MA Migration History: People, Objects, Cultures
School of Humanities and Social SciencesView modules
The MA in Migration History: People, Objects, Cultures offers a unique opportunity to undertake advanced study of one of the oldest, most constant, and still searingly relevant phenomena in human history: the movement of people, both voluntarily and involuntarily, across borders.
Key features
- Unique postgraduate degree, focusing on the history of international migration across many centuries.
- Interdisciplinary and diverse in approach.
- Visits to key cultural institutions in the UK and abroad.
- Taught in London.
- Study week in Paris.
The first of its kind in UK higher education, the MA in Migration History investigates this subject across many centuries, including the mass exoduses that accompanied religious war and repression in the early modern era, the transoceanic movements forced and facilitated by the rise of global empires, and the unprecedented scale of international migration in the twentieth century. The MA also approaches its subject matter from a range of disciplinary lenses. Students can focus on areas like the legal and intellectual history of political asylum, the ecological issues raised by the movement of flora and fauna accompanying humans on the move, or the rise of international networks that have enabled cultural transmission and exchange across borders.
The MA is taught at Buckingham’s London campus. At the heart of a cosmopolitan city, itself shaped by millennia of migration, you will have globally renowned archives, libraries, and museums at your fingertips and which we will visit as a class. You will therefore not only learn from Buckingham’s team of lecturers, but also with representatives of relevant cultural institutions, and be equipped to pursue independent, original, and rigorous research into this exciting field. The programme is also unique for its week-long study trip to Paris, allowing for a truly international experience and comparative approach to a subject matter that knows no borders.
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The minimum entry level required for this course is as follows:
- A first or second-class honours degree from a recognised university or,
- A recognised professional qualification
Mature students
Age is no barrier to learning and we welcome all applications from suitably qualified students. Due to their flexibility, our London-based MAs attract a wide variety of applicants from a range of backgrounds, including people in full-time employment and retirees. Our current students range in age from 21 to 75.
International students
We are happy to consider all international applications and if you are an international student, you may find it useful to visit our international pages for details of entry requirements from your home country.
The University is a UKVI Student Sponsor.
English levels
If English is not your first language, please check our postgraduate English language requirements. If your English levels don’t meet our minimum requirements, you may be interested in applying for our Pre-sessional English Language Foundation Programmes.
Selection process
Candidates apply online, sending in their supporting documents, by clicking the link below. Applications will be assessed and will be assessed by the Programme Director. For help in applying, please contact Mrs Lin Robinson in the Admissions Office at lin.robinson@buckingham.ac.uk.
Buckingham prides itself on the focused and high-quality teaching that it provides to students. With one of the most favourable staff-to-student ratios in the United Kingdom, the University is able to give students individualised supervision tailored to their needs. Its small-group seminars have therefore been a strength of the University from its founding.
The MA in Migration History employs a stimulating variety of teaching strategies, including traditional lectures and seminar discussions, workshops with partner institutions, class visits to relevant cultural institutions and archive collections, and a week-long study trip to Paris.
A number of core modules are designed to instil skills crucial to the study of migration history and provide a comprehensive grounding in the history of emigration and immigration in the British Isles. Meanwhile, students can tailor their studies to their particular interests by choosing among optional modules on subjects such as the history of political and religious asylum, international cultural transmission, and the intersection of global empire and global movement. In the spring, students make a week-long study visit to Paris, to gain a further comparative and international perspective on these subjects, and begin work on their dissertations. The dissertation, submitted at the end of the summer, will allow students to make a serious and distinct contribution to the rapidly growing field of Migration History.
For more details, please feel free to contact the Programme Director Thomas Jones: thomas.jones@buckingham.ac.uk.
Graduates of the MA in Migration History will be well prepared for an array of opportunities for further study and employment. You will have honed the skills necessary to pursue a PhD in wide variety of historical periods, from the early modern period to the contemporary era, and will have attained excellent knowledge on subjects ranging from the history of the modern British Isles to that of the rise and fall of global empires and the foundation and operation of international institutions in the twentieth century. Such knowledge is of direct relevance not only to further academic study, but also in professions ranging from law to the charitable sector. Moreover, the skills of critical analysis and written and oral communication that you will develop are highly sought after by employers across many different sectors.
The University’s Course Directors, students’ supervisors, and the Research Officer and Tutor for Graduate Students are available to discuss students’ post-graduation plans and how they may utilise most effectively.
The fees for this course are:
Start | Type | 1st Year | Total cost |
---|---|---|---|
Sep 2024 Full-time (1 Year) | UK | £10,900 | £10,900 |
INT | £16,480 | £16,480 |
The University reserves the right to increase course fees annually in line with inflation linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI). If the University intends to increase your course fees it will notify you via email of this as soon as reasonably practicable.
Course fees do not include additional costs such as books, equipment, writing up fees and other ancillary charges. Where applicable, these additional costs will be made clear.
Please note that The University of Buckingham has four terms per year. The tuition fees quoted are for the degree (e.g. if you start a degree at Buckingham in January, you will pay the same termly fee for the duration of your degree – you will not be affected by the price increase in September). Students will pay the same termly fee for the duration of their studies, unless studies are interrupted and resumed later. The tuition fee quoted is therefore the total cost of the degree. Fees are normally paid in termly instalments.
Postgraduate loan scheme
A system of postgraduate loans for Masters degrees in the UK is available with support from the UK Government. The loan is available for taught and research Masters courses in all subject areas. The loans can be used for tuition fees, living expenses or both.
Postgraduate first-class scholarship
A first-class scholarship is available to both home and international students studying a taught postgraduate degree at the University. The scholarship will reduce tuition fees by 33%. The scholarship will be automatically awarded to applicants who already have a first class honours degree that is recognised to UK standard.
Details of other scholarships can be found on our main Bursaries and Scholarships page. You should make an application to study at the University and receive an offer letter confirming our acceptance of your application before applying for a scholarship.
You may also find it useful to visit our External Funding page.
Apply directly
You can apply directly using our online application form – all you need to do is click the ‘apply’ button at the bottom of this page.