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History (MA)

MA/PDip (History) [full-time/part-time]

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Course Overview

Watch course video presentation here.

This master’s programme enables you to develop a sophisticated understanding of the challenges of interpreting the past. Specialists in modern, early modern and medieval history introduce you to a range of historical sources, reflecting on their uses and limitations. You will learn to evaluate ways in which historians, politicians and the media interpret the past. You will develop research and analytical skills, using the techniques of the history profession to present your findings. 

Students may take the programme on a full-time [one year] or part-time [two year] basis. Part-time students take the programme over a two-year period, completing their research dissertation in Year Two. Some of the taught modules will be available in the evening.

Learning objectives

Students will acquire graduate employment skills, including written and oral communication skills, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills. 

On successful completion of this programme students will be able to:

1. Understand the mentalities of people in other historical periods.

2. Write and speak critically about the nature of historical change.

3. Use a wide range of historical source material—from estate rolls and depositions to newspapers and oral evidence.

4. Convey a critical awareness of the relationship between current events and political, social, economic and cultural processes in the past.

5. Organise and present their work in an effective manner.

6. Complete an original historical research project.

7. Work effectively in group settings.

Students will complete two core taught modules, three optional modules and a research dissertation of c.20,000 words. The topic of the dissertation will be chosen by the student in consultation with an academic supervisor, who will providing one-to-one support and expertise in the student’s chosen field of enquiry. N.B. Post-graduate diploma students are not required to do a dissertation.

Applications and Selections

Applications are made online via the University of Galway Postgraduate Applications System. 

Selection will be based on applicants' academic record and academic references testifying to their enthusiasm for the subject and their ability to carry out a research project.

Who Teaches this Course

Historians in the Department of History teach most modules offered in the MA and PDip in History. However, faculty members in other departments also offer modules that can be taken for these courses. 

researcher
Dr Róisín Healy
M.A., PhD.
Senior Lecturer
Dept. of History
Room 415 Tower 1
Arts Science Building
University of Galway
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researcher
DR KEVIN O'SULLIVAN
BA Ph.D
LECTURER
History
Room 413, Tower 1
Arts/Science Building
Central Campus
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researcher
Dr. John Cunningham
MA, PHD, H.DIP.ED, DIP.GAEILGE
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researcher
Dr Laurence Marley
B.A, M.A, H Dip, PhD.
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researcher
Prof Enrico Dal Lago
PhD
Established Professor of History
Department of History, School of History and Philosophy
University of Galway
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Requirements and Assessment

All modules are assessed by coursework. Modes of assessment include projects, essays, reviews, reports and oral presentations. A final dissertation involving original research is an essential component of the programme (except for those taking the post-graduate diploma).

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

A Second Class Honours BA degree or equivalent with a H2.1 or GPA of 3.3 in History is normally required. Different criteria may apply to mature applicants.

Selection will be based on applicants' academic record and academic references testifying to their academic ability and enthusiasm for history. An applicant’s active engagement with history outside of the academic context may also be taken into consideration

The same entry requirements and application procedure are in place for both the MA and PDip programme.

Additional Requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

1 year, full-time; 2 years, part-time

Next start date

September 2025

A Level Grades ()

Average intake

15

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

Closing Date

Please see the offer round dates for further information.

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

MA—90, PDip—60

Award

CAO

Course code

MA-HIS; PGD-HIS

Course Outline

CORE Modules

Students taking the MA and the Postgraduate Diploma in History follow the same taught programme. There are three core modules, but only MA students write a dissertation.

HI6104: Making History: Evidence and Interpretation (15 ECTS)

HI503: Historical Debates and Controversies: Studies in Historiography (14 ECTS)

HI509: Dissertation (MA Students only) (30 ECTS)

Optional Modules

Each student must take three additional modules. totalling (30 ECTS), with different modules offered from semester to semester. In 2024-25, the following modules were on offer:

HI6108: Issues in Irish Local History (10 ECTS)

HI6108: Everyday Lives: An Intimate History of the 20th Century Women (10 ECTS)

HI6107: Historical Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity: Race and Reparative Histories

(10 ECTS) 

SP6122 Social and Political Context of Activism and Advocacy  (10 ECTS)

FM6119 Film, Politics, and Colonialism (10 ECTS)

MIC6100 Resisting through Culture: Conflicts in Europe and Beyond (10 ECTS)

 

How are these modules delivered?

