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New Master Programmes in Medical Humanities at Durham University

The field of Medical Humanities combines the insights and perspectives of the humanities and social sciences to address, critique, and reconfigure what it means to be healthy within and beyond the domain of medicine.

Taught by a team of specialists from across the humanities and social sciences - including individuals working in healthcare and policy settings, activists, and experts by experience - this new suite of taught postgraduate programmes provides outstanding interdisciplinary training to equip you with the skills that you need for your future career.
See all four Medical Humanities programme options
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Global | Critical | Accessible

 

University student
Durham University has the highest concentration of Medical Humanities scholars in the UK. Studying the new Masters of Medical Humanities will give you exposure to and interaction with some of the leading scholars in this area.

Professor Angela Woods
Programme Director, Institute for Medical Humanities.

    

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MA Programmes in Medical Humanities

Professor Angela Woods, Medical Humanities Programme Director, talks about the impact of Medical Humanities and the scope of the four postgraduate taught Medical Humanities programmes at Durham University.

See all four postgraduate taught programmes

 

 

University student
Overall, the programme has exceeded my expectations. More importantly, it has shown me what is possible in an academic environment despite my physical limitations. In short, the format of the MA in Medical Humanities fully reflects the principles of the discipline.

Mariana Gudino-Castanon
MA Medical Humanities student

    

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Hear from Our Students

Mariana Gudino-Castanon from our first cohort of students reflects on her experience taking the MA in Medical Humanities. Listen to her story! 

See all four postgraduate taught programmes

    

A Sense of Community

Apart from Durham's unique and supportive college community, all postgraduate medical humanities students will be welcomed into the vibrant research communities of the Institute for Medical Humanities (IMH) and affiliated Departments. The Institute’s Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers (PGECR) network in Medical Humanities organises regular seminars, conferences and social events, including online events.
Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers (PGECR)
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Four Programme Options

We offer four options to enable you to find the programme which best suits your aims and preferred mode of study. Among them is the world’s first fully online MA in Medical Humanities offering maximum accessibility and flexibility.

 

University student
We have designed a bespoke programme in Medical Humanities that is unique both in its accessibility as well as the breadth of its interdisciplinarity. Students can expect coursework that fits their schedules, modules taught by a wide range of experts, and an educational model that facilitates peer-to-peer learning among an international student cohort.

Dr Adam J. Powell
Lecturer, Institute for Medical Humanities.

MA in Medical Humanities

See course details and structure, entry requirements, fees and funding and how to apply.

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MA in Medical Humanities (Online)

See course details and structure, entry requirements, fees and funding and how to apply.

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Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Humanities (Online)

See course details and structure, entry requirements, fees and funding and how to apply.

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Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Humanities (Online)

See course details and structure, entry requirements, fees and funding and how to apply.

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Superb course design: dividing the content into sections titled “read”, “watch”, “explore” and “discuss” caters to different learning styles and makes the materials come alive (and adds an element of… fun!). A varied range of assessments invites deep reflection and can be also readily applied in different professional and academic contexts.

Gosia Bugaj
Postgraduate Certificate Medical Humanities (online) student

 

 

Who can take the programme?

This suite of programmes has been designed to welcome graduates from across the humanities and social sciences, intercalating medical students and individuals with professional experience or career aspirations in clinical, policy or other health-related settings.

Please get in touch if you consider applying and let us know what you need from our team in order to thrive.

 

 

 

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Careers and Employability

The MA in Medical Humanities provides rich interdisciplinary training that is ideal not only for those aspiring to a PhD but also for those working in medicine, non-profits, policy settings, bioethics, and any context where health inequality and critical medical debates are vital.

Durham University's Career and Enterprise Centre

Get in Touch

Any questions? We are happy to help!

Institute for Medical Humanities

Durham University

Caedmon Building

Leazes Road

Durham

DH1 1SZ

T. +44 (0)191 334 8277