Digital Humanities and Culture MA

Course overview

This programme gives you specialist training and knowledge to understand and critique cultural data and digital content, whether historical, contemporary or of your own creation. You’ll also explore the growing impact and future potential of artificial intelligence, digital tools and media in applicable to professional and academic contexts. It gives you cutting-edge insights into what it means to do arts, humanities and culture in our digital world.

The course draws on the unique breadth of expertise in digital arts, humanities and cultural industries from across the University and offers you the opportunity to work with our unique historical and cultural collections at the Brotherton Library.

During your time at Leeds, you'll have professional and academic development opportunities. You may undertake internal and/or external collaborations with local, national or international partners. You can build your professional and academic networks, and advance your skills for the digital workplace. You will develop your experience of real-world issues around digital media, heritage and culture, giving you demonstrable skills in the use and evaluation of texts and digital objects, as well as their creators and audiences. This may include the use of specialist software for digital text analysis, learning programming languages i.e. Python, gaining familiarity with local and global policy and ethics around technology and AI, and quantitative and qualitative digital research methods.

During the programme, you are encouraged to take a problem-solving approach to your learning and assessments, supported by experienced researchers and tutors. As an MA student you'll be part of the University of Leeds’ vibrant and internationally-recognised research culture in digital humanities.

Why study at Leeds

• Access to University of Leeds’ unique archival and cultural collections alongside the world-class expertise of our academics, librarians and curators.
• Opportunities for collaboration and research with internal and external partners and organisations.
• A flexible research- and practice-led curriculum spanning cutting-edge areas of digital humanities and culture with a unique combination of modules from across the University of Leeds.
• Specialist support from the Digital Cultures and Creativity Hub and the Digital Education team, with access to dedicated campus workspaces and specialist equipment for digital work, such as HELIX.
• We welcome graduates from a variety of backgrounds with the chance to tailor your modules across different areas of expertise.
• Dedicated skills training and hands-on learning opportunities in creating, evaluating and critiquing digital assets and their contexts through in-course and extracurricular workshops and training sessions.

Course details and modules

Throughout the course, you'll learn about and receive skills training in areas including digital text and data analytics, the use, design and evaluation of digitally-created texts, objects and assets , and the social and ethical dimensions of AI, digital media and adjacent technologies. You'll develop your skills in problem-solving, collaboration, and critical and creative thinking, and gain experience in working with digital materials, such as digitized manuscripts, metadata for heritage collections, and born-digital literature. The course cultivates practical skills specific to digital disciplines, including data analysis and visualization, programming languages, and associated hardware e.g. 3D printing, grounded in a humanities approach to culture, texts and creativity.

We encourage critical debate around current issues and topics and promote innovation in communication, practice and problem solving. You'll acquire vital skills for modern workplaces and emergent sectors in the creative industries, data management, digital marketing, heritage and cultural curation, communications, and publishing, as well as preparing you for further postgraduate research in digital humanities.

The course curriculum enables you to pursue your areas of interest, whilst ensuring you are academically supported throughout your studies. The compulsory modules provide key knowledge and skills training in digital humanities and culture areas of research, with the option modules reflecting the specialist interests of Leeds’ academic community. Topics may include digital creativity and content design; digital and scholarly textual editing; data and text analytics; digital literacies; ethics and policies of AI; archives and heritage digital access and management; and the histories of media and literary technologies, among others. The course is organised around modules, which are worth 15, 30 or 60 credits, and you'll take a combination totalling 180 credits at completion of the course.

As a full-time student (12 months course), in semester 1 you take the course compulsory module ‘Exploring Digital Cultures, Texts, and Creativity’. This module introduces the essential ideas and tools for investigating and working with (digital) texts, media and heritage, introducing you to ways of analysis using software, AI, and programming languages, as well as surveying the histories of digital work, and the current political and ethical landscapes around digital technologies. The module combines taught workshops and lectures with collaborative projects affiliated with internal and/or external partners.

In semester 1, you also choose optional modules from a curated list, drawing on options from across the School of English and other Schools across the university.

In semester 2, you select further optional modules to develop your interests and skills. You'll also take the capstone research project, which starts in the winter and which you work on until the end of the following summer. The research project can be realised through different formats, including a traditional dissertation, an experimental or problem-based project, the submission of programming or software development, or a piece of creative practice, among others.

