MA Shakespeare and Creativity

Start date: September
Duration: 1 year full-time

Course Type: Postgraduate, Taught

Fees: Annual tuition fees for 2024 entry:
UK: £10,530 full-time
International: £24,120 full-time
More details.

This unique programme has been designed to create forward-thinking conversations about what Shakespeare is and what Shakespeare can be in today’s world.

As a student on the only course of its kind in the world, you will study everything from the history of Shakespeare in society to literary criticism to theatre practices; before putting your knowledge in to practice through a newly devised piece of theatre in response to Shakespeare’s work.

This creative and ambitious programme is ideal for aspiring academics, actors, writers, directors, arts administrators, as well as anyone with a lively interest in Shakespeare.

You will have the opportunity to study the life and work of Shakespeare and combine it with the thrill of producing new creative work. It brings together academic, theatrical and civic interests in Shakespeare to encourage and challenge you to think about new approaches to Shakespeare in the modern world.

Taught by world-renowned Shakespearean experts, you will explore the language and drama of Shakespeare, different approaches to performing Shakespeare and the history of Shakespeare in society.

Delivered by and taught at The Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, the programme makes the most of the unrivalled resources of Shakespeare’s Stratford and involves expert tuition from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Library of Birmingham.

The programme is particularly enhanced by the Institute's collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), offering unique and extensive opportunities to work with RSC artists – predominantly within the Shakespeare and Society and The Shakespeare Ensemble modules.

Please note: There are specific application deadlines for this programme. Please see 'How to apply' in course details for more information.

RSC and University of Birmingham logos

Explore the Shakespeare Institute

[Lead image: Hamlet, 2016, Royal Shakespeare Company. Photo by Sam Allard © RSC]

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

Graduate School Language Skills

Student life at the Shakespeare Institute is wonderful as the staff are all extremely talented, knowledgeable and supportive. Being in the centre of Stratford-Upon-Avon really enhances the student experience as we can take advantage of the amazing links the University has with the Royal Shakespeare Company theatres.
Ella

Why study this course?

Location – studying at The Shakespeare Institute in the heart of Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon offers you an academic experience unequalled by any other university. You will study within walking distance of Shakespeare's birthplace, school and grave, and the theatres of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) collaboration – Our exciting collaboration with the RSC offers students a truly unique learning experience, blending academia and creativity in an exciting new way to foster innovative methods of theatre and learning. Since its launch, students on the MA Shakespeare and Creativity programme have experienced unique and extensive opportunities to work with RSC artists on a variety of projects and modules. To find out more, you can listen to some of our students talking about their experiences of the collaboration.
Access to fantastic resources – you will be surrounded by a number of resources. The Shakespeare Institute’s own library is a renowned collection of international importance and you will also have access to the outstanding picture collections, records and library holdings of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
Be a part of a vibrant and active community – the Institute provides an intense learning experience in the study of Shakespeare from a range of perspectives, with the support and encouragement of the Institute’s staff, who are all respected in their own field. Find out more about life at The Shakespeare Institute.
Attend postgraduate conferences – the Institute plays host to a number of national and international conferences. The highlight of the academic year is the annual Britgrad conference organised by students for students. You will be able to join postgraduate students from all over the world to give and hear short papers on all aspects of Shakespeare and early-modern drama. Britgrad provides a unique opportunity for graduate students to share their work with their peers and to hear what other graduates in similar and related fields are working on.

Modules

You will produce traditional academic essays as well as creative work. You will have the opportunity to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) by working as part of an ensemble of creative artists – actors, directors, writers, designers and technicians – to produce a new piece of creative work in response to Shakespeare’s work.

You will also attend weekly Thursday Seminars at The Shakespeare Institute (term-time only), which feature papers presented by a range of established visiting scholars as well as Institute and University of Birmingham staff.

Core modules

You will study three core modules.

Research Skills and Methods

This module will provide students with essential research skills training applicable in the fields of Shakespeare studies. It will train students in the use of databases, resources, and methods related to literary, historical, performance, and educational analysis. The work undertaken in this module will help inform the direction and methodology of student research during the MA, particularly in the dissertation stages
Assessment: 1,500 word reflective learning journal and 1,500 word essay

The Shakespeare Ensemble

In this module you will work as part of an ensemble of creative artists – actors, directors, writers, designers and technicians – exploring and testing the theory and practice of performing Shakespeare today. You will participate in workshops with key RSC practitioners and produce an assessed performance of a re-imagined Shakespearean text in The Other Place theatre. The module seeks to equip you with a range of skills pertaining to creating a new piece of work - creative dramatic writing, devising as an ensemble, Shakespeare and adaption as well as including sessions with the RSC on new writing, the ensemble, design and lighting.
Assessment: Performance and written work

View 'Delectable Sin' - a song composed by Shakespeare and Creativity students, inspired by their response to Othello as part of this module
Read about Fury - a series of monologues based on characters from Shakespeare, but translated into a modern context.

Shakespeare in Society

Featuring tuition from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Library of Birmingham (which has an important Shakespeare collection), this module explores and tests the scope for bringing Shakespeare into the world beyond the academy and the theatre. You will undertake focused study of Shakespearean civic creativity from Garrick's 1769 Jubilee onwards before producing your own piece of civic creativity inspired by Shakespeare at the RSC.
Assessment: Practical assignment and written work

View Shakespeare Unbard – a film of work developed for performance at the Royal Shakespeare Company produced by Shakespeare and Creativity students as part of this module.
Read about It Gets Lighter From Here - a series of one minute videos created by students to mark the shortest day of the year; a virtual day of hope and positivity.

