Medieval Studies Concentration

for the Graduate Concentration in Medieval Studies

Founded in 2001, the Program in Medieval Studies at Illinois was reconfigured in 2011 to encompass the entire medieval world (not just Europe and its Mediterranean neighbors). This wider vision, which our program was among the first to promote, recognizes the intense interconnectivity of Afro-Eurasia during a pivotal era, circa  400-1500, as well as the value of studying the global processes which affected all peoples and cultures in both hemispheres at a time of extraordinary innovation and change. The  graduate concentration in Medieval Studies is available to students who are admitted for graduate study in degree-granting departments with affiliated faculty. Interested students may apply to the concentration by contacting the Director of the Program.  The concentration features a flexible curriculum requiring a minimum of 24 hours of graduate-level coursework, including advanced training both in the various disciplines of medieval studies and in foundational languages and technical skills appropriate to the field. Students working toward the concentration are also eligible to apply for funding to cover the costs of research and conference travel, or to purchase books and special equipment.  For complete information about the program and its offerings, see the program's website.

Admission

Students who are admitted to participating graduate programs are eligible to enroll in the graduate concentration in Medieval Studies. They should contact the Director of the Program to express interest and discuss the requirements.

Faculty Research Interests

The mission of our faculty is to foster the interdisciplinary and collaborative study of the medieval globe throughout this long millennium, from approximately the fourth through the sixteenth centuries C.E., as well as their ancient antecedents and modern impacts. We sponsor seminars, conferences, symposia, and lectures open to all members of our campus community and to the general public, featuring contributions by our own faculty and student affiliates as well as by visiting scholars. The Program spans departments in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Participating Departments in LAS include Anthropology, Classics, Comparative Literature, East Asian Languages and Cultures, English, French, Germanic Languages and Literatures, History, Philosophy, Religion, Slavic Languages and Literatures, Spanish, Italian & Portuguese, and Speech Communications; and, in FAA, Architectural History, Art History, Landscape Architecture, and Music; as well as the School of Information Sciences and the University Library. For more information, visit our faculty listings.

Through this range of methods and perspectives, our program aims to create a diverse community of scholars within the University of Illinois with close connections to partner institutes and centers around the world. In keeping with our distinctive approach to the medieval past, Illinois is home to The Medieval Globe, the first academic journal to pioneer the global practice of medieval studies across all regions and disciplines. Launched in 2014, it is now entering its second decade as the premier journal of the medieval world. 

Facilities and Resources

Illinois offers extraordinary academic resources and a thriving intellectual community of scholars to support graduate studies in any aspect of medieval studies around the world. These include:

  • a pioneering approach to Medieval Studies embracing scholarship on global cultures during a broad span of time in and around the long millennium stretching from circa  400 to 1500 CE
  • some 40 affiliated faculty in a range of departments across campus 
  • one of the world’s finest academic libraries, with extensive print and electronic resources for Medieval Studies, diverse medieval manuscript holdings, and a superb Rare Book & Manuscript Library
  • a regular series of colloquia, an annual Lex Veritatis Lecture, and international symposia and conferences
  • sponsorship of a pathbreaking academic journal, The Medieval Globe
  • robust funding for graduate student research and travel, including summer travel abroad (to work in libraries or archives, visit medieval sites, or attend conferences or special seminars)
  • advanced seminars across the spectrum of the field, including an annual Spring Seminar (MDVL 500) on cross-disciplinary topics such as Animal Studies, Plants and Medicine, The Medieval Lyric, Manuscript Studies, and Medievalism.

Financial Aid

Students working toward the concentration in Medieval Studies are eligible to apply for funding to cover the costs of research and conference travel, or to purchase books and special equipment. 

for the Graduate Concentration in Medieval Studies

For additional details and requirements refer to the department's graduate concentration program and the Graduate College Handbook. 

Two graduate courses at the 400- or 500-level in Medieval Studies selected by the student and approved by the Advisory Board of Medieval Studies6-8
MDVL 500Seminar in Medieval Studies4
Reading knowledge of a major international medieval language essential to the student’s field of specialization, as determined by the student in consultation with a faculty supervisor and with the approval of the Director, as demonstrated by completion of a college-level course with a grade of B or better. Note: Students who fulfill this requirement by taking courses at the 200- or 300-level may be required to take additional coursework at the 400- and 500-level to meet the requirement of 24 hours of graduate-level coursework.3-4
Reading knowledge of another medieval language with a minimum grade of B, or completion of a one-semester introductory course in a medieval language (such as FR 531 or ENGL 507) with a minimum grade of B, or an equivalent approved by the Medieval Studies Advisory Committee.4
Thesis Hours Required (min/max applied toward degree)6-8
Total Hours24

Other Requirements

Other requirements may overlap
A dissertation or thesis in the area of Medieval Studies.
A member of one of the cooperating departments external to the student's home department will be a member of the student's dissertation or thesis committee.
In addition to the graduate concentration requirements, students must also complete the requirements of their major degree.

for the Graduate Concentration in Medieval Studies

The Graduate Concentration in Medieval Studies enables students to demonstrate:

  1. A working graduate-level knowledge of global premodern studies in addition to their primary field of study.
  2. The ability to engage with scholarship across a range of disciplinary approaches.
  3. The skills to conduct independent, original research that makes a contribution both to their major discipline and to the field of Medieval Studies, more broadly.

for the Graduate Concentration in Medieval Studies

Program in Medieval Studies

Director: Professor Carol Symes, symes@illinois.edu
Program in Medieval Studies website
Medieval Studies Faculty
107D English Building, 608 South Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 265-6254

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences website

Admissions

Graduate College Admissions & Requirements