Written work requirements

Supply at least two examples of your recent written work.

These may be essays which you have written recently for your present course, material you have prepared for some other purpose, or something you have written specially for your application to York.

The examples you supply should be on topics which are relevant to the subject of your proposed course of study.

MA Eighteenth Century Studies

Supply two examples of your recent written work.

These may be essays which you have written for your present course, material you have prepared for some other purpose, or something you have written specially for your application to York.

The examples you supply should be literary critical essays rather than creative writing and preferably on topics which are relevant to your proposed course of study.

We are looking for self-directed high-quality work which shows that you are suitably prepared for postgraduate study.

Your essays should be long enough to build an argument, but not too long (typically six to ten pages double spaced is recommended). The best essays have:

• a clear argument, built by using good materials and examples to back up your points
• engagement with existing scholarly work
• accurate references
• a clear conclusion.

It is usually better to select of piece of work written later in your degree, as this will be your strongest work.

A section from a research essay or dissertation might be ideal, but don't send the whole work.

Select a good six to ten-page section and give a very brief introduction explaining how this section fits into the bigger work.

Supply two examples of your recent written work.

These may be essays which you have written for your present course, material you have prepared for some other purpose, or something you have written specially for your application to York. The examples you supply should be literary critical essays rather than creative writing and preferably on topics which are relevant to your proposed course of study.

We are looking for self-directed high-quality work which shows that you are suitably prepared for postgraduate study.

Your essays should be long enough to build an argument, but not too long (typically six to ten pages double spaced is recommended). The best essays have:

• a clear argument, built by using good materials and examples to back up your points
• engagement with existing scholarly work
• accurate references
• a clear conclusion.

It is usually better to select of piece of work written later in your degree, as this will be your strongest work.

A section from a research essay or dissertation might be ideal, but don't send the whole work.

Select a good six to ten-page section and give a very brief introduction explaining how this section fits into the bigger work.

Supply at least two examples of your recent written work.

These may be essays which you have written recently for your present course, material you have prepared for some other purpose, or something you have written specially for your application to York.

The examples you supply should be on topics which are relevant to the subject of your proposed course of study.

MA Renaissance and Early Modern Studies

Supply at least two examples of your recent written work.

These may be essays which you have written recently for your present course, material you have prepared for some other purpose, or something you have written specially for your application to York. The examples you supply should be on topics which are relevant to the subject of your proposed course of study. Ideally, at least one will relate to the Renaissance and Early Modern period.

MA History of Art and pathway degrees

You should submit one sample of academic-style writing, maximum 1,500 words in length.

Where possible the subject matter should concern art history, but if your background lies in other areas, we would welcome work in another field such as literature, history or other subjects. The writing sample should:

• demonstrate your command of the subject
• have an argument
• engage with primary sources (such as a work of art or architecture) and with specialist scholarship.

The writing sample should have a scholarly apparatus (including footnotes, bibliography, and a list of illustrations); this apparatus does not count towards the word count.

Your writing sample might typically be an excerpt from a previous essay or dissertation, or a new text written specially for the application. If you are submitting an excerpt from a longer piece of writing, please add a note at the start to clarify the context from which it is taken.

If you have any questions or concerns about the writing sample, please feel free to contact the Graduate Chair in History of Art for advice.

Please note that if you submit your writing sample electronically, you may need to remove digital images from your work so that the file size does not surpass 1MB. We will read art-historical writing samples without images so long as your text indicates which images were originally included in a list of illustrations.

MA Stained Glass Conservation & Heritage Management

The written sample for the MA in Stained Glass Conservation & Heritage Management does not have to be on a stained glass topic, but needs to show use of scholarly mechanisms and an ability to construct arguments.

MA Medieval Studies

You should include two essays as part of your application.

Your essays should be long enough to build an argument, but not too long (typically six to ten pages double spaced is recommended).

The best essays have:

• a clear argument, built by using good materials and examples to back up your points
• engagement with existing scholarly work
• accurate references
• a clear conclusion.

Your essays can be from the same or from different disciplines, ie one from literature and one from art history; but one must be on a medieval topic.

It is usually better to select pieces of work written later in your degree rather than your first year.

You may even choose to write an essay specifically for the application, especially if you've been out of education for many years.

A section from a research essay or dissertation might be ideal, but don't send the whole work.

Select a good six to ten-page section and give a very brief introduction explaining how this section fits into the bigger work.

MA Culture and Thought after 1945

You should include two examples of your recent written work which demonstrate some links to the MA content.

They should be at least 3,000 words in length but not significantly more.

You may write something specifically for this application if you wish.

MA Music Production

Provide a short portfolio of extracts (no longer than five minutes) of some of your previous work in music production.

You can attach an mp3 (320kb/s) file along with your application, or you can provide a text document containing an external download link for your portfolio (in mp3 320kb/s or higher resolution formats).

Please also provide a short written statement (maximum 500 words) describing the portfolio items and how they were produced. Also, provide in under 500 words a short written statement describing the musicianship, scholarship or research that is relevant to the production work that you wish to do.

