Study at one of the world's leading centres of expertise in medieval history
Year of entry: 2025 (September)
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Upcoming eventsYork is the leading centre in the UK for masters level medieval study.
Our MA in Medieval History will enable you to explore new approaches to the history of medieval Britain, Europe and beyond. You will have a chance to acquire new knowledge, as well as to develop valuable skills alongside extensive training in research technique and methodology.
Studying Medieval History in York will give you an unparalleled opportunity to encounter rich local resources, including manuscripts, documents, buildings and material culture. You'll benefit from a wealth of expertise on the medieval period and be challenged to think critically about source material.
You'll quickly feel part of the lively and supportive postgraduate communities in the Department of History and the Centre for Medieval Studies. We encourage you to attend seminars, conferences and research training sessions throughout the year.
The Medieval History MA has been a fantastic opportunity to delve into a period I simply wanted to know more about, facilitated and thoroughly supported by top academics in a city famed for its medieval heritage. The combination of knowledge and skills based modules has been especially enjoyable, and I've got to know a lovely group of other students who share my interests.Connie, MA Medieval History student
for history, in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2024.
Our skills modules are unique to our courses, and will give you practical knowledge of professional research methods.
The course consists of:
You will study three option modules in total, one of them a skills option. Examples can be found below. Some option module combinations may not be possible. The options available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course.
The Centre for Medieval Studies also offers a variety of option modules which may be available to Medieval History students, subject to availability.
You will also be able to choose from other option modules in the department, such as:
Students may study Arabic, or two other medieval languages, or a language and palaeography. Language options include Latin, Old English, Old Norse and Old French; palaeography options are early book hands, administrative hands, or late book hands. Many students include Latin as one of their skills and the teaching programme caters fully to the needs of complete beginners as well as those with some acquaintance with the subject.
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
You will write a dissertation of between 14,000 - 16,000 words on a topic of your choice. Using source materials and analysis techniques, you will draft up the findings into an independently researched dissertation.
You will receive support, advice and guidance from your dissertation adviser throughout your project. The range of expertise of our staff and of our source materials means we can provide you with guidance on a wide range of topics.
You will have five one-to-one meetings with your dissertation adviser across Semester 2 and the summer period (June/July). In these meetings, you will discuss the feasibility of your project and receive feedback on two draft chapters of your dissertation.
Past dissertation titles have included:
Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (1 year) | £11,200 | £25,900 |
| Part-time (2 years) This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation. |
£5,600 | £12,950 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
For courses which are longer than one year, the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study.
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
There is no obligation to purchase books or other texts - all core texts and resources will be available in our library or online.
Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a 10% Masters fee discount.
We are pleased to work with Chevening Scholars to offer funding for our Masters programmes. Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK for international (including EU) students. The scholarships are open to early and mid-career professionals who have the potential to become future leaders.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.
Most of your modules will consist of weekly two-hour seminars. The Research Training module will be taught through three-hour workshops. You will normally work in small groups of fewer than 15 students.
You will be based between the Department of History and the Centre for Medieval Studies.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
You will be primarily assessed by essays and your dissertation. You will have the chance to submit assignments for formative assessment, enabling you to get and use feedback before the final summative assessment.
York is the ideal place to be inspired to study the past, with a rich and turbulent history stretching back to the Romans. Today the city boasts beautiful historic architecture, as well as a variety of museums, galleries and heritage organisations.
The University is home to the Borthwick Institute for Archives and students can also access York Minster Library and the City Archives. We're also close to the British Library Reading Room at Boston Spa where you can consult millions of items.
An MA in Medieval History will prepare you for a diverse range of careers. The degree is equally suitable for students who wish to pursue doctoral research or careers in teaching, public history, archives, or for those with enthusiasm for the subject but do not yet have a clear career direction.
While completing your MA, you will gain essential skills in research, presentation and analysis. The skills training modules will provide you with additional, specialist skills in areas of your choice.
You will be able to explore careers in the following areas:
| Typical offer | |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent in History or a relevant subject. |
| Other qualifications and experience | We would consider a 2:2 but our decision would depend on the whole application including the quality of the written work submitted. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
You will need to submit examples of written work with your application. Please see our guidance on submitting written work.
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Minimum requirement | |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 459-494, with 426-458 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum of 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to premium.
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