Medical Humanities

Learning is a mix of face-to-face teaching combined with online modules, and consists of two core modules and two optional modules. It is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars and scaffolded assignments – the latter format being where large-scale topics are broken down into smaller units and which are held online with subject experts and discussed and collaboratively with peers. You will carry out group and individual presentations.

You will also complete a 15,000-word dissertation for which you will receive one-to-one guidance from a dissertation tutor to support you through the planning and writing process.

Assessment

Assessment is challenging and comes in a variety of formats for this course. You will be expected to produce essays, annotated bibliography entries and Student Devised Assessments (SDA) when you will deliver your study findings using creative and context-appropriate methods.

You will take part in group presentations and write peer reviews of presentations as well as deliver your own individual presentation. You will compile learning logs and complete a major 15,000-word dissertation.

At least one of the following:

• A 2:1 undergraduate degree
• Active enrolment on an intercalated UG/PG medical degree programme
• At least five years work in a professional environment with relevance to health and/or medicine, with at least two years in some form of leadership role
• Successful completion of the associated PG Certificate programme

A 500-word personal statement which should include the following:

• An outline of your interest in an interdisciplinary MA in Medical Humanities
• What skills and knowledge you would bring to the course
• What skills and knowledge you would hope to acquire
• An indication of your planned area of research

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications 

• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.

Home students who do not meet our direct entry requirements, may be eligible for our Foundation Programme which offers multidisciplinary programmes to prepare you for a range of specified degree programmes.  

English language requirements

Country specific information

Full Time Fees

Part Time Fees

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Our taught MA degrees provide a strong foundation for a future in research and many postgraduates stay with us to undertake PhD studies.

Graduates who progress into the workplace take with them a range of professional and transferable skills that are valued in the public and private sectors. As well as advanced communication and analytical skills they are equipped to understand complex scenarios from multiple perspectives.

An increasing number of employers are incorporating sustainable and wellbeing goals into their organisations which open up pathways into a wider range of sectors. For Environmental Humanities graduates, career options include government agencies, corporate responsibility and sustainability, sustainability management, policy research, environmental journalism, environmental tourism, conservation work, environmentally oriented NGOs and charities.

The Medical Humanities suite of qualifications opens the door to roles in medicine, non-profit organisations, policy settings, bioethics, and contexts where health inequality and critical medical debates are vital. For those in early career roles in the sector, a postgraduate qualification can also lead to more senior roles and responsibilities.

Explore the important contribution the arts and humanities make in the response to ongoing global challenges, and learn how this insight is being used to improve the lives of individuals and communities across the world.

From health and the human experience to responses to the environmental crisis, our flexible and accessible postgraduate qualifications are centred around areas that are highly relevant in the world today.

These innovative qualifications in Environmental Humanities and Medical Humanities take a non-scientific approach to real-world challenges, considering them from a range of social, historical, ethical and anthropological perspectives.

Our courses extend beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries, drawing on methods and insights from the arts, humanities, social sciences and the natural sciences to develop effective responses to climate and environmental crises and to health and wellbeing challenges.

Students learn directly from many of the UK’s leading academic experts in these rapidly developing fields. Our team takes a collaborative approach that enables more effective communication across disciplines to address the intersecting nature of these problems.

All of our courses, from postgraduate certificate through to MA, are designed to nurture thoughtful, critical and engaged graduates who are equipped with the academic knowledge and skills to make a meaningful contribution in a rapidly changing and complex world.

For more information see our department pages.

Facilities

The interdisciplinary nature of our courses combined with the flexibility in modules gives our students access to a range of teaching and learning facilities across the wider University as well as the specialist archives and collections in arts and humanities.

These facilities are located throughout Durham within easy access of the historic city centre with its castle and cathedral and beautiful riverside.

We are home to a number of related research centres and institutes including the Centre for Culture and Ecology, a group of researchers who explore the effects of changing climate on the location, abundance, behaviour and physiology of populations and communities. The Institute of Medical Humanities is a pioneering research institute that explores the everyday experiences of health and illness from the emergence of symptoms to the cultural contexts and constructs of health.

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