Medieval Studies MA
Year of entry 2023
- Start date
- September 2023
- Delivery type
- On campus
- Duration
- 12 months full time
- 24 months part time
- Entry requirements
- A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons)
Full entry requirements - English language requirements
- IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in all components
- UK fees
- £10,750 (total)
- International fees
- £22,250 (total)
- Contact
- HistoryPGTadmissions@leeds.ac.uk
Course overview
Our MA Medieval Studies takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the medieval period, covering a broad range of contexts. You will receive rigorous training in Latin, and develop key skills in text interpretation, translation and research.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or have some experience of learning Latin, our intensive language course will develop your skills to an advanced level, enabling you to study a wide range of original source medieval texts. You'll also develop skills in palaeography (the study of historical handwriting), primary text analysis and translation.
We also offer you the opportunity to broaden your language abilities by studying an exceptional range of other languages, including Arabic, Old French, Persian, Old Norse, medieval English and Turkish. Thus a Leeds Medieval Studies degree can be the starting point for cutting-edge research focusing on Europe, the Mediterranean world, or Asia.
The Institute for Medieval Studies (IMS) brings together staff from across the University of Leeds who are medieval specialists within a broad range of disciplines. As such, we’re able to offer a huge range of optional modules from subject areas such as history, religion, literature and history of art. This gives you the opportunity to tailor your course to your specific interests within the field of medieval studies and to your future career ambitions.
As a student in the IMS you'll have access to excellent resources, both in the University and beyond. The world-class Brotherton Library contains extensive facsimiles and access to digitised primary material as well as a wide range of online resources.
Its Special Collections also contain a wide range of manuscript, archive and early printed material, including the Melsteth Icelandic Collection, archives of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society, the old library of Ripon Cathedral, and the manuscripts and incunabula of the Brotherton Collection.
Leeds is also home to the Royal Armouries and its extensive medieval collections, while the West Yorkshire Archives are dotted around the region and the British Library has a Document Supply Centre in nearby Boston Spa.
This programme is also available to study part-time over 24 months.
Course details
Core modules throughout the degree will allow you to develop important research skills, equipping you to work with primary sources. You'll gain a working knowledge of medieval Latin and could even choose to learn another medieval language. You'll also develop your understanding of research methods and bibliography and explore palaeography.
Then you'll build on this foundation with your choice of interdisciplinary optional modules, to explore areas that interest you, and even choose from some modules offered by other Schools on historical, literary or art historical topics. You'll also demonstrate the skills you've acquired in your dissertation, where you'll undertake independent research on a topic of your choice and submit your work by the end of the programme.
If you choose to study this programme part-time, you'll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.
Year 1 compulsory modules
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Medieval Latin | 30 |
| Intermediate Medieval Latin | 30 |
| Research Methods and Bibliography | 15 |
| Palaeography: Reading Medieval Manuscripts | 15 |
| Medieval Studies Dissertation | 30 |
Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Turkish for Beginners | 30 |
| Arabic For Beginners 1 | 30 |
| Arabic for Beginners 2 | 30 |
| Arabic For Beginners 3 | 30 |
| Persian for Beginners | 30 |
| The Margins of Medieval Art | 30 |
| Prehuman to Post-Anthropocene | 30 |
| Art of the Silk Roads | 30 |
| Arthurian Legend: Medieval to Modern | 30 |
| Making History: Archive Collaborations | 30 |
| Lifecycles: Birth, Death and Illness in the Middle Ages | 30 |
| Advanced Medieval Latin | 30 |
| Coinage, Power and Identity in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages | 30 |
| Medieval English | 30 |
| Old Norse | 30 |
| Gender, Power and the Supernatural: Saints and their Cults | 30 |
| Religious Communities and the Individual Experience of Religion, 1200-1500 | 30 |
| The Medieval Tournament: Combat and Spectacle in Western Europe, 1100-1600 | 30 |
| Medieval Bodies | 30 |
Learning and teaching
IMS tutors are experts in their fields, and their cutting-edge research will inform your teaching. To help you make the most of their expertise, all IMS modules are taught in small groups.
You may study skills modules in seminar groups of 12 or more students, but languages and other interdisciplinary options are usually taught in tutorials of up to eight students. You’ll also have one-to-one meetings with your supervisor during your dissertation.
Listen to the School of History podcast – a series of interviews with our academic staff about their latest groundbreaking publications, their research interests and how they bring them into the classroom, and what inspired them to become historians in the first place.
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
Applying
Entry requirements
A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (Hons) or higher, or equivalent. Previous specialised study in an aspect of the pre-modern world, especially medieval studies, would be an advantage.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in all components. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks).
We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional.
You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.
How to apply
Documents and information you need:
You’ll need to upload the following documents when completing the online application form:
A transcript of your completed BA degree or grades to date
A personal statement of around 500 words in response to the questions asked in the supporting statement section of the application form
If English is not your first language, you’ll need to submit proof of your English language results (eg IELTS).
We do not generally request references, unless further information is required to support the assessment of your application.
Where further information to support the assessment of your application is needed, we may ask for a recent sample of written work.
Deadlines
The deadline for applications is 31st August. However, you should also leave time for any arrangements you will need to make, such as visa applications or moving to Leeds, and many scholarship applications will close much earlier.
You may be invited for interview as part of the application process.
The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.
If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures receives very large numbers of high-quality applications and regrets that it cannot make offers to all of its applicants. Some particularly popular schools may have to reject many that hold the necessary academic qualifications.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2024
This course is taught by
Institute for Medieval Studies
School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies
School of History
School of English
Contact us
Student Education Service Office
Email: HistoryPGTadmissions@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:
Fees
UK: £10,750 (total)
International: £22,250 (total)
For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.
Read more about paying fees and charges.
Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.
Additional cost information
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more at Masters funding overview.
Career opportunities
This degree is excellent preparation for further study in related fields. It will also equip you with advanced research, communication and analytical skills that are valuable to employers in a wide range of careers such as in museums and business.
We offer a range of paid opportunities for you to gain experience that can really help with your career plans. You’ll be able to provide a mock tutorial for first-year undergraduates during their induction week, or become an academic mentor for final-year students as they complete their dissertations to gain experience of teaching, one-to-one communication and people management.
We also run several paid one-year internships throughout the year on projects such as the International Medieval Bibliography, IMS website and the International Medieval Congress to gain practical experience.
Read more about Employment in IMS.
Careers support
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support.