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Would you like to take part in a dynamic and adaptable course that can be tailored to your interests and career goals?

The MA History course will introduce you to a variety of historical topics as well as how to conduct historical research in the digital age. All modules will be taught by experts in their fields who will draw on their knowledge to enhance your learning experience.

This course incorporates five core modules that combine traditional historical study with training in research methods, providing a flexible approach to study. We take a close look at the big interpretive questions that are animating the study of history today. The course's particular strength is that it introduces students to digital history projects and current debates.

These taught modules will give you the skills you need to write your dissertation on a topic of your choice. Working with a specialist supervisor, you will develop a dissertation topic that reflects your interests and highlights your knowledge gained throughout your degree.

Throughout your degree, you will be supported by your specialist supervisor as well as the staff at Northumbria University's Department of History. When not teaching, the department is made up of about 30 historians, all of whom are active in publishing journal articles and books. They specialise in a range of different time periods, geographical regions, as well as incorporating a variety of historical approaches. Our staff are very approachable and always eager to hear about what our students are working on.  

You will have access to our cutting-edge learning facilities throughout your postgraduate studies, and you will be welcome at academic events and seminars hosted by the new Institute of the Humanities. This includes the fortnightly History Research Seminar, where historians from around the world present their most recent research.

If you have any questions on our flexible courses then you can find out more information about Distance Learning.

Course Information

Level of Study
Postgraduate

Mode of Study
2 years Part Time (Distance Learning)
3 other options available

Department
Humanities

Location
City Campus, Northumbria University

City
Newcastle

Start
September 2025

Fees
Fee Information

Modules
Module Information

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Graduate Degree Showcase

Entry
Requirements Modules
Overview Fees, Funding
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Entry Requirements 2025/26

Standard Entry

Applicants should normally have:

A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree, or equivalent, in a related discipline.

International qualifications:

If you have studied a non UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English language requirements:

International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

 *The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS.  You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

Fees and Funding 2025/26 Entry

Full UK Fee: £9,700

Full International Fee: £9,700



Scholarships and Discounts

Discover More about Fees, Scholarships and other Funding options for UK and International applicants.

ADDITIONAL COSTS

Students may wish to but are not compelled to purchase supplemental material for research, such as primary texts specfic to the project, for their own personal use to allow for annotation and close engagement. The combined cost of purchasing and/or printing primary texts is approximately £100 per year, though this figure depends on editions purchased and can be reduced significantly by using the library, purchasing second-hand copies accessing e-books and locating articles electronically where possible and appropriate.

If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

Modules Overview 2025/26

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

Year one Year two

Year one

HI7001 -

Historical Contexts (Core,30 Credits)

You will learn how to identify the intellectual, social, and cultural contexts that inform advanced research in historical studies. The module trains you in the skills necessary to compile historiographical material and develop theoretical knowledge about the past, including contextual analysis, source scrutiny, and understanding the ever-changing state of the historical field. These skills have major implications for your research. Most importantly, you will explore the methods and critical theories that define the study of your particular field of history. Thus, your curiosity and inquisitiveness underpin the direction of assessment. You will need to collect, sift, and analyse the secondary sources that dominate the historical understanding of your research topic. The module provides an overview of the ways in which historical writing has changed over time, and considers how theory and conceptual thinking has influenced historians. You will also learn how the historiography has developed in relation to your own research topic.

More information

HI7015 -

Britain's Empires: Imperialism and Resistance in the Modern World (Core,30 Credits)

You will consider the British imperial experience from colonial expansion of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to anti-imperialism and decolonisation in the twentieth century. You will also explore the British Empire’s relationship with the other modern European empires. The approach is largely thematic. After an introductory week that explores the ways in which scholars have studied and theorised empire, you will move on to consider the British Empire’s changing character through an exploration of several broad themes. In addition to examining the British Empire’s relationship with racial, religious, and cultural difference; you will also consider how peoples and places were settled and subjugated, how the empire was organised politically and economically, and how the empire legitimated itself. You will also explore how the British Empire had a transformative impact on the movement of people across the world. Each theme connects to a common set of questions: What motors drove imperial expansion? How was the empire organised politically, and how did the British Empire deal with ethnic minorities, religious diversity, and cultural difference? How peoples and places were subjugated? Was every conquered group deemed capable of assimilation? How did people resist colonial rule? The second half of the module compares the British imperial experience with those of the Ottomans and America. You will consider how these different empires interacted, whether the British imperial experience was distinct, and whether these other empires dealt with religion, race and cultural difference in the same way as the British.

