MA in Country House Studies by Research
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29 January 2025
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MA in Country House Studies by research: Hampton Court to ‘Downton Abbey’
The University of Buckingham’s Master’s programme in Country House Studies offers the opportunity to pursue research at Master’s level in any one of a wide range of country-house-related topics, from explorations of individual houses and their architects and decorators, to studies of their social and political use, and the role of the country house in literature and film.
Individual research topics are closely focused; but the approach of the course is to encourage students to investigate the interconnections between the country house’s multiple facets and roles, rather than to examine it in exclusively architectural-historical terms. Recent dissertations have surveyed, for example, the Baroque mural in country house decoration; the use of music in the country houses during the 1650s; and the professionalisation of the sale of country estates in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The choice of subject area is ultimately the student’s own.
The Master’s degree can be taken either full-time and completed in a single academic year, or taken part-time and extended over two years. Although original research it the prime focus of the programme, there is also a strongly collegial aspect to the course, as all research students meet regularly throughout the year for a series of early-evening seminars by some of the most distinguished scholars working in the history of early-modern England. The seminars are held in the Reform Club in Pall Mall, London, SW1, and provide an opportunity for students to meet and debate with the visiting speaker. Each seminar is followed by a working dinner at which discussion continues. (The full seminar programme is given below.)
The MA is awarded solely on the basis of the dissertation (there are no ‘exams’), and the relationship between the student and supervisor is therefore at the heart of the course.
The maximum length for the MA dissertation in the School of Humanities is 25,000 words (or approximately 75 pages at line-spacing of 1.5), excluding notes and references. Student and supervisor meet regularly on a one-to-one basis to discuss, plan, and review the dissertation as it develops through the year.
The University of Buckingham MA programmes are intended to impart all the skills necessary for the student to work as an independent researcher and writer – skills that are valued by both academic and non-academic employers. But the MA can be undertaken just as fulfillingly as an exercise in the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and as a means of exploring areas of enquiry that are of particular interest to the student.
The academic year begins in October with classes on how to undertake archival research, how to plan and structure a dissertation successfully, and on the many online resources that are available to assist in historical research on the Tudor and Stuart periods. Specialist classes are also offered on paleography (the study of historic handwriting) to enable students to read contemporary manuscripts with speed and accuracy.
Tutorials and classes will normally take place at the University of Buckingham’s London offices at 51 Gower Street, Bloomsbury, WC1E 6HJ, very close to the British Museum.
DEFINING A SUBJECT FOR RESEARCH
Some students know from the outset the precise subject on which they intend to work. For most, however, the definition of a research proposal is usually a gradual process, with the student starting with a general area of interest, and then focusing on a more closely defined topic as a result of further reading and consultation, usually with the Course Director. Most students do not arrive at the final title of their dissertation until towards the end of the first Term, before Christmas.
The Course Director, Professor Adrian Tinniswood, is available to offer advice to prospective students who would like to discuss possible subjects for their research before they apply. He can be reached directly by email at adrian.tinniswood@buckingham.ac.uk.
RESEARCH SEMINARS AND DINING
Private research and supervision are complemented by a rich programme of seminars which give students direct access to some of the United Kingdom’s most distinguished scholars of the country house. These seminars, which are chaired by Professor Tinniswood and by Dr Ben Cowell (Director General, Historic Houses), take place in St James’s, at the Reform Club, 104 Pall Mall, in central London (see below for further details).
The seminar meets regularly between October and March in handsome accommodation at the Reform Club in Pall Mall. All seminars begin at 6:30 pm with the talk by the visiting speaker, and this is followed by a question session and discussion that runs to 7:45 pm. There is then a short break for pre-dinner drinks and the group reconvenes at 8:15 pm for a three-course dinner with wine, during which the historical discussion continues. Proceedings usually end at 9:30 pm. The programme aims not only to offer a stimulating intellectual experience, but one which is an enjoyable sociable experience as well. The cost of the dinners is included in the tuition fees.
The seminars are of course academic events, with a talk by a visiting expert; but they also have a social dimension, bringing research students and senior scholars together to discuss matters of common interest in an informal and congenial atmosphere.
This coming year’s seminars explore a broad range of topics, ranging from royal palaces and neo-classicism in domestic architecture through to the country houses of Sir Edwin Lutyens, Irish houses and the economics of the country house. A current owner, the Duchess of Argyll, discusses what is involved in managing, living in, and presenting to the public a major country house in the present day.
SEMINAR DATES FOR 2024-25
The location, unless otherwise stated, is the Reform Club, 104 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5EW
1 October 2024
Adrian Tinniswood, An introduction to the course (online via Zoom)
15 October 2024
Nicholas Kingsley, ‘Researching the Country House’
29 October 2024
Terence Dooley, ‘The Decline of the Big House in Ireland’
4 November 2024, 10am – 5pm
Faculty Induction Day at the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE
12 November 2024
Simon Thurley, ‘Palaces of Power’
26 November 2024
John Goodall, ‘The Country House in the Long Middle Ages’
14 January 2025
Clive Aslet, ‘The Country Houses of Sir Edwin Lutyens’
28 January 2025
The Duchess of Argyll, ‘Inveraray Castle: The Jewel in Scotland’s Crown’
11 February 2025
Adriano Aymonino, ‘Syon House and Enlightened Eclecticism’
25 February 2025
Christopher Ridgway, ‘The Economics of the Country House’
11 March 2025
Adrian Tinniswood, ‘The Country House Before the Great War’
25 March 2025
Lucy Worsley, ‘Artisan Mannerism and the Great Household’
STUDY PERIOD
The usual period of Master’s degree research is one year for the those who engage in full-time study. Part-time study is also available, with students completing the dissertation in two years.
