Hi there, I'm Luna.
I'm a bit like an AI, except instead of making pictures of people with 16 fingers, I can help you find the perfect course and uni.
Would you like some help in your search?
Want to know what it's like to study this course at uni? We've got all the key info, from entry requirements to the modules on offer. If that all sounds good, why not check out reviews from real students or even book onto an upcoming open days?
MSc - Master of Science
University of Oxford
Full Time
OCT-25
11 months
Select a course option
MSc - Master of Science
University of Oxford
Full Time
OCT-25
11 months
Select a an exam type
About the course
This specialist one-year course offers a range of options in the history of science, medicine and technology. You may specialise in the history of science and technology or the history of medicine, although the boundaries between these areas are deliberately permeable.
The history of science, medicine, and technology is a long-established discipline in Oxford. R. T. Gunther and Charles Singer were among the pioneers of the subject early in the twentieth century, and since the 1920s the Museum of the History of Science has housed an outstanding collection of scientific instruments and a fine specialist library. In the early 1970s, the creation of the chair of the history of science and the establishment of the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine gave the subject additional strength and allowed important new departures. The Oxford Centre for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology (HSMT) was created in 2017 in order to build on the teaching and research capacity of the numerous historians working on HSMT subjects in Oxford-based projects and in various museums, colleges and faculties.
The expertise of scholars in Oxford covers most of the main areas and periods of the history of science, medicine, and technology. A varied programme of seminars, lectures, and conferences enables you to obtain knowledge of subjects beyond your chosen speciality and to meet visitors from elsewhere in Britain and abroad.
The course comprises.
Assessment
The Methods and Themes course is assessed by a methodological essay of up to 4,000 words. You will usually write two extended essays of 4,000 to 5,000 words each related to the two advanced papers. Finally, the dissertation of no more than 15,000 words is submitted at the end of August.
Graduate destinations
About a quarter of master’s students proceed to doctoral work at Oxford; others continue academic study at other institutions. Other career destinations are as diverse as, but broadly in line with, undergraduate history career destinations. law, finance, management consultancy, civil service etc.
As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the equivalent of the following UK qualifications or their equivalent: a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a relevant discipline in the humanities or social sciences. Applicants are normally expected to have a previous degree in history, but for master's applications a number of candidates may be accepted with a degree in a different subject area. You will need to ensure that you link your proposed dissertation topic with your previous expertise when you present it in your research proposal, or that you explain why you want to switch to study history, and to show that you have already done some background research into it. Your submitted written work should show your writing and research skills in their best light, as it will be important to show that you have the necessary skills required for historical research. For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.75 out of 4.0.
Students living in
Domestic
£18,070 per year
Students from Domestic
This is the fee you pay if the University is in the same country that you live in (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
£41,250 per year
Students from EU
The amount you'll pay if you come to study here from somewhere in the EU.
£41,250 per year
Students from International
The amount you'll pay if you come to study here from a country outside the EU.
University of Birmingham
