Postgraduate MA
Modern History
The MA in Modern History focuses on the period c1750-2000, and draws on the considerable range of expertise within the School to help you explore history and bring it to life.
The MA in Modern History focuses on the period c1750-2000, and draws on the considerable range of expertise within the School to help you explore history and bring it to life.
"The MA in Modern History has given me the opportunity to explore the subjects I am passionate about alongside inspiring, supportive, and engaging lecturers. The course has allowed me to mature as a historian and build an exciting and progressive future."
Olivia Andrew, MA Modern History student
A first or second class honours degree in a relevant subject (or equivalent)
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 a Good level of English language, equivalent to B2 on CEFR.
Details on how to meet this requirement can be found on our English Language requirements webpage.
Examples:
IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component
PTE Academic 63 with a minimum of 59 in each sub-test
A degree from a UK university
A degree from a Majority English Speaking Country
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
We’ve created the most progressive approach to higher education, developing and modernising our curriculum. For 2025 our courses will be designed with you at their heart to deliver a top-class student experience and career outcomes.
The following modules are what students will typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.
What is the historian’s project? What questions, assumptions and blind spots have shaped the discipline? In this module, students will examine how the study of history has changed over the course of the modern era and come to understand some of the approaches which make the historical profession a vibrant area of scholarly inquiry. This module will focus on some of the foundations of the field, marrying theoretical approaches with key texts to see how the discipline has developed. Students will also think broadly about the kind of historian they are, the approaches that most interest them, and examine how historians approach their projects, so that they might develop a project of your own.
What is the historian’s project? What questions, assumptions and blind spots have shaped the discipline? This module will examine how the study of history has changed over the course of the modern era, introducing students to some of the approaches which make the historical profession a vibrant area of scholarly inquiry. Participants will focus on some of the more speculative areas of the field, marrying theoretical approaches with key texts to see how the discipline has developed. Students will also think more particularly about the historical research agenda they hope to embark upon, and what tools they might need to achieve these goals.
Why has violence permeated the history of the modern world? How have war, conflict and resistance shaped society? This module will explore the impact of violence through a variety of ways, focussing heavily on primary sources (both textual and visual) as well as the latest historiographical interpretations. It will borrow specifics from key case-studies in Modern History to marry theoretical concepts to practical applications, inviting students to reflect upon the nature of violence in a broader context. By exploring violence through its social and cultural lenses - as well as its physical manifestations through war, conflict, and revolt – students will gain a better understanding of the modern world and one of the key components that has helped shape and define it.
What is power and how has does it manifest itself? From popular protest to state-sponsored propaganda, power has shaped the modern world in immeasurable ways. Leaders have used and abused it. Others have seized it to forge a new path. The hows, wherefores, and whys are central to the understanding of human interactions. In this module, students are encouraged to examine the power dynamics of modern history through its social, cultural, and political lenses, apply the latest historiographical and methodological trends to a variety of themes and chronological hallmarks within modern history. Through this, they will develop key research skills that will enable them to research, write, and argue about power’s influence in shaping the modern world.
What is public history? From academics engaging in projects with broad appeal to those whose work can influence and change social policy and modern society, the area of public history is a long as it is broad. This module will introduce students to the world of public history through some of the following: historical consultancy, museums and heritage, historical preservation, oral history, community history, not to mention the burgeoning field of film and media. It will consider the impact of science, technology, medicine and health over time and explore how developments in these fields have helped to shape the modern world as it is understood today. Students will engage in project work, centred on their theoretical understanding of key aspects of public history and how it interacts with a broad audience.
Laying the foundation for independent study and helping you on your journey to become a self-reflective, critical historian: this is the aim of your undergraduate degree. This module is designed to prepare you for the independent study module, the History Dissertation, to be written over the summer/summer vacation. It will help you articulate key concepts, ideas and theories underlying your creative work. You will learn the process of producing a dissertation: from design to the use of archives and specialist libraries, to structure and formal presentation. The dissertation involves self-directed learning and research, with the aim of producing a structured and persuasive argument, demonstrating a command of the technical languages of a variety of historical approaches. Preparing you for your dissertation will give you the foundation you need to produce a polished, innovative piece of work in your final year of study.
This is an independent study module with no specified curriculum. The task of the dissertation is designed to provide students with the opportunity to articulate key concepts, ideas and theories underlying their creative work, as well as providing an in-depth contextual presentation of their work situating it within the current historiography and reflecting on their own methodological choices. The dissertation involves student-directed learning and research with the aim of producing a structured and persuasive argument, demonstrating a command of the technical languages of a variety of historical approaches, and perhaps including the effective use of visual materials in support of their arguments. The overall aim of the dissertation is to enable the students to become self-reflective learners.
All courses are assessed by coursework, and the dissertation counts for half the final grade (comprising one third assessed preparation, two thirds actual dissertation).
For course aims and learning outcomes please see the course specification.
The resources for historical research at Kent are led by the University’s Templeman Library: a designated European Documentation Centre which holds specialised collections on slavery and antislavery, and on medical science. The Library has a substantial collection of secondary materials to back-up an excellent collection of primary sources including the British Cartoon Archive, newspapers, a large audio-visual library, and a complete set of British Second World War Ministry of Information propaganda pamphlets.
The School has a dedicated Centre for the History of War, Media and Society, which has a distinctive archive of written, audio and visual propaganda materials, particularly in film. Locally, you have access to the Canterbury Cathedral Library and Archive (a major collection for the study of medieval and early modern religious and social history); the Centre for Kentish Studies at Maidstone; and the National Maritime Collection at Greenwich. Kent is also within easy reach of the country’s premier research collections in London and the national libraries in Paris and Brussels.
Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Journal of Contemporary History; English Historical Review; British Journal for the History of Science; Technology and Culture; and War and Society.
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 School of History is home to recognised experts on British and Irish, European, African, American and South Asian history, with particular strengths in military history, modern political history, the history of medicine & the environment, medieval and early modern history, cultural history and legal history. Our research is currently focused in the following areas:
As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, postgraduate qualifications are becoming more attractive to employers seeking individuals who have finely tuned skills and abilities, which our programmes encourage you to hone. As a result of the valuable transferable skills developed during your course of study, career prospects for history graduates are wide ranging. Our graduates go on to a variety of careers, from research within the government to teaching, politics to records management and journalism, to working within museums and galleries – to name but a few.
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.
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