Optional modules

You will also choose three optional modules from a range which typically includes:

Shakespeare and Theatre Practice

This module will provide you with experiential knowledge that will inform the way that you interrogate and interpret performance evidence in a variety of media. Through a series of workshops and performance assignments, you will explore three different systematic approaches to performing the language of Shakespeare: the first approach is rooted in the verse and text work of John Barton, Peter Hall, Cicely Berry and Patsy Rodenburg; the second approach explores the legacy of Stanislavski in Shakespearean performance; the third approach brings the work of key movement practitioners to a creative examination of Shakespeare’s text.
Assessment: Two performance assignments and a 2,000-word research paper, or a 4,000-word research paper

The History of Shakespearean Performance, 1642-2020

This module offers an introduction to the performance history of the Shakespeare canon from the mid seventeenth century – when a wholly new theatrical dispensation turned to the now obsolete scripts which survived from the Elizabethan period in search of raw materials -- to the temporary closure of the theatres caused by the Covid pandemic. Its focus is on live performance in Britain, with an emphasis on the theatres of London and Stratford-upon-Avon, but it also considers influential theorists and practitioners from Russia, Germany, the USA, and Japan.
Assessment: 4,000-word essay

Shakespeare’s Bodies of Knowledge

Shakespeare’s plays often present the body as the site of competing structures of thought, knowledge and belief. This module will investigate the ways in which such ‘bodies of knowledge’ are dramatized corporeally through a range of disciplines, including anatomy and dissection; theories of gender; teratology (the study of ‘monstrosity’); natural history; witchcraft and demonology; heraldry and commemoration; post-humanism and early robotics; colonial discourse; and others.
Assessment: 4,000-word essay

Early Modern Drama in Context: Playhouse, Culture and Society

This module will take you beyond Shakespeare himself: to the many other remarkable plays written by men and women in the period; to the theatrical contexts for which Shakespeare and early modern dramatists wrote; to the many aspects of wider culture that drama reflects, contests, and sometimes even shapes. Taking a series of early modern plays (some familiar, some less so) as our starting point, we will investigate topics such as early staging; playhouse culture; identity, status and hierarchy; continuities and contrasts between early modern perspectives and our own. Throughout the course, we will return to the question of how – and why – we should study four-hundred-year-old texts, drawing on recent methods from critical race theory to sensory studies. Whether you are already an enthusiastic early modernist, or simply keen to take your first steps beyond Shakespeare, the module will give you the skills, knowledge and tools to investigate early modern drama in context.
Assessment: 4,000-word essay

Shakespeare’s Afterlives

Shakespeare is not just one of the most read and studied authors in the world: he is also one of the most adapted. In this module, you will study how novelists, painters, poets, musicians, playwrights, composers, filmmakers, and internet content creators have drawn on Shakespeare’s life and works to create new art for their own times. Following a roughly chronological timeline, we will explore the history of adapting Shakespeare from 1660 to the present day. While we will take note of major stage productions, our central focus will be on what happens when Shakespeare's works are wholly rewritten and reimagined by new artists, as opposed to restaged. Using adaptation theory as our guide, we will explore what is at stake when artists from diverse backgrounds translate Shakespeare into different art forms, languages, and cultural idioms. From Restoration semi-operas to Pre-Raphaelite paintings to twentieth-century arthouse films to digital memes, this module revels in the extraordinary variety of Shakespeare’s artistic legacy.
Assessment: 4,000-word essay, or 3,000-word creative writing project with 1,000-word reflective commentary

Textual Studies in Shakespeare

What do we mean when we refer to ‘the text of Shakespeare’? This module investigates the production of the text in the theatre and in print, explores controversies surrounding the interpretation of this material, and introduces students to the techniques of editing. Topics include: the relationship between a modern edition of a play and the earliest printed texts; the nature of the printing process that first made the plays available to readers of books; the characteristics of Shakespeare's dramatic composition; the treatment of the text in the theatre (including censorship, revision and adaptation); and Shakespeare as a collaborator. Plays studied usually include: Hamlet, Troilus and Cressida, Sir Thomas More, Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, King Lear, Measure for Measure, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Timon of Athens.
Assessment: 1,000 word textual analysis and 3,000 word essay

Plays and Poems A

You are encouraged to engage with, and to see the relationship between, the plays and poems Shakespeare wrote in the sixteenth century, in which the dominant genres were comedies and histories, with tragedy an emergent presence towards the end. The module will cover the first half of Shakespeare’s career in chronological order, from 1591 to 1600. Learning is via student presentation and response, with a preliminary lecture on each study day. This module can be studied as a standalone module or with Play and Poems B.
Assessment: 1,000 word assignment and 3,000 word essay

Plays and Poems B

You are encouraged to engage with, and to see the relationship between, the plays and poems Shakespeare wrote in the seventeenth century, in which the dominant genres were tragedies and tragicomedies. The module will cover the second half of Shakespeare’s career in chronological order, from 1601 – 1613. Learning is via student presentation and response, with a preliminary lecture on each study day.
Assessment: 4,000-word essay

Shakespeare on Screen

Since the advent of the moving image over a century ago, countless screen versions of Shakespeare’s plays have emerged across the globe in different forms of media: from film, television and recorded theatre, to internet videos and live streaming. ‘Shakespeare on Screen’ will consider these filmed productions of Shakespeare as an area connected to, but distinct from, Shakespeare’s work as theatrical performance or literary text, drawing on literary criticism, film theory and adaptation studies to consider the connection between imagery and moving image; the imagined world of a bare stage the fully realised world on screen; the liveness of the stage and the repeatability of filmed media. We will approach motion picture versions of Shakespeare historically and internationally, but also through hands-on practical filming to think about the way technology, industry values, and cultural backgrounds influence the production of silent film, feature films, television, live streams, and screen versions of Shakespeare’s plays from all around the world.

