The Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Humanities is an interdisciplinary programme led by Durham's Institute for Medical Humanities (IMH), and the Department of English Studies. The Diploma is suitable for students whose undergraduate training is in Anthropology, English, Geography, Law, Modern Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Sociology, or other related disciplines in humanities and social sciences. The Diploma is also suitable for students from backgrounds in health and social care seeking to bring humanities and social sciences perspectives to bear in their professional practice.
The main aims of the course are to provide a rigorous introduction to the variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to health which make up the critical medical humanities and to equip you to undertake further research into health and human experience in a variety of contexts. The programme offers outstanding interdisciplinary training to equip you with the skills you need for your future career. It is taught by specialists who are members of the IMH, primarily from the Departments of Anthropology, English, Geography, Law, Modern Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, and Sociology.
You will become part of the vibrant research communities both within departments and the IMH. In particular, students become members of the Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers (PGECR) network in Medical Humanities, which organises regular seminars, conferences and social events.
All students on the Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Humanities take the two core modules of the Medical Humanities MA Programmes: Concepts and Frameworks in the Critical Medical Humanities, and Reimagining Health Research (30 credits each, both delivered online). You will also take optional modules from participating Departments to bring your course total to 120 credits. All elements of the Diploma have embedded within them a range of interdisciplinary content and skills.
Upon completion, you may have the option of applying to continue studying with status as an MA student, which would require completion of a dissertation.
Course structure
Our two core modules, Concepts and Frameworks in the Critical Medical Humanities, and Reimagining Health Research, develop advanced skills in interpreting and using a range of different kinds of data, from textual and material sources to data gathered through a range of qualitative methods.
The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
Our graduates are highly valued by employers. They progress into a diverse range of careers and sectors, including arts and theatre management, broadcasting, publishing and journalism, business, accounting, marketing and advertising, teaching, higher education, law, third sector and government positions.
For further information on career options please visit our web pages.
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
There is an array of career options possible that include professions in national, international and local government agencies, sustainability management, policy research, corporate responsibility and sustainability, environmental journalism and writing, environmental tourism, environmentally-oriented NGOs and charities and conservation work. The MA in Environmental Humanities also offers enhanced suitability for business graduate programmes in sustainability.
An optional module in Durham University Business School on strategic leadership offers opportunities for those wishing to develop their organizational leadership skills.
Employers often value Masters graduates in arts and humanities for their understanding and ability to communicate, flexibility, as well as their analytical and synthetic competence.
Department information
English Studies
Study literary forms ranging from creative writing to romantic and Victorian literature. The Department of English Studies is one of the largest and most respected English departments in the UK. It provides an inclusive environment that values curiosity, intellectual rigour, imagination and individual response.
90% of our research activity was judged to be 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent' in (REF 2021)
Facilities
The Department is housed in a Grade II listed building, Hallgarth House and in Elvet Riverside. Both buildings are close to the University’s Bill Bryson Library and the special collections in the Palace Green Library. The Department has strong links with the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, the Institute for Medical Humanities, the Centre for Poetry and Poetics, which oversees the archive of the distinguished Northumbrian modernist poet, Basil Bunting, and the Institute of Advanced Study.
Durham students run their own English Society, which provides many opportunities for theatre visits, especially to the Royal Shakespeare Company season in Newcastle every year. There is also a strong tradition of student drama and music within the Department and the University as a whole.
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
This programme is led from the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, bringing in modules from that Faculty but also building on modules from other Faculties that will serve the wider suite of programmes. We are proud that our Faculty of Arts & Humanities is recognised as a world leading Faculty, and our work is intended to enrich, shape and transform lives. We nurture thoughtful, critical and engaged citizens for a rapidly changing and complex world.
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