Humanities (History) - MRes
On this Master of Research (MRes), you'll be supported to build a bespoke programme of advanced research and study to match your personal and professional interests - you can learn a language, explore palaeography, broaden your field of study, or complete a work placement. The History pathway showcases a wide and exciting range of studies across time and place, from medieval to modern, from local to global.
Month of entry
- September
Mode of study
- Full time, Part time
Fees for 2024/25 academic year
- UK - Full time £9,800 per year. Part time £5,400 per year.
International - £19,500 per year.
Duration of study
- Full time - 1 year/Part time - 2 years
Why study Humanities (History) at Keele University?
Course summary
Highly flexible and with a focus on one-to-one supervision throughout the course, you can tailor this MRes around your research and career plans. You’ll graduate with knowledge of research design, methods and processes, together with the creative, critical, reflexive, and analytical mindset that employers desire. The MRes can also be used as a stepping-stone to further research at PhD level.
From the outset, you will be paired with an experienced supervisor to support your personal and professional development, working together to advance your research interests and develop your individual research, writing and communications skills.
The study of History helps us make sense of our own lives: our desire to understand what has happened in the past and why, improves not only the comprehension of our own society, but the wider world around us.
On the MRes Humanities (History) pathway, you’ll join staff with shared thematic interests in the history of political violence, social movements, gender, religion and print culture. We have partnerships with leading research centres including The David Bruce Centre for American Studies and the Centre for Local History. This programme will develop key transferrable skills in research, analysis and communication to enhance your career prospects across a range of sectors or to prepare you for further academic study.
As part of the bespoke Individual Research Orientation module, you’ll agree a tailored learning plan to expand your knowledge, skills and experience. For example, you can learn a foreign language, study subject matter from a different discipline like statistical modelling or improve your ability to read old manuscripts.
Using our contacts or through your own networks, you can also undertake a work experience placement here in the UK or abroad. In the past, our students have helped staged exhibitions, catalogued an archive, reviewed educational material and reflected on the selection of historical textbooks in a school.
The School of Humanities benefits from world-leading and internationally excellent research across various areas of humanities including English Literature, Creative Writing, History, Media, and Music Technology. Find out more about Humanities Research at Keele.
This wide range of staff expertise considerably broadens the opportunity for potential interdisciplinary research topics, making Keele's History MRes an ideal choice for students who want the freedom to conduct in-depth research on a subject of their choosing, while also receiving the guidance expected of a taught master’s.
Keele is a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP) and the Economic and Social Research Council's North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP). These both offer financial support to outstanding UK students in applicable disciplines.
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Next steps
Course structure
Whether you are choosing to study the MRes Humanities for personal or career development, or to pursue doctoral study (PhD), the strength of our course lies in its flexibility and breadth of subject choice. As such, the specific content you study will vary considerably, depending on your research project and career plans.
Our MRes Humanities (History) students take two compulsory research-based modules, Research Skills in the Humanities (15 credits) and Reflective Practice in the Humanities (15 credits), which equip you with the knowledge and skills to design and implement advanced postgraduate research, introducing key methods, concepts and research skills relevant to Humanities.
In order to graduate in your chosen pathway, you will then take three compulsory modules related to your specialist subject: Individual Research Orientation (30 credits), Approaches to Historical Research (30 credits) and the Dissertation (90 credits).
Learning from experienced researchers, you’ll be given advice on how to construct, develop and write an extended dissertation, based on independent research. This includes guidance on the sources and resources available and the methodological debates relevant to it. You will begin your dissertation at the start of the course and continue working on it throughout the duration of your studies.
For this reason, and to enable us to allocate the most appropriate supervisor early on, when submitting your online application, please use your personal statement to describe the dissertation or equivalent project you hope to carry out (500-700 words). You should include specific research questions and aims, such as: What is the fundamental purpose of your project? What will your research clarify or explain? Is any hypothesis proposed? How do you plan to conduct the research (i.e. what methodology will you use)?
