This course has a start date in September
The MA introduces you to the sources for studying local history, including both documents and landscape, and it teaches you to read some of the more difficult handwriting found in the sources. It also introduces you to a range of subjects in the area of local history, including how and when it has been written, the study of regions, and the study of communities. In the second year options are available in a range of related topics, and you write a dissertation which is based on primary sources, and for which supervision is provided.
Nottingham University has an outstanding reputation for local historical studies over many years reflecting its exceptionally rich library and archive holdings located on the King’s Meadow Campus. The MA is part of the local history programme on offer. Successful graduates of the MA course have gone on to pursue their research at MPhil and PhD level and many have published the results of their dissertation findings. Whether or not you go on to further academic work, you should expect to get from the course a good working knowledge of English local and regional history, based both on the East Midlands and further afield, and to learn to use and interpret source material derived from both documents and landscape.
The course offers an opportunity to local and regional historians who may have been working over time on their own community or some other specific aspect of the subject to set their discoveries in a wider context and gain recognition at postgraduate level for their expertise and experience.
One past student has written: ‘Take individuals with multiple interests, backgrounds, commitments, a wide spread of age ranges, and different experiences in prior learning ... mix them with committed and enthusiastic tutors ... that’s the MA Local and Regional History. Challenging but fun!’
The MA is offered by the Department of History on a two year, part-time basis with most of the teaching on a Wednesday evening, or over weekends.