History (Early Modern History 1500-1700) (Taught)

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2025). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.

The Early Modern History (1500-1700) strand of the MSt in History will introduce you to the latest developments in the study of British, European, and World history in the early modern period.

The MSt in History is designed to improve your practical and intellectual grasp of research processes, ability to conceptualise and engage with historical problems, and enlarge your understanding of the historical and historiographical context in which your own research is set. All strands in the course can serve as either free-standing graduate qualifications, or as a springboard to doctoral study. Students wishing to proceed to doctoral study will be encouraged to develop their doctoral proposals during the first few months of the MSt. Skills training and option-choice are flexible and open-ended, to allow you to gain the knowledge and training needed to complete your research project.

From the Reformation and Counter-Reformation to the Enlightenment, you will look at how the world was transformed by the new encounters between civilisations. You will explore the visual and material culture of the Renaissance and Baroque, ask how the idea of the self-developed, track changes in warfare and the growth of the state, and examine how gender relations were transformed and social hierarchies challenged.

Oxford has a significant group of Early Modernists, with multidisciplinary research activities being brought together by the Centre for Early Modern Studies. Further information about Early Modern research and activities can be found through the faculty website.

You are encouraged to engage with the faculty’s lively research culture of seminars, workshops, and discussions groups, which are programmed throughout each week, and sessions often involve leading international scholars. The faculty also runs the Oxford History Graduate Network, which fosters conversations and collaborations between graduate students. Interdisciplinary activities are available through The Oxford Centre for Research in the Humanities (TORCH).

For the full descriptions, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas