Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic

The MPhil in Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic is designed for students who have already undertaken a first degree incorporating work in some of the subjects encompassed by the Department. Our MPhil programme provides a nine-month course (October to June) in the scholarly methods and disciplines relevant to the study of the history, languages, literatures, and material culture of the peoples of Britain and Ireland, Brittany and Scandinavia in the earlier Middle Ages.

The course enables candidates to achieve an understanding of early Insular culture as a whole, as well as specialising in aspects of particular interest, whether historical, palaeographical, literary, or linguistic. Training is given in scholarly methods and practices, complemented by instruction in the particular fields of the candidate's interests.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

During the MPhil, students should have:

1. developed a deeper knowledge of their chosen area within Anglo- Saxon, Norse and Celtic, and of the critical debates within it;
2. developed an understanding of critical debates which allows the evaluation of current research in their dissertation field; and
3. shown independent judgement based on their own research.

Skills and other attributes

By the end of their course, students should have:

1.  acquired or consolidated linguistic, palaeographical or other scholarly skills;
2.  participated effectively in seminar discussions and made an oral presentation of their research; and
3.  learned how to schedule independent research to produce written work of a high standard to a strict deadline.

Continuing

MPhil students may apply to continue to a PhD in ASNC; the academic condition for continuation is normally an overall mark of 70 or more in the MPhil course, and 70 or more for the dissertation. A viva on the dissertation is compulsory for all students who have been made an offer for continuation to PhD.

Open Days

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the beginning of November. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the Postgraduate Open Day page for more details.

This course is advertised in the following departments:

Apply using the Applicant Portal 

Please make sure you read the terms and conditions of using the University of Cambridge Applicant Portal before proceeding with our application.

When you have completed the necessary preparation, and you are ready to begin your online application, you should take note of the following important information:

1. Go to the Course Directory and find the course you wish to apply for, then click the Apply Now button in the How to Apply tab.
2. All applications must be completed in English.
3. You can request your references in the Applicant Portal, and see when these have been received.
4. You must then submit all required supporting documentation at the same time as the rest of your application.
5. You can also apply for funding via the Applicant Portal.
6. There is an application charge of (GBP sterling) £75 per application (unless you are from a country which is eligible for fee waiver). The Postgraduate School of Life Sciences has a scheme which enables three applications to be made with payment of a single £75 application fee. A list of other eligible courses and further information can be found here. You can make the payment by providing your card details to our secure server when you submit your online application. More information about the application fee can be found on the Application Fee page.
7. You will need to submit a separate application, with separate supporting documents, for each course you wish to apply for. Unless the courses you are applying for is a part of the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences scheme, you will be charged the application fee for each application you make.
8. Your application will not be considered until all the supporting documentation, including references, has been provided.

Upload Supporting Documentation

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Please check your course's entry to see what supporting documents you will be required to submit. For more information on what the specific requirements of each document are, and how to submit them, please see the section on Supporting Documentation.