Digital Humanities (MA)

Entry requirements

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in History or a related discipline, this could be in any humanities discipline or fields such as Library Science, journalism, etc.

We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

Months of entry

October

Course content

Why Lancaster?

• Open doors to exciting professional roles through an MA at Lancaster University - an institution with a world-leading reputation in Digital Humanities
• Study in a department that specialises in the application of artificial intelligence techniques in humanities research
• Get involved in projects with experts in places such as America, Mexico, Brazil, and India
• Collaborate with your peers in our Digital Scholarship Lab, a state-of-the-art research space with specialist software and equipment
• Choose our Heritage Placement module for the chance to work with a range of regional, national and international organisations
• The digital sphere is transforming the way we live and work, as well as how we study the past. On this dynamic degree you’ll learn how to apply cutting-edge technology to traditional humanities and cultural heritage research. Building expertise that can be applied in academic research, as well as careers in a wide range of industries.

We’re world leaders

Lancaster University is a world leader in the integration of new technologies in humanities research. During this course, you’ll learn from globally recognised experts in the field and engage with cutting-edge research in digital humanities.

From visualisation and data design, to text mining and geographic information analysis and retrieval, the technological skills and knowledge you gain from this course will prepare you for rewarding roles in a wide range of sectors. You’ll learn about the use and creation of digital assets and databases, relevant interdisciplinary theories and methods, as well as applications of artificial intelligence such as natural language processing, machine learning, and computer vision.

Digital disciplines

You'll develop digital and historical research skills and complete core modules in Digital Humanities and Spatial Technologies for Humanities Research. This will allow you to analyse data in more complex and sophisticated ways.

For instance, you will:

• extract and analyse information on a large scale through text mining techniques
• discover how to map historical sources and works of literature
• apply and carry out research using methods such as Network Analysis, Spatial Statistics, and Corpus Linguistics
• acquire the skills to capture and visualise data, and create interactive story-maps and timelines
• use Artificial Intelligence techniques to identify, extract and analyse information from thousands of images or texts, and paint a more vivid picture of your findings

Learning about researching and writing history will be an important part of your degree too. You’ll apply this knowledge to develop your own original research for your dissertation.

Careers

This MA equips you with a valuable set of transferable skills. You’ll be able to continue into academia on research projects, or apply your newly acquired skills in the private and public sectors.

We prepare our graduates for success in many fascinating careers including:

• Cultural heritage management
• Galleries, museums and archives
• Infrastructure research councils
• Civil service for digital developments
• Geographic information systems analysis

Digital librarianship

Previous graduates have successfully achieved positions as a Digital Curator with the BBC, a GIS consultant in private industry, and a Digital Humanities Librarian in Higher Education.

This Master's degree also puts graduates in a strong position to further their studies at doctorate level. A PhD is a brilliant opportunity to continue your research and deepen your digital humanities skills in a specific area. Previous graduates secured PhD scholarships both in the UK and overseas.

Information for international students

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 5.5 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Fees and funding

Learn more on our Fees and Funding page.