History - History of Medicine
PGDip or PGCert or MA
Key facts
Start dates
September 2020
Location
Course length
Full time: PGCert: 4 months, PGDip: 9 months; MA: 12 months
Part time: PGCert: 2 semesters; PGDip: 3 semesters; MA: 24 months
Department
School of History, Philosophy and Culture
Overview
Our MA History - History of Medicine allows you to bridge the gap between a taught Masters in History and a Masters by Research.
Through a course of research training, it offers you the unique chance to focus on the social, scientific and cultural history of medicine. As well as the relationship between medicine and the humanities (history, philosophy, sociology, literature and art). It also gives you the flexibility to pursue taught modules in other aspects of history.
The course has been shaped by leading researchers in our department. This means the knowledge and expertise you gain is grounded in the latest scholarship within the field.
You will conduct research on topics of your choice with independent study and dissertation modules. And develop your core skills.
If you intend to continue with PhD research, this course provides excellent preparation. It will also be of interest to graduates seeking further professional development. Particularly healthcare professionals and graduates of history or the social sciences.

How to apply
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
You should normally hold a 2:1 honours degree, or its equivalent, in an appropriate subject. If it is some time since you completed your undergraduate education and you do not meet the standard requirement, it may be possible to consider your application based on evidence of other relevant personal and professional experience, the support of your referees and examples of written work.
Applicants may be asked to send a sample of recent academic writing in English together with the application form. If this is not possible, you may substitute a 1,500-word essay reviewing a recent academic book on a historical topic.
Applicants for research degrees should normally hold a master's degree in a subject appropriate to the proposed research topic and the same level of English language proficiency as required for the master's courses.
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.
Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.
If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Application process
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year your fees will increase each year.
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course, if any, are detailed below.
Financial support and scholarships
Learning and assessment
You will study four modules to gain your MA History - History of Medicine, these include:
- a compulsory core module
- two elective modules
- dissertation.
Shorter courses in History are also available: the postgraduate diploma and the postgraduate certificate. It is possible to transfer between these and the MA course.
Postgraduate diploma students take the compulsory core module and two elective modules.
Postgraduate certificate students take the compulsory core module and one elective module.
Full-time MA students take one elective module in each semester. Part-time MA students take their first elective in Semester 2 of the first year and their second elective in Semester 1 of the second year.

Study modules
The modules listed below are for the master's award. For the PGDip and PGCert awards your module choices may be different. Please contact us for more details.
Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from that shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.
Learning and teaching
Our range of teaching methods includes:
- small group seminars
- discussion groups
- workshops
- individual tutorials
- historiographical and bibliographical presentations.
Field trips to local museums and archives are included in several modules.
Classes are held during the evening, and usually run from 6-7pm.
As a part-time student, you will attend the university once a week. You will need to spend an additional 12–15 hours per week on private study.
As a full-time student, you'll attend classes for two evenings per week and spend 30 hours per week in private study.
Research
Our thriving research and postgraduate culture will provides you with the ideal environment.
Our historians are regarded as experts in their field and their research informs some of the key debates in society.
Principal research areas in which our teaching staff specialise include:
- race, ethics and ideas
- poverty, welfare and public health
- crime, forensic medicine and the law
- psychiatry, mental health and healing
- western and indigenous medicine, with a focus mainly on Europe and India
- pharmaceutical R&D, with an emphasis on the development of drug treatments for chronic diseases and cancer, in Britain, France and the USA
- urban space, health and the environment, from the early modern to the modern period.
Each group meets to discuss and analyse central texts in the field. They also organise work-in-progress seminars, and offer support and feedback for external grant applications.
For further information on our research expertise, please visit our staff profiles page.

After you graduate
Career prospects
Students who have completed the MA in History have developed a variety of careers. A significant number have gone on to undertake PhD study, secondary school history teaching, and archive management. Others have taken up or developed their careers in medically related professions, in:
- animal health
- psychiatry
- paramedical specialities
- University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust research.
The Brookes Careers service provides practical tips, training and advice for up to three years after graduation.
Our Staff
Professor Marius Turda
Marius Turda is Director of the Centre for Medical Humanities.
Read more about MariusProgramme Changes: On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website.
For more information, please visit our Changes to programmes page.