Postgraduate MA
Medieval and Early Modern Studies
This unique interdisciplinary programme provides the opportunity for intensive historical, literary and art-historical study.
This unique interdisciplinary programme provides the opportunity for intensive historical, literary and art-historical study.
The MA provides a thorough grounding in the skills required for advanced study in the medieval and early modern periods. It challenges you to engage with the evidence and methods of different disciplines in order to equip you with the wide range of research techniques crucial for studying the period.
A first or second class honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject.
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.
This course requires an Excellent level of English language, equivalent to C1 on CEFR.
Details on how to meet this requirement can be found on our English Language requirements webpage.
Examples:
IELTS 7.0 with a minimum of 7.0 in each component
PTE Academic 76 with a minimum of 76 in each sub-test
A degree from the UK
A degree from a Majority English Speaking Country
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The following modules are what students will typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.
Working with non-textual sources has long been a key component of archaeological and art historical approaches to premodern studies. Since the material turn, visual and material approaches have become central to all disciplines involved in premodern studies, including history, literature and performance. This interdisciplinary module will enable students to acquire the necessary skills for the analysis of premodern visual and material sources, and consider their application in historical, literary and cultural studies. It introduces practical methodologies and develops skills in material culture studies, museum studies, art history, heritage and archaeology, including close looking, object handling, LIDAR, Aerial Photo analysis and map analysis. Students will learn how to navigate collections and databases holding premodern materials such as earthenware, architecture, portable antiquities, paintings, books and decorative arts, as well as large scale databases (e.g. Kent HER). They will develop understanding of terminologies pertaining to different fields as well as acquire skills in research techniques across material and visual sources. Finally, as a group we will evaluate how things can make us question traditional historical narratives, which are often based on the texts elites produced. The module objectives will be achieved through workshops, site visits and handling sessions in addition to campus-based lecture-seminars.
This module provides the essential preparation in the core skills of Latin and Palaeography necessary for a medievalist or early modernist to undertake dissertation work at MA level. Across the Middle Ages and into the early modern period, in Western Europe as a whole, Latin was the most frequently used language for written texts; those texts circulated for centuries primarily in handwritten form, and continued to do so after print became available in the second half of the fifteenth century. Mastering a facility in working with both Latin and unfamiliarity scripts is, therefore, a crucial part of graduate training. This module ensures that each student is equipped to be able to decipher and critically evaluate their primary sources in order to be able to undertake original research. The Latin studied is focussed on that used in the medieval and early modern world, with an emphasis on understanding it as a living language, changing between different communities of use. Similarly, the manuscripts studied range across more than a millennium and students are encouraged both to place these material products in their cultural contexts and to appreciate how advanced skills allow scholars to explicate and explore those contexts.
From the commencement of your MA you will be asked to start thinking about a proposed topic for a dissertation. You are advised to talk to members of staff about your topic before a suitable supervisor is assigned.
Canterbury was not simply one among many European pre-modern cities – it had an unparalleled international significance as the location of Becket’s shrine for over 350 years. We will examine the city’s history from the coming of Augustine and the beginnings of Roman Christianity in England to the restoration of the monarchy after the Civil War, setting this within the context of the development of pre-modern urban society. Together we will evaluate this key period in Canterbury’s history and the development of its heritage to enable students to produce their own critical understanding of pre-modern urban society within the specific context of Canterbury. It will empower you to undertake your own research project and enhance your own historical and critical skill set.
This module traces premodern histories of race and ethnicity, asking students to critically evaluate the shifting meanings of race in premodern constructions of selfhood or identity, and in premodern societies and cultures across a range of periods and geographies. We will encounter texts - including but not limited to accounts of travel, colonial encounters, drama, poems and historical documents - that demonstrate the shaping of racial/ethnic identity in terms of both the construction of Others but also of Whiteness. We will draw upon important recent scholarship in premodern critical race theory and postcolonial theory in order to interpret how premodern texts perpetuated, challenged, explored and criticised notions of race.
The premodern world was one hugely preoccupied with impending doom. The fabric of the Middle Ages- its art, its architecture, its drama and its literary culture more generally, record reminders of bodily death, and of the ultimate end of humanity’s earthly history, with the coming of Doomsday- final judgement of the living and the dead. In this course we will look at a variety of ‘sacred arts’ and equip students with an interdisciplinary approach to this greatest preoccupation of the creative arts in the premodern period.
What is the digital future for our study of the past? What tools, resources, and platforms are available to convert information, images, and objects from the past into a digital format, and what is in the pipeline for future development? Most importantly, what skills are necessary for such work, and how can we best prepare for the future of historical research? In this module, that explores the past, present, and future of digital humanities research, you will learn about practices and methods surrounding the management and preservation of data for posterity. In doing so, you will learn key concepts about accessibility, searchability, limitations, copyright, future-proofing, and inter-operability, and think through issues arising from user experience. The module will appeal to anyone interested in heritage, digital experiences, gaming, virtual reality, encoding, and library and archival training, though no prior experience in these areas is required.
This module builds on the training all MEMS students will have received in the first two terms, and is designed for those who intended either to go on to doctoral study or to enter a profession in which greater expertise in the core skills of Latin and palaeography are expected. It both deepens and broadens knowledge. On the one hand, it ensures students have exposure to a range of extended Latin texts from across the Middle Ages and the early modern period. These help students to appreciate the nuances of usage within different geographical and disciplinary traditions, as well as change across the centuries. On the other hand, the module refines students’ palaeographical training by providing a fuller appreciation of codicology and the cultural context of manuscript production, both in the Middle Ages and in the era of what has been dubbed ‘print culture’. They will be encouraged to become confident in the handling of the physical items, making the most of the material evidence these books can provide.
Assessment is by coursework and dissertation. The skills modules are assessed by a combination of coursework and examination.
For course aims and learning outcomes please see the course specification.
Canterbury Cathedral Archives and Library have unparalleled holdings of manuscripts and early printed books. Kent’s Templeman Library holds a good stock of facsimiles, scholarly editions, monographs and journals, and we are within easy reach of the British Library, The National Archives, and other London research libraries. There are good online computing facilities across campus and, in addition, our students have special access to postgraduate computer terminals and the postgraduate student room provided by the School of History.
The Centre runs a weekly research seminar, and special termly, public lectures to which we welcome distinguished speakers. These events are at the heart of the Centre’s activities. We also run a full programme of conferences and colloquia.
Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Historical Research; English Historical Review; Renaissance Studies; Medium Aevum; Transactions of the Royal Historical Society; and Studies in the Age of Chaucer.
All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme. The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.
The transferable skills gained from this postgraduate programme are enhanced by the University of Kent’s employability initiative and careers advice service. Many of our recent graduates have gone on to careers in heritage, museum or archivist work. Some go on to pursue research in the area, many continuing with PhDs at Kent or other higher education institutions.
The 2025/26 annual tuition fees for this course are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Tuition fees may be increased in the second and subsequent years of your course. Detailed information on possible future increases in tuition fees is contained in the Tuition Fees Increase Policy. If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Tuition fees may be increased in the second and subsequent years of your course. Detailed information on possible future increases in tuition fees is contained in the Tuition Fees Increase Policy. If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.
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Next steps
Learn more about the application process or begin your application by clicking on a link below.
You will be able to choose your preferred year of entry once you have started your application. You can also save and return to your application at any time.
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