Shakespeare’s Worlds/The World’s Shakespeares

How did Shakespeare become a global phenomenon? How have his works historically been enmeshed in colonial projects, empire-building, political ‘soft power’, and the imposition and exploitation of racial stereotypes and biases? How has Shakespeare more recently been used to promote cultural diplomacy, international collaboration, the circulation of post-colonial discourses, and the proliferation of critical race studies? And how did Shakespeare’s plays themselves provide the origin-points for their later appropriation in socio-cultural figurations of race, religion, ethnicity and cross-national diplomatic exchanges?

This module takes you on a global journey through the worlds and races conjured by Shakespeare in his works, as well as the ‘Shakespeares’ created in and owned by numerous countries into the modern age. The first part of the module will explore Shakespeare’s representation of differing nations and ethnicities in some of his best-loved plays, throwing a spot-light on the delineation of national spaces, the peoples who inhabit them, the stories told about them, and the prejudices these narratives both reflected and fuelled. The second part will focus on how practitioners, directors and adapters from a varied range of countries and rich cultural traditions have appropriated, re-interpreted and fashioned their own unique Shakespeares, sometimes as responses to colonial pressures and injustices, and at other times as reactions to war, civil unrest, political oppression, and crises of national identity in tumultuous periods. Join us as we visit Shakespeare’s own worlds and the worlds that have made their own Shakespeares.

Assessment: 2 x 2,000-word essays

Independent research

If you choose Practice as Research, Research in Practice you will complete a 12,000-word dissertation. If you choose Praxis: Practical & Embodied Research Methods you will complete an Independent Research Project, where you will develop a performance project assessed by documentation and a 500-word piece of copy framing the work (75%), and a viva (25%).

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:

UK: £10,530 full-time
International: £24,120 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.

Are you an international applicant?

All international applicants to this course will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of £2,000 on receipt of an offer, to secure their place.

Find out more about the deposit >>.

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

Please read our Entry Requirements carefully.

Please ensure that your application has been completed fully by the deadline as we cannot consider your application without all of the necessary documentation (writing sample, references, personal statement and results, if available). If you have outstanding documentation relating to pending language test results and degree results, please make this clear on your application, and your application will be considered.

It is not necessary to wait until you have finished your current programme of study to make an application as we are able to make offers which are conditional on you achieving a particular qualification.

How to Apply for a Postgraduate Degree - Taught programmes

Application deadlines

The deadline for International students (requiring a VISA) to apply is 3 July 2023. The deadline for UK students is 31 August 2023.

Making your application

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate taught programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the taught programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Apply now

Terms and conditions – what you need to know

Our Standard Requirements

We ask that you supply evidence of either:

A bachelors degree (2:1) in a relevant field

Relevant professional experience. This should be demonstrated in a portfolio which catalogues and contextualises your work in a relevant field (e.g. catalogue of a recent art installation, actor’s CV, transcript giving indication of professional training, web-based archive of recent work, folio of published poems, etc.)

If you do not have a 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in English or a related subject, you may be interested in our short courses in Shakespeare: Spring into Shakespeare or Fall in with Shakespeare. Completion of either of these short courses can be used in place of the Honours degree entry requirement for our MA programmes in Shakespeare, Shakespeare and Education, and Shakespeare and Creativity.

In your application, you should use your personal statement to indicate your creative potential and reflect on your existing creative work. This can be up to 5,000 characters in length. In particular, your statement should address the following research questions:

What were/are the objectives of the piece, and why? What obstacles did you/might you encounter? How might these have been/be avoided?
To what tradition does this piece belong? To what critical conversations or bodies of practice does it contribute? What does it contribute to them?
What are its implications for future work? What does/might your work initiate in the field of Shakespeare studies more generally?

All prospective students must also submit a sample of written work as part of the online application process. This must be provided when you make your application or within no more than two weeks of submitting your application to us. If this is not provided within the stated timeframe your application may be declined. This written work should be about Shakespeare, his contemporaries or work adapted from or based on Shakespeare, and should be around 2,000 words. If you do not have an existing piece of writing to submit, you may take a short passage of up to 60 lines from any Shakespeare play and write an essay of around 2,000 words which discusses the performance possibilities of this extract and how it contributes to the play as a whole.

Your application must also be supported by two letters of recommendation, either from academics or equivalent authorities from creative industries as appropriate.

International/EU students

Academic requirements: 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, 20 Listening, 22 Speaking and 21 in Writing
Pearson Test of English (PTE): Academic 67 with no less than 64 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

Holders of a Licence, Diplome, Diplome d'Etudes Superieures, Diplome d'Ingenieur or a Diplome d'Architecte from a recognised university in Algeria will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of one of these qualifications will normally be expected to have achieved a score of 15/20 for 2:1 equivalency or 13/20 for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Argentinian university, with a promedio of at least 7.5, may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent

A Bachelors (Honours) degree from an accredited Australian higher education institution may be considered for admission to a Masters degree. Applicants with 3 year Bachelors with distinction from a recognised university, can be considered for admission to a Masters degree.

Holders of a Diplom, a Diplomstudium/Magister or a three-year Bachelors degree from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5 for 2:1 equivalency or 3.0 for 2:2 equivalency, or a high-scoring Fachhochschuldiplom (FH) from a recognised Austrian Fachhochschule, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students with a good 5-year Specialist Diploma or 4-year Bachelor degree from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan, with a minimum GPA of 4/5 or 80% will be considered for entry to postgraduate taught programmes at the University of Birmingham.

For postgraduate research programmes applicants should have a good 5-year Specialist Diploma (completed after 1991), with a minimum grade point average of 4/5 or 80%, from a recognised higher education institution or a Masters or “Magistr Diplomu” or “Kandidat Nauk” from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan.

Holders of a bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Bahrain will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of a Bachelors (Honours) degree of three years duration, followed by a Masters degree of one or two years duration from a recognised university in Bangladesh will be considered for postgraduate taught study. Students with a Bachelors degree of at least four years duration may also be considered for postgraduate study. Degrees must be from a recognised institution in Bangladesh.

Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0-3.3/4.0 or 65% or above for 2:1 equivalency, or a GPA of 2.6-3.1/4.0 or 60% or above for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.

Students who hold a Masters degree from the University of Botswana with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (70%/B/'very good') will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Please note 4-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a Diploma of Higher Education. 5-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a British Bachelor (Ordinary) degree.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

A Licenciatura or Bacharelado degree from a recognised Brazilian university:

A grade of 7.5/10 for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement
A grade of 6.5/10for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement

Holders of a good Bachelors degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Diploma za Zavarsheno Visshe Obrazovanie (‘Diploma of Completed Higher Education’), a pre-2001 Masters degree or a post-2001 Bachelors degree from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 5 out of 6, mnogo dobur/’very good’ for 2:1 equivalence; or 4 out of 6, dobur/’good’ for 2:2 equivalence; will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students with a minimum average of 14 out of 20 (or 70%) on a 4-year Licence, Bachelor degree or Diplôme d'Etudes Superieures de Commerce (DESC) or Diplôme d'Ingénieur or a Maîtrise will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a bachelor degree with honours from a recognised Canadian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A GPA of 3.0/4, 7.0/9 or 75% is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1.

Holders of the Licenciado or equivalent Professional Title from a recognised Chilean university will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD study will preferably hold a Magister degree or equivalent.

Students with a bachelor’s degree (4 years minimum) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. However please note that we will only consider students who meet the entry guidance below.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS TO THE BUSINESS SCHOOL (EXCLUDING MBA)

GROUP 1 UNIVERSITIES

The 39 universities in the ‘Project 985”
We will consider students from these institutions with 75% or above.

GROUP 2 UNIVERSITIES

Universities ranked in the top 100 in the Shanghai Ranking Best Chinese Universities Ranking 2022 (full table) or 2023 (full table);

Universities in the ‘Project 211’ (excluding the ones in Project 985);

We will also consider the 2 additional universities below:

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

We will consider students from these institutions with 80% or above.

GROUP 3 UNIVERSITIES (EXCLUDING MSC ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE AND THE FOUR ECONOMICS PROGRAMMES)

Universities ranked in the top 101 to 150 in the Shanghai Ranking Best Chinese Universities Ranking 2022 (full table) or 2023 (full table);

We will also consider the following 7 specialist Business universities:

Nanjing University of Finance and Economics
Beijing Technology and Business University
Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics
Shanghai University of International Business and Economics
Shandong University of Finance and Economics
Tianjin University of Finance and Economics
Nanjing Audit University

We will consider students from these institutions with 85%.

GROUP 3 UNIVERSITIES (FOR MSC ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE AND THE FOUR ECONOMICS PROGRAMMES ONLY)

Universities ranked in the top 101 to 200 in the Shanghai Ranking Best Chinese Universities Ranking 2022 (full table) or 2023 (full table);
We will consider students from these institutions with 85% for the programmes below:

Accounting and Finance MSc
Economics MSc
Financial Economics MSc
International Money and Banking MSc
Money, Banking and Finance MSc

All other institutions: If you do not meet the requirement above then you are not likely to be considered for entry to the above schools and departments.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS TO THE SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

GROUP 1 UNIVERSITIES

The 39 universities in the ‘Project 985”
We will consider students from these institutions with 75% or above.

GROUP 2 UNIVERSITIES

Universities ranked in the top 100 in the Shanghai Ranking Best Chinese Universities Ranking 2022 (full table) or 2023 (full table);
Universities in the ‘Project 211’ (excluding the ones in Project 985);

We will also consider the 2 additional universities below:

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

We will consider students from these institutions with 80% or above.

GROUP 3 UNIVERSITIES

University is ranked in the top 101 to 150 in the Shanghai Ranking Best Chinese Universities Ranking 2022 (full table) or 2023 (full table);
We will consider students from these institutions with 85%.

All other institutions: If you do not meet the requirement above then you are not likely to be considered for entry to the above schools and departments.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS TO ALL OTHER PROGRAMMES (INCLUDING MBA)

GROUP 1 UNIVERSITIES

The 39 universities in the ‘Project 985”.
We will consider students from these institutions with 75% or above.

GROUP 2 UNIVERSITIES

University ranked in the top 200 in the Shanghai Ranking Best Chinese Universities Ranking 2022 (full table) or 2023 (full table);

Universities in the ‘Project 211’ (excluding the ones in Project 985);

We will also consider the 2 additional universities below:

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
We will consider students from these institutions with 80% or above.

GROUP 3 UNIVERSITIES

University ranked in the top 201 to 500 in the Shanghai Ranking Best Chinese Universities Ranking 2022 (full table) or 2023 (full table);
We will consider students from these institutions with 85%.

GROUP 4 UNIVERSITIES

University ranked after 501 in the Shanghai Ranking Best Chinese Universities Ranking 2022 (full table) or 2023 (full table);
We will consider students from these institutions only on a case-by-case basis with minimum 85% if you have a relevant degree and very excellent grades in relevant subjects and/or relevant work experience.

Borderline cases: We may consider students with lower average score (within 5%) on a case-by-case basis if you have a relevant degree and very excellent grades in relevant subjects and/or relevant work experience.

Please note:

MA Education (including all pathways) programmes are only considering applications from Group 1 and Group 2 universities. Applicants from group 3 universities are considered with 3-year full time working experience in education.

All other institutions: If you do not meet the requirement above then you are not likely to be considered for entry to our courses.

Students with Master’s degree may be considered for PhD study.

