Graduate Taught (Careers)

Recent graduates from our MA programmes have been awarded funded PhD studentships at institutions including UCL, Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley, MIT, Duke, North Western, University of Texas at Austin, Indiana University Bloomington, Stanford, Sydney, Oxford, Cambridge, King’s College London, Queen Mary University London, Birmingham, Lausanne, and Central European University.

They have also gone into careers in heritage at institutions like the British Museum, National Trust, Historic Royal Palaces, Lambeth Palace, Royal Museums Greenwich, the Natural History Museum, the Royal Armoury, Historic England, and Arts Council England. 

And careers in UK government, the European Commission, law (Cornerstone Barristers), journalism (BBC), banking (HSBC), publishing (Oxford University Press), think tanks (Social Mobility Foundation), as well as PR, marketing, teaching, HR, management consultancy, and as authors and editors.

Student views

Oliver Palethorpe  (MA Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2018)

I will remember my time with UCL History incredibly fondly. While completing my BA in History with the department, I decided to stay at UCL to continue my studies in medieval history. 

The MARS degree offered the perfect mixture of practical and theoretical components. I developed my Latin while learning new methodologies and approaches to medieval history. The course structure also allowed me to create the degree I wanted, from modules on medieval China to the Magna Carta. 

The department's location allows for a richer study experience. The British Library and the Institute of Historical Research are right on our doorstep, and the proximity of these resources certainly allowed me to stay informed of the latest historical research. 

However, the quality of teaching within the department was more important than all. All staff, particularly those who worked with MARS students, were friendly and accommodating while remaining challenging and committed in their approach as teachers. They offered invaluable guidance, whether about my studies or career goals. They were always willing to discuss my ideas, and I am incredibly grateful for their help.

Although I did not continue on the academic path, my time in the MARS programme made me a much more suitable candidate for my current role as a Fast Streamer in the Civil Service. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone considering it, regardless of their future career aspirations.

Vanessa Da Silva Baptista  (MA Medieval and Renaissance Studies)

I realised very early during my undergraduate degree that I wanted to continue studying and researching the Middle Ages for postgraduate study. MARS was the next logical step - and one that far exceeded my expectations. MARS's focus on skills development, especially language learning, and palaeographical and codicological skills through the 'Manuscripts and Documents' module, has been invaluable to my ongoing research. For my PhD, for instance, I worked predominantly with unedited medieval recipe collections in multiple medieval languages, something I could not have done without the training MARS provided. 

I began MARS with no experience in either Latin or palaeography and finished the course able to transcribe and translate original sources confidently. The coursework element in the 'Manuscripts and Documents' module was the undisputed highlight of the MA. This was an opportunity to work closely, and for the first time, with medieval manuscripts in the British Library– choosing one as the focus of a longer written work. I felt very much like a detective trying to find clues that might tell me something about the person or people who owned my chosen manuscript, how they used it and why. 

My experience working with manuscripts, and especially very brief texts like recipes, was crucial to my success in being offered a postdoctoral fellowship at Charles University, Prague, to contribute to their project exploring changes and continuities in manuscript cultures between 1450 and 1500 as print was introduced to Europe. 

I pursued MARS part-time whilst working to support myself, which was a surprise advantage. Whereas most students learned (or further developed) their Latin and palaeography simultaneously, I built a foundation of Latin in the first year, which made me more able to engage with 'Manuscripts and Documents' in the second. The extra time also allowed me to think deeper and longer about my dissertation and what I wanted to do after the MA. 

UCL is an excellent university for studying medieval history. Without exception, the department is devoted, dedicated, generous both as researchers and mentors. Geographically, the department couldn't be better placed with The British Library, Wellcome Collection and Warburg Institute a short walk away.