MA History

Institution University of the West of England
Method At the institution
Location Bristol City
Type Masters
Course fee By request

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MA History

Objectives Postgraduate studies in History at UWE have an established pedigree. Whether for personal development or professional advancement, students from a variety of backgrounds have found studying for a postgraduate qualification in History challenging, but at the same time, extremely rewarding. The History programme seeks to extend and deepen your knowledge of the discipline of History including an explicit understanding as to how and why historians have sought to interpret human experience in the past in a particular way. By focusing on particular special subjects and emphasising the problems and potential of primary source material including methodology, and by encouraging you to be critically reflective, the programme also endeavours to provide a bridge between the relatively structured forms of study at undergraduate level and independent research and scholarship.
Entry requirements Applicants normally have a first or upper second class honours degree which includes History as a major component (including joint honours) or is in a relevant alternative field of study (such as Social Science). If you have a qualification other than these (eg a good lower second) you are welcome to apply but you should consult the Programme Leader before making a formal application. If you are considered for a place you may be required to attend an interview.
Academic title MA History
Course description Content

Full time: from September to January you will take two optional special subject modules followed in February to June by compulsory modules - Approaches to History and Research Techniques in History. The dissertation is submitted in August.

Part time: In the first teaching block (September to January) you will take one optional special subject module followed in February to June by a compulsory module - Approaches to History. In September to January of your second year you will take a second optional special subject module and in the following teaching block (February to June) you will take a further compulsory module, Research Techniques in History, and commence your dissertation at the beginning of the second year. The dissertation is submitted in the following January.

A variety of special subject modules are available including: early modern history, economic and social history, international history, and regional history. Examples of current modules include:

-Town and Parish Culture in the Southwest, 1350-1689
-International Crisis and Conflict: British Foreign Policy 1933-1945
-Politics, Society and International Activism: the United States since 1945

Option modules offered in 2007/08 are:

-International Crisis and Conflict: British Foreign Policy, 1933-1945
-Politics, Society and International Activism: United States History, 1945 - Present
-Town and Parish Culture in the Southwest, 1350 - 1689
-It may be possible to choose one module from a wider Faculty menu.

Early in the second teaching block (fourth if you are a part-time student), you will negotiate your dissertation topic, and an experienced member of staff will be allocated as your supervisor. In the module Research Techniques in History, you will receive instruction and training in basic research techniques including the compilation of bibliographies and the development of IT, paleographic or foreign language skills depending on your choice of dissertation topic. The dissertation is an individual piece of work of your own choosing. It consists of 15,000 - 20,000 words and is based partly on research into primary sources.

Teaching and learning
MA classes run between 18.30 and 21.30 on Monday - Thursday evenings in both semesters.

Assessment
Assessment takes a variety of forms, which may include essays, extended essays, document analyses, book reviews and assessed seminar assignments. An MA with distinction shall be awarded to students of exceptional merit.