研究生入学要求

学生需要具备学士学位（4年制）才能申请研究生。请注意我们只考虑满足以下入学指导的中国申请人。

商学院（不包括MBA）入学要求

一类中国大学

39所“985工程”院校
来自一类大学的申请人均分要达到75%分或以上

二类中国大学

软科中国大学排名2022（总榜）或软科中国大学排名2023（总榜）排名前100的大学，非‘985工程’的其他“211工程”院校，以及以下两所大学：
中国科学院大学
中国社会科学院大学

来自二类大学的申请人均分要达到80%分或以上

三类中国大学（除会计与金融及经济学外其他研究生课程）

软科中国大学排名2022（总榜）或软科中国大学排名2023（总榜）排名101-150位的大学，同时也包括以下7所院校：
Nanjing University of Finance and Economics （南京财经大学）
Beijing Technology and Business University （北京工商大学）
Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics （浙江财经大学）
Shanghai University of International Business and Economics （上海对外经贸大学）
Shandong University of Finance and Economics （山东财经大学）
Tianjin University of Finance and Economics （天津财经大学）
Nanjing Audit University （南京审计大学）
来自三类大学的申请人均分要达到85%分以上

三类中国大学（仅用于MSc Accounting and Finance以及经济学类研究生课程）

软科中国大学排名2022（总榜）或软科中国大学排名2023（总榜）排名101-200位的大学。
来自三类大学的申请人均分要达到85%分以上。这一要求适用于以下五个经济类研究生课程：

Accounting and Finance MSc
Economics MSc
Financial Economics MSc
International Money and Banking MSc
Money, Banking and Finance MSc

所有其它大学 --- 如果您的本科院校不在上述范围，那么您的申请可能不被以上学院考虑。

计算机学院入学要求

一类中国大学

39所“985工程”院校
来自一类大学的申请人均分要达到75%分或以上

二类中国大学

软科中国大学排名2022（总榜）或软科中国大学排名2023（总榜）排名前100的大学，非‘985工程’的其他“211工程”院校，以及以下两所大学：
中国科学院大学
中国社会科学院大学
来自二类大学的申请人均分要达到80%分或以上

三类中国大学

软科中国大学排名2022（总榜）或软科中国大学排名2023（总榜）排名101-150位的大学。
来自三类大学的申请人均分要达到85%分以上

所有其它大学 --- 如果您的本科院校不在上述范围，那么您的申请可能不被以上学院考虑。

所有其它专业的入学要求 (包括MBA)

一类中国大学

39所“985工程”院校
来自一类大学的申请人均分要达到75%分或以上

二类中国大学

软科中国大学排名2022（总榜）或软科中国大学排名2023（总榜）排名前200的大学，非‘985工程’的其他“211工程”院校，以及以下两所大学：
中国科学院大学
中国社会科学院大学
来自二类大学的申请人均分要达到80%分或以上

三类中国大学

软科中国大学排名2022（总榜）或软科中国大学排名2023（总榜）排名201-500位的大学。
来自三类大学的申请人均分要达到85%分以上

四类中国大学

软科中国大学排名2022（总榜）或软科中国大学排名2023（总榜）排名501位以后的大学。
来自四类大学的申请人均分要求最低85%，并同时具有出色学术背景，优异的专业成绩，以及（或）相关的工作经验，将酌情考虑。

请注意：

如申请人均分低于相应录取要求（5%以内），但具有出色学术背景，优异的专业成绩，以及（或）相关的工作经验，部分课程将有可能单独酌情考虑。
MA Education (including all pathways) 将只接受来自一类和二类大学的申请人。来自三类大学的申请人必须具有教育领域三年全职工作经验。

所有其它大学 = 如果您的院校不在上述范围，那么您的申请可能不被我们的专业课程考虑。

具有硕士学位的学生可以申请博士学位的课程。

如果您对录取要求有疑问，请联系伯明翰大学中国办公室china@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Holders of the Licenciado/Professional Title from a recognised Colombian university will be considered for our Postgraduate Diploma and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent.

Holders of a good bachelor degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Diploma Visoko Obrazovanje (Advanced Diploma of Education) or Bacclaureus (Bachelors) from a recognised Croatian higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 4.0 out of 5.0, vrlo dobar ‘very good’, for 2:1 equivalence or 3.0 out of 5.0, dobar ‘good’, for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Bacclaureus (Bachelors) from a recognised Croatian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 4.0 out of 5.0, vrlo dobar ‘very good’, or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree(from the University of the West Indies or the University of Technology) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A Class II Upper Division degree is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1. For further details on particular institutions please refer to the list below.

Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Masters degree or Mphil from the University of the West Indies.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good four-year government-accredited Bachelors degree from a recognised Higher Education college with a minimum overall GPA of 3 out of 4 for 2:1 equivalency, or a GPA of 2.75 out of 4 for 2:2 equivalency; or a good four-year Bachelors degree (Ptychio) from a recognised University, with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalency, or 5.5 for 2:2 equivalency; will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Bakalár, or a good pre-2002 Magistr, from a recognised Czech Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, velmi dobre ‘very good’ (post-2004) or 2, velmi dobre ‘good’ (pre-2004), for 2:1 equivalence, or 2.5, C, dobre ‘good’ (post-2004) or 3, dobre ‘pass’ (pre-2004) for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree/Candidatus Philosophiae, Professionbachelor or Eksamensbevis from a recognised Danish university, with a minimum overall grade of 7-10 out of 12 (or 8 out of 13) or higher for 2:1 equivalence, or 4-7 out of 12 (or 7 out of 13) for 2:2 equivalence depending on the awarding institution will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Ecuadorian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 70% or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.

Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Magister/Masterado or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Licenciado with excellent grades can be considered.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Egypt will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4 for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8 for 2:2 equivalency. Applicants holding a Bachelors degree with alternative grading systems, will normally be expected to have achieved a 75% (Very Good) for 2:1 equivalency or 65% (Good) for 2:2 equivalency. For applicants with a grading system different to those mentioned here, please contact middleeast@contacts.bham.ac.uk for advice on what the requirements will be for you.

