Two bursaries for taught Master’s study at CHSTM, University of Manchester, UK

The Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester offers two bursaries (small grants) of Ł5000 each towards tuition for its MSc (taught Master’s) programmes, including study in the medical humanities and science communication. The awards are aimed at highly motivated students seeking to proceed to PhD study at CHSTM.

The scheme is open to all suitably qualified UK and international candidates, and offered for either full-time or part-time study starting in September 2014. The award of Ł5000 covers the majority of the course fees for UK and EU students (Ł6300 full-time), or may be awarded as a contribution to the international fee (Ł18000 full-time). It does not include a stipend or support for accommodation.

Please note that the scheme is intended for students with a strong commitment to proceeding through the MSc to PhD research. (For this reason, it is not open to medical students taking the MSc as an intercalation, or to other students with a pre-planned non-PhD study route.)

The qualification requirements are higher than for acceptance on the programme overall. We will consider all bursary applicants with a First-class undergraduate degree or international equivalent (see <https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/grade-comparison-of-overseas-qualifications>), but will also consider other applicants who can demonstrate strong aptitude for historical or related work through their study backgrounds or professional experience.

The deadline for applications is Monday 31 March 2014. Application details follow below.

CHSTM is one of the world’s leading centres for the histories of science, technology and medicine and their relations with wider society. Our MSc programme combines approaches from several disciplines, allowing students to specialise along one of three interconnected pathways:

* the core History of Science, Technology and Medicine pathway focuses on nineteenth- and twentieth-century science, technology and medicine, their social and cultural backgrounds, and their implications for the present and future.

* the Medical Humanities pathway combines historical understanding of medicine and healthcare with approaches from literary studies, the social sciences and the visual arts. It is available to medical students as an intercalated MSc, or more generally as a stand-alone course.

* the Science Communication pathway focuses on recent history and current practices in communication between scientific and medical experts and wider audiences, covering both science media and science policy studies.

The programme includes a mixture of core taught units (courses), giving a general introduction to the field; more specialised taught units including a choice of options; and a research dissertation, developed through independent study and one-to-one meetings with a research supervisor. We have a lively postgraduate community of Masters and PhD students, and an outstanding track record of progression from Masters to PhD, and from doctoral to postdoctoral study. We pride ourselves on the interdisciplinary nature of our programmes, and cater for students with a science background as well as those arriving with a humanities or social science undergraduate degree.

Further information about CHSTM’s taught graduate programme is available at
http://www.chstm.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/

CHSTM will be hosting an Open Day for prospective applicants in early February 2014. Further details will be circulated soon.

For further particulars and to make an application, please contact the MSc programme director:
Dr James Sumner, Centre for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, Simon Building, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, james.sumner@manchester.ac.uk