RESEARCH SUPERVISION
Every Master’s student in School of Humanities is supported by two supervisors. There is a First (or Principal) Supervisor, who is the student’s regular guide during his or her research, and with whom the student meets regularly throughout the year. There is also a Second Supervisor, whom the student may consult on a more limited basis where a ‘second opinion’ on a particular draft chapter may be helpful. Full-time students see their supervisor for one-to-one supervisions not less than twice a term.
The University has an extensive group of scholars available to undertake supervision in the fields Country House Studies, including:
Professor Adrian Tinniswood OBE FSA, Course Co-Director, is the author of eighteen books on social and architectural history, including The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House Between the Wars (2016), which became a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller; Noble Ambitions: The Fall and Rise of the Post-war Country House (2021); and The Power and the Glory: The Country House Before the Great War (2024).
He is also the author of an important biography of the architect and polymath, Sir Christopher Wren, His Invention So Fertile; and of a social history of a major gentry family, The Verneys: a True Story of Love, War and Madness in Seventeenth-Century England, which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize. He has worked with a number of heritage organisations including the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the National Trust, and is currently Professorial Research Fellow in History at the Humanities Research Institute, The University of Buckingham, and Adjunct Professor of History at Maynooth University. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2013 for his services to the national heritage.
Dr Ben Cowell OBE FSA FRSA, Course Co-Director, is a leading light within the UK heritage sector. He is the Director General of Historic Houses, the association that represents over 1,400 country houses in the UK, all still in independent ownership. He has published widely on aspects of history and heritage, including an account of the origins of the heritage protection movement in Britain, The Heritage Obsession (2008). He has published biographical studies on Uvedale Price, theorist of the Picturesque, and on two of the founders of the National Trust, Robert Hunter and Octavia Hill. His latest book is The British Country House Revival, published by Boydell in 2024. It tells the ‘fall and rise’ story of what has happened to country houses in the last fifty years, drawing on examples from member properties of Historic Houses. Ben sits on the government’s Heritage Council, and on the Historic Environment Forum in England, and was awarded an OBE in 2021 for services to heritage.
Dr Adriano Aymonino Is one of Britain’s leading historians of the Classical tradition, particularly in the eighteenth century. He has curated several exhibitions, including Drawn from the Antique: Artists and the Classical Ideal, held at the Sir John Soane’s Museum in London in 2015. His monograph, Enlightened Eclecticism, pictured above right, on the 1st Duke of Northumberland’s patronage of Robert Adam and others, was published by Yale University Press later in 2021.
ASSOCIATE STUDENTS
For those who wish to attend the seminars and to join the post-seminar dinners with the visiting speakers, it is possible to join the programme as an Associate Student (what is known as an Audit Student in the United States). Associate Students do not enrol for the MA and do not have to submit any written work, but they are otherwise full members of the seminar and free to take part in discussion. There is also a substantially reduced fee.
For further information, please contact humanitiespg-admissions@buckingham.ac.uk
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Entry requirements
The minimum entry level required for this course is as follows:
- a first or upper second-class honours degree from a recognised university or,
- a recognised professional qualification with relevant work experience.
In cases where candidates are applying on the basis of work experience, they will be asked to attend an interview as part of the application process; in some cases, they may also be asked to produce a short sample of written work.
MATURE STUDENTS
Age is no barrier to learning and we welcome all applications from suitably qualified students. Due to their flexibility, our London-based 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
Candidates apply online, sending in their supporting documents, and will be assessed on this basis by the Programme Director. The Programme Director or Admissions Assistant will be happy to answer any enquiries. 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 and assessment
The MA does not offer systematic instruction in factual knowledge; instead, the emphasis is on independent thought and research.
At the heart of the Buckingham Master’s degree 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 25,000 words).
Supervisors and students meet regularly throughout the year, and not less than twice in each of the academic year’s four terms; and the supervisor is the student’s primary contact for academic advice and support.
After your course
Many of the University’s research students have gone on to publish their MA or PhD dissertations, either in book-form or as articles in learned journals. The skills of authorship are one of the numerous ‘transferable skills’ that students acquire through the programme. The academic staff are available to offer advice on the process of preparing their work for publication.
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.
Course fees
The fees for this course are:
| Start | Type | 1st Year | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
Month Year Full-time (2 Years) | UK | £00,000 | £00,000 |
| INT | £00,000 | £00,000 | |
Month Year Full-time (2 Years) | UK | £00,000 | £00,000 |
| INT | £00,000 | £00,000 |
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.
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.
How to apply
Apply direct
Apply online from this page as:
- The most flexible option.
- You can apply until shortly before the course starts.
- There are no application fees.