Contemporary History and Politics

Birkbeck, University of London
Postgraduate MA Full-time 1 Year HistoryPolitics

About this course

This MA Contemporary History and Politics combines a rich and varied study of the recent past and politics allowing you to explore how the two disciplines intersect and integrate. We cover a wide geographic range of content so you can choose to focus on Europe, Britain, China, Africa, South Asia or the Middle East.

Why choose this course?

  • You will be taught by internationally acclaimed scholars, so you have the opportunity to critically reflect with them on key historical events, methodologies and ideas. You will also develop a rigorous understanding of political theory, concepts and research methods.

  • You can enjoy the choice of an impressive range of option modules covering a wide sweep of political ideas and systems, historical periods and regions of the world.

    What you will learn

    You will gain a thorough grounding in research methodologies, approaches and techniques and learn how to apply them critically and creatively to your own research and writing. You will also develop an appreciation of the complex interplay between national, international, political, social and historical forces that have produced the contemporary world.

    You will focus on topics ranging from histories of decolonisation, international organisations, global feminism and Mediterranean cities to the politics of environment, and American foreign policy.

    How you will learn

    This MA in Contemporary History and Politics is available to study in the evening, either full- or part-time. Classes consist of short lectures, seminars and small-group discussions, with visits to museums, archives and heritage sites.

    We foster vibrant intellectual debate which is enlivened by the diverse perspectives and experience of our students. In your final year, you will apply your skills and knowledge in devising your own research project.

    This course is part of our new Birkbeck Flexible Master’s UK, which gives you the choice of how you want to study - on campus, online or via flexible learning.

    Highlights

  • Birkbeck’s School of Historical Studies includes historians working on every period, from prehistoric humans, Ancient Greece and Rome, to medieval, early modern and modern societies. We have specialists in, for example, medieval Armenia, early modern England, colonial India, modern China and Nazi Germany.

  • Birkbeck was ranked in the top eight universities in the UK for its History, Classics and Archaeology research in the most recent Research Excellence Framework.

  • Our academic staff in the School of Social Sciences are international authorities, publishing and delivering stimulating teaching on a wide range of topics including public policy, foreign policy, international security and terrorism, gender and the welfare state, British politics, and the politics of Asia and the Middle East.

  • All MA students are eligible to apply for our prestigious Eric Hobsbawm Postgraduate Scholarships. Part-time students may be eligible for a Bonnart Trust Masters Studentship which will cover the cost of your tuition fees.

  • We are at the heart of academic London with access to: the Institute of Classical Studies, with its library, training facilities and seminars; the British Museum, with its extensive collection of classical antiquities; and the British Library, the largest national library in the world.

    Careers and employability

    On successfully graduating from this MA, you will have gained in-depth research skills valuable in independent research roles in the public, private, third and education sectors, as well as in progressing your studies further at PhD level.

    You will have also gained important transferable skills in:

  • rigorous analytical, interpretive and writing skills at an advanced level

  • presentation and debating skills.

    Studying this course will prepare you for a career in:

  • education

  • journalism and broadcasting

  • museums and curatorial roles

  • politics and the Civil Service.

    • Study Options

    This course is available in 2 study options:

    Part-time

    Duration: 2 Years

    Qualification: MA

    Location: London

    Full-time Shown above

    Duration: 1 Year

    Qualification: MA

    Location: London

    Career Prospects

    Graduates from this course typically go into the following occupations:

    2431 Management consultants and business analysts
    2435 Professional/Chartered company secretaries
    4124 Finance officers
    4214 Company secretaries and administrators
    2434 Business and related research professionals
    3531 Brokers

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    Course Details

    Qualification
    MA
    Study Mode
    Full-time
    Duration
    1 Year
    Start Date
    2025
    Academic Year
    2025
    Campus / Location
    London
    Scheme
    Postgraduate
    Subjects
    History, Politics

    Offered by

    Birkbeck, University of London

    London

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