision from leading historians.
Located in Bloomsbury, UCL History is just a few minutes' walk away from the exceptional resources of the British Library, the British Museum and the research institutes of the University of London, including the Warburg and the Institute of Historical Research. UCL is ideally located at the heart of various historical societies and academic communities.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: History
82% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
This programme gives students the opportunity to develop deep understanding and analytical excellence in a field of increasing importance, international studies. A wide selection of modules allows them to specialise in a variety of different areas. Dissertations are written under the guidance of experienced academic staff, which includes world-leading experts on China, Japan, the UK, the US, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Russia, among others, specializing in sub-fields such as security studies, international relations theory, women’s issues, international history, development, environmental policy, foreign policy analysis, quantitative methods, international economics, etc. Students will be introduced to key concepts and theories, will be trained in research methods, and gain access to (and we hope contribute to) the latest research in international relations and world history.
Students can choose from a range of modules in international relations and international history, which include, in addition to subjects directly related to international relations and world history, modules in diplomacy/foreign policy analysis, development, international economics, international organisations, European politics, regionalism, traditional and non-traditional security, environmental policy, area studies (including China, Russia, the US, Europe, the UK, Japan, the Middle East, Africa, etc.) and of course research methods, to name a few. Small seminars allow students to develop their analytical skills, and oral and written presentation techniques, as well as their capacity to research, compile and produce thematic reports, essays, and papers.
Case studies and occasional simulation games deepen students’ theoretical and practical knowledge of negotiations, diplomacy, world history and international relations. Your dissertation will give you the opportunity to prove the breadth and depth of your knowledge.
The MA in International Relations and World History is offered as a one year programme (twelve full months). This degree programme can also be taken in a part time capacity over two years. Students must take 180 credits to graduate, comprised of 60 credits each semester (four modules each semester at 15 credits each), plus 60 credits for the dissertation (normally done over the summer for full time students). Students must pass the taught components before proceeding to the dissertation.
CourAre you interested in taking your knowledge of history to a higher level?
Do you want to add to your repertoire of skills? Or maybe you want to continue your professional development?
This two-year distance learning programme offers you the opportunity to explore a number of historical themes, drawing on the Department of History’s broad range of expertise. You may pursue one of three pathways through the MA: Contemporary History; Global History; or Modern British Studies. This will determine your choice of core modules and the theme of your dissertation, but you also have the opportunity to study two optional modules in other areas which suit your particular interest.
Times Higher Education ranked the Department of History first in the country for its performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework exercise.
You will follow one of three pathways through this MA: Contemporary History, Global History, or Modern British Studies.
Each pathway has two specific core modules:
Two additional core modules are common to all pathways:
You will also choose two optional modules from the other pathways of this programme.
Full module descriptions are available below.
Assessment
Modules are assessed by written assignment. You will also complete a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic of your choice, but which is related to your chosen pathway.
Although much of the course is delivered through our ‘virtual learning environment,’ support is always available.
You will have a personal tutor and dissertation supervisor to guide you and answer any questions, and you have access to a wide range of online resources too.
You also have the opportunity to meet other students and academic staff through online chats and discussion forums.
For more information on distance learning including answers to frequently asked questions, student experiences and funding opportunities, please see our distance learning website.
Your degree will provide excellent preparation for employment and this will be further enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University.
The University's Careers Network provides advice and information specifically for postgraduates that will help you to develop an effective career and skills development strategy, and to make the most of your time with us at the University. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team to deliver local support.
In addition to a range of campus-based events and workshops, Careers Network provides extensive online resources, and comprehensive listings of hundreds of graduate jobs and work experience opportunities.
You will also be able to access our full range of careers support for up to two years after graduation.
Postgraduate employability: History
Birmingham’s History graduates develop a broad range of transferable skills that are highly valued by a range of employers. These skills include: familiarity with research methods; the ability to manage large quantities of information from diverse sources; the ability to organise information in a logical and coherent manner; the expertise to write clearly and concisely and to tight deadlines; critical and analytical ability; the capacity for argument, debate and speculation; and the ability to base conclusions on statistical research.
Some of our History postgraduates go on to use their studies directly, for example in heritage, museums or the armed forces; others use their transferable skills in a range of occupations from finance, to publishing, to fundraising. Employers that graduates have gone on to work for include: Royal Air Force; Ministry of Defence; University of Birmingham; Big Lottery Fund; Royal Air Force Museum; and University of Oxford.
An MA in International History will equip you with knowledge and a skill set which will improve your ability to function within an increasingly interconnected world, and as such it is likely to improve your employability, particularly with respect to foreign-service, non-governmental organisation, and inter-governmental organisation careers, in a way that traditional history postgraduate qualifications will not. You will be taught by staff with a broad range of expertise and research interests in international history, in accordance with a philosophy that emphasises the development of students as practising historians. The programme includes access to a visiting speaker series given by notable historians on campus, and opportunities for you to contribute your own work to various forums, including an integrated MA International History seminar series.
