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Early Modern Studies MA

London, Bloomsbury

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2026/27)

£16,800

£8,400

Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)

£35,400

£17,700

Duration

1 calendar year

2 calendar years

Programme starts

September 2026

Applications accepted

Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026

Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026

Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this course is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The Early Modern Studies MA will teach you critical reading skills, the ability to assess and weigh evidence, and construct persuasive arguments. It combines training in book history, bibliography, and paleography with a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the early modern period.

The course comprises of a dissertation and three compulsory modules: Reframing the Renaissance; Forging the Early Modern; and Unstitching the Early Modern: Archival and Book skills. These core modules are designed to work as a postgraduate-level foundation and provide you with the specific skills to research, write academic essays and the dissertation. Compulsory modules cover a range of disciplines, helping you identify areas of interest for further study and gain the skills required for archival research.

You will also take 45 credits of optional modules and be exposed to concepts of research design and research methods, thus gaining the necessary knowledge to develop your research proposal and give you a broad understanding of the early modern period.

Subject to availability, optional modules are available across many different disciplines and departments at UCL, such as history, science and technology, information studies, education and classics. Further details on relevant Early Modern Studies modules from other UCL departments and University of London colleges are on our Postgraduate Modules page.

Who this course is for

The course is aimed at students with a degree in a relevant subject who wish to gain the key bibliography, paleography and research skills necessary for a future career in academia or in the heritage or cultural industries.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

The course is delivered by the Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry (CMII) within UCL’s School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS).

This is a bespoke course of study which can be tailored to your interests through several optional modules, all taught by renowned scholars in a wide range of subjects including art, history, law, literature, politics and science. Supervision and teaching is available from world-leading researchers from SELCS and CMII, with 83% of SELCS-CMII research activity being graded 4* ‘world leading’ and 3* ‘internationally excellent’ in the REF 2021.

Practical, hands-on modules with traditional skills such as palaeography and textual bibliography are taught alongside the latest techniques in databases and XML. The course includes field trips to museums, archives and galleries.

Our central London location offers students access to special collections at UCL and provides unrivalled access to a wide range of world-class museums, rare-book libraries and archives. Located in Bloomsbury, it is a short walk to the exceptional resources of the British Library and the British Museum.

Other libraries and research centres within walking distance of campus include Senate House, the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, the Institute of Historical Research and the Warburg Institute.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Popular career paths for SELCS-CMII graduates include publishing, journalism or translation (20.7%), health and social care (10.6%), teaching and education (10.1%), IT and technology (5.9%), PR, advertising, marketing (4.8%), policy and government (3.1%), accountancy and financial services (2.2%), performance and creative arts (1.4%) and media (8.7%)*.

Employers of SELCS-CMII graduates include KPMG LLP, BBC, TransPerfect Translations Ltd, Macmillan Cancer Support, Alzheimer’s Society, Apple, British Library, HBO, The Guardian, NHS Healthcare Trusts, international and UK Government. *

Some graduates pursue careers that make special use of their cultural knowledge or language skills, including working for translation services or in industry such as Charities, NGOs and international development (3.1%), while others continue with academic research and HE (4.5%).*

*Graduate Outcomes Survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017 - 2022 cohorts.

Employability

Graduates may seek employment within the cultural or heritage sector, as well as library work, the arts, and other roles that require intensive research and/or information management.

Our graduates are highly valued by employers for their interdisciplinary skills and linguistic and cultural knowledge. Transferable skills include intercultural understanding, translation, communication skills, and analytical rigour. Many graduates have been accepted to undertake further study as research students, both at UCL and elsewhere.

This MA will give you a very specific skill set, including archival research skills. Depending on the optional modules you select, you may also develop manuscript handling skills, language skills and knowledge in information technologies and database use.

