MA MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN TEXTUAL CULTURES 1381 - 1688
MA MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN TEXTUAL CULTURES 1381 - 1688
Join us in Norwich, medieval and early modern England’s second city, to let your interest in the astonishing literary creativity of those eras flourish.
You’ll gain a mastery of the whole sweep of writing from the era in which Julian of Norwich became the first woman to write a book in English to the outpouring of print and letters at the end of the seventeenth century. Working with your peers in supportive and inspiring seminars, you’ll engage in intensive close reading of landmark literary works from across Europe. You’ll also learn how to harness cutting-edge techniques of archival work to create your own original research projects.
In your dissertation, you’ll bring everything you’ve learnt together to pursue a specialist project in either medieval or early modern literature. Recent topics have ranged from conceptions of motherhood in medieval East Anglia to seventeenth-century letter writing. You’ll graduate ready to pursue doctoral research or a career in anything from heritage to publishing.
About
Our MA gives you a cohesive and in-depth understanding of the incredible range of literature produced across the medieval and early modern periods – with both a local and an international focus – allowing you to develop the foundational knowledge and skills you’ll need to build your own bespoke research projects based around your specialist interests.
You’ll study some of the greatest literary masterpieces of the long European Renaissance, encountering authors such as Petrarch, Erasmus, Geoffrey Chaucer, Christine de Pizan, and Michel de Montaigne. As well as developing a pan-European grasp of the period, you’ll also build a deep understanding of the importance of the regional in medieval and early modern literary production. You’ll delve into the rich traditions of East Anglian writing, studying figures such as Margery Kempe alongside the region’s passionate and powerful Cycle dramas.
Based in Norwich – medieval and early modern England’s second city – you’ll become an expert at working with original archival and printed sources. Working closely with the rich historic collections held by the Norfolk Record Office and the Norfolk Heritage Centre, you’ll learn how to handle and interpret early printed books and manuscripts, including mastering the art of reading early modern handwriting. Your new skills will open up a fresh archival landscape for you to explore: you might find yourself transcribing seventeenth century women’s manuscript letters that have never been published, or working at first-hand with some of the earliest books ever printed in England in the late fifteenth century. You’ll also work with cutting-edge digital book history resources from around the world, including our own unique site, ‘Discover Historic Books’.
As a student on our MA, you’ll be part of our thriving and close-knit Medieval and Early Modern research community, made up of graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and lecturers who specialise in these periods. You might benefit from seminars and workshops with visiting speakers, or from field trips to local medieval and early modern cultural sites. You’ll be part of a department with longstanding relationships with cultural and heritage organisations in the region, including the National Trust’s Blickling Estate and the Norfolk Public Library and Information Service. You’ll benefit from working with academics who are committed to making knowledge of medieval and early modern literatures meaningful to non-specialist audiences, for instance through the Paston Footprints and Unlocking the Archive projects. We have had particular success in preparing students for funded doctoral study, but this MA offers ideal preparation for a career beyond academia, too, in sectors such as heritage, librarianship, or publishing.

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Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.After the Course
You’ll graduate from this course equipped with both the skills you need to prepare you for doctoral research and the transferable skills in research, project management, and critical thinking that you need for a career outside academia.
Many students go on to undertake funded PhD projects, while others have gone on to positions in the heritage industry, teaching, and publishing.
Career destinations
A degree at UEA will prepare you for a wide variety of careers. We've been ranked 1st for Job Prospects by StudentCrowd in 2022.
Examples of careers you could enter include:
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Heritage industry
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Publishing
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Academia
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Libraries and Museums
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Teaching
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Journalism

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Assessment for Year 1
Your four core taught modules will each be assessed by a 5,000-word independent project. Most of the time, this will take the form of a single essay, but sometimes you may be invited to submit a portfolio of pieces which showcase different areas of your knowledge in the module.
Your dissertation will be a 15,000-word piece of original independent research – and you will have the opportunity to present your work to your peers as part of our Medieval and Early-Modern Mini-Conference. Your dissertation is worth 50% of your marks for the MA, while your taught modules combine to make up the other 50% of your marks.
Assessment for Year 1
Your four core taught modules will each be assessed by a 5,000-word independent project. Most of the time, this will take the form of a single essay, but sometimes you may be invited to submit a portfolio of pieces which showcase different areas of your knowledge in the module.
Your dissertation will be a 15,000-word piece of original independent research – and you will have the opportunity to present your work to your peers as part of our Medieval and Early-Modern Mini-Conference. Your dissertation is worth 50% of your marks for the MA, while your taught modules combine to make up the other 50% of your marks.
Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. The University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.Entry Requirements
Degree classification
Bachelors degree - 2.1 or equivalentDegree subject
Literary or HumanitiesStudents for whom english is a foreign language
We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:
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IELTS: 7.0 (minimum 6.0 in each section and 7.0 in writing)
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PTE (Pearson): 76 (minimum 64 in each section and 76 in writing)
Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.
Other tests, including Cambridge English exams and the Trinity Integrated Skills in English are also accepted by the university. The full list of accepted tests can be found here: Accepted English Language Tests
INTO UEA also run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk
Intakes
This course is open to UK, EU and International applicants. The annual intake for this course is in September each year.

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Fees and Funding
Tuition fees for the Academic Year 2023/24 are:
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UK Students: £9,500 (full time)
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International Students: £19,800 (full time)
If you choose to study part-time, the fee per annum will be half the annual fee for that year, or a pro-rata fee for the module credit you are taking (only available for Home students).
We estimate living expenses at £1,023 per month.
Further Information on tuition fees can be found here.
Scholarships and Bursaries
The University of East Anglia offers a range of Scholarships; please click the link for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course related costs
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of course-related costs.

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How to Apply
Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.
To apply please use our online application form.
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying please do contact us:
Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk
International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students section of our website.

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