History MA

The History MA is designed for students who want to further their historical skills and work on a special project of their own interest.

Postgraduate Open Event
Wednesday 20 March 2019

Overview
Structure and assessment
Facilities and features
Opportunities and careers
more about your DMU
Contact us

Overview

Reasons to study History MA at DMU:

Specialist areas of study
provide an opportunity to develop advanced History skills through training in historical debates, historiography and the use of primary sources, along with close supervision of a topic of your own choosing.
Specialist staff with international reputations
in areas ranging from the medieval Indian Ocean, modern Britain and Europe, Colonial History, Sports History and Photographic History, who will work with you in groups and in regular one-to-one sessions
Research and transferable skills
are developed through study of historical sources and methods; practical training in writing for publication, teaching and research, presenting work and event management, providing you with skills in teaching, publishing, research and managing cultural events
Preparation for further study
as the MA, with its focus on individual research, provides ideal preparation for progression to PhD. The enhanced qualification in History can also contribute to further study in education (PGCE) and heritage and archive studies.
Participation in major research events
through participation in the seminars and conferences organized in the History subject area, including the History Research Seminars, Cultural Exchanges week events, International Centre for Sports History and Cultures and the Photographic History Research Centre.

The History MA offers the best of both taught and research-focused postgraduate courses, enabling students to concentrate on their chosen assessments and individual interests while teaching them the practical skills involved in History and Humanities research, ranging from first-hand experience of conference management, presenting work and writing for publication. It is an ideal stepping-stone to either research at PhD level or a career in teaching, publishing, research or event management. The focus on individual choice, developing your own specialisms, enables you to produce your best possible work.

The staff who teach History here are prominent figures whose research has been featured on numerous media programmes, including the BBC’s My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947. In addition, many of the History team have links with Museums and Galleries and provide consultancy for policy makers, most recently for the House of Lords.

Scholarships:

At DMU, we are committed to helping our graduates enhance their careers and personal development through further study.

Vice-Chancellor’s 2020 Scholarship
Up to 50 per cent of tuition fees offered to Home/EU DMU alumni for students who wish to continue their studies at DMU by enrolling on a Postgraduate taught course. For more information visit our Vice-Chancellor’s 2020 Scholarship page.

Vice-Chancellor's Sports Scholarship
Apply for the Vice-Chancellor's Sports Scholarship, worth up to £6,000.

More courses like this:

English Language Teaching MA
Sports History and Culture MA

UK/EU
International

Key facts for UK/EU students

Duration: One year full-time, two years part-time.

Start date: September 2019

Fees and funding: For 2019/20 tuition fees will be UK/EU £5,300 (full-time) per year, £422 per 15 credits (part-time) per year

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Contact us: For more information complete our online enquiry form or call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

How to apply: All students can apply to study at DMU directly using the DMU Online Portal.

Key facts for international students

Duration: One year full-time

Start date: September 2019

Fees and funding international: For 2019/20 tuition fees will be £13,600 per year

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

Contact us: For more information complete our online enquiry form or call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

How to apply: All students can apply to study at DMU directly using the DMU Online Portal.

Entry criteria

Typical entry requirements

You should have the equivalent of a 2.2 or above UK bachelor’s honours degree. If you have other professional qualifications and/or industry experience we will consider your application on an individual basis.

As you will be working largely independently, you need to be self-motivated and have good time management skills

International students

If English is not your first language an IELTS 6.5 including 6.5 in the written component and 5.5 in each other component or equivalent when you start the course is essential. English Language tuition, delivered by our British Council accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Structure and assessment

Module detail

Historical Methodology
This module provides an introduction to advanced historiography. It will develop students’ knowledge of traditional historiographical concerns alongside current trends and new directions in writing and thinking about the past. It also aims to enable students to think critically about the way historians have formulated research questions, used sources, and written history, across time and place. It will help students to build up an informed knowledge of recent developments in historical thinking as well as a history of the discipline of History itself. There will be a strong global element to the curriculum.

Topics to be covered will be drawn from the following: nation and state in History; global and transnational histories; empires and colonies; orientalism and occidentalism; social history, structuralism and the Annales; history from below; history in numbers; cultural history and postmodernism; materiality and visual history; gender history; and migration history.

Public History and Heritage
This module provides an introduction to Public History and Heritage. It will develop your knowledge about the debates, theoretical underpinnings and development of public history and heritage in both the UK and the wider world. It will enable you to engage in debates around how public history is constructed, contested and represented in society. It examines the growth in the heritage industry and considers the ways in which the digital age has impacted upon the development and growth of this sector. The module also brings together industry specialists to provide a practical and theoretical approach to teaching and learning on this module.

Conference Training and Presentation
The module is designed to train students in the skills involved in event organisation and presentation. It will involve collaborative as well as individual research skills. Students will be guided through the necessary training in organising a conference, choosing a topic and delivering a relevant paper. Students will be assigned roles (treasurer, programme developer, marketing manager, website designer) and will also present a paper at the conference. Students will be assessed on a reflective essay, outlining their contribution to the management of the conference and a written version of their presentation (including slides).

