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What is Medieval and Renaissance Studies?

Medieval and Renaissance Studies is a field of study focused on a period of time in European history from the 14th century to the 17th century.  The Medieval and Renaissance period is cited by historians and scholars as one of the most significant period in Western history.

The Renaissance period is situated between the final stages of antiquity and the nascent years of modernity.  It is a period of time creating many habits and institutions shaping our current worldview.

Literary examples coming from the Renaissance period include classic writings of Chaucer, Milton, Saint Francis, Saint Augustine, and Malory.  Meanwhile, historical events like the impact of the Black Death to creations of Renaissance and Reformation Europe shape this period of time.  In short, Medieval and Renaissance times are chalk full of  historical significance.

Career Summary

MEDIAN SALARY

$73,750

PERCENT ABOVE NATIONAL
INCOME AVERAGE

49.74%

TOTAL SECTOR EMPLOYMENT

28,720

Degree Median Salary vs Adjacent Degree Types

Source: BLS, US Census, and IPEDS

2024 Best Medieval and Renaissance Studies Degree

Harvard University's Department of History offers programs of study for undergraduate and graduate students and is home to a vibrant and dynamic community of scholars. The Department has over 50 faculty members with a wide range of research specialties. Their world-class scholarship garners awards, fellowships, and acclaim, strengthening the recognition of their department as a powerhouse of historical scholarship. Students work closely with faculty as they engage in coursework, prepare for and take their general exams, work as teaching fellows, and complete their dissertations. Graduates go on to a variety of successful careers in a range of fields including academia, law, and government.

Acceptance Rate

4.64

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

Yale University's Renaissance Studies offers graduate students the opportunity to focus on the history and culture of the late medieval and early modern periods. The program draws upon the rich resources of various departments, libraries, and museums at Yale. The Graduate students in the program pursue the Ph.D. degree jointly with one of eight departments. The program offers a combined Ph.D. degree with a second department and integrates concentration in that department with interdisciplinary study of the broader range of culture in the Renaissance and the early modern period.

Acceptance Rate

6.08

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

Brown University's Medieval Studies offers a concentration in Medieval Culture and the track in Late Antique Culture. Students study the sixth through the fifteenth centuries. Combining interdisciplinary perspectives on these periods with an in-depth study of one or two related disciplines. Late Antique culture provides students with knowledge during the ninth century when ancient cultural forms were still in place but medieval cultures were beginning to take shape simultaneously.

Acceptance Rate

7.07

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

The University of Chicago's Medieval Studies offers an interdisciplinary major and minor. Allowing students to explore the history, literature, art, philosophy, theology, and cultural production of the Middle Ages. Graduates have gone on to excel in a variety of fields inside and outside of academia. This degree teaches students to be critically analytical that will help their future, whether it be in history, politics, or fiction writing.

Acceptance Rate

6.17

Student to Faculty Ratio

5:1

Duke University's Medieval and Renaissance Studies is a vibrant, cross-disciplinary humanities program. Drawing together faculty and students from many departments across the university to study and research. They aim to provide a community of intellectual engagement that respects the traditions of the past while carefully critiquing it and how they go about doing so. Graduate students may obtain their Certificate in Interdisciplinary Medieval and Renaissance Studies and participate in programming that affords opportunities to engage with faculty and students from disciplines beyond their specialties.

Acceptance Rate

7.6

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

Pomona College's Late Antique-Medieval Studies as a scholarly field is dedicated to a deeper understanding of the greater Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Students have the opportunity to explore these fertile cultural encounters from a multi-disciplinary perspective with appropriate attention to the original languages. Providing a cohesive, inventive curriculum for their students. They regularly communicate with each other and exchange unique ideas about their scholarly work.

Acceptance Rate

7.4

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

The University of Notre Dame's Medieval Institute is the nation's largest and most prestigious center for understanding the Middle Ages. It affirms the understanding that individuals possess innate dignity. All persons are made in the image and likeness of God, an idea underscored by the Judeo-Christian belief. Students learn that European poets and story-tellers invented vernacular literature while reading classical poetry and Middle-Eastern frame tales. Their graduate and undergraduate programs train future medieval scholars and leaders in all walks of life.

Acceptance Rate

15.83

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

Swarthmore College has a top-rated Medieval Studies program where scholars are inspired by an array of distinct intellectual experiences and breakthroughs. Students learn knowledge from the Middle Ages a distinct historical and cultural period in a variety of civilizations. A couple of medieval scholars might study medieval Latin poetry accompanied by the tunes of the poems and appreciate how poetry has always been. A couple of faculty members may have explored medieval cathedrals, castles, and cloisters, and been inspired to want to know more about the lives and thoughts of the societies that produced those structures.