Holders of a good Bakalaurusekraad from a recognised university or Applied Higher Education Institution with a minimum overall grade of 4/5 or B for 2:1 equivalency or 3/5 or C for 2:2 equivalency, or a good Rakenduskõrgharidusõppe Diplom (Professional Higher Education Diploma), will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with very good grades (grade B, 3.5/4 GPA or 85%) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Ammattikorkeakoulututkinto (AMK) (new system), an Yrkeshögskoleexamen (YHS) (new system), a Kandidaatti / Kandidat (new system), an Oikeustieteen Notaari or a Rättsnotarie, a good Kandidaatti / Kandidat (old system), a professional title such as Ekonomi, Diplomi-insinööri, Arkkitehti, Lisensiaatti (in Medicine, Dentistry and Vetinary Medicine), or a Maisteri / Magister (new system), Lisensiaatti / Licenciat, Oikeustieteen Kandidaatti / Juris Kandidat (new system) or Proviisori / Provisor from a recognised Finnish Higher Education institution, with a minimum overall grade of 2/3 or 3-4/5 for 2:1 equivalence or 1-2/3 or 2.5-3/5 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good three-year Licence, License Professionnelle, Diplôme d'Ingénieur/Architecte Diplômé d'État, Diplôme from an Ecole Superieure de Commerce / Gestion / Politique, or Diplome d'Etat Maitrise of three years duration or a Maîtrise from a recognised French university or Grande École will be considered for postgraduate taught study.

Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a minimum overall grade of 13 out of 20, bien, for 2:1 equivalency, or 11 out of 20, assez bien, for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.

Holders of a good three-year Bachelor degree, a Magister Artium, a Diplom or an Erstes Staatsexamen from a recognised university, or a good Fachhochschuldiplom from a Fachhochschule (university of applied sciences), with a minimum overall grade of 2.5 for 2:1 equivalency, or 3.0 for 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students from Germany who have completed three years of the Erstes Staatsexamen qualification with a grade point average (GPA) of 10 from the first six semesters of study within the Juristische Universitätsprüfung programme would be considered for entry onto LLM programmes. Students from Germany who have completed the five year Erstes Staatsexamen qualification with a grade point average (GPA) of 6.5 would be considered for entry onto LLM programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good four-year Ptychio (Bachelor degree) from a recognised Greek university (AEI) with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalency, or 5.5 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalency, or a good four-year Ptychio from a recognised Technical Higher Education institution (TEI) with a minimum overall grade of 7.5 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalency, or 6.5 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

4-year Licenciado is deemed equivalent to a UK bachelors degree. A score of 75 or higher from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) can be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 60 is comparable to a UK 2.2.

Private universities have a higher pass mark, so 80 or higher should be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 70 is comparable to a UK 2.2

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

The Hong Kong Bachelor degree is considered comparable to British Bachelor degree standard. Students with bachelor degrees awarded by universities in Hong Kong may be considered for entry to one of our postgraduate degree programmes.

Students with Masters degrees may be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Alapfokozat / Alapképzés (Bachelors degree) or Egyetemi Oklevel (university diploma) from a recognised Hungarian university, or a Foiskola Oklevel (college diploma) from a recognised college of Higher Education, with a minimum overall grade of 3.5 for 2:1 equivalency, or 3 for 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of three or four years in duration from a recognised university in India will be considered for postgraduate taught study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved 55% - 60% or higher for 2:1 equivalency, or 50% - 55% for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.

Either: A four-year Bachelors degree (first class or very good upper second class)

Or: A three-year Bachelors degree (first class) from recognised institutions in India.

For MSc programmes, the Business School will consider holders of three-year degree programmes (first class or very good upper second class) from recognised institutions in India.

For entry to LLM programmes, Birmingham is happy to accept applications from 3 or 5 year LLB holders from India from prestigious institutions.

Holders of the 4 year Sarjana (S1) from a recognised Indonesian institution will be considered for postgraduate study.
Entry requirements vary with a minimum requirement of a GPA of 2.8.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Iran with a minimum of 14/20 or 70% will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate taught programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Iraq will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency, or 2.8/4 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Israel will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 80% for 2:1 equivalency or 65% for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of a good Diploma di Laurea, Licenza di Accademia di Belle Arti, Diploma di Mediatore Linguistico or Diploma Accademico di Primo Livello from a recognised Italian university with a minimum overall grade of 100 out of 110 for 2:1 equivalence, or 92 out of 110 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold the Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies, Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students with a Bachelor degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for entry to a postgraduate Masters degree provided they achieve a sufficiently high overall score in their first (Bachelor) degree. A GPA of 3.0/4.0 or a B average from a good Japanese university is usually considered equivalent to a UK 2:1.

Students with a Masters degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for PhD study. A high overall grade will be necessary to be considered.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Jordan will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Students who have completed their Specialist Diploma Мамаң дипломы/Диплом специалиста) or "Magistr" (Магистр дипломы/Диплом магистра) degree (completed after 1991) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of 2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate Masters degrees and, occasionally, directly for PhD degrees.

Holders of a Bachelor "Bakalavr" degree (Бакалавр дипломы/Диплом бакалавра) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of 2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, may also be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Kuwait will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Lebanon will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a score of 16/20 or 80% for 2:1 equivalency, or 14/20 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Libya will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 70% for 2:1 equivalency or 65% for 2:2 equivalency. Alternatively students will require a minimum of 3.0/4.0 or BB to be considered.

Holders of a good Bakalauras (post 2001), Profesinis Bakalauras (post 2001) or pre-2001 Magistras from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalency, or 7 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree or Diplôme d'Ingénieur Industriel from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20 for 2:1 equivalence, or 14 out of 20 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (70-74% or A or Marginal Distinction from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 60-69% or B or Bare Distinction/Credit is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Malaysian institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum of 3.0) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Higher Education Institution with a minimum grade of 2:1 (Hons) for UK 2:1 equivalency, or 2:2 (Hons) for UK 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (Honours) from a recognised institution (including the University of Mauritius) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2:1).

