Thursday 14 April 2011

Jumping between Qualifications


It's been a busy and stressful month or so with the day job, but one upshot of it all is that work have agreed to fund me to study MA History with the Open University as part of staff development for my new role. I initially wanted to do the MA in military history down the road, but this one looks really interesting (albeit not much scope for "kings and queens and battles and stuff" sadly), will help with work and its all paid for. It should hopefully also give me a kick up the arse to refocus my research.

This will mean that I will be simultaneously studying for an A Level and an MA in the same subject!

Looking through the courses on offer, and bearing in mind what I need for the day job, I will study the units in crime and policing, urban history, industrialisation and poverty and welfare. Breaking from the past, I'm determined not to do the religion unit.

My plan is to spend the summer writing my coursework for the A Level and then spend the autumn, among other things, revising for the AS exam in January and beginning work on the MA. Then, between January and the summer, I'll finish off the first year of the MA and work on the A2 material, sitting the exam in May, June or whenever it is. After that I will have 6 months or so to focus on the dissertation.

After that I'd love to do a second PhD...