Acceptance Rate

8.93

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Cornell University's Medieval Studies is designed to provide students with expertise and professional success in the fields. The program also presents graduate students with combinations of scholars in clusters of study that might not be as visible in traditionally defined departmental graduate training. Their diverse faculty attracts exceptional graduate students from all areas of Medieval Studies and guides them to dissertations. Students also enjoy the benefits of carefully mentored training in pedagogical techniques and classroom skills. They are involved in the program and contribute to a lively and varied community of medievalists that spans Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences.    

Acceptance Rate

10.85

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Georgetown University's Global Medieval Studies offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate major and minor in the College as well as minors in the School of Foreign Service and Business Schools. The program empowers students as culturally literate global citizens through an interdisciplinary study of cultures removed in time and space. They develop skills in research, analysis, critical inquiry, rhetoric, writing, and elements shared by many other fields that make their interdisciplinary range. Graduates have gone on to a variety of successful post-graduate experiences. The program's faculty and courses draw from more than fifteen different disciplines within the University.

Acceptance Rate

14.36

Student to Faculty Ratio

11:1

Rice University's Medieval and Early Studies enables students to study medieval and early modern cultures. The program combines a broad background in various aspects of medieval and early modern culture with more specialized study in a selected field. It is an interdisciplinary major. Offering an undergraduate minor for students who wish to master a core body of basic knowledge about medieval and early modern studies.

Acceptance Rate

8.72

Student to Faculty Ratio

N.A

Washington and Lee University's Medieval and Renaissance degree is an interdisciplinary program. Students examine different perspectives using diverse methods. Courses in the traditional field of study combine to form a comprehensive program whereby an entire culture can be encountered on a variety of levels. Offering over sixty courses organized into four broad categories. Students concentrate their studies in one or two fields. Graduates go onto careers in law, academics, medicine, teaching, museum curatorship, government service, and business.

Acceptance Rate

18.57

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Claremont McKenna College is one of the nation's top liberal arts colleges. They are dedicated to preparing students to make a great difference. Educating students for thoughtful and productive lives and roles of responsible leadership. Providing them with advising, mentoring, and networking support that is tailored to each student's professional goals. The College emphasizes the integration of leadership and innovation experience within institutes, student enterprises, on-campus fellowships, and sponsored off-campus internships.      

Acceptance Rate

10.3

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Barnard College's Medieval and Renaissance Studies enable students to acquire a thorough knowledge of the most important aspects of Medieval or Renaissance civilizations. Students have the opportunity to gain awareness of the interdependence of historical and cultural developments. The program is an interdisciplinary course. It offers an intensive exploration of the literature, history, religion, languages, and art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Acceptance Rate

11.77

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor's Medieval and Early Modern Studies is an interdisciplinary program. The students and faculty are from various departments and degree programs across the university. The program is distinctive because of its global conception embracing work in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas as well as Europe. Students are inspired by the program because of their new crew of faculty members making it relevant and intriguing.             

Acceptance Rate

22.91

Student to Faculty Ratio

11:1

Wellesley College's Medieval/Renaissance Studies enables students to explore the richness and variety of European and Mediterranean civilizations. The program has a strong interdisciplinary emphasis. They encourage students to make connections between the approaches and subject matters in the different fields that make up the major. The program requires to encourage special competence in at least one field.

Acceptance Rate

21.56

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Tulane University of Louisiana's Medieval and Early Modern Studies offers a flexible major and minor designed to foster knowledge of the medieval and early modern worlds. Providing students’ the analytic tools and historical understanding necessary for navigating their own interconnected, globalized world. The program draws on the expertise of faculty members from multiple departments within the School of Liberal Arts. Encouraging students to choose their course of study according to their interests.

Acceptance Rate

12.87

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Vassar College's Medieval and Renaissance Studies is designed to provide the student with a coherent, multidisciplinary, and cross-cultural course of study. Students are expected to elect work from three groups of disciplines. They are also expected to gain a reading knowledge of requisite foreign languages. They write an interdisciplinary essay under the supervision of one or more of the participating faculty.

Acceptance Rate

23.74

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

Scripps College's Ancient Studies and Late Antique-Medieval Studies is an intercollegiate program. The department sponsors the study of the diverse cultures of the ancient Mediterranean. Courses provide students with the opportunity to read ancient literature both in the original languages and in English translation. Students pursuing the program are encouraged to study abroad in Athens or Rome. The second track of the program is designed for students who desire a comprehensive background in the ancient world.

Acceptance Rate

32

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

Smith College's Medieval Studies program provides students an understanding of the unity and of the diversity of European civilization in the Middle Ages as expressed in art, history, literature, music, and religion. Students demonstrate the ability to conduct academic work. Achieve linguistic proficiency in a medieval language. Providing the ability to conduct research and to express ideas clearly and cogently in written and spoken language.

Acceptance Rate

32.46

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

College of the Holy Cross' Medieval and Renaissance Studies allows students to design an interdisciplinary major or minor. Explore the rich confluence of cultures in Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Program faculty will advise students on the connections to be made across disciplines and periods and assist them in building coherent curricula around their interests. The program seeks to forge among various disciplines. It encourages students to think across artificial boundaries and to pursue the same synthesis. The institution prides itself on an unusually rich faculty researching the medieval and early modern periods.  

