MA/PGDip/PGCert in Storia

Whether you are interested in a variety of historical periods and approaches or have a passion for a particular element of the past, our new MA History offers you the flexibility to study what interests you most.

The MA in History enables you to develop expertise across a variety of subjects in which the Department of History has significant strengths, which include Medieval Studies, Early Modern History, Global History, US History, Contemporary History, Public History and Modern British Studies.

You can also specialise in a particular historical pathway, including studying taught modules and writing your dissertation on a topic within the pathway area of specialism. Current pathways include

• Modern and Contemporary History pathway
• Global History pathway
• Medieval and Early Modern History pathway

All applications are made to the MA History programme. If you would like to specialise in a particular pathway, you do not need to decide on applying. You will indicate this at the module choice process upon entry to the programme, allowing for greater flexibility in your Master's study.

Studying our MA History programme allows you to benefit from the expertise of a large number of historians at Birmingham and the Department is unrivalled in the geographical and chronological breadth of its expertise.

If you are interested in continuing your studies to an advanced level, but are unable to commit to a full Masters's degree or would prefer not to complete a dissertation, you may be interested in our Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) or Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) routes. On the PGDip, you complete modules worth 120 credits over 8 months full-time or 16 months part-time. On the PGCert, you complete 80 credits over 4 months full-time.

Why study this course?

• Research strengths – Times Higher Education ranked the Department of History eighth in the country in the Research Excellence Framework exercise 2021 based on Grade Point Average.
• Excellent reputation – the University of Birmingham has been ranked as one of the world's top 100 institutions to study History in the 2023 QS World University Rankings.
• Foundation for further research – our MA History programme will equip you with the research skills to read and assess relevant primary sources, the ability to carry out independent research and to write up your research. By the end of the programme, you will have acquired the skills and the knowledge to progress to a PhD if you wish.
• Access to academic support services – as a postgraduate student you will have access to services such as the Academic Writing Advisory Service and the Bank of Assessed Work which will aid your transition from undergraduate to postgraduate level, or back into academia after a time away.
• Be a part of an exciting department – you will join a lively postgraduate community with opportunities to enhance your learning through events and research seminars.

The postgraduate experience

The College of Arts and Law offers excellent support to its postgraduates, from libraries and research spaces to career support and funding opportunities.

Our College of Arts and Law Graduate School is a vibrant international community of over 1500 postgraduate students. We benefit from excellent research resources and a supportive environment that allows your research to flourish. Located in the Arts building at the main Edgbaston campus, our team of academic and operational staff is on hand to offer support and advice whenever you need it.

As a College, we have top class facilities that encourage interaction between disciplines and research areas so you’ll be amongst like-minded people, giving you the stimulation, support, and challenges you need to succeed.

The University of Birmingham

Birmingham is constantly developing and evolving in its desire to become a leading global university. This is being achieved through our enhanced research power and reach; the distinctiveness of our exceptional student experience; the breadth and depth of our academic portfolio; our size and the extent of our global networks.

The city of Birmingham

Birmingham is no longer transforming; it is transformed. With independent restaurants, shops and bars throughout the centre and popular districts around the city, this new and vibrant Birmingham is nestled among local markets, iconic buildings of our industrial heritage and contemporary architecture such as the new Library of Birmingham.

New bars and shops open frequently as the city continues to build its youthful and unique identity. There is so much diversity and history within Birmingham that the shops, food and venues reflect this. Old icons such as the Custard Factory host alternative shops and bars, just a short walk from the famous Birmingham wholesale fish and rag markets, all of which nestle close to the new Grand Central train station and shopping precinct.

Birmingham Law School

For almost a century Birmingham Law School has led the way in legal education and research. Today, we continue to provide our students with innovative, challenging, and research-driven education.

The Birmingham LLM takes one year (full-time) or two years (part-time) to complete and involves the study of six specialist modules and a dissertation. Applicants must have a good undergraduate degree in Law or equivalent.

The Birmingham LLM allows students to follow a general route, with complete flexibility in module selection, or follow one of our specialist pathways. When applying to the Birmingham LLM, students do not need to decide whether they wish to specialise at that stage, as pathway specialisms can be decided once students start on the course.

The Shakespeare Institute

The Shakespeare Institute, located in Stratford-upon-Avon, has been a beacon for international Shakespeare scholarship since its foundation in 1951.

The University of Birmingham is engaged in an exciting collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). This pioneering project is the result of the longstanding relationship between the RSC and the Shakespeare Institute at Birmingham.

The collaboration is rooted in a vision of theatre as an engine room for creative thinking and research, a place for the exchange of artistic and academic knowledge and practice, and a shared commitment to enriching student experience and contemporary Shakespeare studies.

Our students are at the heart of the collaboration and encouraged to study and create theatre in Shakespeare's own daring spirit. They benefit from the expertise of RSC artists and practitioners through innovative modules, masterclasses, workshops and projects.