Graduate Medieval Studies

Graduate students Stephen Powell, Patrick DeBrosse, and Amanda Racine present the initial launch of The Siege of Antioch Project, a Digital Humanities initiative begun by the Center for Medieval Studies in collaboration with UK-based scholars.

Known for its excellence in diverse fields of medieval research, Fordham University offers the master of arts degree in medieval studies and a doctoral-level Advanced Certificate in Medieval Studies. Fordham's intimate size and tradition of devotion to teaching offers students an intellectual climate in which faculty members, well-known and active in the scholarly community, encourage and support students in their academic pursuits. The University offers graduate assistantships and fellowships to a limited number of students.

Embracing the full sweep of artistic, literary, scholastic and cultural issues that make medieval civilization such a rich field of study, the degree programs draw on the expertise of faculty in the departments of art and music history, classics, English, history, modern languages and literature (French, German, Italian, and Spanish), philosophy, political science, and theology. Each year the Center offers several specifically interdisciplinary courses that bring together specialists in different fields, on the assumption that our understanding and appreciation of medieval civilization is particularly enriched by a multi-disciplinary perspective. Technical preparation is key to these interdisciplinary studies, so the graduate program emphasizes diverse research skills that range from examining primary documents to creating and managing databases.

The program, administered through its Director and through the Center for Medieval Studies, is located at the Rose Hill campus. The Center houses a small library and discussion area available to students. The main University library is especially strong in its medieval holdings. Fordham's location in New York City affords easy access to other major libraries (such as the Pierpont Morgan Library and the New York Public Library), museums (for example, The Cloisters and the Metropolitan Museum of Art), and other institutions of higher learning. A University-operated campus shuttle makes regular trips between the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses throughout the day and evening.

The Center supports the exchange of views and information through its annual conferences, lecture series, publications, and professional workshops. Fordham faculty are also invited to address colleagues and students informally, and graduate students have also presented lectures.