If the course is studied part-time over 24 months, you take fewer modules per semester. In the first year, you take the semester one compulsory module ‘Exploring Digital Cultures, Texts, and Creativity’, and select further optional modules in semester two. In second year, you choose your remaining optional modules in semester 1 and 2. You take the compulsory research project starting in the winter of your second year and submit at the end of the summer.

Whether you study full- or part-time, throughout the course you have access to the University of Leeds’ HELIX, a space for digital innovation that includes recording labs, a VR deck, and hybrid learning areas, as well as the Digital Creativity and Cultures Hub, and the Libraries@Leeds Makerspace. You'll also be able to work with the unique cultural collections held in the Brotherton collection, the physical printing presses owned by the School of English, and digital/IT software and resources via the University network.

Compulsory modules

Exploring Digital Cultures, Texts, and Creativity – 30 credits

This module surveys the principles, methods and applications of digital approaches to the humanities and arts in academic and professional contexts, providing the foundational specialist knowledge necessary for postgraduate study. You'll produce a portfolio of work in response to problem-based activities linked to digital project, collections and current research concerns. You will work collaboratively and autonomously, exploringareas such as text analytics, data management, artificial intelligence, digital creativity and cultural collections.

Digital Humanities and Culture Research Project – 60 credits

This module supports an independent research project on a topic of your choosing. You will undertake original research using empirical, critical and/or practice-based techniques, supported through peer workshops and with supervisory guidance from academic staff.

Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

Text At Scale: Introducing Corpus Analysis – 15 credits or 30 credits

Investigate how computational approaches can be used to investigate problems and themes across large collections of textual data, relevant to the humanities (corpora).

The Cultural Politics of Artificial Intelligence – 30 credits

Explore key cultural debates in artificial intelligence that shape the utopic and dystopic imaginaries of the future.

TextLab: Analysing Style and Authorship – 30 credits

This module explores computational approaches to investigating style, concepts of authorship and developing tests for authorship attribution in historical and present-day texts.

Adventures in the Archive – 30 credits

Delve into the policy and practices of archival creation and curation, and the role of digital technology in aiding and shaping contemporary archives and their materials.

Victorian New Media – 30 credits

Examine the history of technology, focusing on the emergence of print culture and its impacts (social, literary, political) in the Victorian period.

Medieval Manuscripts in the Digital Age – 30 credits

This module looks at how digital tools can foster greater understanding and wider access to manuscripts from before 1500AD.

Digital and Intermedial Storytelling – 30 credits

The module focuses on the nature of storytelling and the capacity for technological affordances to shape the production and reception of narratives.

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 Digital Humanities and Culture MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Digital Humanities and Culture MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

You'll learn through a combination of small-group teaching, one-to-one supervision, large-group teaching (workshops, lectures), and peer-to-peer learning. Problem-based approaches and collaboration are integral to the course, and you'll work independently and in small groups on short-term projects to develop your understanding, sharing your own perspectives and expertise with the rest of the student community. Throughout the course you'll be able to engage with the archives and collections unique to the University of Leeds. In addition to face-to-face classroom activities, you'll have the opportunity to use dedicated digital spaces on campus for creative, practical and experimental work, with the potential for virtual collaboration with international institutions. You'll use the Virtual Learning Environment throughout the programme to access and work with materials for your modules.

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

The course is assessed using a diverse range of formats, which collectively allow you to show your learning and skills in the creation, design, and interpretation of topics in digital humanities and culture. With a focus on problem-based learning, you'll work with real datasets and resources, developing specialised skills (e.g. programming languages; data and text analytics) and field-specific knowledge (e.g. AI literacies and ethics; forms of short fiction) alongside transferable skills relating to project management, prioritisation, and collaborative working. You'll gain experience in working in teams with academic groups and may have opportunities to engage with external organisations and international institutions. The programme’s range and flexibility will allow you to focus on key areas that are most relevant to your interests and professional aspirations and objectives.

The assessment formats may include written essays, podcasts, text encoding, data visualizations, reports and presentations. Alternatives assessment types are provided for accessibility and equity, and detailed support and guidance is provided for students for all assessment points across the course. There are also extensive opportunities for formative feedback throughout each module.

