The graduate certificate in Medieval and Early Modern Studies (ca. 500-1700) offers valuable training to students who specialize in Medieval, Early Modern, or Medieval & Early Modern fields. The program integrates important methodologies (in archival research, book history, digital humanities, for example) and a broad spectrum of specialized content. The aim is to enrich the interdisciplinary training of graduate students and foster an intellectual community of students and faculty supporting education and research. We offer a variety of courses from which students tailor electives to best enhance their degree program. This can be especially valuable for doctoral students as humanities faculty positions in early periods ask increasingly for competence across fields, especially in contingent periods.
Admission to Graduate Studies
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
- English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required.
Students must formally apply to the certificate program no later than the last semester they take a course that will count towards the certificate.
Required Supplemental Documents
- C.V. or Resume
- Personal statement declaring your interest in Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS) and its relationship to your graduate course of study and/or career objectives
Current KU students:
- An endorsement from your graduate degree program
- Copies of official KU Advising report in lieu of an official transcript
Non-KU students:
- Three letters of recommendation
- Copies of official transcripts from all institutions from which a degree was obtained and from all institutions attended post-bachelor's
For additional information on admission to a graduate certificate program at KU, see the policy on Admission to Graduate Study. Applications may be submitted via the Graduate Admissions website.
The Graduate Certificate in Medieval and Early Modern Studies requires the completion of 12 credits of coursework in the student’s area of research interest chosen from the list of approved elective courses listed below. The choices must be approved by a Medieval Studies advisor in the home department in advance. Courses not on the list but may be compatible must be approved by the certificate administrators. Please note that reading and conference courses do not count for the certificate. At least 50% of coursework counted towards the certificate must be 700 level or above.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 12 |
| Renaissance English Literature: _____ | |
| Milton | |
| Shakespeare: _____ | |
| Topics in Early Modern Literature: _____ | |
| Old French | |
| Studies in Medieval French Literature: _____ | |
| Studies in Sixteenth Century French Literature: _____ | |
| Early Medieval and Romanesque Art | |
| Gothic Art | |
| Medieval Manuscripts and Early Printed Books | |
| Art in the Age of Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer: Northern Baroque | |
| Special Study in Medieval Art: _____ | |
| Special Study in Baroque Art: _____ | |
| Seminar in Medieval Art: _____ | |
| Seminar in 17th Century European Art: ______ | |
| The Age of the Renaissance | |
| The Age of the Reformation | |
| Medieval Russia | |
| The Cultural Impact of Ottoman Empire on the South Slavs | |
| Old Church Slavic | |
| Special Topics in Spanish Literature: _____ | |
| Topics in the Literature of 13th- and 14th-Century Iberia: _____ | |
| Print Culture in Early Modern Spain | |
| Topics in Early Modern Spanish Drama: _____ | |
| Don Quixote | |
| Seminar: Medieval Literature: _____ | |
| Total Hours | 12 |
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- acquire basic knowledge of MEMS and demonstrate the acquisition of field knowledge.
- increase their interdisciplinary and diversity of their studies by undertaking varied coursework in field and in other departments.
- acquire additional research skills, especially research methodologies and techniques of analysis.