These modules are taught through weekly two-hour seminars with a strong emphasis on student participation in discussion. Some seminars are held in the early evening to facilitate part-time students and students who live at a distance from campus. 

How are these assessed?

The five taught modules of the programme are assessed by a range of coursework assignments, mainly essays, but including portfolios, projects, and presentations. Students on the full-time programme typically take two core modules and one optional module in Semester One, and two optional modules in Semester Two, but some students opt for a different distribution of the workload. During Semester Two students will work on their dissertation with a research supervisor and attend occasional seminars on dissertation-related topics.

Module Details for Full-Time Course

Module Details for Part-Time Course

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year.

Year 1 (90 Credits)

RequiredHI6104: Making History: evidence and interpretation


Semester 1 | Credits: 15

With a view to the development of the student as a historian, the module has a practical focus. It encompasses thesis design, research methods, oral presentations and responding to oral presentations, as well as engagement with primary sources. Students will participate in at least one field trip, actively engage in the weekly History Seminar, make a formal presentation, respond to scholarly presentations, and critically assess selected primary sources for History. A number of students may opt to take a work experience placement in lieu of the primary sources assignment.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. to prepare a proposal for an academic thesis
  2. to give an oral presentation based on their own original research
  3. to critically engage with a historiography related to their academic interests
  4. to critically assess primary source materials for History
  5. to make a logical historical argument while observing scholarly conventions in referencing
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods and New Directions in the Study of History" by John Tosh
    Publisher: Routledge
  2. "Comparison and History" by Deborah Cohen and Maureen O'Connor
    ISBN: 0415944422.
    Publisher: Routledge
  3. "History in Practice" by Ludmilla Jordanova
    ISBN: 97817809333.
    Publisher: Bloomsbury
  4. "The Oral History Reader" by R.Perks & A.Thomson
    Publisher: Taylor & Francis
  5. "Customs in Common: Studies in Traditional Culture" by Edward Palmer Thompson
    Publisher: New Press
The above information outlines module HI6104: "Making History: evidence and interpretation" and is valid from 2024 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

RequiredHI503: Historical Debates & Controversies: Studies in Historiography


Semester 1 | Credits: 15

This team-taught module examines perceptions of History as a discipline and methodological approaches to different periods and themes. It looks at perceptions of the groups, issues, events and periods considered worthwhile subjects for historical investigation and explores the role of ideology in framing historical questions. Each year the module addresses a number of specific historical fields and some of the major debates animating their history-writing to demonstrate the dynamic nature of history as a discipline. The particular field covered may vary in individual years owing to availability of staff members to teach their specialisms. Perennial questions will include: why do historians disagree? Is “value-free History” possible? Why do certain historical topics and come into and go out of fashion?
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. show awareness of the dynamic and evolving nature of historical scholarship over time
  2. identify methodological approaches relating to different historical periods
  3. demonstrate knowledge of the different views about how and to what extent we can gain knowledge about the past
  4. understand the interplay between ideology and wider cultural perceptions in the framing of historical questions, now and in the past
  5. write essays showing how such debates are reflected in the history-writing of specific events, movements or issues from the past
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "History: Why It Matters" by Lynn Hunt
    Publisher: Polity
  2. "Why History Matters" by John Tosh
    Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
  3. "Historiography: An Introduction" by Eileen Ka-May Cheng
    Publisher: Continuum
The above information outlines module HI503: "Historical Debates & Controversies: Studies in Historiography" and is valid from 2024 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

RequiredHI509: Dissertation


15 months long | Credits: 30

All students carry out original research and produce a dissertation of 15,000-20,000 words. Students may research an area of their choice as long as the project they envisage allows them demonstrate the competencies being tested and an appropriate supervisor in the area is available.

