MA Medieval Studies
| Duration |
Full time 1 year Part time 2 years |
|---|---|
| Discipline |
|
| Location |  Exeter (Streatham)
|
| Start date | September |
Overview
This interdisciplinary programme aims to provide you with the opportunity to develop your knowledge and understanding of medieval society and culture. Staff expertise, drawn from across the University, covers a wide range of disciplines and specialisms including Archaeology; History; Islamic studies; Law; Music; Theology; Visual and material culture; and the literatures of England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain from the Fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. Particular areas of strength include medieval religious culture, Christian-Muslim interaction, intellectual and elite culture, and the history of medicine.
The University library maintains extensive holdings in all these disciplines, extensive audio-visual collections and a number of medieval manuscripts (including the Syon Collection), while Exeter Cathedral Library and Archives and the Devon Heritage Centre contain further significant medieval manuscripts, documents and early printed books. You will benefit from contact with leading scholars in the field, whilst receiving the training suitable for MPhil/PhD research.
A range of optional modules are available which reflect the varied research interests of academic staff across the Centre for Medieval Studies. These interests range widely across the medieval period and cover Britain, Europe and the Islamic world. They also represent several disciplines, including History, Archaeology, Classics, Literature, Music, Art History, Theology and Islamic Studies.
The core module Interpreting the Middle Ages: Images, Texts and Contexts will give students an overview of these different disciplinary approaches and show how they can be applied to the study of medieval texts and objects. Other core modules are Medieval Research Skills, which introduces students to the skills needed to work with medieval sources such as palaeography and codicology, and Current Research in Medieval Studies which asks students to reflect on how academic research projects are designed and presented, and gives them guidance in developing their own dissertation projects. Students also have the option of taking Latin modules and are strongly encouraged to do so if they are considering going on to an MPhil or PhD.
Programme features
- offers an excellent, interdisciplinary education in medieval studies, covering a wide range of topics and approaches across the medieval period
- gives students the opportunity to work with the medieval sources in and around Exeter, for example at Exeter Cathedral, the Devon Heritage Centre and the University’s Special Collections
- produces graduates who are highly competent in subject-specific, core academic, and personal and key skills that are both relevant and transferable to employment
- encourages participation in research seminar programmes offering insights into a very wide range of research cultures and specialisms and into how academics go about designing and presenting research projects
- offers excellent preparation for students intending to continue on to doctoral-level research with a good track record in obtaining funding for further study
Programme structure
Total credits required: 180 MA Convenor for 2014/5: Dr Tim Rees
None of the following modules have prerequisites except Latin II (please see below for details). Please note that availability of all modules is subject to timetabling constraints and that not all modules are available every year.
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISM182 | Medieval Research Skills [Term 1] | 15 |
| HISM183 | Interpreting the Middle Ages [Term 1] | 30 |
| HISM184 | Current Research in Medieval Studies [Terms 1 & 2] | 15 |
| HISM180 | Dissertation in Medieval Studies or HISM181 [Term 3] | 60 |
| HISM181 | Dissertation in Medieval Studies or HISM180 [Term 3] | 90 |
Optional modules
You will make up the rest of your 180 credits from a range of optional modules. The availability of options will vary by year and the list below is indicative of the choices which may be available:
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISM185 | Supervised Independent Study in the Humanities | 15 |
| HISM186 | Supervised Independent Study in the Humanities | 30 |
| ARCM412 | Funerary Osteoarchaeology (Masters level) | 15 |
| HISM034 | Medicine in Medieval and Early Modern England | 30 |
| CLAM251 | Latin I | 30 |
| CLAM252 | Classical Language and Texts: Latin II | 30 |
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Learning and teaching
Teaching takes place over the first two terms, leaving the third for your dissertation. Research-centred teaching is at the heart of the programme. Teaching is done in small seminar groups to allow students the best possible interaction with academic staff, through individual and group presentations and round table discussions of common readings.