Acceptance Rate

34.22

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

The University of Georgia's Medieval and Early Modern Literary Studies is a central pillar of British and Irish Studies, Material Textualities, and the Theories of Cultural Representation. Students frequently write dissertations within a wide array of critical approaches. They are encouraged to develop methods and archival research skills appropriate to their area of study. They also encourage professional training and development, regularly sending graduate students on competitive teaching assistantships.

Acceptance Rate

45.3

Student to Faculty Ratio

17:1

The University of California-Santa Barbara's Medieval Studies degree is an interdisciplinary program in which European and Middle Eastern civilizations of the Middle Ages can be explored from the viewpoint of many traditions. Students can build a program around one or two disciplines. The program operates in close cooperation with the Medieval Academy of America. Each year at least one upper-division course from another department that fulfills the requirements of the medieval studies major will be cross-listed as Medieval Studies.

Acceptance Rate

29.56

Student to Faculty Ratio

22:1

Connecticut College focuses on providing a high education to students while putting  liberal arts learning methods into action as citizens in a global society. The institution embraced several core values to further its instruction. Their values help the College create a challenging academic environment that fosters reflection on a lifetime of learning and community involvement. They facilitate opportunities in the belief that a diversity of experiences is essential for genuine academic excellence.

Acceptance Rate

37.41

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

St. Olaf College's Medieval Studies course is integrated into the department of history and relies upon a series courses to provide a historical foundation of this era.  Students choose electives from the various departmental courses that deal primarily or entirely with the Middle Ages. The goal of the program is competence in Latin at the intermediate level, familiarity with medieval European civilizations, and in-depth knowledge of one subject area within the major. Students must demonstrate talent with Latin, skill in researching a medieval topic, and broad knowledge of medieval European civilization.    

Acceptance Rate

47.51

Student to Faculty Ratio

12:1

Top Medieval & Renaissance Degrees

Renaissance and Medieval degree programs offered by accredited higher education institutions can include a number of different learning modalities. As an example, a school may provide students with the ability to enroll in a distance learning program, a traditional on-site classroom program, and a hybrid learning platform.

A hybrid learning modality blends an online learning program with an on-site program by requiring students to meet for lectures at established intervals during a semester or quarter. Given the preponderance of evidence in the last decade, the popularity of online learning will continue to permeate the higher education landscape to meet the growing demand from students and employers.

Renaissance Degree Types

In addition to selecting the appropriate learning modality, you will have the ability to select a degree program that best suits your goals and aspirations. Colleges may provide multiple degree levels to meet your academic objectives. Degrees may include undergraduate degree options like an Associates of Arts (AA) or Bachelors of Arts (BA).

Likewise, you may pursue a graduate-level degree that can be conferred as a Master of Arts (MA) or PhD. It is important to know that the doctorate degree in Medieval & Renaissance Studies is most often conferred as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) which requires students to meet all lower-level requirements plus the successful completion of a board-approved dissertation.

Renaissance Degree Requirements

Given the span of degree pathways, you can expect students to take varying levels of classes given the degree level selected. For example, a student enrolled in Medieval & Renaissance program at the AA or BA degree level will need to complete general studies such as English composition, economics, philosophy, sociology, creative writing, communications, and psychology plus core classes. Meanwhile, a graduate student will have fewer, more intensive classes that will culminate with a thesis and dissertation, for a masters degree and PhD degree respectively.

Courses in a Renaissance Degree

Classes you may find in a Medieval & Renaissance degree program will vary slightly from school to school. However, you can expect to take similar core classes from college to college. Below you will find a common set of core classes to help you understand classes in a typical program.

  • Medieval & Renaissance Literature & Language
  • Social & Cultural Changes in Medieval Times
  • Introduction to Renaissance Studies
  • Medieval & Renaissance Culture & History
  • Renaissance Music and Art
  • Renaissance and Medieval Art
  • Globalization Studies
  • Renaissance Poetry
  • Economic Analysis & Social Impact in Medieval Times
  • Historical Impact of the Renaissance

Employment Outlook & History Specializations

Undergraduate and graduate students earning a Renaissance studies degree will have various careers to consider.  Pathways after college can include teaching, research, curriculum design, artists, historian, author, public speaker, blogger, or training specialist.

Jobs associated with history degrees are forecast to be on par with the national average of 6% for the foreseeable future.  As an example, careers in teaching are expected to jump 13% for college professors and 7% for high school teachers in the coming decade.   The largest employers of historians are the federal government and state government followed by private industry and research firms.

Additional Resources in Renaissance and Medieval Studies

Students seeking additional information during their time of matriculation in Medieval and Renaissance studies can connect with national and regional organizations in the field of study.  These organizations include the following:

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