More information

Year two

HI7004 -

War and Peace in Historical Perspective (Core,30 Credits)

What were the social, cultural and political consequences of war? How have people analysed war, and how have they tried to prevent or end violent conflicts? The module invites you to explore these questions from a variety of angles, drawing on approaches from political history, cultural history and the history of ideas. We will address debates on, and experiences of, war and peace in different historical contexts – from the early modern period to the contemporary world.

The module is divided into three parts: ‘Theories and Thinkers’, ‘Peace-Building in Practice’ and ‘Conflicts in Context’. In the first section, we will analyse influential theories of war and peace. The second section allows you to explore different attempts to create a more peaceful world, encompassing high-level diplomacy, the work of international organisations such as the League of Nations as well as the campaigns waged by peace activists. In the final section of the module, we investigate different types of conflict, from civil war to total war.

More information

HI7005 -

History in the Digital Age: Institutions, Issues and Ideas (Core,30 Credits)

In this module, you will learn about the advantages and potential pitfalls of doing History in the digital age. In doing so, you will develop skills that are essential for postgraduate research. The module develops your understanding of the relationship between planning research (formulating research questions, considering methodology), doing research (using a range of digital and traditional investigative techniques) and reflecting upon research (data handling and organization, the politics and ethics of research and reflective practice for writing). The module is designed to prepare you to collect, interpret and disseminate research as a means of supporting all of the modules that you take at Masters level. Crucially, the module equips you with the conceptual tools needed to approach your extended research project, the dissertation.

Throughout the module, you will consider the advantages and disadvantages of studying History in the 21st century. You will consider the historical, cultural and political role of archives, libraries and museums, but also the way in which digitized sources, digital research tool and the internet are shaping the nature of research. You will reflect on how digital methods differ from more traditional forms of historical enquiry, and how you, as a historian, can best use new technologies to develop your work.

More information

HI7010 -

History Dissertation (Core,60 Credits)

In this module you will be provided with the skills to complete a dissertation on a topic that you will negotiate with your supervisor. The History dissertation represents the culmination of your postgraduate studies. It will enable you to apply the skills you have acquired in core modules and options to a discrete body of primary sources related to an identifiable area of historical enquiry. It is an exercise in research and is intended to develop your research skills and your ability to work independently. Dissertation topics will be supervised by an expert in the field who will guide you through the various stages of formulating, researching and writing this substantial piece of work

More information

Modules Overview 2026/27

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

Year one Year two

Year one

HI7001 -

Historical Contexts (Core,30 Credits)

You will learn how to identify the intellectual, social, and cultural contexts that inform advanced research in historical studies. The module trains you in the skills necessary to compile historiographical material and develop theoretical knowledge about the past, including contextual analysis, source scrutiny, and understanding the ever-changing state of the historical field. These skills have major implications for your research. Most importantly, you will explore the methods and critical theories that define the study of your particular field of history. Thus, your curiosity and inquisitiveness underpin the direction of assessment. You will need to collect, sift, and analyse the secondary sources that dominate the historical understanding of your research topic. The module provides an overview of the ways in which historical writing has changed over time, and considers how theory and conceptual thinking has influenced historians. You will also learn how the historiography has developed in relation to your own research topic.

More information

HI7015 -

Britain's Empires: Imperialism and Resistance in the Modern World (Core,30 Credits)

You will consider the British imperial experience from colonial expansion of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to anti-imperialism and decolonisation in the twentieth century. You will also explore the British Empire’s relationship with the other modern European empires. The approach is largely thematic. After an introductory week that explores the ways in which scholars have studied and theorised empire, you will move on to consider the British Empire’s changing character through an exploration of several broad themes. In addition to examining the British Empire’s relationship with racial, religious, and cultural difference; you will also consider how peoples and places were settled and subjugated, how the empire was organised politically and economically, and how the empire legitimated itself. You will also explore how the British Empire had a transformative impact on the movement of people across the world. Each theme connects to a common set of questions: What motors drove imperial expansion? How was the empire organised politically, and how did the British Empire deal with ethnic minorities, religious diversity, and cultural difference? How peoples and places were subjugated? Was every conquered group deemed capable of assimilation? How did people resist colonial rule? The second half of the module compares the British imperial experience with those of the Ottomans and America. You will consider how these different empires interacted, whether the British imperial experience was distinct, and whether these other empires dealt with religion, race and cultural difference in the same way as the British.