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold the Licenciado/Professional Titulo from a recognised Mexican university with a promedio of at least 8 will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Students who have completed a Maestria from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a Bachelors degree, licence or Maîtrise from a recognised university in Morocco will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a score of 15/20 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency, or 13/20 for 2:2 equivalency.

Students with a good four year honours degree from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. PhD applications will be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors (Honours) degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Nepal will be considered for postgraduate taught study. Students with a Bachelors degree of at least three years duration plus a Masters degree may also be considered for postgraduate study. Degrees must be from a recognised institution in Nepal.

Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.2/4.0 or 65%-79% average or higher for 2:1 equivalency, or a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 60%-65% for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Dutch university, or Bachelors degree from a recognised Hogeschool (University of Professional Education), or a good Doctoraal from a recognised Dutch university, with a minimum overall grade of 7 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalence, or 6 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (minimum 4 years and/or level 400) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good three-six-year Bachelorgrad, Candidatus Magisterii, Sivilingeniø (siv. Ing. - Engineering), "Siviløkonom" (siv. Øk. - Economics) degree from a recognised Norwegian education institution with a minimum GPA of B/Very Good or 1.6-2.5 for a 2.1 equivalency, or a GPA of C/Good or 2.6-3.2 for a 2.2 equivalency; will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Oman will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years in duration from a recognised university in Pakistan will be considered for postgraduate taught study. Students with a Bachelors degree of at least three years duration followed by a Masters degree of one or two years duration, or holders of a two year Bachelors degree and a two year Masters degree in the same subject, may also be considered for postgraduate study.

Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 2.8-3.0/4.0 or 65% or above for 2:1 equivalency, or a GPA of 2.6/4.0 or 60% or above for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.

A two-year degree followed by a three-year LLB will count as a full Bachelors degree.

All qualifications must be from recognised institutions. For further details on recognised institutions, please refer to Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in the Palestinian Territories will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3/4 or 80% for 2:1 equivalency or a GPA of 2.5/4 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of the Título de Licenciado /Título de (4-6 years) or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Paraguayan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 4/5 or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.

The Título Intermedio is a 2-3 year degree and is equivalent to a HNC, it is not suitable for postgraduate entry but holders of this award could be considered for second year undergraduate entry or pre-Masters.

Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría / Magister or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Título/Grado de Licenciado/a with excellent grades can be considered.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of the Licenciado, with at least 13/20 may be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent. The Grado de Bachiller is equivalent to an ordinary degree, so grades of 15+/20 are required.

Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría or equivalent qualification.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good post-2001 Licencjat / Inzynier (Bachelors degree), or a pre-2001 Magister, from a recognised Polish university, with a minimum overall grade of 4.5/4+ out of 5, dobry plus ‘better than good’ for 2:1 equivalence, or 4 out of 5, dobry 'good' for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Licenciado from a recognised university, or a Diploma de Estudos Superiores Especializados (DESE) from a recognised Polytechnic Institution, with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, bom com distinção ‘good with distinction’, for 2:1 equivalence, or 14 out of 20, bom ‘good’, for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Qatar will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of a good Diplomă de Licenţă, Diplomă de Inginer, Diplomă de Urbanist Diplomat, Diplomă de Arhitect, Diplomă de Farmacist or Diplomã de Doctor-Medic Arhitect (Bachelors degree) from a recognised Romanian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalence, or 7 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Диплом Бакалавра (Bakalavr) degree with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 4.0 from recognised universities in Russia may be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes/MPhil degrees.

Students who hold a 4-year Bachelor degree with at least 16/20 or 70% will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in the Saudi Arabia will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Students who hold a Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies,Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. A score of 14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor (Honours) degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (or a score of 60-69% or B+) from a well ranked institution will be considered for most our Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees with a 2:1 requirement.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students holding a good Bachelors Honours degree will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good three-year Bakalár or pre-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, Vel’mi dobrý ‘very good’ for 2:1 equivalence, or 2, C, Dobrý ‘good’ for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Diploma o pridobljeni univerzitetni izobrazbi (Bachelors degree), Diplomant (Professionally oriented first degree), Univerzitetni diplomant (Academically oriented first degree) or Visoko Obrazovanja (until 1999) from a recognised Slovenian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8.0 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalence, or 7.0 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor Honours degree (also known as Baccalaureus Honores / Baccalaureus Cum Honoribus) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (70%) or a distinction (75%).

Holders of a Masters degree will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelor degree from a recognised South Korean institution (usually with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average 3.0/4.0 or 3.2/4.5) will be considered for Masters programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Título de Licenciado / Título Universitario Oficial de Graduado (Grado) /Título de Ingeniero / Título de Arquitecto from a recognised Spanish university with a minimum overall grade of 7 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalence, or 6 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a Special or Professional Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Sri Lanka will be considered for postgraduate taught study.

Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved 60-74% or a CGPA 3.30/4.0 or B+ for 2:1 equivalency, or 55-59% or a CGPA 3.0/4.0 or B for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.

