Modern War Studies and Contemporary Military History

Entry requirements

The minimum entry level required for this course is as follows:

• a first or second-class honours degree from a recognised university or,
• a recognised professional qualification with relevant work experience

In cases where candidates are applying on the basis of work experience, they will be asked to attend an interview as part of the application process; in some cases, they may also be asked to produce a short sample of written work.

Months of entry

September

Course content

In a world of uncertainty and rapid change it is more important than ever to study why and how wars are fought. The University of Buckingham’s highly-regarded Master’s degree in Modern War Studies and Contemporary Military History is based in London and provides students with an opportunity to pursue in-depth research into the topic of their choice under expert supervision.

The one-year (two years part time) programme starts in September with an ‘Induction and Research Skills Day’ and culminates, after a period of supervised research, with the submission of a dissertation. During their time of study, candidates are expected to attend both a series of evening seminars held at the Army and Navy Club, Pall Mall, at which some of the most eminent names in the field present papers, and in-depth course Study Day at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. This series of talks examines a range of historical subjects as well as those issues affecting modern defence in all dimensions.

For serving members of the British Armed Forces (regardless of rank) there is a discount on fees of 20%.

A six-month-long variant of this course is also available to all those who have attended the Advanced Command and Staff Course (or its international equivalent).

Individual research topics are closely focused; but the approach of the course is to encourage students to investigate the interconnections between the country house’s multiple facets and roles, rather than to examine it in exclusively architectural-historical terms. Recent dissertations have surveyed, for example, the Baroque mural in country house decoration; the use of music in the country houses during the 1650s; and the professionalisation of the sale of country estates in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The choice of subject area is ultimately the student’s own.

Associate students

For those who wish to attend the seminars and dinners, but do not have time to complete the coursework involved in the MA programme, it is possible to register for the course as an Associate Student. This status enables Associate Students to attend the seminars and to meet the guest lecturers, but not to proceed to the MA degree.

This programme is directed from our offices in Bloomsbury, London.

Information for international students

We are happy to consider all international applications and if you are an international student, you may find it useful to visit our international pages for details of entry requirements from your home country.

The University is a UKVI Student Sponsor.

English Levels

If English is not your first language, please check our postgraduate English language requirements. If your English levels don’t meet our minimum requirements, you may be interested in applying for our Pre-sessional English Language Foundation Programmes.

Fees and funding

A 20% discount on tuition fees for this course is available to serving Officers in the British Armed Forces.

Please visit our website for the latest information relating to our tuition fees, scholarships and bursaries.