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MRes African Studies

Start date
September
Duration
Full-time: 1 year
Course Type
Postgraduate, Combined research and taught
Fees

Annual tuition fee 2024 entry:
UK: £6,780 full-time; £3,390 part-time
International: £21,840 full-time
More detail.

The MRes African Studies degree is a research programme with some provision for taught modules.

It is aimed at those who wish to move beyond undergraduate work and to engage in research in depth for a postgraduate thesis, but who also wish to take modules that help develop research and related skills. 

The course aims to develop your critical and analytical skills in relation to current ideas in African politics, history, anthropology and literature. It provides you with the opportunity to identify, investigate in depth, and write up a research topic of your own, including the use of archival, oral media and internet sources.

The Department of African Studies and Anthropology is ranked second among all Area Studies departments in the country for its performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework exercise, according to Times Higher Education. 

Scholarships for 2024 entry

The University of Birmingham is proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate programmes. With a scholarship pot worth over £2 million, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps.

Each scholarship has its own specific deadlines and eligibility criteria. Please familiarise yourself with the information on individual scholarship webpages prior to submitting an application.

Explore our scholarships

What is an MRes?

An MRes is a programme that will help you develop the skills for both doctoral study and a future career. You will complete a major individual research project, supervised by a specialist in the field of study, and a taught component that develops research and analytical skills. If you are interested in applying, we strongly encourage you to contact the admissions tutor or a member of staff with interests in your field to discuss your application in general and your proposed research topic in particular.

At Birmingham, Postgraduate Taught and Postgraduate Research students also have the opportunity to learn graduate academic languages free of charge, to support your studies.

I love being a part of the academic community at Birmingham and my department is incredibly supportive. I enjoy attending regular research seminars which keep me up to date with the latest developments in the subject, while the University hosts an annual conference which is a great chance to meet scholars from across Africa.

Stacey

Why study this course?

  • Excellent research: The Department of African Studies and Anthropology (DASA) is ranked second among all Area Studies departments in the country for its performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework exercise, according to Times Higher Education.
  • Opportunities to get involved: We are a friendly, well integrated community. Staff and postgraduate students work together closely and discuss their research interests at regular meetings. This includes a regular programme of formal DASA seminars at which staff, postgraduate students and visiting scholars present papers and discuss their work-in-progress.
  • Range of modules: Alongside your core module and the 20,000-word thesis, the programme offers the flexibility for you to choose two modules from a wide range of topics in African Studies, History, Politics and Development.
  • Unique resources: Research students have access to unique resources held by the University, including the Cadbury Research Library, which holds the Church Missionary Society archive, among other rich Africa-related holdings.

The postgraduate experience

The College of Arts and Law offers excellent support to its postgraduates, from libraries and research spaces, to careers support and funding opportunities. Learn more about your postgraduate experience.

Modules

You take three taught modules and write a thesis of 20,000 words in the final term on a topic of your choice.

You will study one core module:  Research Skills and Methods in African Studies

Your final two modules are optional, and you can choose from a range of topics within African Studies and Anthropology or related disciplines, which typically includes:

  • Contemporary Gender Issues in Africa
  • Letting them Speak: Ethnographies of Marginalisation
  • Livelihoods and Development in Africa
  • African Media and Popular Culture
  • Urban Africa

For more information, see our African Studies and Anthropology module descriptions.

You may also choose to do an Independent Study in place of one of your optional modules. This allows you to develop a specialism in a chosen topic through guided reading, writing and discussion, subject to availability of supervision. 

Subject to availability, you may also choose an option offered in another discipline, such as History, Politics or Development.


Please note that the optional module information listed on the website for this programme is intended to be indicative, and the availability of optional modules may vary from year to year. Where a module is no longer available we will let you know as soon as we can and help you to make other choices.

Fees

We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2024 entry are as follows:

  • UK: £6,780 full-time; £3,390 part-time
  • International: £21,840 full-time

Fee status

Eligibility for UK or international fees can be verified with Admissions. Learn more about fees for international students

Paying your fees

Tuition fees can either be paid in full or by instalments. Learn more about postgraduate tuition fees and funding.

Scholarships and studentships

Scholarships to cover fees and/or maintenance costs may be available. To discover whether you are eligible for any award across the University, and to start your funding application, please visit the University's Postgraduate Funding Database.

International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home government.

How To Apply

Application deadlines

The deadline for International students (including EU) to apply is 7 May 2024. The deadline for UK students is 30 August 2024.