MA Music Performance

If you wish to specialise in performance, you should provide a video recording (or a link to an online video recording) of about 10 to 15 minutes of yourself performing a varied repertoire that includes Western art music. Please refer to the entry requirements for the programme for more information.

• Music Performance: Vocal Studies
• Music Performance: Historical Performance Practices
• Music Performance: Piano Studies
• Music Performance: Solo Voice Ensemble Singing

 MA musicology 

If you wish to specialise in musicology please supply a sample academic essay with referencing on a music-related subject of your choice.

MA Philosophy

Please supply a 2,000- to 4,000-word essay written on a philosophical theme. This could be an essay written for a previous Philosophy degree.

MA Film and Television Production with Cinematography

To accompany your application, please send us a short portfolio highlighting your best creative work through filmmaking.

This should include samples of cinematography where possible, but examples of directing and editing can also be submitted to further demonstrate your talent and ambition.

It is not essential to send multiple examples – just send us what you consider your strongest creative work.

At least one piece should be a completed film/show you had a key role in creating; preferably as cinematographer or another role in camera/lighting.

Complete films or short edited scenes you've made are often preferred for showing off your storytelling abilities in film/TV, but we can also review showreels if submitted.

Send us links (YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, etc) where we may view your work by uploading a document (Word or PDF) with the links included as part of your submission.

To support your portfolio submission please also include a separate document (one page maximum) providing details of your specific role(s) in any film project examples you choose to submit as part of your application. This will allow us to better assess your filmmaking skills and abilities.

If you have difficulties uploading, please contact us by email.

MA Film and Television Production with Producing

Ideally, you will have some experience of film, television or video production. However, we will consider applicants with experience in other performance arts or media, such as theatre or music, who have an interest in producing. In all cases we want to see examples of your media production work and details about your specific role in creating it.

To accompany your application, send us a Word or PDF document with web links to your work, eg YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox etc, so we can view it directly. We cannot accept physical media.

These sample projects can be in any genre, such as narrative, non-fiction or animation. They should demonstrate your talent and ambition.

We prefer to see entire works but you may also include a link to a showreel, so long as you include a link to at least one entire project as well.

If you have difficulties uploading please email us.

In a separate Word or PDF document, describe your specific role in the creation of each project, eg producer, production manager or director. You should also indicate whether this was a project you initiated or one that was part of a group exercise. This will allow us to better assess your filmmaking skills and abilities.

MA Film and Television Production with Directing

To apply to this course you must have some prior experience in directing film, television or video.

To accompany your application, please send us a Word or PDF portfolio document with web links to your sample directing work so we can view it online, eg Youtube, Vimeo or Dropbox. We cannot accept physical media.

Sample projects can be in any genre, eg narrative, non-fiction or animation. They should demonstrate your talent and ambition. You may also include a link to a showreel so long as you include a link to at least one entire project as well.

We consider quality over quantity, so please only send links to your best work.

If you have difficulties uploading to your application, please contact us by email.

In a separate Word or PDF document, give details for each project listed in your portfolio document including:

• your specific role(s) in the creation of it
• whether it was a project you initiated or one that was part of a group exercise
• a brief description of your specific creative objectives for it.

This will allow us to better assess your filmmaking skills and abilities.

MA Playwriting

Supply at least two examples of recent written work.

One should be a piece of your own creative writing (for example, a play script).

The second should be a piece of analytical writing. It may be an essay which you have written for your present course, material you have prepared for some other purpose, or something you have written specially for your application to York.

MA Theatre-Making

You must include one piece of recent written work for your application.

This should be a piece of analytical writing of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 words. It may be:

• an essay that you have written for a present or past course
• material you've prepared for some other purpose
• something you have written especially for your application to York.

Additionally, you may choose to submit a recording of some recent creative work, eg an acting or directing project. Upload a document to your application via You@York with links where we may view your work. Sharing websites like YouTube, Vimeo and OneDrive are recommended.

MA/MSc Film and Television Production with Sound

Alongside your application, we would like to see a short portfolio of your creative work. This could include samples of sound design-related work you've been involved with, for example:

• a short film or television/video programmes with an original soundtrack
• sound or music recordings
• audio applications you have programmed.

Include in a separate document (one page maximum) details of your role in these projects. These examples should demonstrate your talent and ambition and also link to your portfolio work submitted. There is no need to send many examples – just what you consider your best work.

Upload a document to your application via You@York with links where we may view your work. Sharing websites like YouTube, Vimeo, and OneDrive are recommended.

If you have difficulties uploading to your application, please contact us by email.

MA Film and Television Production with Editing

Alongside your application, we would like to see a short portfolio of your creative work. This could include samples of editing in which you have been involved, for example

• a short film
• television or video programmes
• animations.

You should include in a separate document (one page maximum) details of your role in these projects. These examples should demonstrate your talent and ambition. There is no need to send many examples - just what you consider your best work. 

Upload a document to your application via You@York with links where we may view your work. Sharing websites like YouTube, Vimeo and OneDrive are recommended.

If you have difficulties with uploading, please contact us by email.