History of Welfare & Medicine in Society

 

The MA is designed to enable students to engage at a high level with critical debates within the history of medicine and welfare from the early modern period to the twentieth century.

 

Course Objectives include:

• You will acquire the practical and conceptual skills needed for an academic and non-academic workplace.
• You will develop an understanding of the importance of the history of medicine and welfare in Ireland and internationally, and its contribution to the field of social, gender, and post-colonial history.
• You will also develop an insight into patients’ experiences of illness throughout history and of the relationship between history and the development of current health policy.
• Through the development of presentations skills, the peer-review of students’ work and engaging in lively intellectual debates, you will develop core skills for the workplace.
• You will graduate with a MA from a leading international School of History and Archives, and from a centre of excellence in medical history giving you a competitive advantage.
• The programme is recognised and highly regarded by employers, academics and funding bodies. It will also accelerate your long-term career objectives as it enhances the marketability of your qualification.

 

Programme Strengths are:

• The MA in the Social and Cultural History of Medicine is taught by a combination of experienced academic staff from a variety of backgrounds in Irish history, British and European history, and Classics.
• The MA provides students with a unique opportunity to engage with an international network of medical historians. They are encouraged to participate in events organized by the Centre for the History of Medicine in Ireland. These include a lively seminar series, workshops, and outreach and media activities (see www.ucd.ie/historyarchives/body).
• The MA provides a historical context for those working in health-care. Students on the MA come from diverse academic backgrounds and pursue different careers. Students of the MA have the opportunity to receive additional training in the development of funding applications if they decide to pursue a PhD.

The MA qualification from School of History and Archives gives you a broad-based knowledge and expertise that will provide you with theoretical and practical skills you need for the long-term development of your career. You will be equipped to excel in numerous careers that value critical thinking, writing and time- and project-management skills. Since the establishment of the MA in 2007, Graduates of the Programme have entered a range of employment opportunities in:

• Accountancy
• Media
• Law
• Academia
• Teaching
• NGOs
• Arts
• Graduates of the programme have been very successful in securing funding to pursue PhDs in the field at Irish, British, and European institutions.

 

History of Welfare & Medicine in Society (Z240) Full Time
EU          fee per year - € 9100
nonEU    fee per year - € 22600

History of Welfare & Medicine in Society (Z241) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 4550
nonEU    fee per year - € 11300

***Fees are subject to change

Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.  

Students can apply for a prestigious, internationally recognised Wellcome Trust Masters Scholarship. Please contact the MA Director Dr Catherine Cox for further information. 

• ​A primary degree in an appropriate field such as a Bachelor of Arts, or in a cognate discipline such as medicine and nursing. You must supply details of any third level institutions you have attended and professional qualifications you have attained.
• Excellent academic grades 2H1 or an equivalent of a UCD GPA 3.2  NFQ Level 8.  Transcripts will be required
• You will be asked to complete a supporting statement outlining your reasons and motivation for wishing to undertake the course
• Two academic references from referees who are in a position to assess your intellectual ability, maturity and motivation.
• Candidates whose first language is not English are normally expected to have achieved an overall 6.5 in IELTS or equivalent with no individual band lower than 6.
• Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the English language requirements, may enter the programme upon successful completion of UCD’s International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information: https://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/int%20pmp/

Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

The MA in the Social & Cultural History of Medicine is designed for high calibre graduates who want to pursue an innovative history MA degree. It is suitable for graduates with a BA degree or a primary degree in the Humanities or in a cognate field such as medicine or nursing. The MA is popular among health-care professionals keen to understand historical contexts in their profession, but also invites students from a range of academic backgrounds. While some background in the history of medicine and welfare is helpful, it is not mandatory.