MA Dickens Studies by Research
Explore the rich world of Dickens Studies with unique access to the Charles Dickens Museum collections in our specialised research programme.
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Course overview
About the Course
Based in the city that gave Charles Dickens inspiration throughout his writing life, this groundbreaking London research programme offers students unique access not only to world-class scholars and practitioners drawn from the field of Dickens Studies and the media but furthermore to the unique collections of the Charles Dickens Museum
It is directed by Professor John Drew and Dr Pete Orford, Dickens experts of international reputation, who are also members of the University’s highly regarded Department of English and Digital Media.
The course enables the student to undertake research on a specific topic, agreed with the supervisor, in any area of Dickens Studies: his novels, short fiction, journalism, plays, the public readings, adaptations of his work (cinematic, theatrical) as well as comparative work on translations, writing by precursors, contemporaries, rivals, imitators and inheritors. The research is presented in the form of three ‘Project Preliminaries’: an extended research proposal, an annotated bibliography, and a short research-based case study for which students will be invited to investigate either the archive holdings of the Charles Dickens Museum or the network of Dickens’s collaborators for his journals, as made available by the University’s celebrated project Dickens Journals Online. On successful completion of these three preliminary projects, students will then progress to their dissertation, written under the guidance of the supervisor, of not less than 20,000 words.
A central feature of the course will be its series of ten evening seminars with distinguished speakers, held both at the University’s Gower Street premises and in the Board Room of the Charles Dickens Museum, each followed by a dinner and discussion, in private rooms at a nearby restaurant in Bloomsbury.
Previous seminar speakers include:
Professor Michael Slater, MBE. Britain’s foremost Dickensian scholar and biographer; Professor Emeritus of Victorian Literature, Birkbeck College; former editor of The Dickensian.
Miriam Margolyes, OBE. Actress & BAFTA Award Winner. Deviser, co-writer & performer of the international award-winning show, Dickens’ Women.
Judith Flanders. Senior Research Fellow, Humanities Research Institute, University of Buckingham; author of award-winning works of Victorian social history, including The Invention of Murder, The Victorian House, The Victorian City, Everyday Life in Dickens’ London.
Lucinda Hawksley. Critic, broadcaster, great-great-great granddaughter of Charles Dickens, and author of recent books on Dickens’s circle, his artist daughter Katie, and the Pre-Raphaelites.
Dr Tony Williams. Former President of the international Dickens Fellowship, Associate Editor of The Dickensian, Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Buckingham.
The incredibly wide-reaching influence and impact of Dickens as a writer, performer, editor and social reformer in the English-speaking world means that Dickens Studies can, therefore, span an equally wide range of research topics right across nineteenth- and twentieth-century literary and print culture. Themes addressed by the seminars will include:
- the lights and shadows of Dickensian biography
- Dickens as a short-story writer
- Dickens’s reception in the twentieth-century
- Dickens and the development of detective and thriller fiction
- Dickens’s influence as an editor and social reformer
- the cultural importance of adaptations of Dickens’s work
- the power of Dickens’s language
- the performative nature of Dickensian characters
- Dickens in the digital age
The course will begin with three practical seminars about how to choose, research and write an academic dissertation, and how to handle archival materials, held at the University’s London offices, 51 Gower Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 6HJ and at the Charles Dickens Museum, 48 Doughty Street.
Places on the new course are limited in number, and early application is advised. For dates of the seminars, please click on “Teaching & Assessment”. Those wishing to attend the seminars, but not to undertake a dissertation, may join the course as Associate Students at a reduced fee.
Dickens specialists working alongside Professor Drew and Dr Orford in the Department of English and Digital Media or as Honorary Research Fellows include: Dr Jonathan Buckmaster, Dr Nick Cambridge, Dr Hazel Mackenzie, Professor Cathy Waters, Dr Tony Williams and Dr Emma Curry.
For further details, contact Peter Orford: peter.orford@buckingham.ac.uk
Entry Requirements
Entry requirements
The minimum entry level required for this course is as follows:
- a first or second-class honours degree from a recognised university or,
- a recognised professional qualification with relevant work experience
Mature students
Age is no barrier to learning and we welcome all applications from suitably qualified students. Due to their flexibility, our MAs by research attract a wide variety of applicants from a range of backgrounds, including people in full-time employment and retirees. Our current students range in age from 21 to 75.
International students
We are happy to consider all international applications and if you are an international student, you may find it useful to visit our international pages for details of entry requirements from your home country.
The University is a UKVI Student Sponsor.
English levels
If English is not your first language, please check our postgraduate English language requirements. If your English levels don’t meet our minimum requirements, you may be interested in applying for our Pre-sessional English Language Foundation Programmes.
Selection process
Wherever possible, you will be invited to the University to meet the Admissions Tutor for an informal interview and to have a tour of our campus. If you are an international applicant, it may not be possible for you to visit in person, so if the Admissions Tutor has any queries about your application you may be conducted by Microsoft Teams, email or phone.
The Admissions Team would be happy to answer any questions you may have, call us on +44 (0)1280 820227 or get in touch via our online form.
Student Contract for prospective students
When you are offered a place at the University you will be notified of the student contract between the University and students on our courses of study. When you accept an offer of a place on the course at the University a legal contract is formed between you and the University on the basis of the student contract in your offer letter. Your offer letter and the student contract contain important information which you should read carefully before accepting an offer. Read the Student Contract.
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching methods
The MA does not offer systematic instruction; instead, the emphasis is on independent research and one-to-one supervision.
At the heart of the Buckingham MA is the close working relationship between student and supervisor. While the final thesis must be an independent work, it is the supervisor who offers advice on refining the topic (if necessary), on primary sources, on secondary reading, on research techniques and on writing the final text (which should be not less than 20,000 words). Supervisors and students will meet frequently throughout the year, and not less than twice a term; and the supervisor shall always be the student’s primary contact for academic advice and support.
The course will begin with three practical seminars about how to choose, research and write an academic dissertation, and how to handle archival materials, held at the University’s London offices, 51 Gower Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 6HJ and at the Charles Dickens Museum, 48 Doughty Street.
The provisional dates for the seminars and dinners will be available soon.
At the post-seminar dinners there will be an opportunity to continue the discussion in an informal environment. Attendance at these dinners is entirely at the choice of the student, and their cost is not covered by the tuition fee.
After Your Course
The University’s Course Directors, students’ supervisors, and the Research Officer and Tutor for Graduate Students are available to discuss students’ post-graduation plans and how they may utilise most effectively the skills acquired during their studies.
Fees & Scholarships
The fees for this course are:
| Start | Type | First Year | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
Jan 2025 Full-time (1 Year) | UK | £8,267 | £8,267 |
| INT | £14,500 | £14,500 | |
Jan 2025 Part-time (2 Years) | UK | £4,134 | £8,267 |
| INT | £7,250 | £14,500 | |
Sep 2025 Full-time (1 Year) | UK | £8,267 | £8,267 |
| INT | £14,500 | £14,500 | |
Sep 2025 Part-time (2 Years) | UK | £4,134 | £8,267 |
| INT | £7,250 | £14,500 | |
Jan 2026 Full-time (1 Year) | UK | £8,267 | £8,267 |
| INT | £14,500 | £14,500 | |
Jan 2026 Part-time (2 Years) | UK | £4,134 | £8,267 |
| INT | £7,250 | £14,500 |
The University reserves the right to increase course fees annually in line with inflation linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI). If the University intends to increase your course fees it will notify you via email of this as soon as reasonably practicable.
Course fees do not include additional costs such as books, equipment, writing up fees and other ancillary charges. Where applicable, these additional costs will be made clear.
Please note that The University of Buckingham has four terms per year. Students will pay the same termly fee for the duration of their studies, unless studies are interrupted and resumed later. The tuition fee quoted is therefore the total cost of the degree.
Postgraduate loan scheme
A system of postgraduate loans for Masters degrees in the UK is available with support from the UK Government. The loan is available for taught and research Masters courses in all subject areas. The loans can be used for tuition fees, living expenses or both.
Scholarships
Details of scholarships can be found on our main Bursaries and Scholarships page. You should make an application to study at the University and receive an offer letter confirming our acceptance of your application before applying for a scholarship.
Please note that applicants with a First-Class degree at undergraduate level are automatically entitled to a scholarship which is worth the equivalent of 33% of their total fees.
You may also find it useful to visit our External Funding page.
Accommodation
Due to the mode of study on this course you will not normally need a room in University accommodation during your degree.