The one-year MSc by Research programme entails the submission of a portfolio of 30 000 written words. The flexible nature of the programme allows students to study at masters level but in a manner tailored to their own interests. Students for this research degree do not normally attend taught courses but work individually with their supervisor using library resources. Students are not expected to have any prior Middle Eastern language competence. However, the opportunity of taking Arabic, Persian or Turkish is available.
For admission to the MScR programme, the Department normally requires an undergraduate masters degree with the equivalent of a final mark of 2:1 or better and a short draft research proposal. Non-native speakers of English must normally attain a 7 in the IELTS test (or TOEFL equivalents).
Further information on the requirements for the degree is available in the Postgraduate Assessment Regulations at Appendix II, section 4.
There are two possible tracks to the MScR Degree.
Track 1:
Students work on two written assignments (each approximately 7,500 words) for the first half of the programme, and proceed to write a 15,000 word dissertation in the second half of the year.
Track 2:
Students produce a single 30,000 word dissertation.
The student’s supervisor and the postgraduate advisor will discuss each student’s programme with the student individually and agree a programme of study for the degree.
MScR students are required to attend the semester 1 Research Skills and Methods Course (20 credits) and the semester 2 Research Problems and Methods course (20 credits).
If their results at the end of the teaching year are passed by the examiners and approved by the IMES Examinations Board at its June meeting, students are permitted to undertake the dissertation (15,000 words including footnotes and bibliography), on a topic previously agreed between the student, the Programme Director and an appropriate supervisor.
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Admission to the Programme
Application forms and other useful information are available from the Graduate School website.
A research proposal must accompany the application and potential applicants are encouraged to make contact with Dr Anthony Gorman, the IMES Postgraduate Officer, in advance of applying for this programme to discuss the formulation of the proposal and an appropriate track for attaining the degree.
Non-native speakers should also submit an essay of several thousand words with their application.
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