- Degree awarded
- Master of Arts
- Duration
- 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time
- Entry requirements
-
We normally expect students to have a First or Upper Second Class honours degree (or its overseas equivalent) or at least one years’ experience in a research focused archive or library setting.
- How to apply
- Apply online
Course options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA | Y | Y | N | N |
Course overview
- Explore emerging critical approaches in librarianship and archival practice.
- Undertake a work placement at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library or a library or archive in or around Manchester.
- Develop a career in the library or archiving sector.
- Gain hands-on experience with archives and special collections material in coursework.
- Build relevant computational skills to prepare for the role of machine learning and artificial intelligence in the contemporary libraries and archives.
Open days
We are pleased to be able to offer individual virtual drop-in sessions with course director Dr Benjamin Wiggins. This will be your chance to talk about the course content, teaching methods, facilities and collections, and application process. Sign up for these sessions is available here .
Find out what it's like to study at Manchester by visiting us on one of our open days .
Fees
Fees for entry in 2025 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2024 were as follows:
-
MA (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £13,500
International, including EU, students (per annum): £27,000 -
MA (part-time)
UK students (per annum): £6,750
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.
Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Each year the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures offer a number of School awards and Subject-specific bursaries (the values of which are usually set at Home/EU fees level), open to both Home/EU and international students. The deadline for these is early February each year. Details of all funding opportunities, including deadlines, eligibility and how to apply, can be found on the School's funding page where you can also find details of the Government Postgraduate Loan Scheme.
See also the University's postgraduate funding database to see if you are eligible for any other funding opportunities.
For University of Manchester graduates, the Manchester Alumni Bursary offers a £3,000 reduction in tuition fees to University of Manchester alumni who achieved a 1st within the last three years and are progressing to a postgraduate taught masters course.
The Manchester Master's Bursary is a University-wide scheme that offers 100 bursaries worth £3,000 in funding for students from underrepresented groups.
Postgraduate 1+3 funding is available from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for students to pursue postgraduate study through a master's (one year) leading into a PhD (3 years). It requires a project proposal as part of the application. Information is available here:
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
- MASALC@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/icp/
- School/Faculty
-
Dr Benjamin Wiggins is Senior Lecturer of History and Library & Archive Studies.
He is the author of Calculating Race: Racial Discrimination in Risk Assessment (2020) and History and Technology: Twenty-First Century Methods for Researching the Past (2025)—both published by Oxford University Press.
Dr Benjamin Wiggins / Course DirectorSee: About us
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Regulated by the Office for Students
The University of Manchester is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS aims to help students succeed in Higher Education by ensuring they receive excellent information and guidance, get high quality education that prepares them for the future and by protecting their interests. More information can be found at the OfS website.
You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Manchester, including our Degree Regulations and Complaints Procedure, on our regulations website.