MPhil Politics and Contemporary History

This programme is offered within the Department of Political Economy, and focuses on research into politics, policy-making, and government in Britain in the recent past. We understand this broadly to include local politics, society and activism, economic policy and the City of London, as well as central government, foreign policy, political parties and Whitehall. Current supervisors include Dr Michael Kandiah, Dr Andrew Blick and Professor Roger Mortimore. Within the Department of Political Economy, the Centre for British Politics and Government includes the Witness Seminar programme formerly run by the Institute of Contemporary British History, and works with History & Policy, directed by Dr Andrew Blick, which works for better public policy through an understanding of history by connecting historians, policy makers and the media. All students on the doctoral programme are initially registered for an MPhil. At the beginning of the programme you will work with your supervisors to assess your individual training needs. You will use this to develop a personalised training schedule that draws on foundational and advanced courses made available to you through the King’s Doctoral College, the London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS-DTP) and the Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network. These courses will hone your academic skills and prepare you for the demands of your specific research project.

Master's degree with Merit in History, Politics, Public Policy, or other relevant discipline, with proven ability (such as in an undergraduate dissertation) for conducting extended research and writing. In exceptional circumstances only, a Bachelors degree with 2:1 honours may be considered without further study where there is a convincing case based upon the candidate's broader work experience.