Six easy steps to apply for a postgraduate research course in the College of Arts and Law

Before you make your application

Please refer to our six step process on applying for PhD, MA by Research and MRes opportunities for Arts subject areas, which includes detailed advice on research proposals and how to write them.

Making your application

When clicking on the Apply Now button you will be directed to an application specifically designed for the programme you wish to apply for where you will create an account with the University application system and submit your application and supporting documents online. Further information regarding how to apply online can be found on the How to apply pages

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

Our requirements for postgraduate research are dependent on the type of programme you are applying for:

  • For MRes and MA by Research programmes, entry to our programmes usually requires a good (normally a 2:1 or above) Honours degree, or an equivalent qualification if you were educated outside the UK, usually in a relevant area.
  • Applicants for a PhD will also need to hold a Masters qualification at Merit level or above (or its international equivalent), usually in a relevant area.

Any academic and professional qualifications or relevant professional experience you may have are normally taken into account, and in some cases, form an integral part of the entrance requirements.

If you are applying for distance learning research programmes, you will also be required to demonstrate that you have the time, commitment, facilities and experience to study by distance learning.

If your qualifications are non-standard or different from the entry requirements stated here, please contact the admissions tutor.

International students

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries - use our handy guide below to see what qualifications we accept from your country.

English language requirements: standard language requirements apply for this course - IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band. If you are made an offer of a place to study and you do not meet the language requirement, you have the option to enrol on our English for Academic Purposes Presessional Course - if you successfully complete the course, you will be able to fulfil the language requirement without retaking a language qualification.

IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band is equivalent to:

  • TOEFL: 88 overall with no less than 21 in Reading, 21 Listening, 22 Speaking and 21 in Writing
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE): Academic 59 in all four skills
  • Cambridge English (exams taken from 2015): Advanced - minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component

Learn more about international entry requirements

International Requirements


The Department of African Studies and Anthropology is an interdisciplinary department with an established international reputation for research on Africa and its diaspora.

We are able to provide expert supervision on a variety of topics including histories of local and national identities; Pentecostal Christianity; labour history; urban and youth culture; marginality and exclusion; economic and political anthropology; migration and mobility; sexuality, gender, kinship and marriage in society and policy; education and its legacies; religious difference in everyday life; and African links with the Islamic world.

Please contact a staff member working in your area of interest to discuss your research in the first instance.

Find a supervisor: African Studies and Anthropology staff research supervision areas

We are a friendly, well integrated community. Staff and postgraduate students work together closely and discuss their research interests at regular meetings.

There is also a regular programme of formal Department of African Studies and Anthropology (DASA) seminars at which staff, postgraduate students and visiting scholars present papers and discuss their work-in-progress.

You will be assigned a personal tutor with whom you will meet to discuss your progress and seek help and advice when necessary. It is a University requirement that tutors meet with their tutees at least once a term, but you don't need to wait for a formal appointment: you are encouraged to contact your tutor whenever you need help or advice.

You will also have an academic supervisor once you are working on your dissertation and will have access to the expertise of other members of staff. As a graduate student at DASA you can expect to enjoy intensive, frequent and close interaction with your supervisor on a one-to-one basis as well as detailed, continuous supervision of written work.

You will also become part of, and contribute to, the lively international community of the College of Arts and Law Graduate School, which offers dedicated research resources and a supportive working environment. Our team of academic and operational staff are on hand to offer support and advice to all postgraduate students within the College.

Assessment Methods

The core module is assessed by coursework. Assessment for the optional modules is dependent on the modules selected, but Department of African Studies and Anthropology modules are generally assessed by extended essay. The final assessment is a 20,000 written thesis, for which you will benefit from expert academic supervision.

Your degree will provide excellent preparation for your future career, but this can also be enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University and the College of Arts and Law.

The University's Careers Network provides expert guidance and activities especially for postgraduates, which will help you achieve your career goals. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated  careers and employability team who offer tailored advice and a programme of College-specific careers events.

You will be encouraged to make the most of your postgraduate experience and will have the opportunity to:

  • Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique, whether you are looking for a career inside or outside of academia
  • Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations
  • Attend an annual programme of careers fairs, skills workshops and conferences, including bespoke events for postgraduates in the College of Arts and Law
  • Take part in a range of activities to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to potential employers and enhance your CV

What’s more, you will be able to access our full range of careers support for up to 2 years after graduation.

Postgraduate employability: African Studies

African Studies graduates develop a range of skills including oral and written communication; analysis and evaluation; problem solving; independent working; and research skills, which can be used in a variety of occupations. Our graduates pursue a variety of career paths, including lecturing and paid research.