MA by Research in Renaissance Studies (2025 Entry)
Find out more about our MA by Research in Renaissance Studies degree at Warwick
Take the MA by Research in Renaissance Studies under the supervision of a specialist member of the Centre. Warwick's Centre for the Study of the Renaissance provides an interdisciplinary research environment where you will complete a research project, choosing from a wide range of specialist areas such as book history, history of science, classical reception, social and religious history, history of visual culture, history of education, and literature and theatre.
Course overview
As this is a personal research project, the choice of the composition of your supervisory team and the methodology of your research will depend on your chosen topic.
You will complete a dissertation of 40,000 words under the direction of academic staff from the Centre’s allied departments (Classics, English, History, History of Art, Liberal Arts and the School of Modern Languages and Cultures). Single or joint supervisions are possible.
You are encouraged to audit the core module of the Taught MA, develop your language skills, and attend the training sessions offered by the Centre, including Latin for Research, Palaeography, and academic writing skills. The starting month is flexible. The MA by Research is an excellent stepping-stone to embarking on a PhD. Nonetheless, most students will find that our taught MA will prepare them more fully to do further research.
Teaching and learning
You will be able to attend skills training, language, and palaeography sessions organized by the CSR and other departments, and audit some taught MA modules in Renaissance Studies.
General entry requirements
Minimum requirements
2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a 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
- IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.
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
Areas for PhD supervision:
- History of the Book and Reading Practices
- Religious Art, Polemics, Thought, and Literature
- The Classical Tradition (including neo-Latin and vernacular cultures; Plato; Aristotle)
- The History of Ideas (especially science and medicine, ethics and politics)
- Theatre and Performance (especially in England)
- Gender; Society and Power
- Court and Civic Culture
- Renaissance Learned Culture (including humanist circles, academies, universities)
- Popular Culture
- Visual Culture and Debates on the Arts
- Venetian Economy, Art and Culture
- Travel, Colonialism and the New World
Full details of our research interests are listed on the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance web pages.
You can also read our general University research proposal guidance.
Find a supervisor
Find your supervisor using the link below and discuss with them the area you'd like to research.
Explore our Centre for the Study of the Renaissance Staff Directory to see our staff and their current research interests.
You can also see our general University guidance about finding a supervisor.
Research proposals
The Centre is accepting expressions of interest from students wishing to pursue a postgraduate course in Renaissance Studies at Warwick.
Students are able to explore various avenues for funding, depending on the course they are choosing and other criteria. Applicants are encouraged to investigate opportunities on our webpages, check the deadlines carefully, and communicate early on with the Director of Graduate Studies Dr Rich Rabone (R dot Rabone at warwick dot ac dot uk) about their intentions, so that the strongest possible funding proposal may be prepared.
The Director of Graduate Studies will also be able to advise on any specific research proposal requirements.
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.
Find your research course fees
Fee Status Guidance
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.
Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?
If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.
Find out more about how universities assess fee status
Additional course costs
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.
For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).
Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:
- 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.
Centre for the Study of the Renaissance
The Centre for the Study of the Renaissance (CSR) is a world-leading research community based at the University of Warwick. It is one of two 'category one' research centres of the University. As an independent and interdisciplinary centre, it has very strong international connections and an active programme of MA and PhD study.
The CSR aims to support – through research, teaching, and outreach – the study of the period stretching from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century, at Warwick and beyond. It is particularly dedicated to exploring Renaissance Studies in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary way and within a context of international collaboration. It also promotes activities that intersect with the work of medievalists and early modernists.
Find out more about us on our website.Link opens in a new window
Our Postgraduate courses
How to apply
The application process for courses that start in September and October 2025 will open on 2 October 2024.
For research courses that start in September and October 2025 the application deadline for students who require a visa to study in the UK is 2 August 2025. This should allow sufficient time to complete the admissions process and to obtain a visa to study in the UK.
How to apply for a postgraduate research course
After you’ve applied
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Admissions statement
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