MA Eighteenth-Century Studies

About the course

1 year full-time/2 years part-time

This MA provides an opportunity to study one of the most exciting fields of interdisciplinary historical research, the period c.1650–1850.

Taught with staff in the Department of English Literature, it focuses on the interface between historical and literary approaches to text, culture and society, during a period when the modern world came into being in Britain and North America.

Entry requirements

A 2:1 honours degree or equivalent in history or other humanities or social science discipline from a UK or overseas university. You may be asked to supply examples of previous written work.

English language requirements

Overall IELTS grade of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component, or equivalent.

Entry requirements for international students

Core modules

• Research presentation
• The Eighteenth Century: research approaches
• Dissertation

Optional modules

• Eighteenth-Century Print Culture
• Framing the Past: the eighteenth century on film
• The Eighteenth-Century British American Colonies
• PhD proposal
• The Historical Novel
• Presenting the Past: making history public
• Work Placement

Modules taught by the Department of English Literature include:

• The Rise of the Gothic, 1790–1890
• The English Civil War: writing, politics, history
• Eighteenth-Century Scottish Verse
• Women's Writing and the Politics of Romanticism

Teaching

• Seminars
• Individual tutorials

Assessment

• Bibliographical and source-based exercises
• Written papers
• Oral presentation
• Dissertation (15,000 words)
• There are no unseen examinations

Fees and funding

University and AHRC Studentships are available. You'll need to submit your application by the University deadline in January or February preceding a September entry. You should have an offer of a place on a course before you apply for a studentship.

University and AHRC Studentships

Financial information for postgraduate taught courses

Part-time study

This course can be taken part-time. Seminars are held during working hours (9am–6pm) – there are no lectures. The number of contact hours will vary over the two years, but you'll have at least one two-hour seminar each week.

You'll take one core module each year and the rest of your course will be made up from optional modules giving you plenty of choice and flexibility over what you study.

Any questions?

If you'd like to know more about any aspect of our courses, contact us:

E: history@sheffield.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)114 222 2552

Your career

Our courses are designed to prepare you for a career. We also provide professional development for teachers, writers and curators. The modules Presenting the Past and Work Placement give you real, hands-on experience. But all our modules will make a difference to your personal and professional development.

Careers advice is available from the moment you start your course. Our graduates work in the heritage and museum sector, journalism, teaching, law, NGOs and the civil service. Their job titles include Youth Engagement Officer at the National Media Museum, Copy Editor for Oxford University Press, Projects Administrator at the Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts.

All our MAs have an optional work experience module.

Why your masters matters

Our challenge is to find out how events in our historical past have shaped the world we live in. This work makes a vital contribution to our understanding of contemporary culture, politics, education and society. It helps us to learn and be better.

Our staff and students

Our teaching staff are active researchers. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, we were ranked tenth in the UK. Sixty five per cent of our research was rated world-leading or internationally excellent. This research informs what we teach.

Our students are active too. They organise social activities and trips. In discussion groups, seminars and conferences you can get together with staff and students from Sheffield and other universities to share ideas.

History with work experience

All our MAs have an optional Work Placement module. You could carry out archive work for a country house, assist with research for a public exhibition, or design online learning materials for school children studying history.

Facilities

We're based in a new, purpose-built facility for the arts and humanities. The building has modern teaching and research facilities and dedicated postgraduate study areas.

Apply now

You can apply for postgraduate study using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It is a quick and easy process.

Postgraduate Online Application Form