MA Railway Studies (online)

Course content

This Masters course will give you an alternative perspective on British railway history. You'll be taught about the railways' social and economic significance, and learn about a range of interrelated topics from the development of the railways in the Victorian period to the evolution of labour relations and politics of the privatisation of British Rail.

In Years 1 and 2 you will take six diverse modules that are delivered by the Centre for Lifelong Learning. Your third year consists of an independent study module hosted by the York Management School. In this module, you will write a dissertation on a subject of your choice.

Each year you will have the opportunity to attend a residential weekend at the National Railway Museum where you will meet fellow students and staff, engage in discussions, attend lectures by academic experts, explore the archives and share your knowledge of railway history.

Should your circumstances change, you can also study for a shorter period of time and graduate with a Postgraduate Certificate after a year, or a Postgraduate Diploma following the second year.

Modules

To graduate with a Masters degree, you will need to take 120 credits of taught modules and complete a dissertation worth 60 credits.

Year 1

The first year of the course will ensure you have a solid understanding of the different resources that can be used to explore academic subjects. You will be introduced to some of the key academic discussions, methodologies and theoretical issues in railway and transport history. You'll begin to hone your critical and analytical skills to debate and articulate your own points of view. The core modules are:

• The Coming of the Railways to Britain, 1825-1900 (20 credits)
• The Declining Profitability of the Railway Industry, 1870-1914 (20 credits)
• British Railway Workers, 1825-1921 (20 credits)

Year 2

In your second year, you will consolidate and improve your awareness of core and specialist historical concepts. Building on the first year, you'll continue to develop your research skills and critically evaluate different historical issues and situations. The core modules are:

• The Role of the Railways: Railways and Government, 1905-1945 (20 credits)
• The Railways and Society: The Railways After the Second World War, 1945-1979 (20 credits)
• Privatising British Rail, 1979-2010 (20 credits)

Year 3

• Independent Study - Dissertation (60 credits)

Academic integrity module

In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.

Dissertation

In Year 3 you will undertake a year-long independent study module. You'll apply the skills and knowledge that you've gained in previous modules and produce a 12,000-word dissertation or research project on a subject of your choice. You'll be able to select from a vast range of topics from the social, cultural, economic, technological or business history of railways, transport or mobility.

You will also take a six-week online study skills module to enhance your research, planning and writing ability.