The MRes Humanities can be studied as either a one-year full-time or two-year part-time course, with a September start date.
To achieve the MRes, you must complete 180 credits.
Modules
The module details given below are indicative, they are intended to provide you with an idea of the range of subjects that are taught to our current students. The modules that will be available for you to study in future years are prone to change as we regularly review our teaching to ensure that it is up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods, as well as student voice. The information presented is therefore not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules available in any given year.
Compulsory research modules (all MRes Humanities)
HIS-40017 Research Skills in the Humanities (15 credits, Semester 1)
You will receive training in the practical and technical skills necessary for postgraduate research in the humanities, so you will be able to plan, then find and use the necessary resources for your research and writing. This includes: relevant University regulations; procedures for managing a research degree; the differences between popular press dissemination of research and academic forms; how to identify issues of research ethic affecting your work; and how to use real-world and digital archives and be creative in looking for primary research sources, such as film archives, digitised magazines and pamphlets, first editions of out-of-print literature. You will also develop essential personal and professional skills in time, stress and project management.
HIS-40016 Reflective Practice in the Humanities (15 credits, Semester 2)
Reflective practice describes a systematic approach to reflection that involves creating a habit, structure and routine around reflecting on our experiences and engaging in continuous learning. Whether you choose to learn from experience as an individual or with others, there are many benefits to be gained from sharing ideas, experiences and considering how you can change or improve your creative practice. Throughout this module, you will be asked to explore the intellectual connections between your research area and wider fields of study. We look at ‘big ideas’ relevant to contemporary society, such as the concept of ‘post truth’, ‘big data’ and the pulling down of statues, and we work to understand them from the perspective of our disciplines.
Compulsory pathway-specific modules (History)
HIS-40002 Approaches to Historical Research (30 Credits, Semester 1)
This module introduces different approaches to the research and writing of history. It aims to broaden your understanding of debates on the status of historical knowledge and provide conceptual and other tools for your own research work. You will consider two broad questions to help you plan and prepare your dissertation: What methodological approach may best suit my project? What, if any, theories may suit my project? Throughout, you’ll be encouraged to reflect on the relevance of the material under consideration to their own research topic, examining the sources and resources available to you.
HIS-40010 Individual Research Orientation (30 credits, Semester 2)
One of the major strengths of our MRes is the high degree of flexibility in tailoring your programme. Working closely with your dissertation supervisor(s), you will agree a personal development plan to equip you with the skills and knowledge to conduct and report on your in-depth research. While you may expect to be given directed reading in your chosen research field, you will also have considerable freedom when determining activities for your individual research preparation. You could choose to: receive a bespoke tutorial from your supervisor focusing on a particular historiographical debate or theory; write a piece of work on a particular aspect of your field that underpins or develops your understanding of some aspect of their dissertation project; receive training in a particular skill or methodology, such as a course in Palaeography or learning a language; complete a work placement; or study a Master’s-level module in another discipline.
HIS-40009 Dissertation – History (90 credits)
Guided by extensive one-to-one supervision from a world leading expert in your field, you will research, plan and write a substantial piece of independent historical research. The module builds upon generic and subject-specific research skills acquired in accompanying modules to communicate the methods, results and conclusions on the research project. The final dissertation is 20,000 words, excluding footnotes. Dissertation topics chosen by previous students include the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the emotional atmosphere of the gay community, the Vietnam war in African American memory, Edwardian marriage and divorce, and smuggling on and around the Isle of Man: 1680 to 1715.
Next steps
Entry requirements
Next steps
Entry requirements
The following section details our typical entry requirements for this course for a range of UK and international qualifications. If you don't see your qualifications listed, please contact us to find out if we can accept your qualifications.
Typical offer
Please ensure that you read the full entry requirements by selecting your qualifications from the dropdown menu below. This will include any subject specific, GCSE/Level 2 Maths, and English language requirements you may need.
