Global and Imperial History MSt

The MSt in Global and Imperial History offers a nine month introduction to graduate research. It is open to all students who have the desire to explore the history of the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Australasia or the Americas (excluding the US) in a global perspective. The MSt in Global and Imperial History can be taken either as a free-standing degree, or as the first step towards a DPhil. The course will encourage you to develop intellectual and practical familiarity with advanced research in the global history of the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Australasia and the Americas (excluding the US). Global and imperial history in this context implies transoceanic and transcontinental connections, comparisons, and exchanges between cultures, polities and societies. It also examines broad patterns and systems in history, whether religious, political, economic, cultural or ecological.

Global history, in other words, is history with a global scope (often including European dimensions) that emphasises comparative perspectives. You are not expected to master the histories of multiple regions, but to use a global approach to cast light on your own research area. Research training is combined with broad conceptual approaches that encourage students to learn from the recent historiographies of different periods and areas and with focused studies of periods or themes. This class work parallels supervised pursuit of a research project. All students will be encouraged to attend some of the faculty’s many advanced research seminars. The admission of any candidate for further study at Oxford will depend on their overall performance in the master’s programme, together with the viability of any proposed research topic and the availability of appropriate supervision at Oxford. About a quarter of master's students proceed to doctoral work at Oxford; others continue academic study at other institutions. Other career destinations are as diverse as, but broadly in line with, undergraduate history career destinations: law, finance, management consultancy, civil service etc.