• Toll free: 1800 258 5772

Durham University

Durham , England ,United Kingdom

MA in Medical Humanities

This online MA in Medical Humanities is an exciting and challenging course that applies the knowledge and insight of the humanities and social sciences to study and understand better what is meant by health and illness outside of a medical context and, in particular, to analyse how our thoughts and physical experiences become recognised as symptoms. 

The MA is suitable if you have an undergraduate qualification in an area such as Anthropology; English; Geography; Law; Modern Languages and Cultures; Philosophy; Sociology; and related disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. You may also benefit if you have a background in health and social care and are looking to bring humanities and social sciences perspectives to bear in your professional practice.

Learning from leading scholars in the subject, you will be joining an interdisciplinary MA led by the University’s Institute for Medical Humanities and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. The course provides a fascinating and comprehensive introduction to the wide range of approaches to health taken by different academic disciplines.

Core modules include Concepts and Frameworks in the Critical Medical Humanities and Reimagining Health Research: Methodologies in the Critical Medical Humanities while optional modules explore key philosophical issues in areas of medical law, neurodiversity and the literary genre of ‘illness narrative’. There is also a Critical Medical Humanities dissertation to complete.

Teaching will be through online lectures and workshops with scaffolded assignments where work is broken down into small units with a defined subject focus. We also offer the option of studying the course in person at Durham.

As a student on this course, you will become a member of the Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers (PGECR) network in Medical Humanities, where you will benefit from regular seminars, conferences and social events.

Intakes

  • Jan
  • Sep

Application Processing Time in Days: 30

Application Process

More information Required
10 Days
Possible Interview Call from Institution
10 Days
Provisional/Unconditional Offer
20 Days
Visa Process
30 Days

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

There is an array of career options possible that include professions in national, international and local government agencies, sustainability management, policy research, corporate responsibility and sustainability, environmental journalism and writing, environmental tourism, environmentally-oriented NGOs and charities and conservation work. The MA in Environmental Humanities also offers enhanced suitability for business graduate programmes in sustainability.

Employers often value Masters graduates in arts and humanities for their understanding and ability to communicate, flexibility, as well as their analytical and synthetic competence.

PSW Opportunity

  • 2 Years PSW is applicable after completing a minimum duration of 9 months course (like- Undergraduate, Postgraduate Level)
  • 3 Years PSW is applicable after completing PhD level courses.

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

Admissions Process

  • Subject requirements, level, and grade
  • A minimum 2:1 Honours degree from a UK institution (or the overseas equivalent) in any subject, or equivalent.

References play an important part in the admissions process.

Recognised three or four year undergraduate degree (Honors or Regular pass)

  • The IELTS requirement for Durham University depends on the program you're applying to: 
  • MBA program
  • The IELTS requirement for the Durham MBA program is 7.0 overall, with no element below 6.5. 
  • International Foundation Year
  • The IELTS requirement for the International Foundation Year at Durham University is 5.5 overall, with 5.5 in reading and writing, and a minimum of 5.0 in all other skills. 
  • Other programs
  • If English is not your first language, you may need an IELTS score of 7.0 or above (with no element below 6.5) to apply to other programs at Durham University. 
  • The IELTS or Pearson Test of English (PTE) test must be no more than two years old at the start of the program. 
  • Durham University also offers an International Study Centre that provides English language preparation for students to prepare for their degree at Durham City Campus.