Project Research Training Module
The module is designed to train students in the skills to design and manage a research project in history, locate relevant primary and secondary sources, devise methodologies to analyse sources and prepare a research proposal. It commences with taught sessions on the nature of sources and archives, and specific methodologies in primary research that will be tailored to the students’ research interest but may include oral history, digital resources, quantitative sources and methods, print and broadcast media, political history archives, local and family history, visual and material histories. Then, it moves on to project preparation skills which include the compilation of bibliographies, critical evaluation of secondary literature and project design. The final outcome will be a detailed project proposal and plan for the dissertation. There will be field visits to local archives and depositories.

Dissertation
The final project will be a sustained piece of writing, amounting to 15,000 words. The piece will draw on research undertaken throughout the year but will provide a new and sustained argument.

Note: All modules are subject to change in order to keep content current

Overview

The aim of the masters programme is to develop your skills from module to module, ensuring that each module develops skills that will contribute to the following module. The course consists of 180 credits with four 30-credit modules followed by a 60-credit dissertation, moving from taught to research-based study. You commence the course with two taught modules, in History research methodologies and in Public History and Heritage. In the second term, you are trained in conference planning and presentation in which you will participate in the organisation and delivery of a Humanities conference in which you may have the opportunity to present your work. Following from these opportunities to present and receive feedback, you will focus on independent work in which you will lay the groundwork for your dissertation. The final part of the course will be devoted to a dissertation of 15,000 words.

The programme is designed to provide for intense immersive learning for those who wish to complete in a year, and for those who want to study part-time over two years, to fit their study around busy and demanding professional and personal lives.

Contact hours
In your first two terms you will normally attend around 3 hours of timetabled taught sessions including lectures, tutorials and workshop and studio sessions each week, and be expected to undertake at least 32 hours of independent study each week. Your third term will be pre-dominantly self-directed (including meetings with your supervisor), during which you can expect to undertake 35 hours of independent study each week.

Full-time Students:

Semester 1 has been designed to introduce students to historiography and historical methodology and to provide both practical and theoretical training in developing research to Masters Level. Students will be taught in two sessions on separate days: one afternoon session, Historical Methodology and one lunchtime session, Public History and Heritage. Students will meet their personal tutor in the first week of term and outline the areas they wish to cover over the three semesters.

Semester 2 develops from the 1st semester and offers students a module on Conference Organisation and Presentation and a module on Project Research Training, focusing on primary sources and project preparation.

Semester 3 is devoted to the final 15,000-word dissertation that should build on the work completed over the previous semesters.

Part-time Students:

Year 1 Semester 1 offers support alongside full-time students in the module Historical Methodology.
Year 1 Semester 2 focuses on the development and consolidation of practice from Semester 1 in Conference Organisation and Presentation.
Year 1 Semester 3 provides you with an opportunity for independent learning and reflection based on the modules already completed.
Year 2 Semester 1: Students will take the Public History and Heritage module.
Year 2 Semester 2: You will take the Project Research Training module, in preparation for the dissertation.
Year 2 Semester 3: is devoted to the final 15,000-word dissertation that should build on the work completed over the previous semesters.

Facilities and features

Facilities

The Clephan Building is home to DMU’s humanities subjects, and is equipped with the latest audio-visual equipment and cinema screens.

Currently Clephan houses some key Arts, Design and Humanities student support facilities including the Arts, Design and Humanities Placement Team and the faculties Advice Centre, where you can access information about timetabling, specialist support queries. and any other questions you may have about your course.

The building also features the Leicester Centre for Creative Writing, Centre of Textual Studies, Centre for Adaptations, and the International Centre for Sports History and Culture.

Library

We have 1,600 study places and more than 700 computer workstations across all library locations on campus. These give access to more than half a million print publications, thousands of e-books and e-journals and a huge range of DVDs plus a host of research databases.

The main Kimberlin Library is open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year (other than in exceptional circumstances).

The Library is run by dedicated staff who offer additional support to students, including academic writing, research strategies, literature searching and reference management. There is also a Just Ask service for help and advice, available via email or telephone.

Learning zones

Our comfortable and well-equipped study areas provide a range of environments to suit your needs.

Our Learning Zones and The Greenhouse provide flexible spaces, whether you are working as a group, practising a presentation or working quietly on your own.

They feature workstations with power supplies for laptops, plus bookable syndicate rooms with plasma screens, laptops and DVD facilities. Wi-Fi is available across all campus locations.

Opportunities and careers

Enterprise

Starting a business
If you are thinking of starting your own business or working for yourself, the Enterprise Team can help provide you with the right advice and guidance to get your business off the ground.

#DMUglobal

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through #DMUglobal, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

Graduate careers

An MA is highly respected by employers. Students who have completed a History MA typically have gone into a range of careers, including teaching, marketing and PhD research.