Course Overview

The MA Historical Research is our most flexible postgraduate history degree, offering you the opportunity to develop a pathway that best suits your needs and interests. You will take our flagship Mastering Historical Research module, with lectures from our leading specialists, and then choose from the full range of options offered by our Department of History, Classics, and Archaeology. You can formulate a bespoke program that ranges across regions and periods or take a research route specifically designed to give you the intellectual foundations, practical techniques, and confidence to pursue a Ph.D. or independent historical research in a particular area.

In the core Mastering Historical Research module, you will critically examine major themes and approaches used in historical research today, exploring key issues such as:

historical narrative

objectivity and relativism

causation

the relationship of history to other disciplines

the rise and impact of social and cultural histories

new directions in historical research and writing.

The culmination of this historical research course is an independently researched dissertation on a topic of your choice under the guidance and supervision of one of our research-active academics.

This Master's in historical research will equip you with subject expertise that may be especially relevant to jobs in:

private and public consultancy

education

policy and government

NGOs and the charity sector.

It also gives you the opportunity to develop advanced critical thinking and analysis and high-level oral and written communication skills relevant to a wide range of other career paths. The research pathway of the MA Historical Research is specially designed to equip you with the skills and background to pursue doctoral research in history.

We offer a comprehensive Careers Service - Birkbeck Futures - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education, and future ambitions.

General Eligibility

A second-class honors degree (2:2 or above) and references.

Part Time Work Details

20 hours of work permit weekly for international students.

Language Requirement

• If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this course is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 7.0, with not less than 6.5 in each of the sub-tests and at least 7.0 in writing.