You will be assessed by a variety of course work including translations, transcriptions and other written work including essays. You will also complete a dissertation of 20,000 or 25,000 words on a subject of your choice with the approval of your supervisor.
Learning resources
The University's Streatham Campus is located with excellent access to the heart of historic Exeter which has a rich cultural heritage extending back to the Roman period and boasts particularly fine evidence of its medieval past. You will benefit from access to Exeter Cathedral Library and University libraries which maintain excellent holdings relevant to medieval studies.
Centre for Medieval Studies
The Centre for Medieval Studies brings together academics from a wide range of disciplines including Archaeology, History, Arab and Islamic Studies, Law, Music, Theology, and European Literature, with interests from the Dark Ages to the early Renaissance. The centre holds a number of seminars and other research events which MA students are welcome to attend. Visit the Centre for Medieval Studies website to find out more.
Careers
A degree in History, whether studied at our campus in Exeter or in Penryn, will provide you with a wide range of skills which will be useful in your future study or employment. Our students develop skills in researching, analysing and assessing sources, written and verbal communication, managing and interpreting information and developing ideas and arguments. Some of our graduates choose to follow their interest in their degree studies with further study or with a career in teaching or museum and archive work. Others use the skills gained on their course to enter a wide variety of careers.
Some destinations of graduates from History programmes are:
Assistant Archivist
Assistant Visitor Services Manager
Associate Research Fellow
Author
Cataloguer
Foreign Expert
HR Coordinator
Lecturer
Marketing & PR Executive
Media Planner
Ministry Assistant
National Trust Volunteer Internship
Paralegal
Personal Assistant
PhD Study in History or Medieval Studies
PR Intern
Recruitment Consultant
Relay Worker
Research Fellow
Sabbatical Officer
Speech Assisted Pre-Recorded Subtitler
Strategic Analyst
Teacher
Trainee Trust and Estates Practitioner
Trust Administrator
Entry requirements 2016
Normally a minimum 2:1 Honours degree in History or a related discipline such as (Archaeology, Ancient History, Classics, Modern History, Medieval Studies or Latin), with a minimum 2.1 grade in the undergraduate dissertation. Students with combined honours degrees must have studied at least 1/3 of their degree in History-related modules or have some background in Medieval Studies, Classics and Ancient History or Latin. Exceptions may be made for students with relevant experience or qualifications depending on the submission of written work and/or interview.
If you are an international student, please visit our international equivalency pages to enable you to see if your existing academic qualifications meet our entry requirements.
Requirements for international students
If you are an international student, please visit our international equivalency pages to enable you to see if your existing academic qualifications meet our entry requirements.
English language requirements
IELTS (Academic)
Overall score 6.5. No less than 6.0 in any section.
TOEFL IBT*
Overall score 90 with minimum scores of 21 for writing, 21 for listening, 22 for reading and 23 for speaking.
Pearson Test of English (Academic)
58 with no less than 55 in all communicative skills.
Cambridge English: Advanced & Proficiency
Overall score 176. No less than 169 in any section.
Pre-sessional English
Applicants with lower English language test scores may be able to take pre-sessional English at INTO University of Exeter prior to commencing their programme. See our English language requirements page for more information.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees per year 2016/17
- UK/EU: £6,900 full-time; £3,450 part-time
- International: £15,950 full-time
Fee information
Fees can normally be paid by two termly instalments and may be paid online. You will also be required to pay a tuition fee deposit to secure your offer of a place, unless you qualify for exemption. For further information about paying fees see our Student Fees pages.
Scholarships and other funding
Find out about funding opportunities available to students on our taught Masters programmes in History.
Contact us
The programme director is Dr Catherine Rider.
We welcome enquiries about the course, for further information contact:
Email: humanities-pgadmissions@exeter.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0) 1392 725306
Address:
Graduate School Office
College of Humanities
Queens Building
The Queens Drive
University of Exeter
Exeter
Devon
EX4 4QH
UK