MA by Research in History (2023 Entry)
Explore our MA by Research in History.
With a reputation for national and international excellence and innovation, our History Department was ranked fourth in the country for the highest combined percentage (90%) of world-leading and internationally excellent research outputs (REF 2021). Surrounded and supported by a host of exceptional historians, you will be exposed to diverse and international views, people and research, all encouraging and challenging you to think unconventionally and creatively about the past.
Course overview
The breadth of expertise and experience in the History Department (currently forty or so full-time members of staff), along with a thriving culture of research, seminars and conferences, make Warwick one of the very best universities in the UK to undertake research in history.
Students taking the MA by Research are expected to complete their degrees in one year of full-time study, or two years part-time. As a research student your closest contact will be with your supervisor, or supervisors, who will meet with you regularly to discuss your work, and agree a programme of reading, research and writing with you.
Additional support and training, including English language support, are provided by the Department, Arts Faculty and the Graduate School, as well as by History’s many reading groups, seminars, workshops and conferences. History researchers will benefit from the University Library’s new Research Exchange, a dedicated postgraduate conference and study area, with state-of-the-art facilities.
You are encouraged to contact us to discuss whether the MA by Research, rather than the Taught MA, is the right course for you.
For postgraduate queries, please email PGHistoryOffice at warwick dot ac dot uk For further information, please visit the History Department web pages.
Teaching and learning
You will take one core module Historical Research: Theories, Skills and Methods.
This 40 CATS one-term MA module for students on the Social Science doctoral pathway is designed to equip students with the methodological skills needed to carry out an extended piece of historical research and writing.
General entry requirements
Minimum requirements
2:i undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a closely related subject.
English language requirements
You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:
- Band B
- Overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 and component scores
All of our courses are delivered in English so, if English is not your first language, you have not graduated from an English speaking university or worked in an English speaking environment for at least two years you must demonstrate a minimum overall standard in the following recognised tests of English. The certificate will be required as evidence.
International qualifications
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.
For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.
Additional requirements
There are no additional entry requirements for this course.
Our research
The Department of History at Warwick has particular strengths in the history of the early modern and modern periods. Our Faculty have expertise in subjects across the world, and a number of specialist Research Centres facilitating new research by students and scholars.
You can search our academic staff by their areas of expertise.
Warwick’s History Department features a host of exceptional historians and has an outstanding national and international reputation.
Our historians highlight global and innovative perspectives on traditional themes and share an enthusiasm for history beyond the confines of academia. Their research and teaching reflects a cutting-edge take on established historical fields and ideas. They are prepared to take an unconventional view. This willingness to look beyond the traditional boundaries of the discipline makes for a distinctive learning environment at Warwick.
The Department has an outstanding reputation as pioneering practitioners of social, cultural, early modern, European, Latin American and medical history, and has more recently been at the forefront of developing the methodologies of the new global history. Inspired by an expansive and inclusive vision of historical research, our historians' work is multi-disciplinary and draws on environmental, literary, visual and material sources spanning the globe across five centuries.
The Department’s commitment to supporting research that is internationally field-leading, innovative, and engaged is underpinned by the belief that understanding the past helps to shape the present and the future.
Research within the Department is underpinned by three key guiding principles: rendering visible people, objects, themes, institutions and processes whose histories have been neglected, misunderstood or under-valued; achieving engagement and impact for our findings, within academia, museums and archives and beyond; and internationalism, in terms of the scope of research, the composition of the Department, and our approach to collaboration.
If you are intellectually curious, and prepared for your investigations to take you into unexpected territories, you will be at home in Warwick’s Department of History.
You can also read our general University research proposal guidance.
Find a supervisor
Find your potential supervisor using the link below and contact them to discuss what you would like to research.
View our History Staff Directory where you will be able to explore the areas of expertise, research centres and research networks within the department. If you need additional guidance please email us.
You can also see our general University guidance about finding a supervisor.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.
Taught course fees Research course fees
Fee Status Guidance
The University carries out an initial fee status assessment based on information provided in the application and according to the guidance published by UKCISA. Students are classified as either Home or Overseas Fee status and this can determine the tuition fee and eligibility of certain scholarships and financial support.
If you receive an offer, your fee status will be stated with the tuition fee information, however we are awaiting guidance from the UK government regarding fee status for EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals and their family members living in the UK for academic year 2021/22 onwards. We are not able to confirm the fee status for these students until the relevant eligibility criteria have been confirmed. Once we have received further information from the UK government, we will provide you with an update on your fee status and let you know if any additional information is required. If you believe your fee status has been incorrectly classified you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire (follow the instructions in your offer) and provide the required documentation for this to be reassessed.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) provides guidance to UK universities on fees status criteria, you can find the latest guidance on the impact of Brexit on fees and student support on the UKCISA website.
Additional course costs
Please contact your academic department for information about department specific costs, which should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below, such as:
- Core text books
- Printer credits
- Dissertation binding
- Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Scholarships and bursaries
Scholarships and financial support
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.
Living costs
Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.
History at Warwick
Each year, we attract excellent students like you to Warwick.
We will help you develop the skills needed to conduct research, including in the archives, engage critically with your sources, and support you in developing critical thinking and writing skills.
Whether you’re working with classmates in seminars and workshops, or getting involved with the History Society, at every turn you’ll find like-minded people who share your fascination with the past and its significance in the present.
Get to know us better by exploring our departmental website.Link opens in a new window
Our courses
- Early Modern History (MA)
- Global and Comparative History (MA)
- History (MA by Research)
- History (MPhil/PhD)
- History of Medicine (MA)
- Modern History (MA)
Read more about our courses on the History website:
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Here is our checklist on how to apply for taught postgraduate courses at Warwick.
Research course applications
Here is our checklist on how to apply for research postgraduate degrees at the University of Warwick.
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