More information

Year two

HI7004 -

War and Peace in Historical Perspective (Core,30 Credits)

What were the social, cultural and political consequences of war? How have people analysed war, and how have they tried to prevent or end violent conflicts? The module invites you to explore these questions from a variety of angles, drawing on approaches from political history, cultural history and the history of ideas. We will address debates on, and experiences of, war and peace in different historical contexts – from the early modern period to the contemporary world.

The module is divided into three parts: ‘Theories and Thinkers’, ‘Peace-Building in Practice’ and ‘Conflicts in Context’. In the first section, we will analyse influential theories of war and peace. The second section allows you to explore different attempts to create a more peaceful world, encompassing high-level diplomacy, the work of international organisations such as the League of Nations as well as the campaigns waged by peace activists. In the final section of the module, we investigate different types of conflict, from civil war to total war.

More information

HI7005 -

History in the Digital Age: Institutions, Issues and Ideas (Core,30 Credits)

In this module, you will learn about the advantages and potential pitfalls of doing History in the digital age. In doing so, you will develop skills that are essential for postgraduate research. The module develops your understanding of the relationship between planning research (formulating research questions, considering methodology), doing research (using a range of digital and traditional investigative techniques) and reflecting upon research (data handling and organization, the politics and ethics of research and reflective practice for writing). The module is designed to prepare you to collect, interpret and disseminate research as a means of supporting all of the modules that you take at Masters level. Crucially, the module equips you with the conceptual tools needed to approach your extended research project, the dissertation.

Throughout the module, you will consider the advantages and disadvantages of studying History in the 21st century. You will consider the historical, cultural and political role of archives, libraries and museums, but also the way in which digitized sources, digital research tool and the internet are shaping the nature of research. You will reflect on how digital methods differ from more traditional forms of historical enquiry, and how you, as a historian, can best use new technologies to develop your work.

More information

HI7010 -

History Dissertation (Core,60 Credits)

In this module you will be provided with the skills to complete a dissertation on a topic that you will negotiate with your supervisor. The History dissertation represents the culmination of your postgraduate studies. It will enable you to apply the skills you have acquired in core modules and options to a discrete body of primary sources related to an identifiable area of historical enquiry. It is an exercise in research and is intended to develop your research skills and your ability to work independently. Dissertation topics will be supervised by an expert in the field who will guide you through the various stages of formulating, researching and writing this substantial piece of work

More information

Study Options

The following alternative study options are available for this course:

To start your application, simply select the month you would like to start your course.

History MA

START MONTH
YEAR

SEPTEMBER

2023

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SEPTEMBER

2024

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SEPTEMBER

2025

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Any Questions?

Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help.  They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.

 

All information is accurate at the time of sharing. 

Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.  

Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.

 

Accessibility and Student Inclusion

Northumbria University is committed to developing an inclusive, diverse and accessible campus and wider University community and are determined to ensure that opportunities we provide are open to all.

We are proud to work in partnership with AccessAble to provide Detailed Access Guides to our buildings and facilities across our City, Coach Lane and London Campuses. A Detailed Access Guide lets you know what access will be like when you visit somewhere. It looks at the route you will use getting in and what is available inside. All guides have Accessibility Symbols that give you a quick overview of what is available, and photographs to show you what to expect. The guides are produced by trained surveyors who visit our campuses annually to ensure you have trusted and accurate information.

You can use Northumbria’s AccessAble Guides anytime to check the accessibility of a building or facility and to plan your routes and journeys. Search by location, building or accessibility feature to find the information you need. 

We are dedicated to helping students who may require additional support during their student journey and offer 1-1 advice and guidance appropriate to individual requirements. If you feel you may need additional support you can find out more about what we offer here where you can also contact us with any questions you may have:

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If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

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