Networking

The multidisciplinary research culture at UCL ensures there is a wide range of seminars, lecture series and opportunities to exchange ideas. The Centre for Early Modern Exchanges, draws together world-renowned researchers and is dedicated to the study of diverse cultural, economic and social exchanges. The Centre offers a vibrant and stimulating research environment, facilitating seminars, performances and other events.

The number of libraries and institutes in the local area means wider cultural opportunities are readily available. These resources, besides their collections and non-public online resources, offer a range of seminars, lecture series and networking opportunities.

UCL Careers also offers a range of services, providing access to skills development, recruitment and networking events.

Teaching and learning

You will gain experience of writing essays and training in conducting original research and applying the appropriate methodology. Demonstrating intellectual flexibility by engaging with a diverse range of subject areas and disciplinary approaches.

The course is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, presentations, class discussions and library, archive, museum and gallery visits. Term 3 is devoted to revision sessions and the dissertation project.

Students are assessed by a variety of methods, which may include coursework, presentations, written essays, annotated bibliography and the research dissertation. Teaching sessions are interactive, with a limited amount of lecturer presentation and an emphasis on student participation and critical discussion.

For a full-time postgraduate course, we recommend around 20-25 hours of independent study per week. Contact hours may vary depending on module choices, but full-time students will have approximately 8-10 contact hours each week during term time, spent in lectures and seminars.

For a part-time postgraduate course, contact hours would usually be 4-6 hours per week across 2-3 days and we recommend around 10-12 hours of independent study per week.

There is minimal teaching during Term 3, as students focus on the dissertation and assessments.

Modules

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

During the academic year, you will take three compulsory modules and choose 45 credits of optional modules (usually three 15-credit modules). These modules set the foundation for the whole MA, providing the necessary core skills and preparing you for further learning and for your dissertation.

During Term 2, in addition to your taught modules, you will start formulating your dissertation proposal. This work will continue into Term 3 and across the remainder of the academic year. You will develop your dissertation outline and structure with support from your supervisor. You will give a presentation to your peers and tutors on your dissertation to help cement your argument and subject area to cover. This is a non-assessed compulsory element of the MA.

You will then spend the summer researching and writing your 12,000 word dissertation on a topic to be determined in discussion with your academic supervisor.

In Year 1, you will take three compulsory modules, alongside one optional module. These modules set the foundation for the whole MA, preparing you for further learning and for your dissertation.

In Year 2, you will take a further 30 credits of optional modules (usually two 15-credit modules) to develop your broader understanding of the early modern period, and further develop key concepts learnt in Year 1.

You will also formulate and develop your dissertation outline and structure, with support from your supervisor. You will give a presentation to your peers and tutors on your dissertation proposal to help cement your argument and subject areas to cover. This is a non-assessed compulsory element of your MA.

You will then spend the summer of Year 2 researching and writing your 12,000 word dissertation on a topic of your choice to be determined in discussion with your supervisor.

Compulsory modules

Early Modern Exchanges: Dissertation

Reframing the Renaissance

Forging the Early Modern

Unstitching the Early Modern: Archival and Book Skills

Optional modules

Approaches to the Reception of the Classical World

Identity and Performance in Renaissance Italy

Political Thought in Renaissance Europe

Early Modern Science

The Past in European History and Thought

Early Modern Information Culture, c.1450-1750

Fiction and the Archives: Rewriting Criminal Stories in Early Modern France

Enlightenment Histories: History and Time in 18th Century Thought and Culture

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Early Modern Studies.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£16,800	£8,400
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£35,400	£17,700

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

The department strives to keep additional costs low. Additional costs may include expenses such as books, stationery, printing or photocopying. Students receive a free printing allowance each year and pay for any additional printing (see details), while books and journal articles are usually available via the UCL library as hard copies or via e-journal subscriptions.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this course of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

why you want to study Early Modern Studies at graduate level
why you want to study Early Modern Studies at UCL
what particularly attracts you to this course
how your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of this course
where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this course match what the course will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This course only requires one reference in support of your application. Your reference should be academic unless you have been out of university education for more than four years. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.