This course 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 9-month course 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. During the MPhil, students should have: developed a deeper knowledge of their chosen area within Anglo- Saxon, Norse and Celtic and of the critical debates within it; developed an understanding of critical debates which allows the evaluation of current research in their dissertation field and shown independent judgement based on their own research. By the end of their course, students should have: acquired and/or consolidated linguistic, palaeographical or other scholarly skills; participated effectively in seminar discussions and made an oral presentation of their research and learnt how to schedule independent research to produce written work of a high standard to a strict deadline. MPhil students may apply to continue to a PhD in ASNC; the academic condition for continuation is 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.