Course information

Department

History

Length

1 year full-time or 2 years part-time

Course overview

The MRes provides excellent preparation for study at MPhil/PhD level for students with a defined research topic, but is also a degree in its own right.

The programme is primarily assessed by a 30,000-word dissertation on your chosen topic, but also incorporates two taught courses:

  • Explorations and Debates in History investigates the ways historians have conceptualised and contested historical practice in the modern and early modern periods.
    Or
  • Explorations and Debates in Queer History explores experiences, articulations and understandings of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer lives and desires across period and region from medieval and early modern Europe to the present.
    Or
  • Explorations and Debates in Black British History explores experiences, articulations and understandings of people of African descent and origin within a British context from the early modern period through to the present.
  • Research Skills develops expertise in a variety of methodologies including the use of oral, visual and material, as well as textual, sources.

You'll be assessed by two 2,000- and one 4,000-word essays, and a 30,000-word dissertation. The dissertation may be followed by a viva voce.

Initial enquiries should be directed to the department contact listed below, or to the member of staff whose research interests most closely match your own.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dr Erica Wald.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements 

You should normally have, or expect to gain, an upper second class undergraduate degree in a humanities or social science subject, or be qualified by previous experience and able to demonstrate the ability to work at postgraduate level.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Fees, funding & scholarships

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

  • Home - full-time: £8430
  • Home - part-time: £4215
  • International - full-time: £17690

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

How to apply

You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system. 

Before submitting your application you'll need to have: 

  • Details of your education history, including the dates of all exams/assessments
  • The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference
  • Contact details of a second referee
  • personal statement – This can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online

          Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement

  • If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory)
  • Details of your research proposal

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

Before you apply for a research programme, we advise you to get in touch with the programme contact, listed above. It may also be possible to arrange an advisory meeting.

Before you start at Goldsmiths, the actual topic of your research has to be agreed with your proposed supervisor, who will be a member of staff active in your general field of research. The choice of topic may be influenced by the current research in the department or the requirements of an external funding body. 

If you wish to study on a part-time basis, you should also indicate how many hours a week you intend to devote to research, whether this will be at evenings or weekends, and for how many hours each day.

Research proposals

Along with your application and academic reference, you should also upload a research proposal at the point of application. 

This should be in the form of a 2-5 page statement of the proposed area of research and should include: 

  • delineation of the research topic
  • why it has been chosen
  • an initial hypothesis (if applicable)
  • a brief list of major secondary sources 

Selection process 

Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK. Occasionally we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.

Find out more about applying.

Staff

Research

Research in the Department of History is esteemed internationally. History staff publish books and articles with leading international publishers and journals and their research has been externally funded by the AHRC, the British Academy, the Panacea Society and Wellcome Trust.

Find out more about research in the Department of History

Careers

Graduate jobs include roles in museums, galleries, archives, charities, government, and arts administration.

Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.

Similar programmes

MA Black British History

The MA in Black British History is an exciting opportunity to study and research the histories of Africans and African-descended peoples in the United Kingdom.

MA History

The MA History is innovative, creative, free-thinking, stimulating, diverse and challenging – everything that is distinctive about history at Goldsmiths.

MA Queer History

The MA Queer History is a pioneering programme in one of the most exciting areas of historical enquiry, giving a voice to those who throughout much of history have been denied one.

MPhil/PhD History

The distinctive emphasis of Goldsmiths' Department of History is a theorised, interdisciplinary and comparative approach to research.

Related content links