Please select your country from the drop-down list below for the full entry requirement information
UK
2:2 degree in any humanities or social science subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Bangladesh
60% in a 4-year degree or 3-year degree with a 2-year Master's in any humanities or social science subject from a public university
or
CGPA 2.8 in a 4-year degree or 3-year degree with a 2-year Master's in any humanities or social science subject from a private university
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
We don’t accept degrees from certain universities, please see our Bangladesh Country Page for more information
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Canada
70% or C or a GPA of 2.5 in a degree (Ordinary or Honours) in any humanities or social science subject
or
demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
China
70% in a degree in any humanities or social science subject or 65% in a degree in any humanities or social science subject from a '211' university
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Ghana
Second class degree in any humanities or social science subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
India
55% or CGPA 6/10 in a degree of at least 3 years in any Humanities, or Social Science subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Kenya
Second class degree in any humanities or social science subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Nepal
60% / 2.4 in a 4-year Bachelor's degree in any humanities or social science subject
or
65% / CGPA 2.8 in a 3-year Bachelor's degree in any humanities or social science subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Nigeria
Second class degree in any humanities or social science subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Pakistan
We accept a range of qualifications from Pakistan. Please visit our Pakistan Country Page for more information or we will consider demonstrated relevant professional qualifications or experience.
You will also need an English language qualification (see below)
South Africa
Second class division 2 / 60% in a Bachelor's degree with Honours in any humanities or social science subject
or
Second class division 1 / 70% in an Ordinary Bachelor's degree in any humanities or social science subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Sri Lanka
55% in a Special Bachelor's degree in any humanities or social science subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Uganda
Second class degree in any humanities or social science subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Zimbabwe
Second class degree in any humanities or social science subject
or
demonstrated professional or relevant qualifications or experience
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
English language requirements
All of our courses require an English language qualification or test. For most students, this requirement can be met with a 4 or C in GCSE English. Please see our English Language guidance pages for further details, including English language test information for international students. For those students who require an English language test, this course requires a test from Group B.
References
Normally, you will need to provide at least one academic reference to support your application unless you have been out of study longer than two years. If it has been more than two years since you last studied on a degree-level programme, you will normally need to provide an employment reference instead. For more information about Academic References, please see our Postgraduate how to apply web pages.
Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose
Please see our Postgraduate how to apply web pages for guidance on what to include in your personal statement.
Recognition of Prior Learning
The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process which enables applicants to receive recognition and formal credit for learning acquired in the past through formal study or work and life experiences.
RPL can also be requested for admission onto the start of a programme in lieu of the admission requirements. For more information, see our Recognition of Prior Learning web pages.
Professional qualifications and work experience
The majority of our courses will consider relevant work experience and/or professional qualifications at the appropriate level, as an alternative to an undergraduate degree for entry. The work experience should be for a sustained period and at a suitable level, based within a relevant sector to your chosen course.
Admissions staff will review your work experience and/or professional qualifications during the assessment of your application to ensure suitability in terms of relevancy, level and appropriate learning outcomes.
General information
The entry grades outlined in this section indicate the typical offer which would be made to candidates, along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary offer conditions depending upon a candidate's application.
Funding
Living costs
Keele University is located on a beautiful campus and has all the facilities of a small town. Student accommodation, shops, restaurants and cafes are all within walking distance of the teaching buildings. This is a very cost effective way to live and to reduce your living costs.
Please note, if your course offers a January start date, the January 2024 start date falls in the 2023/24 academic year. Please see the 2023/24 academic year fees for the relevant fees for starting this course in January 2024.
Planning your funding
It's important to plan carefully for your funding before you start your course. Please be aware that not all postgraduate courses and not all students are eligible for the UK government postgraduate loans and, in some cases, you would be expected to source alternative funding yourself. If you need support researching your funding options, please contact our Financial Support Team.
Scholarships
We are committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Please visit our Scholarships and Bursaries webpage for more information.
For continuing students, fees will increase annually by RPIX, with a maximum cap of 5% per year.
