M.A. in History Student Handbook 2011-2012

The Structure of the MA in History
The aim behind the MA in History is to provide an introduction to researching History at a higher
level than that provided by the BA. As such, it is designed both for students who wish to pursue a
self-contained period of postgraduate study and those who want to go on to develop their work in a
higher research degree.
The MA in History is studied over one year full-time, or two years part-time. In 2011-12, the fees
will be £4,460 for full-time home and EU students, or £2,230 per annum for part-time home and EU
students.
The MA in History is made up of 180 credits, comprising both taught modules of 20 credits each
and a dissertation generated from your supervised research. The taught modules, which are largely
generic and methodological rather than content-based, will develop and refine the skills required to
research and write the dissertation. They are designed to ‘fit around’ your chosen topic of research.
They form a package designed to give you the right skills, techniques and knowledge to produce the
best possible dissertation. They also provide the research skills which will enable you, should you
wish to apply for a research degree.
There are two possible pathways to make up your 180 credits: you may opt either for the 4.5
pathway: taught modules (=80 credits) + a 25, 000 word dissertation (=100 credits) OR the 6. 3
pathway: 6 taught modules (=120 credits) and a 15, 000 word dissertation (= 80 credits).
Whichever pathway you choose, you do not have to make a firm choice until the end of the Lent
Term.
Full details of the pathways can be found at
http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/history/postgrad/MAPathways.htm
and on pp. 13 of this guide.
Full-time
For full-time students, the MA in History runs over a twelve month period. The 180 credits accounts
for 1,800 hours of study time per student.
Part-time
The MA in History runs over two years for part-time students. Students take the same modules as
full-time students over a two-year period, normally with a ‘Researching’ module in Michaelmas
Term and an ‘Advanced’ module in Lent Term of Year 1, with a further two modules taken in
Michaelmas and Lent Terms of Year 2. The dissertation will be begun in Year 1 and research and
writing will stretch over two years, amounting to 500 study-hours each year.
Assessment
Assessment on the taught modules will vary but will normally include one substantial piece of writing
to be submitted after the end of the module. All M.A. coursework is internally moderated as
appropriate. Tutors will begin marking written work when all the essays have been submitted. The
exceptions to this general rule are HIST 425 and 426, which by their nature have different kinds of
assessment.
Aims, Objectives and Assessment for the MA in History
Programme Outcomes
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