Program Overview

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Whether you’re interested in culture and society, politics and power, or war and conflict, in the Department of History at Essex we give you the freedom to explore the history that excites you. Our global expertise and topical diversity give you an unrivalled opportunity to pursue your historical passions and discover new ones. Our Postgraduate Certificate History is rigorous, flexible and wide-ranging, so that you have the freedom to choose the modules which best suit your interests. This course consists of the same choice of modules and assessed work as our MA History , without the dissertation element. Alongside four optional modules which enable you to explore the latest in historical research in our specialist areas, you also study a practical module in research techniques. Historical research at Essex concentrates on the period from 1500 to the present, and covers a wide geographical area that includes British and European history, as well as Latin America, the USA, China, Russia and Africa. Our Department of History provides you with opportunities to explore local history, and we have strong links with the Essex Record Office, one of the best county record offices in the UK. Why we're great.

• Take the opportunity to explore the history that excites you – choose from a wide range of regions and periods
• Work alongside scholars at the cutting-edge of historical communication
• Work with industry active researchers

Our expert staff

Our staff are among world leaders in their field, and our enthusiasm for our subject is infectious. Our flexible course is combined with a supportive structure which helps you to pursue the modules best-suited to your interests. We take the time to get to know you as an individual, welcome you into our scholarly community, and value your views.

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Specialist facilities

• We have several Special Collections in history, including the Essex Society for Archaeology and History Library, the Harsnett Collection, the Hervey Benham Oral History Sound Archive, the Bensusan Collection, and the Colchester Medical Society Library
• Access the UK Data Archive, a national service provider digital resources for historians, which is particularly strong in 19th and 20th-century economic and social history
• Attend an exciting programme of events
• Access a variety of textbooks and journals in our Albert Sloman Library which houses materials on Latin America, Russia and the US that are of national significance

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Your future

We have excellent links with the research community, both in the UK and worldwide, so many of our students have gone on to teach in higher education institutions. Others have found employment in archives, research, managing research funds, other forms of educational provision, the Civil Service, the National Health Service, and management. Within our Department of History, we offer supervision for PhD, MPhil and MA by Dissertation . Themes of particular research interest include:

• war
• culture and memory
• public history
• urban history
• digital history
• oral history
• histories of class, race and gender
• the history of medicine
• the history of crime
• the history of food
• slavery and slave societies

Our University is one of only 11 AHRC-accredited Doctoral Training Centres in the UK. This means that we offer funded PhD studentships which also provide a range of research and training opportunities. We also work with the university’s Careers Services to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.