Next steps
Your career
Given its focus on research, the MRes provides an excellent foundation for further research, doctoral (PhD) training or academia, here in the UK, Europe or the rest of the world.
Support is available for CV-building and PhD applications alike, and there may be potential work experience and internship opportunities available in the School, in addition to a wide range of extra-curricular activities, many organised by the Keele Postgraduate Association (KPA).
If you’ve not yet decided on a firm career, the course offers an opportunity to study and conduct research into a subject that fascinates you. The personal and professional skills you will learn include clear and analytical thinking, originality, problem-solving, persuasive writing and speaking, innovative questioning and effective reasoning, all of which can open a wide range of careers.
You will be equipped to excel in any role which values critical thinking, communications skills, and the gathering, assessment and analysis of data and evidence, working across the public, voluntary or private sector, for example, in the civil service, for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), think tanks or research institutes.
Our alumni go into a wide variety of professions, such as radio, journalism, teaching, archives, museums, politics, law, orchestras, music theatre houses, multimedia arts, advertising, and accounting.
Positions may include:
- Academic
- Author
- Civil servant
- Copywriter
- Creative director
- Curator
- Events manager
- Historian
- Local government officer
- Marketing executive
- Novelist
- Policy officer
- PR officer
- Social researcher
- Teacher
Next steps
Teaching, learning and assessment
How you'll be taught
Your teaching and assessment may vary considerably, depending on how you tailor your programme and the Individual Research Orientation module in particular. With smaller-sized classes, our ethos is very much about learning co-operatively and supportively in a friendly, nurturing environment, sharing your ideas with tutors and peers and vice versa.
Typically, the taught elements of the course includes a combination of taught classes, lectures, seminars, large and small group work and guided independent study.
As a postgraduate student, you are also able to attend the School’s research seminar series, which will enable you to become involved in the School's research culture. Fascinating topics covered by past seminars have included 'Literature and Political Failure: Brecht in Exile 1933-47' and 'Italian Fascists: Reception of the Nazi Seizure of Power'.
You can also take advantage of the wide range of creative and cultural events and societies hosted at the University, courtesy of ArtsKeele, giving you access to valuable networks of professional contacts. The fortnightly Keele Hall Readings, for instance, previously featured acclaimed writer Okechukwu Nzelu, whose first book won a Betty Trask Award, and Caleb Parkin, self-proclaimed 'day-glo queero techno eco poet and facilitator'.
How you’ll be assessed
All MRes degrees culminate in the 20,000-word dissertation (or equivalent composition or artistic production). Assessment elsewhere varies depending on the modules chosen, but is likely to include written work in the form of:
- Essays
- Presentations
- Literature reviews
- Research proposals
Criteria upon which you will be assessed is likely to include:
- Research excellence evidenced by the quality of the material located and selected
- Your ability to produce clearly structured and coherently argued written work
- The quality of your analytical, presentational and writing skills, as evidenced in the production of effective, thoughtful, sensitive and interesting prose
You’ll be encouraged to attend dissertation workshops to develop writing skills, write reports of any research seminars you attend, and present your research proposals within your discipline cohort and to the wider humanities community in our annual research symposia.
Next steps
Keele Postgraduate Association
Keele University is one of a handful of universities in the UK to have a dedicated students' union for postgraduate students. A fully registered charity, Keele Postgraduate Association serves as a focal point for the social life and welfare needs of all postgraduate students during their time at Keele.
Hugely popular, the KPA Clubhouse (near Horwood Hall) provides a dedicated postgraduate social space and bar on campus, where you can grab a bite to eat and drink, sit quietly and read a book, or switch off from academic life at one of the many regular events organised throughout the year. The KPA also helps to host a variety of conferences, as well as other academic and career sessions, to give you and your fellow postgraduates the opportunities to come together to discuss your research, and develop your skills and networks.
