Postgraduate taught courses

The majority of our taught Masters courses are available to study either full-time over one year or part-time over two years. They involve 120 credits of taught modules - usually made up of six 20-credit modules - and are completed with a 15,000-word dissertation which is undertaken under the supervision of an expert in the field.

For those looking for shorter qualifications, some courses also offer Certificate or Diploma entry routes, which require the completion of 60 credits or 120 credits of taught modules, respectively. If you choose to study full-time, the Certificate takes just four months and the Diploma eight months; part-time, the Certificate is studied over eight months and the Diploma is studied over sixteen months across two academic years.

A number of our courses can be studied by distance learning.

In addition to the traditional courses we offer, the College is home to a number of innovative courses which allow students to work, and present their research, in creative and engaging ways.

The School of English, Drama and Creative Studies, for example, is home to the Shakespeare and Creativity MA which allows students to write and perform an original piece of creative work inspired by Shakespeare, and the Film and Television: Research and Production MA which allows students to create a short film documentary in place of completing a dissertation.

The MA Digital Media and Creative Industries has an option to complete a practice-based project that works with industry in region on a particular facet of their work.

The MA Translation Studies has an option to complete an extended translation project

The MA Creative Writing allows students to complete a 10,000-word portfolio of creative work in the form of a screenplay, excerpt of a novel, a collection of short fiction or a collection of poetry (600 lines)

Our Music MA offers multiple pathways, with a choice of assessment methods – a traditional dissertation, a recital or a composition portfolio.

The College of Arts and Law offers all our postgraduate students opportunities to gain and enhance skills, alongside your studies, to aid your personal and professional development. These include free language training and employability skills.

When submitting an application for any postgraduate course, you are also required to submit supporting documentation to accompany your application form. Here are some helpful tips on the application process, and what you will need to consider.

There are five key steps to consider when making your application to study a postgraduate course in the College of Arts and Law.

1. Choose your course using Coursefinder

To apply for your postgraduate course at the University of Birmingham, you must use our Coursefinder. By clicking on the specific course you wish to apply for you will be directed to an application specifically designed for your course which will guide you through the process of compiling and submitting your application and supporting documents online.

Your application is specifically designed for the course you choose to apply for and it is sensitive to the answers you provide as you proceed through the application. See application guidance notes.

Once you have submitted an online application you will be sent details of how to enter your applicant portal. This portal will allow you to send and receive communications with the University. It will also enable you to track the progress of your application at every stage of the admissions process, update your personal information, view decisions and accept any offers you may receive.

2. Consider whether you meet the entry requirements:

• General requirements
• International entry and English language requirements

3. Check the specific course entry requirements, which can be found on individual course listings in our Coursefinder

4. Contact the department if you need any advice about a particular course for example, if you need advice on which specific course to apply for

5. Consider the supporting documents you might need to upload as part of your application (see below)

If you have difficulties with any aspect of the application process, please contact:

• calpg-research@contacts.bham.ac.uk
• +44 (0) 121 414 5005

When you apply for a postgraduate course via Coursefinder, you will have the option to upload your supporting documents. The following information will usually be needed before a decision can be made on your application:

• Two academic references (or if appropriate to the programme applied for, one could be from your employer).
• Degree transcript(s) - originals or certified photocopies:

EU and international applicants - if you are currently studying outside the UK or have obtained your qualification(s) outside the UK

UK applicants - if you are currently studying in the UK or have obtained your qualification(s) in the UK and your university provides transcripts. If you are not a recent graduate send certified copy(s) of relevant qualifications. University of Birmingham graduates do not need to provide transcripts or copies of degree certificates, however we advise applicant's who graduated prior to 2000 to provide copies of their qualifications as they may take longer to verify.

• Certificate to show competency in the English language, if English is not your first language and you have already taken a test (See English language requirements).
• Personal statement, approximately 5000 characters, explaining why you are interested in studying on your chosen programme. Alternatively, you can type this within your application.

Now that you have all of your supporting documentation ready, you are ready to apply for your postgraduate course using our Coursefinder - good luck!

If you run into any difficulty, please consult our application guidance notes.