MA Migration History: People, Places, Politics
Explore the movement of people, both voluntarily and involuntarily, across borders in this unique master's programme.
Apply Now
Course overview
About the course
Migration is a subject as complex in its history as it is controversial in our contemporary moment. This interdisciplinary course is the only one of its kind in the UK higher education landscape: working with a leading scholar of the history of migration and asylum, you will have the opportunity to investigate, in depth, a phenomenon foundational to the modern world – uncovering the social, historical, political and artistic impacts of a world on the move.
Drawing from a range of disciplines, this degree allows students to examine the history of migration from the early modern period to the present day through social, environmental, cultural, legal, and political frameworks.
Whether mass or individual, the result of enslavement or freedom of movement, persecution at home or active welcome abroad, colonisation or its aftermath, the movement of people, non-human life and artefacts is both a local and a global phenomenon, and the course content reflects this in the variety of subjects, contexts and environments in its scope. Providing a grounding in the long history of emigration and immigration to, from and within the British Isles, it also looks at migration’s global history – from the forced migration of humans resulting from political oppression, colonisation or enslavement, to emigration for economic opportunity, to the appropriation of art and plant life and its cultural and environmental repercussions.
Making use of a wide range of source material, the course also examines both social and political history in detail – from individual accounts of lived experience, to exploring how changing conceptual and philosophical notions have come to shape policy around asylum and refugee rights.
The course’s combination of educational opportunities – lectures, seminars, discussion, workshops, trips to relevant archives, museums and sites, essay-writing, a dissertation project or a bespoke internship at a heritage organisation – combines intellectual rigour with experiential learning to hone the transferable skills only offered by the humanities.
Course Highlights
- The only MA of its kind in the UK
- Taught by a leading scholar in the field of migration and asylum
- Central London location in the heart of Bloomsbury allows easy access to archives, libraries and educational visits to world-class institutions
- Uniquely interdisciplinary approach allows for the pursuit of individual research interests
- Institutional links with the heritage sector allows for bespoke internship.
Course breakdown
- One-year course
- Begins with two terms of modules on different histories of migration across the world – students learn different disciplinary approaches
- These modules cover: the history of migration into, out of, and within the British Isles; the role of global empires on forced and voluntary migration, and the environmental impact of movement; the growth of international legal regimes to ‘manage’ movement; a wide array of cultural legacies of migration
- Culminates in research dissertation or internship with heritage institution.
View course modules
+
Placements
In place of a dissertation in the Spring Term, students can apply, in consultation and with the approval of their course director and lecturers, for a bespoke internship. The location and nature of this internship will depend on the student’s individual research interests.
Teaching and assessment
We keep class sizes small so you won’t get lost in the crowd. You will be assigned a personal tutor to support you every step of the way, and our academic and student support teams will ensure you have the tools to succeed in your studies. We value the quality of your learning experience.
Teaching methods
Global in its intellectual and geographical scope, the course also makes excellent use of its central London location to provide a diverse and engaging educational experience. In taught sessions, students can expect lectures and seminars with online materials provided, and to participate in workshops, give presentations and design group projects – including designing a museum exhibition. The course’s Bloomsbury setting also makes it ideally placed for educational trips to archives and museums to enrich learning, offering students the opportunity to work with world-class heritage institutions in bespoke internships suited to their research and career interests.
Assessment Methods
Students are assessed on a dynamic mix of the following coursework components:
- Essays
- Mock museum exhibition project
- Group presentations
- Dissertation (15,000 words) or bespoke internship.
After your course
Following the completion of your degree, students will have honed the research skills, writing skills and subject knowledge to consider pursuing PhD research, writing or journalism in a related field. You will also establish links in the heritage, library and archive sectors, and this may be advantageous in moving on to a career in one of these areas, especially if they choose to complete an internship. The familiarity with immigration and asylum policy and its history offered by the course may prove useful in applications to work in the Civil Service, work associated with law and human rights, the charity sector and policy research. The communication, writing, organisational, research and presentation skills developed by this course may be useful in a career in education. Here are just some of the career opportunities and skills that can stem from studying on this course:
Career opportunities
- Further study – PhD level
- Academic research
- Museum/heritage sector
- Politics/policy research/think tanks
- Education/Civil Service
- Libraries/archives
- Charity sector/legal assistant
Career skills
- Research skills (using archives, databases, analysing sources, collating relevant material)
- Reading skills (comprehension, synthesis, analysis of complex data)
- Writing skills (written accuracy, constructing arguments, planning, communicating ideas clearly and with precision, referencing)
- Verbal communication and presentation skills (working in a team, managing others, public speaking, handling questions)
- Organisational skills (meeting deadlines, time management, preparing for and attending taught sessions and supervisions)
Careers and Employability Support
Our courses strive to effectively combine academic challenge with the transferable skills that will stand you in good stead for future employment. The Buckingham tutorial teaching model means that our students are well prepared as they embark on their careers and future study.
Find out more about our Careers and Employability Service.
Further study
Further your expertise in your field of study with our doctoral degrees.
“Upon completing my postgraduate degree, I have undoubtedly obtained the necessary independent and research skills to embark on my professional journey. The extensive knowledge I have acquired through this advanced degree sets me apart from other candidates, giving me a distinct advantage.”
Eleanor, Postgraduate student
Entry requirements
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
See our general University entry requirements for information on flexible entry, mature students and alternative qualifications.
International Applicants
Find out about our requirements and see useful information for international applicants:
If you are uncertain whether you will be eligible to apply for this course, please contact our Admissions team.
Course fees
The fees for this course are:
| Start | Type | 1st Year | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
Month Year Full-time (2 Years) | UK | £00,000 | £00,000 |
| INT | £00,000 | £00,000 | |
Month Year Full-time (2 Years) | UK | £00,000 | £00,000 |
| INT | £00,000 | £00,000 |
Where courses exceed one year in duration, 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.
Scholarships and bursaries
How to apply
Apply direct
Apply online from this page as:
- You can apply until shortly before the course starts.
- There are no application fees.
You can apply directly through our website by clicking the ‘Apply Now’ button.