Our expertise
Teaching staff
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is the largest of the three Faculties at Keele University. Our research and teaching focus on many and varied dimensions of human experience and on the full range of cultural, economic and social challenges we face in a fast-changing world. We draw on our progressive heritage to promote theoretically inventive scholarship that has the potential to transform the ways in which we engage with one another as human beings in contexts ranging from the local to the global.
We enjoy significant contributions from other academics within the University’s coCREATE network, which brings together researchers with a passion for public engagement together with local, national and international partners and communities. From large third-sector organisations to small charities and individual artists, each partner works with us to design and deliver public engagement activities to the wider community, whether here in the UK or globally. Local partners include B arts (Beavers Arts ltd), the New Vic theatre, Restoke and Urban Wilderness.
With expertise in medieval, early modern and modern history, we are particularly interested in local history, the history of political violence, social movements, gender, religion and print culture. Areas of research expertise include: Local and public history; American History; Religion; European History; Empire and Postcolonial; Gender and Sexuality; and 20th Century Political History.
The David Bruce Centre for American Studies is an internationally-recognised centre for the study of the United States, which supports seminars, conferences, colloquia, occasional lectures and small exhibits, and encourages postgraduate study by means of scholarships and research grants.
Teaching team includes:
Teaching staff within the School of Humanities are involved in the MRes, and your supervisor will have expertise in the area in which you are interested. For current staff and their interests, see the School of Humanities webpages.
Next steps
Facilities
The School of Humanities delivers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes in the discipline areas of English Literature, Creative Writing, Film Studies, History, Media, Communications and Culture, and Music. As well as traditional teaching spaces offering easy access to lecture and seminar rooms, library facilities and computer laboratories as appropriate, we also have an impressive range of specialist creative facilities.
Media Building
Open 24/7 during term time, the dedicated Media Building houses extensive digital media production facilities, including a photography studio and digital post-production labs with access to professional media production equipment and software as part of the programme. They include:
- Two Apple Macintosh labs with industry standard software, such as the Adobe Creative Suite
- A range of professional digital video, photographic and sound equipment
- A professional photographic studio with large scale print equipment
- An exhibition space and workshop for the design of multimedia installations
- A sound recording booth for voiceovers and podcasts
- A screening room with specialist surround sound environment
Music Production and Sound Design
Music Production and Sound Design at Keele is located in The Clock House, which hosts a computer lab and areas for sound recording, mixing and mastering, live recording, sound design, music composition, foley, MIDI sequencing and audio-visual editing.
We have a motion capture facility (MoCap) with eight cameras and a venue for orchestras, bands and choirs, in the Keele University Chapel. Access to the studios and practice rooms is available seven days a week via an electronic key system.
We offer a comprehensive range of software, including Logic Pro, Ableton Live Suite, Max MSP, Audacity, Cecilia, Sibelius, Final Cut Pro, and have a range of instruments and microphones available to record and/or loan.
Music Production facilities are housed on campus, within walking distance:
The Clock House - This beautiful early 19th century building features:
- Two purpose-built studios for sound recording, mixing and mastering – one of which has a Voice Over booth (VO booth) and it is specialised for live recording and PA system, foley and general sound design recording and mastering
- Two high-spec music production and sound design studios with AV equipment and surround sound speaker system – 5.1 and 8.1
- Six practice rooms, one of which is dedicated for drummers, popular music and jazz practice rooms with drum kit, PA system, keyboards and guitar/bass amplification
- Lecture Room for group teaching
- A computer lab (Studio Garage) for workshops and also used by students to work on their projects
- Staff Offices which are also equipped with AV equipment and sometimes used for individual tutorials and consultations
The Chapel - Located in the heart of Campus, hosts a church organ, grand piano and an upright piano. The chapel is used for rehearsals, performances and recitals.
The Keele Music Forum organises recitals, workshops and research seminars. There are also numerous music societies you can get involved in through the Students’ Union, including four professionally-conducted societies – Keele Philharmonic Orchestra, Keele Voices, Keele Concert Band and Keele Brass Band.
Next steps