MA in Country House Studies by Research
This course is an interdisciplinary research programme enabling students to examine aspects of the history of the English country house.
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Course overview
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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 MA is awarded solely on the basis of the dissertation (there are no ‘exams’), and the relationship between you and your supervisor is therefore at the heart of the course. The maximum length for the MA dissertation recommended by 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.
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, just 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.
The Seminar Programme 2024 to 2025
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 infra for further details).
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. Each seminar starts at 6:30 pm, with an illustrated presentation by the visiting speaker and is followed by a 40-minute question-and-answer session. There is a break for drinks and then a seated dinner follows (three courses with wine) during which there is further questioning of the speaker and a general conversation about the topic in hand. (The cost of all dinners is included within the fee.)
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 2024 to 2025
- 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’
- 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 visits to country houses in 2024 to 2025
The programme includes two field trips to country houses. These take place during the spring and summer terms. Dates and venues are still to be confirmed. Students are also invited to take part in a series of graduate research days which will take place at Buckingham in 2025.
Venues
Seminars and Dinners
Seminars and dinners take place at the Reform Club, 104 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5EW.
Additional support
In addition to the seminar programmes and students’ one-to-one meetings with their supervisor, the programme also offers specialist classes on thesis-writing, referencing, and on how to use archival and on-line research resources. For those who need to work with manuscripts (from the Tudor period and later), there is also a series of classes on palaeography (the reading of early handwriting) that will enable students to acquire fluency in the reading of manuscript sources.
Badminton, Gloucestershire.
Engraving by Johannes Kip, first published in 1712.
Opportunities to take the MA research to PhD level
Students who wish to take their research further have the opportunity, at the end of their year of MA studies, to extend their studies to doctoral level. Where the topic and the related evidence is appropriate, students are permitted to treat their year of Master’s research as the first year of the three required for PhD study. If approved for ‘upgrading’ to doctoral study, they may submit their expanded dissertation for the PhD degree after a further two years of writing and research.
Programme Directors
Adrian Tinniswood OBE FSA
Professor Adrian Tinniswood OBE FSA 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 the University of Maynooth.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2013 for his services to the national heritage.
DR BEN COWELL
Dr Ben Cowell OBE FSA FRSA, Co-Director of the programme, 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.
What our students say
Matthew Beckett: ‘This course has provided not only intellectually satisfying teaching and discussion but also a chance to interact with recognised leaders in country house research, meet fellow enthusiasts, and profoundly develop my skills and knowledge as part of producing the dissertation.’ Matthew Beckett’s blog, ‘The English Country Seat’
Patrick Newberry: ‘I was drawn to Buckingham by its great reputation both for scholarship and for innovation in its development of programmes. Since starting the Country House MA, I have found that my expectations were more than justified; indeed, they have been far exceeded.’
Gwyneth Davis: ‘The seminar speakers were enlightening and informative, and the chance to dine at the Reform Club was not to be missed! I am really glad and proud that I completed the programme. I would recommend it without reservation to anyone ready for an academic challenge.’
Judiyaba: ‘A fantastic programme! The class is not too big and the guest speakers are so knowledgeable that conversation is lively and informative. It is a great opportunity to enjoy both the thrills and the occasional frustrations of research and writing. I would happily do it all again.’
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. 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
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 may be asked to complete a short written assignment and/or attend an interview as part of the applications process.
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, email admissions@buckingham.ac.uk.
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
The MA does not offer systematic instruction in the facts; instead, the emphasis is on independent thought and research.
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 25,000 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.
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 |
---|---|---|---|
Sep 2024 Full-time (1 Year) | UK | £10,300 | £10,300 |
INT | £16,480 | £16,480 | |
Sep 2024 Part-time (2 Years) | UK | £5,150 | £10,300 |
INT | £8,240 | £16,480 | |
Sep 2025 Full-time (6 Months) Associate | UK | £3,433 | £3,433 |
INT | £5,493 | £5,493 | |
Sep 2025 Full-time (1 Year) | UK | £10,300 | £10,300 |
INT | £16,480 | £16,480 | |
Sep 2025 Part-time (2 Years) | UK | £5,150 | £10,300 |
INT | £8,240 | £16,480 |
** Please be aware that the 6 month option relates to the associate course only
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 other 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.
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.