Postgraduate research degrees in history

Produce specialised research that provides new perspectives on past and present issues.

Why study history at York?

Develop a specialised piece of research on a topic of your choice. You'll be supported by leading academics committed to rigorous research. They'll help you to expand your intellectual horizons and ensure that your work makes a difference. Our expertise ranges from the soundscapes of medieval cathedrals to contemporary histories of migration.

You'll become part of a thriving and supportive research community, with weekly research seminars, guest lectures and specialist training. We collaborate closely with heritage organisations, NGOs and policymakers to ensure that our research makes a difference on an international scale.

Contact us

History admissions

history-admissions@york.ac.uk

Our courses

Or search all postgraduate research courses.

Areas of research expertise in the Department

The expertise of our Department covers a wide range of topics, time periods and geographical areas. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds, whose proposed project aligns well with the expertise held in the Department. Before writing your research proposal, you should approach a potential supervisor to discuss your project idea at an early stage and get feedback and advice. You can see the list of supervisors and their research interests here:

Find a supervisor

As part of your application, you must submit a research proposal of no more than 2000 words, excluding notes and bibliography. This should clearly identify your research questions and why they are important, how your project relates to existing research, and the methodology you plan to adopt. You'll also need to break down sources you might use.

Please only contact one person at a time. If you are not sure who to contact then please email the Chair of the Graduate Schools Board, Professor Henrice Altink (henrice.altink@york.ac.uk)

Visiting postgraduate researchers

Spend up to a year in York as a visiting research student from a university outside the UK.

Scholarships and funding

Find out about scholarships and studentships that are available to students in the Department of History.

Postgraduate research funding

3rd in the UK for research impact

and 11th overall in the Times Higher Education ranking of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.

Committed to equality

We are proud to hold an Athena Swan Bronze award in recognition of the work we do to support gender equality in history.

Access to exclusive resources

Our Borthwick Institute for Archives houses one of the most extensive collections of archives in the UK. York Minster Library is the largest cathedral library in the UK and holds material spanning 1000 years of history. We also have strong partnerships and consultancies with museums, archives, heritage sites, the media, artists and community organisations.

Careers

You'll benefit from our Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past (IPUP), which draws together researchers, students, practitioners and communities to deliver innovative research through public lectures and student internships.
You'll have the opportunity to work with our topic-based research centres and networks, helping you develop distinguished research. Our period-focussed interdisciplinary Centres - the Centre for Medieval Studies, the Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, the Centre for Modern Studies - will enable you to explore wider perspectives and different approaches to the study of societies and cultures.
We work closely with heritage organisations, NGOs and policymakers to develop research that has real-world impact. Find out more about our recent research projects.