Program Overview
Skip to content Accessibility statement Home Study at York Postgraduate taught Courses 2026/27 Eighteenth Century Studies (MA) Shelf of books from the John Heath Collection, Rare Books Collection, University of York. MA Eighteenth Century Studies Explore the 18th century in a dynamic and stimulating interdisciplinary environment Year of entry: 2026 (September) Overview Course content Fees and funding Teaching and assessment Careers Entry requirements Start date September 2026 View semester dates Length 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time School/department Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies Apply for this course Sign up for event invites Sign up for our postgraduate emails to get event invites straight to your inbox. Find out more Study the literature, culture and history of the long 18th century from new perspectives. Develop your understanding of some of the major issues, debates and discourses that shaped British cultures and their relation to other cultures in the 18th century. Taught by world-leading scholars from the Departments of English, History, History of Art, and Archaeology, you’ll explore many different aspects of the era.
Key Program Features
- Immersive On-Campus Experience: In-person seminars, laboratory sessions, and professional networking at University of York.
- Expert Faculty: Taught by research-active academics and practitioners with deep expertise in Interdisciplinary Studies.
- Diverse International Cohort: Study alongside students from around the world, broadening your global professional network.
- Research-Informed Curriculum: Content grounded in the latest academic research and real-world industry practice.
- Dissertation / Capstone Project: Culminating independent project applying your expertise to an original research question or industry challenge.
- Dedicated Career Support: Access to career coaching, employer networking events, and job placement assistance.
- 12 months Duration: Part-time and accelerated options may be available — enquire with the admissions office.
Career Opportunities
Careers and skills
Our postgraduates go into a wide variety of industries, from arts administration to law. Many of our alumni have also gone on to become successful novelists, poets and playwrights.
Career opportunities
- public relations executive
- arts administrator
- civil service fast streamer
- broadcast journalist
- management consultant
- higher education teaching and research
Transferable skills
- developing your creativity
- improving your ability to filter and analyse complex information
- intellectual independence and independent working
- time management and people skills
- communicating your research
- methodological skills
Program Curriculum
Course content
How did writers, artists and others attempt to explain changes in the structure and value of their societies, with issues such as the revolution in France, the status and function of the arts, the relationship between the sexes, the authority of the aristocracy and the effects of Empire? Investigate these questions through a range of literary, visual and material sources.
You'll be introduced to staff specialisms in subjects such as gender, the body and women’s writing; empire, colonialism and the cultural history of warfare; reading communities and literary networks; science and medicine; landscape and visual culture; and fashion, material culture and consumption.
Whatever your disciplinary background, we'll introduce you to a range of conceptual and analytical tools to explore some of the languages, images and central themes of the history and culture of the period. Our staff have research teaching and expertise from Archaeology, English, History and History of Art departments.
Modules Dissertation Modules Core modules Transforming Worlds: The Interdisciplinary Eighteenth Century Postgraduate Life in Practice Option modules You will choose three option modules from examples, including: Global Eighteenth Century Wollstonecraft to Jane Austen: Femininity & Literary Culture Taking Pleasure in the Eighteenth-Century: England, 1650-1800 JMW Turner: Revolutions in British Art The Margins of Empire: Frontiers & Borderlands in the Americas & Southeast Asia, 1550-1800 Gothic Bodies Can the Madwoman Escape the Attic?: Race, Slavery, and Nineteenth-Century Fiction Smell and the Past: Noses and Environments from the Rome to Virtual Reality South Asian Renaissance: Early Modern Indian Court Painting, 1526-1857 Presenting Historic Houses Romantic Texts and Contexts Some option modules combinations may not be possible. The option available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course. Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning. Dissertation Dissertation Your dissertation offers you the chance to examine a topic in depth and to develop your research skills. Over summer, you'll work on a 12,000-14,000-word dissertation with regular supervision from a member of staff. You'll submit your dissertation in September. If you are studying part-time, we encourage you to use the first summer of your two years to begin working on your dissertation topic. Recent dissertation topics have included: Absent Bodies?: Illness, Embodiment and the Articulation of Gender, Winifred and William Constable (1768-1773) Gossip in Late Eighteenth-Century Adultery Narratives: The Formation and Circulation of Knowledge Radical Royalty or Royal Radicalism?: Political Appropriation and Material Culture during the Queen Caroline Affair "Violent opponents and staunch allies": Émigré Reception in Britain, 1789 – 1800 The Cute Thing: Affective Politics and Material Culture
Admission Requirements
Entry requirements
| Qualification | Typical offer |
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent. We do not assume that you have any prior knowledge of more than one discipline, or that you wish to abandon whatever discipline you pursued in your earlier studies. We will consider applications from students with lower qualifications, particularly if you have high marks in relevant modules or appropriate professional experience. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
English language
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Qualification | Minimum requirement |
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Oxford Test of English Advanced | 136, minimum 126 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 478-509, with 444-477 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum of 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements .
If you haven't met our English language requirements You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses . These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer. The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements. After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York .
Tuition & Financial Information
Tuition Fee
GBP 16,290/year (international)
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees for 2026/27
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
| Full-time (1 year) | £12,000 | £26,900 |
| Part-time (2 years) This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation. | £6,000 | £13,450 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
For courses which are longer than one year , the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study. UK (home) fees may increase in subsequent years (up to a maximum of 2%). International fees may increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).
Fees information
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status .
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
- Postgraduate taught fees and expenses
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees for 2026/27
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
| Full-time (1 year) | £12,000 | £26,900 |
| Part-time (2 years) This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation. | £6,000 | £13,450 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
For courses which are longer than one year , the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study. UK (home) fees may increase in subsequent years (up to a maximum of 2%). International fees may increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).
Fees information
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status .
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
- Postgraduate taught fees and expenses
About University of York
University of York
Heslington, United Kingdom
University of York is a distinguished institution of higher education committed to academic excellence, innovative research, and preparing students for leadership in their chosen fields. The...
University Profile- Application Deadline 2018-06-15
- Start Date 2018-09-24
- Language English
- Duration 12 months
- Credits 60 ECTS / 180 credits (1-year programme)