Learning Outcomes
  1. tbc
Assessments
  • Research (100%)
Teachers
The above information outlines module HI509: "Dissertation" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

OptionalPI6103: Knowledge and Value in Modernity


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module will examine the issues of value and knowledge in the historical context of modernity. Attention will be given to such issues as the character of human subjectivity, the relation between mind and world, objectivity, the status of natural science and human values, and the character of modern culture. A range of modern philosophers will be discussed, including Hume, Kant and Nietzsche. Attention will also be given to the intersections between modern and contemporary arguments
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Discuss the defining features of modernity
  2. Discuss the role of natural science in modern philosophy
  3. Examine arguments with regard to the nature of mind and world in modern philosophy
  4. Discuss arguments with regard to the status of human value in modern philosophy
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (50%)
  • Department-based Assessment (50%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The Nietzsche Reader" by Ansell Pearson, Keith and Large, Duncan (eds)
    Publisher: Blackwell
  2. "Hume, David, A Treatise of Human Nature" by Edited by L. A. Selby-Bigge, revised by P.H. Nidditch
    Publisher: Clarendon Press
  3. "Kant, Immanuel, Critique of Pure Reason" by Edited by P. Guyer, and A. Wood
    Publisher: Cambridge University Press
  4. "The Cambridge Companion to Kant and Modern Philosophy" by Guyer Paul
    Publisher: Cambridge University Press
  5. "Projection and Realism in Hume's Philosophy" by Kail, P.J.E
    Publisher: Oxford University Press
  6. "Nietzsche and Morality" by Leiter, Brian and Sinhababu
    Publisher: Oxford University Press
The above information outlines module PI6103: "Knowledge and Value in Modernity" and is valid from 2024 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

OptionalHI6106: Issues in Irish Local History


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

Drawing on monographs, general studies, and archival sources, this module invites students to consider how different social groups experienced the profound changes that transformed urban and rural communities across Ireland from the mid-eighteenth through the early twentieth century. Although the course traces political developments, it pays equal attention to socioeconomic and cultural issues, including the shift from high fertility to sexual restraint; patterns of emigration, consumption and social unrest; improvements in education and literacy; linguistic change; changing devotional practices and cultural ‘revival’ in the late 1800s
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. will be familiar with the major sources for Irish local history
  2. critically analyse major social, cultural and political developments in Ireland, c.1750-1920s
  3. engage in a critical fashion with the historiography of the period covered by the module
  4. demonstrate an advanced capacity to discuss orally and in writing the key topics in the history of the period
  5. have an understanding of the development and application of research methods
Assessments
  • Oral, Audio Visual or Practical Assessment (30%)
  • Research (70%)
Teachers
The above information outlines module HI6106: "Issues in Irish Local History" and is valid from 2023 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

OptionalDJ6125: Investigating Miscarriages of Justice


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module will give students an introduction to the wrongful treatment of people by the state and powerful institutions and the investigative journalism techniques that can be used to highlight and report on gross injustices in Ireland and internationally.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental causes of miscarriages of justice.
  2. Showcase applied investigative journalism skills.
  3. Employ research and investigative skills and communicate effectively.
  4. Display an understanding of the complex nature of working independently and as part of a team on a multifaceted long-form investigation.
  5. Demonstrate awareness of critical failings in the justice system.
  6. Display knowledge of how advanced DNA testing can unearth and potentially prevent miscarriages.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church" by Investigative Staff of the Boston Blobe
    ISBN: 978031627153.
    Publisher: Back Bay Books
  2. "The Framing of Harry Gleeson" by Kieran Fagan
    ISBN: 9781848892460.
    Publisher: The Collins Press
  3. "Convicting the innocent: where criminal prosecutions go wrong" by n/a
    ISBN: 978067406611.
    Publisher: Harvard University Press
  4. "Maamtrasna" by Jarlath Waldron
    ISBN: 9780946130078.
    Publisher: Edmund Burke Publisher
The above information outlines module DJ6125: "Investigating Miscarriages of Justice" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

