Medieval and Antiquity (MA)

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
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Course Overview

This cross-disciplinary programme, unique in Ireland, provides students with a firm foundation in the study of European—including Irish—cultures, languages and societies from the Classical period to the end of the Middle Ages. The course’s interdisciplinary requirements encourage students to view the past in a multidimensional way while they learn core linguistic and other technical skills necessary for academic research in the Antique and Medieval worlds.

Applications and Selections

Applications are made online via the University of Galway Postgraduate Applications System. Selection is based on applicants’ academic records, academic references stating their potential for completing a research project, as well as samples of applicants’ written work.

Who Teaches this Course

Please click here for details of who teaches this course.

Mr. Conor Newman

Senior Lecturer
Archaeology Department
Quadrangle
NUI, Galway
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Dr Kieran Denis O'Conor

Senior Lecturer
Dept. of Archaeology
Room 213
Arts/Science Building
NUI Galway
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Dr Jacopo Bisagni

PhD

Lecturer Above The Bar
Classics
NUI Galway
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Prof. Michael Clarke

B.A., D. Phil.

Professor
Department of Classics
NUI, Galway
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Dr Pádraic Moran

Ph.D.

Lecturer in Classics
Arts & Sciences Building
University of Galway
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Dr Catherine Emerson

BA, MSt, PhD

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Dr Dermot Burns

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Dr Clíodhna Carney

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Dr. Graham R. Isaac

BA., PHD.

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Dr Clodagh Downey

B.A., Ph.D

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Dr Frances McCormack

PHD, MA, BA

Lecturer Above The Bar
College of Arts, Social Sciences
Tower 1, Arts/Science Building
NUI Galway
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Requirements and Assessment

Assessment varies according to each module and includes essays, projects, presentations and exams. A dissertation (15,000 words) must be submitted in August.

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

A Second Class Honours, Grade 1 BA, or a GPA of 3.3, or equivalent international undergraduate degree (at NFQ Level 8) in a relevant subject. Selection is based on applicants’ academic records, academic references stating their potential for completing a research project, as well as samples of applicants’ written work.

Additional Requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

1 year, full-time
2 years, part-time

Next start date

September 2023

A Level Grades ()

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

Closing Date

You are advised to apply early, which may result in an early offer; see the offer round dates

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

Course code

MA-MEDA

Course Outline

This programme has four core modules:

Latin (taken at a level commensurate with the student’s prior experience)
Research Perspectives: Students will attend Research Labs in the Centre for Antique, Medieval, and Pre-Modern Studies, which provide a forum for staff and graduate students from all subjects involved to come together in order to present works-in-progress and debate research issues
Palaeography : An introduction to scripts and manuscripts written from the first to the fifteenth centuries combining self-directed learning with curated online materials and team-taught workshops
Antiquities and Medievalisms: An examination of the object of study from its roots to its re-appropriations, this module explores how post-antique and post-medieval cultures have shaped the popular understanding of those two worlds.

In addition

Students will choose two electives: at least one module in Language and/or Literature (Early English, French, Irish, Norse, etc.). No prior knowledge of these languages is required. They may also choose modules from Archaeology, Classics, History and other subjects represented in the CAMPS community.
Students will produce a minor dissertation (15,000 words) under the direction of a supervisor.

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (90 Credits)

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Many graduates of this programme pursue research at doctoral level and beyond. Others have gone into careers in cultural and heritage development, library and museum studies, publishing and the book trade, print journalism, research consultancies, financial services, the civil service, teaching, and administration.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

On completion of this course, students will have demonstrated competence in:

Critical thinking
Analytical reasoning
Communication
Active listening
Writing
Self-awareness and reflection
Synthesis of multiple sources of information
Research skills
Teamwork
Organisation through project management and time management
Intellectual adaptability
Interpersonal skills
Ability to learn a second language

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€7,190 full-time; €3,630 part-time p.a. 2023/24

Fees: Tuition

€7,050 full-time; €3,525 part-time p.a. 2023/24

Fees: Student levy

€140 full-time; €105 part-time p.a. 2023/24

Fees: Non EU

€17,780 p.a. 2023/24

Student levy €140—payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.

Find out More

Dr Catherine Emerson | Dr Frances McCormack
T: +353 91 493 801
E: catherine.emerson@universityofgalway.ie | frances.mccormack@universityofgalway.ie

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What Our Students Say

Julia Warnes | MA Medieval Studies

Medieval Studies is ideal because of its interdisciplinary nature...One of it's most encouraging aspects is that the faculty have been so supportive and they really take an interest in the students. Galway is a great city to meet new people and make lifelong friends. Probably the number one word I would use to describe the place is "welcoming". NUI Galway is a great place to study, with it's high academic standards and supportive student environment.

Kenneth Coyne | Hardiman PhD Fellow in History, NUIG

It is a wonderful course because one can study a wide range of disciplines on an introductory level and proceed quickly onto a higher level. . . . [Although] my main focus was History and Latin . . . I learned so much from the modules I took in Palaeography, Old French and Archaeology [that] is a constant benefit to me in the course of my current research