Full Time is for a duration of 12 months; Part Time is for a duration of 24 months.
Contact hours: Full-time: 6 hours per week during terms 1 and 2; Part-time: 3 hours per week during terms 1 and 2; no weekend teaching.
You will study for the MA in International History through a combination of taught modules, independent study, writing and research. Throughout the programme you will have the opportunity to emphasise your particular interests in international history through your choice of seminar and coursework assignments, and through the selection and development of an extended piece of independent research and critical writing on a topic of your choice. This will enable you to demonstrate the full range of attributes required of the professional historian short of the PhD. While the writing-up of this project will take place at the end of your programme, you will begin the process of topic selection and preparation much earlier, and your research for the dissertation will take place in train with your other modules. Taken as a whole, the programme will enable you to better understand this seminal period in international history, offer you a window on the contemporary world, and foster the development of high-order generic transferable skills.
You will experience an integrated mix of contact teaching, supported open learning and independent study. In the classroom you will take part in small seminar discussion groups and one-to-one tutorials with your lecturers. You will prepare for these sessions by examining specified bodies of relevant material, much of which will be made available via a Virtual Learning Environment; this will provide you with a shared launching point for discussion in the seminars.
You can take our MA in International History as either a full-time or a part-time programme, whichever suits you best. The programme is designed to provide you with a continuity of learning and teaching whichever route you choose to take. If you choose the full-time programme, you take two modules per term, alongside the dissertation, over one academic year. If you prefer to study part-time then you will take one module per term, alongside the dissertation, over two academic years.
On all of the taught modules on the MA International History students will be taught in small three-hour student-led workshops. Students will be required to read a number of essential readings as well as primary documents in preparation for each workshop. Moreover, selected students will be assigned tasks to prepare in advance of the workshops and then they will lead discussions on the topic under scrutiny. Time in each workshop will also be devoted to discussing student coursework and one-to-one tutorials will be offered to students. For the Research Dissertation students are assigned an expert supervisor with whom they will meet regularly during Terms 2 and 3.
Main Currents in International History
Historiographical Essay (2500 words): 50% of assessment
Imperial Crisis; Decolonisation and the Post-colonial World; Peril and Progress : Security in the Post-1945 World
Research Dissertation
For all modules written feedback is provided on Moodle three weeks after the submission deadline. You are also invited to book tutorials with the Module Director.
Further information on this course is available in the programme specification. Please note that the programme specification relates to course content that is currently being studied by students at the University. For new programmes, the programme specification will be made available online prior to the start of the course.
York St John University works hard to create an inclusive environment for all our students. We offer a range of learning support services to assist students throughout their studies.
Explore contrasting periods of history using different historical and interdisciplinary approaches that will develop your critical awareness and research skills. Become a true historian, able to sustain arguments and solve problems, with a richer understanding of how history is communicated to the wider public, and how it helps us address present-day issues.
On our MA History, you will learn to critically examine different periods of history - including social, cultural, political and public history - and conduct original research at both local and global levels.
Each module (including the final major project) will introduce you to new research methods and the analytical questions that go with them. This will allow you to develop an understanding of the problems inherent in the historical record, such as the many contrasting viewpoints, and give you the means to test them effectively.
As well as using both digital and archival resources, you will develop the skills required to critically engage with non-textual historical documents such as artefacts and visual sources as presented by museums, film, or artwork.
You will then, through a series of workshops, choose a topic for your major project that calls upon the research methods you have learned and your awareness of the relevant historical concepts. By the end of the course, you will have acquired and demonstrated the skillset of a genuine historian - not just an antiquarian.
Your theoretical studies will be enhanced through our links with many local bodies, archives, libraries and organisations, including the Cambridgeshire Collection; the Thatcher and Kinnock archives at Churchill College; Imperial War Museum (Duxford); and Cambridge University Press. Through these, you will have the opportunity to engage and network with specialists, practitioners, agencies and institutions at events such as guest lectures, study trips and research projects.
You will also be part of a dynamic and rich academic environment, including a lively post-graduate community, with its own seminars and workshops that cover aspects of historical research. Your studies will be supported by expert academic staff including Professor Rohan McWilliam (Victorian studies; modern British and US history; popular culture), Professor Lucy Bland (eugenics, race and gender; British feminism), Dr Jonathan Davis (the Soviet Union), Dr Susan Flavin (early modern social and economic history), Dr Richard Carr (modern British history) and Dr Sean Lang (the First World War; British Imperialism).
Course Leader: Professor Rohan McWilliam
Taught Masters degrees in History, Art History, Philosophy and American Studies at Sussex, a top 20 University
