Medieval Studies

The teaching on the programme takes full advantage of Trinity's world-leading holdings of medieval manuscripts and other artefacts, as well as those of other Dublin institutions and opportunities available for students to explore the built remains of medieval Ireland.

The programme aims to:
• Give students an opportunity to experience from international experts the rich range of disciplinary approaches – historical, literary, linguistic, theological, art historical, philosophical, and gender-based – that can be taken to the Middle Ages, at the same time as maximising their opportunities to pursue their own interests, and develop specialist expertise.

• Provide students with the traditional and technical skills necessary to read and study medieval manuscripts, documents, and artefacts in the twenty-first century.

• Help students develop into independent researchers with sophisticated analytical and communication skills, ready to embark on doctoral research or to proceed with their chosen career.

The course offers students the choice of three strands: History, Language and Literature and Culture and Civilisation. All students take three core modules of 5 ECTS - Sources for Medieval Studies I and II and Introduction to Medieval Books and Documents – and write a dissertation worth 30 ECTS. Further requirements depend on the choice of strand:

• History: students take a further core module in Palaeography (10 ECTS) and study Latin at an appropriate level (10 ECTS), then choose 25 ECTS of optional modules, including, if they wish, another, more advanced, Latin module.

• Language and Literature: students take a further core module in Reading Medieval Books and Documents (5 ECTS), study a medieval language (10 ECTS), then choose 30 ECTS of optional modules, including, if they wish, a second medieval language.

• Culture and Civilisation: students take a further core module in Reading Medieval Books and Documents (5 ECTS), then choose 40 ECTS of optional modules, including, if they wish, a medieval language.

The range of options available varies from year to year and modules run subject to availability and demand.

History
The new M.Phil in Medieval Studies has a common set of entry criteria and leads to a Master's degree in Medieval Studies one of three specialisms: History, Language and Literature, and Culture and Civilisation.

In the first semester, students gain a good grounding in the sources that underpin the study of the Middle Ages and begin to explore Trinity's holdings of medieval books and documents. They also learn, refresh or advance their knowledge of Latin and choose one option module. In the second semester, they continue to develop their expertise in handling medieval sources, receive in-depth training in palaeography, and choose one further module from the wide range of options offered each year. In the final semester, students write their dissertation on a topic of their choice, with expert supervision.

Language and Literature
The new M.Phil in Medieval Studies has a common set of entry criteria and leads to a Master's degree in Medieval Studies one of three specialisms: History, Language and Literature, and Culture and Civilisation.

In the first semester, students gain a good grounding in the sources that underpin the study of the Middle Ages and begin to explore Trinity's holdings of medieval books and documents. They also learn a language and choose one option module. In the second semester, they continue to develop their expertise in handling medieval sources, receive in-depth training in reading medieval books and documents, and choose two further modules from the wide range of options offered each year. In the final semester, students write their dissertation on a topic of their choice, with expert supervision.

Culture and Civilisation

The new M.Phil in Medieval Studies has a common set of entry criteria and leads to a Master's degree in Medieval Studies one of three specialisms: History, Language and Literature, and Culture and Civilisation.

In the first semester, students gain a good grounding in the sources that underpin the study of the Middle Ages and begin to explore Trinity's holdings of medieval books and documents. In addition, they may study a language and choose optional modules in areas such as Art History, Gender and Sexuality, Music, Religion, History, or Literature. In the second semester, students continue to develop their expertise in handling medieval sources, receive in-depth training in reading medieval books and documents, and choose two further modules from the wide range of options offered each year. The final element of the programme is a dissertation on a topic of the student's choice, completed under supervision.

Admission Requirements
Applicants should normally have at least an upper second class (2.1) honors Bachelor degree or equivalent (for example, GPA of 3.3) in a relevant area.

Since places on the course are limited, applicants may be interviewed or asked to submit a writing sample for assessment.
Offers will be made on a rolling basis. Should places remain unfilled, later applications may be considered.

Closing Date: 30th June 2023

1 year full-time (EU and non-EU students)
2 years part-time (EU/UK/EEA students only)

Next Intake: September 2020

Career Opportunities
The MPhil helps prepare graduates for a wide variety of careers including in the museum and heritage sectors, libraries and archives, publishing, law, public policy and administration, archaeology, teaching, media. It also provides invaluable training in research for those planning to pursue a doctorate and/or career in research.