The MRes in Historical Research trains students to be historians and prepares them for doctoral research. Both are achieved through the completion of independent study modules, field seminars and skills training, under close and careful supervision. Research topics are chosen from a range of fields in consultation with supervisors; there are also two pathways specifically for in-depth study in Medieval Scottish History and the American Revolutionary Era.

Programme ObjectivesThe school’s postgraduate training programme is designed primarily to prepare you for further research.

Structure and Content

Students can choose one of three pathways: MRes in Historical Research; MRes in Historical Research (Medieval Scottish History); or MRes in Historical Research (the American Revolutionary Era). Entry is to the MRes in Historical Research, and you will consult with an assigned supervisor to plan your pathway....

The MLitt in Renaissance Studies is an instructional Master’s programme taught jointly by members of staff drawn from the Universities of Strathclyde, Stirling, and Glasgow under the aegis of the Scottish Institute of Northern Renaissance Studies (SINRS).

The MLitt degree is jointly awarded by the Universities of Strathclyde and Stirling.

The programme is aimed at those who are interested in the literary and broader cultural aspects of the Renaissance and who wish to acquire a more specialised knowledge of this field. A primary objective is to investigate factors that contribute to the distinctiveness of the cultural productions of Northern Europe, including Scotland....

MSc in Economic History

This programme provides knowledge of the general history of production and distribution, population and living standards, institutions and social organisation.

Economic history is not only about the past, but is also a way to look at the present and the future in the context of accumulated experience. Core courses deal with population and living standards, institutions and economic growth, as well as the international economy and globalisation. Optional courses are offered within a broad range of topics. Methodological issues in both qualitative and quantitative terms have a central place and you will acquire the ability to carry out investigations and analyses concerning change of social and economic conditions under different circumstances....

The MA Classics is an intesive year-long course, designed both as a self-contained block of study and as preparation for PhD work.

The Department of Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology is the largest in Wales, and can provide expertise touching on most aspects of the classical world, and in Egyptology. The Department was awarded the grade of 4A in the 2001 national Research Assessment Exercise.

The MA Classics is seminar-based and constructed in four modules running between October and June, concentrating on study techniques employed in ancient history, classical culture and Egyptology. The schemes are designed to be flexible, and can, within limits, be tailored to meet the needs or interests of individual students....

The diversity of research interests is one of the Department of English’s main strengths. English at Swansea was rated 4 in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. The Department is home to the Centre for Research into the English Literature and Language of Wales (CREW) and to the Centre for Research into Gender in Culture and Society (GENCAS). Together with other research groups, these organize weekly research seminars, as well as regular symposia and conferences, and promote innovative research and publication in their fields.

This is a new interdisciplinary MA scheme, due to start in September 2005, co-ordinated by the English and French Departments. It will be taught by Modernism specialists across the School of Arts and the School of Humanities (English, European Languages, American Studies, Media Studies, History). The scheme consists of:...

The History Department is a leading centre for the study of the subject. The Department was rated 4 in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, reflecting the quality of the Department’s wide range of interests in different aspects of world history.

Current research interests within the Department include:

Medieval History

• Norman and Angevin England and Wales

• The Mediterranean world

• Late medieval England and Wales

Modern British History

• Most aspects of British history between 1500 and  1800

• Most aspects of Welsh history

• The cultural, intellectual and urban history of  nineteenth-century and twentieth-century Britain...

The MA in Maritime and Imperial History is a unique programme with no direct UK equivalent. The scheme combines elements of local (Welsh) maritime history with modules offering coverage of gloabl themes, enabling candidates to develop their interests in maritime and imperial history, either as training for future PhD research, or as a self-contained course of study.

The MA is built around one core course which enables candidates to explore a range of thematic and conceptual approaches to the study of maritime and imperial history, and a second, ‘Making Maritime and Imperial History’, which is a practical skills-based group project involving the application of collaborative research to the development of materials to be used in a public history and heritage context.  Students also take three elective modules. The MA culminates in a dissertation written under the supervision of one of specialist staff in the Department....

The MA in Early Modern History is designed for students who are particularly interested in studying the period of history that runs from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries, and encompasses the Renaissance, Reformation and Counter Reformation, and Enlightenment.

Swansea University has excellent research resources for postgraduate study in the area of Early Modern History.  In addition to the general holdings in the University library, the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth is within travelling distance.  The University works closely with the National Galleries and Museums of Wales.  There is a postgraduate common room and an electronic resources room available in the James Callaghan Building....

The MA in Medieval Studies at Swansea University is an exciting new course that brings together the expertise of the medievalists in the School of Arts (notably in the Departments of English and French) and the School of Humanities (especially the Departments of History and Classics).

The MA in Medieval Studies degree is designed for students with widely differing academic backgrounds, interests, and goals.  It can be used as preparation for doctoral research, or as a self-contained degree for its own sake. All candidates for the MA complete the degree by writing a dissertation on a topic of their choice, under the supervision of a member of staff from the School of Arts or the School of Humanities....

The Department of Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology is the largest in Wales, and can provide expertise touching on most aspects of the classical world, and in Egyptology. The Department was awarded the grade of 4A in the 2001 national Research Assessment Exercise.

The Department enjoys an invaluable asset in its purpose-built Egypt Centre, which houses about 3,000 objects from Ancient Egypt. This impressive and important collection illustrates more than 4,000 years of human development from the prehistoric to the early Christian era and plays an integral role in our teaching.

The University Library is particularly well stocked with original texts, literary and documentary, with basic works of reference and with secondary material of all kinds. It subscribes to a wide range of general and specialist periodicals....

The History Department is a leading centre for the study of the subject. In 1999, the Times Higher Education Supplement listed Swansea as one of the top twenty UK institutions in which to study history.

Program Overview

The MA in History allows students who do not wish to specialise in a particular period or theme the opportunity to study a wide-range of topics from the Middle Ages onwards. Students take core modules that help to equip them to pursue advanced work in history, and select thematic modules from the full range of electives offered by the Department in any given year.  As with other MA programmes, the culmination of the programme is the independently-written Dissertation, a substantial piece of research-based work written on a topic of the student's own choosing....

The History Department is a leading centre for the study of Modern History and has a strong reputation for research and postgraduate education.

The MA in Modern History is designed for history students who are particularly interested in focussing on the study of the Modern period.  Courses are available on British, American and European History from the eighteenth century to the present.

Swansea University has excellent research resources for postgraduate study in the area of Early Modern History.  In addition to the general holdings in the University library, the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth is within travelling distance.  The University works closely with the National Galleries and Museums of Wales.  There is a postgraduate common room and an electronic resources room available in the James Callaghan Building....