OptionalPI6102: Political values in the modern world


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This course will look at the ways in which political values interact with the modern world. It will begin with an introduction to central political and ethical theories along with exploration of key distinctions that tend to be relied upon, whether implicitly or explicitly. It will then focus on current issues in political theory, concentrating on themes such as justice, equality, freedom, toleration, and genetics. it will look at how these themes are contested in modern diverse democracies.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. distinguish and understand different political concepts and theories
  2. distinguish and understand different ethical concepts and theories
  3. analyse the role of different political and ethical distinctions in practice
  4. analyse current national and global political issues in the light of 1,2 and 3
  5. effectively participate in class discussion and present work to peers
  6. successfully research and write an MA quality essay
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "A companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy" by Goodin & Petit (eds),
  2. "A companion to ethics" by Singer, P. (ed),
  3. "Contemporary Political Philosophy" by Kymlicka, W.
  4. "Liberals and communitarians" by Mulhall, S. & Swift A.,
  5. "Multicultural Citizensip" by Kymlicka, W.,
  6. "From Chance to Choice" by Buchanan, Brock, Daniels & Wikler,
The above information outlines module PI6102: "Political values in the modern world" and is valid from 2022 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

OptionalHI6108: Everyday Lives: an Intimate History of 20th Century Women


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module offers an intimate history of the everyday lives of women in the United States, Britain and Ireland. We will explore the lives, roles, experiences and perceptions of 'ordinary' women across the twentieth century. Students will be introduced to an array of sources – including popular and visual culture, objects and digital sources, oral testimony and literature (fiction and memoir) – and to what they reveal about the manner in which women were perceived and represented; how women viewed themselves; and how women of different generations experienced, negotiated and reacted to social change. Fashion, consumerism, courtship, sexuality, and advertising are among the areas considered for what they reveal about women and the world around them. Such themes will be analysed within the context of continuity and change across the twentieth century and three geographical perspectives. The module will conclude by questioning the extent to which women’s movements were representative of 'ordinary' women.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of everyday lives in relation to broader women’s history,
  2. Demonstrate the ability to address historical problems in the field through the sophisticated use of primary sources,
  3. Demonstrate a broad understanding of historiographical approaches to selected themes in the study of ordinary lives,
  4. Demonstrate the ability to develop and sustain sophisticated synthetic arguments.
Assessments
  • Research (100%)
Teachers
The above information outlines module HI6108: "Everyday Lives: an Intimate History of 20th Century Women" and is valid from 2024 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

OptionalHI6107: Historical Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module explains the historical evolution of concepts of race and ethnicity over the course of the early modern and/or modern periods. It examines the impact of factors such as religious beliefs, scientific enquiry, labour policy, and gender norms on these concepts and the implications for diverse populations beyond Europe, It involves an engagement both with the historiography on race and ethnicity and with research on specific examples from the past.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. engage in a critical fashion with the historiography of the period covered by the module
  2. identify the ways in which the past has influenced modern concepts of race and ethnicity
  3. demonstrate an advanced capacity to discuss orally and in writing the key topics in the history of the period
  4. have an understanding of the development and application of research methods as they relate to race and ethnicity
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
The above information outlines module HI6107: "Historical Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity" and is valid from 2024 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

The MA provides an excellent foundation for doctoral studies in History, and also for those intent on pursuing independent research. Graduates of the programme have found employment in areas such as teaching, public administration, research, library and archives services, cultural and heritage development, tourism, print and electonic media, and party politics. Career benefits from the programme should accrue to those already employed in such areas.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€7,890 full-time; €4,105 part-time (including levy) p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Tuition

€7,750 full-time; €4,000 part-time p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student levy

€140 full-time; €105 part-time p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Non EU

€19,000 p.a. (€19,140 p.a. including levy) 2025/26


For 25/26 entrants, where the course duration is greater than 1 year, there is an inflationary increase approved of 3.4% per annum for continuing years fees.

Postgraduate students in receipt of a SUSI grant – please note an F4 grant is where SUSI will pay €4,000 towards your tuition (2025/26).  You will be liable for the remainder of the total fee.  A P1 grant is where SUSI will pay tuition up to a maximum of €6,270. SUSI will not cover the student levy of €140.

Note to non-EU students: learn about the 24-month Stayback Visa here. 

Find out More

Professor Breandán Mac Suibhne
Director of Recruitment for the MA and PDip in History
T: +353 91 495 642
E: breandan.macsuibhne@universityofgalway.ie

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