Applying

Entry requirements

You’ll need a bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) or equivalent qualification, preferably in an English related degree specialising in one of the following subjects:

English literatures, English language, World literatures, History, Creative writing, Journalism, Publishing, Modern languages or a related Humanities and Arts subject.

We will also consider applicants with relevant experience, an interest in literary studies, or coming from an area of expertise to which English literature is complementary.

We welcome applicants from a diverse range of subject disciplines so please do not hesitate to apply if your subject is not listed.

All applicants will be required to respond to the questions in the supporting statement section of the online application form to explain why you wish to study this particular course and your career plans. Relevant professional experience may also be considered. We may request additional documentation to inform our decision.

Humanities and Arts subjects

• English Literature
• English Language
• World literatures
• History
• Creative writing
• Journalism
• Publishing
• Modern languages
• Linguistics
• History
• Comparative Literature
• Philosophy
• Cultural Studies
• Media and Communication Studies
• Performance and Theatre Studies
• Creative Arts

International

Our admissions team are experienced in considering a wide range of international qualifications. If you wish to discuss whether your qualifications will meet the necessary entry criteria, contact the School’s admissions team.

You can also check the accepted qualifications for your country or region.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in in each component. . 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 and our 10 week online pre-sessional. 

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

How to apply

Please see our How to Apply page for information about application deadlines

The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page will take you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you intend to apply for funding, we advise you to submit an application for your chosen course as early as possible and at least one month before any scholarship deadline.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Documents and information you'll need

• A copy of your degree certificate and transcripts, or a partial transcript if you’re still studying (please submit an official English translation where the original is not in English)
• Your approved English Language test* (if applicable)
• A personal statement in response to the questions asked in the supporting statement section of the application form
• A full up-to-date CV
• Any previous UK CAS, visa and BRP documents if you’re an international applicant who has previously studied in the UK on a Tier 4/ Student Visa.

* Applicants who have not yet completed an approved English language test may apply for a Masters course prior to taking a test.

Personal Statement Requirements

Please summarise your reasons for applying to this particular programme of study. Your response can include details of your previous study/work experience relevant to the programme and career ambitions. Your response can provide us with important information on your suitability for the course, so please complete carefully.

Please explain why you have chosen to apply for this Masters course at the University of Leeds by answering the following questions in separate numbered paragraphs:

• What areas of this course particularly interest you and why? Have you studied these before? Please explain your reasons for applying to this particular Masters course
• Why do you want to study this course at Leeds? Please comment on aspects such as available resources at the University and in the city, research specialisms within the school or academics you would like to work with.
• What potential themes have you considered for dissertation research?
• How will studying for this course help you to achieve your longer term goals?
• Why do you see this course as a particularly valuable subject to study?
• What skills and experience do you have that have prepared you for this course? You may like to give details of any final year work/projects you have previously undertaken, relevant work experience etc.

Relevant work experience might include: NGOs, advertising, marketing, architecture, crafts, design (product, graphic, fashion), film, TV, radio, photography, IT - software, computer services, publishing, museums, galleries, libraries, music, performing and visual arts, teaching and education.

Next Steps

Where further information to support the assessment of your application is needed, we may ask for a recent sample of written work.

We do not generally request references, unless further information is required to support the assessment of your application.

Support for part-time and mature learners

The Lifelong Learning Centre provides support for mature and part-time learners across the University, including advice on how to apply to university and support throughout your studies.

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.

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 Admissions Policy 2026

This course is taught by

School of English

Contact us

Postgraduate Administrator

Email: pgtenglish@leeds.ac.uk

Fees

UK: £12,500 (Total)

International: £28,000 (Total)

Read more about paying fees and charges.

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

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.

Scholarships are also available to help fund your Masters. Find out more and check your eligibility below: 

• Scholarships for International students 
• Scholarships and funding for UK students
• Your subject area may also offer scholarships

The School of English also offers a range of scholarships for taught postgraduate study. Find out more on our Scholarships page.

Career opportunities

Careers available to graduates of the course include: text and data analysts; data scientists; archivist and library roles; market researchers; marketing executives; multimedia specialists; human-computer interaction and UX researchers; website content managers; software testers; project managers and administrators in arts, heritage and cultural sectors; and academic researcher e.g. PhD.

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.