Holders of a good Kandidatexamen (Bachelors degree) or Yrkesexamen (Professional Bachelors degree) from a recognised Swedish Higher Education institution with the majority of subjects with a grade of VG (Val godkänd) for 2:1 equivalency, or G (godkänd) for 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Kandidatexamen (Bachelors degree) or Yrkesexamen (Professional Bachelors degree) from a recognised Swedish Higher Education institution with the majority of subjects with a grade of VG (Val godkänd), and/or a good Magisterexamen (Masters degree), International Masters degree or Licentiatexamen (comparable to a UK Mphil), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good " Baccalauréat universitaire/ Diplom / Diplôme; Lizentiat / Licence; Staatsdiplom / Diplôme d'Etat" degree from a recognised Swiss higher education institution (with a minimum GPA of 5/6 or 8/10 or 2/5 (gut-bien-bene/good) for a 2.1 equivalence) will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Syria will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 70%, or ‘very good’ for 2:1 equivalency or 60%, or ‘good’ for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of a good Bachelor degree (from 75% to 85% depending upon the university in Taiwan) from a recognised institution will be considered for postgraduate Masters study. Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1)

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level. Holders of Bachelors degree from prestigious institutions (see list below) will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4.0 for 2:1 equivalency or 2.7 for 2:2 equivalency.
Applicants with grades slightly below these requirements may also be considered for an offer if they have a relevant Bachelors degree, good scores in relevant modules, or relevant work experience.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from all other institutions will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.2/4.0 for 2:1 equivalency, or 2.8 for 2:2 equivalency.

Prestigious institutions:
Assumption University
Chiang Mai University
Chulalongkorn University
Kasetsart University
Khon Kaen University
King Mongkut University of Technology - Thonburi (known as KMUTT or KMUT)
Mahidol University
Prince of Songla University
Srinakharinwirot University
Thammasat University

Holders of a bachelor degree with honours from a recognised Caribbean and West Indies university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme.

Grade Requirements:
Postgraduate qualification required for entry (UK)	Typical comparison
First (1st)	3.5 GPA, B+, 1st, First Class Honours degree
Upper Second (2:1)	3.0 GPA, B, 2.1, Class II Upper Division Honours degree
Lower Second (2:2)	2.5 GPA, B-, 2.2, Class II Lower Division Honours degree

Students with a Bachelors degree from the following universities may be considered for entry to postgraduate programmes:

Ateneo de Manila University - Quezon City
De La Salle University - Manila
University of Santo Tomas
University of the Philippines - Diliman

Students from all other institutions with a Bachelors and a Masters degree or relevant work experience may be considered for postgraduate programmes.

Grading Schemes

1-5 where 1 is the highest
2.1 = 1.75
2.2 = 2.25

Out of 4.0 where 4 is the highest
2.1 = 3.0
2.2 = 2.5

Letter grades and percentages
2.1 = B / 3.00 / 83%
2.2 = C+ / 2.5 / 77%

Holders of a postdoctoral qualification from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study. Students may be considered for PhD study if they have a Masters from one of the above listed universities.

Holders of a Lisans Diplomasi with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0 from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a Yuksek Diplomasi from a recognised university will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in the UAE will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (2.1) or GPA of 3.5/5.0

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good four-year Bachelors degree/ Диплом бакалавра (Dyplom Bakalavra), Диплом спеціаліста (Specialist Diploma) or a Dyplom Magistra from a recognised institution, with a minimum GPA of 4.0/5.0, 3.5/4, 8/12 or 80% or higher for 2:1 equivalence, or a GPA of 3.5/5.0, 3.0/4, 6/12 or 70% for 2:2 equivalence, depending on the awarding institution, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

The University will consider students who hold an Honours degree from a recognised institution in the USA with a GPA of:

2.8 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement
3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement

Please note that some subjects which are studied at postgraduate level in the USA, eg. Medicine and Law, are traditionally studied at undergraduate level in the UK.

Holders of the Magistr Diplomi (Master's degree) or Diplomi (Specialist Diploma), awarded by prestigious universities, who have attained high grades in their studies will be considered for postgraduate study.

Holders of the Fanlari Nomzodi (Candidate of Science), where appropriate, will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of the Licenciatura/Título or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Venezuelan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Scales of 1-5, 1-10 and 1-20 are used, an overall score of 70% or equivalent can be considered equivalent to a UK 2.1.

Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Maestria or equivalent qualification

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Vietnamese institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum GPA of 7.0 and above) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a Masters degree (thac si) will be considered for entry to PhD programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0 or a mark of 2.0/2.5 (A) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a good Bachelor Honours degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

This programme will make use of the unrivalled resources of Shakespeare’s Stratford, involving expert sessions from the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Library of Birmingham.

It particularly benefits from the Institute's collaboration collaboration with the RSC, offering unique and extensive opportunities to work with the Company. Students will also have access to the Shakespeare Institute Library, the Library of the Shakespeare Centre that curates the archives of the RSC, and the Shakespeare Collection held at the Library of Birmingham.

The programmes will also draw upon the expertise of key members of the Shakespeare Institute team: convenor Professor Dr Abigail Rokison-Woodall; and Director of the Shakespeare Institute, Professor Michael Dobson.

Teaching year

We have three teaching terms per year, the autumn, spring and summer terms. Term dates can be found on our website.

As a full-time student, you will typically take three modules in each of the first two terms, followed by your dissertation. If you are a part-time student, you will typically take three modules across each year, followed by your dissertation.

Each module represents a total of 200 hours of study time, including preparatory reading, homework and assignment preparation.

Support with academic writing

As a postgraduate student in the College of Arts and Law, you have access to the Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) which aims to help your transition from undergraduate to taught Masters level, or back into academia after time away. The service offers guidance on writing assignments and dissertations for your MA/MSc programme with individual support from an academic writing advisor via tutorials, email and the provision of online materials.

International students can access support for English Language development and skills through the Birmingham International Academy (BIA).

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: The Shakespeare Institute

As a postgraduates at the Shakespeare Institute, you will develop a broad range of creative, research and theatre skills, as well as in-depth subject knowledge. Over the past 5 years, 88% of our postgraduates were in work and/or further study 6 months after graduation (DLHE 2012 - 2017).

In recent years, our postgraduates have successfully entered a variety of sectors from teaching in secondary and higher education to performing arts, publishing, and museum, library and archive work. Employers that graduates have gone on to work for include National Trust, Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare's Globe, University of Birmingham and University of Oxford.