Social and Cultural History MA

Year of entry

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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) in history or a related subject.
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)

Course overview

Student reading

This course focuses on the history of people, their societies and cultures. You will explore how people have lived and died across a wide range of historical periods and geographies.

The core modules and dissertation workshops will introduce you to key concepts and issues in social and cultural history and improve your research and writing skills. You will also choose from a wide range of optional modules, allowing you to focus on societies and periods that are of interest to you.

You could study health care in Africa, communities and castes in India, European life courses or the movements of people across the world. You’ll be able to focus on gender, race and religion as well as other issues that have shaped the lives of individuals and communities. Our offering in social histories of health and medicine, from the medieval to the modern, is particularly strong.

Taught by expert researchers within the School of History and across the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, this course uses the latest approaches and thinking in social and cultural history to give you an insight into the lives of others.

This course is also available to study part-time over 24 months.

Specialist resources and facilities

We have a wealth of resources allowing you to explore topics that interest you. The world-class Brotherton Library and its Special Collections contain a huge number of early printed, archive and manuscript materials including the Liddle Collection on the First and Second World Wars, Leeds Library of Vernacular Culture, manuscript and commonplace books, travel journals and one of the best collections of cookery books and household manuals in the country.

Extensive collections of national, regional and local newspapers from over the years are available on microfilm, as well as cartoons and satirical prints from the British Museum and extensive collections of letters and correspondence. There’s even the Yorkshire Fashion Archive and M&S Archive on campus, allowing you to gain a real insight into popular culture over time.

Course details

At the start of your course, you will study core modules developing your knowledge and skills in both social and cultural history, building your understanding of research methods and exploring central concepts and debates in the subject.

You’ll also have the chance to choose optional modules from a wide range on offer, allowing you to focus on issues, themes and societies that interest you. You can draw on the diverse expertise of our tutors by choosing modules across Indian, African, North and Latin American, British and wider European histories.

You will also have the opportunity to work collaboratively with partner organisations, such as the West Yorkshire Archive Service, by studying the ‘Making History: Archive Collaborations’ optional module.

This programme will equip you with a broad skill set for historical research as well as a good base of subject knowledge. You will be able to demonstrate these with your dissertation, which allows you to conduct independent research on a topic of your choice. You will submit this by the end of the programme in September.

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.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Social and Cultural History MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Social and Cultural History MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Year 1 compulsory modules

Module Name Credits
Dissertation (MA) 60
Concepts and Debates in Social and Cultural History 30

Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

Module Name Credits
Making History: Archive Collaborations 30
Reformation(s): Belief and Culture in Early Modern Europe 30
Gender and Power in Early Modern Europe 30
Medicine and Warfare in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 30
Social Histories of South Africa 30
Black Internationalism 30
Histories of Migration from Early Modern to Modern 30
Lifecycles: Birth, Death and Illness in the Middle Ages 30
The Idea of Black Culture 30
Religious Communities and the Individual Experience of Religion, 1200-1500 30
Medieval Bodies 30

Learning and teaching

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, and work with trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

We use a range of teaching and learning methods. The majority of your modules will be taught through weekly seminars, where you will discuss issues and themes in your chosen modules with a small group of students and your tutors. Independent study is also crucial to this degree, giving you the space to shape your own studies and develop your skills.

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

We use different types of assessment to help you develop a wide range of skills, including presentations, research proposals, case studies and essays, depending on the subjects you choose.

Applying

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (Hons) in history, or a degree scheme that includes a significant proportion of history, or a related subject such as cultural studies, literature, or sociology.

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

We usually aim to process your application within 2-4 weeks. However, during the busy April-June period this can take up to six weeks.

We recommend that you apply as early as possible so you can leave enough time to make any arrangements before starting the programme, such as moving to Leeds or visa applications. Application deadlines for scholarships are likely to close much sooner.

Occasionally we may invite applicants to interview before deciding whether to offer them a place.

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

School of History

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 course will heighten your cultural and social awareness as well as allowing you to build your historical knowledge. You’ll also gain high-level research, analysis and communication skills that will prove valuable in a wide range of careers.

Graduates have found success in a wide range of careers in education, research and the private sector. Many others have continued with their studies at PhD level.

We offer different forms of support to help you reach your career goals. You’ll have the chance to attend our career groups, meeting students with similar plans, or you could become a paid academic mentor to an undergraduate completing their final-tear dissertation. You could also apply for one of the internships we offer each year.

Careers support

Please view our Scholarships and Employment page for the latest information about School scholarships.

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.

Study abroad and work placements

Our optional placement module "Making History" provides a fantastic opportunity to gain relevant experience in areas relating to History such as archiving and heritage. You will gain 50 hours work experience working on a project with a partner organisation. You will also develop your critical analysis skills through the completion of a critical essay and a project portfolio.