A master's degree in magic set to be offered at a UK university

A master's degree in magic will soon be available for students to study at a UK university.

The University of Exeter will run the MA course in Magic and Occult Science from September 2024 and will be one of the first courses of its kind in the country.

Students will get the opportunity to learn the history and impact of witchcraft and magic on society and science in the West and East, as per the BBC.

It is a one-year course, and a "recent surge in interest in magic” is the reason why the degree is now being offered, according to the course leader.

Module-wise, students can expect dragons in western literature and art, the legend of King Arthur, palaeography, Islamic thought, archaeological theory and practice and the depiction of women in the Middle Ages.

In terms of staffing, students will be taught by academics with expertise in history, literature, philosophy, archaeology, sociology, psychology, drama, and religion from the university's Streatham Campus.

“A recent surge in interest in magic and the occult inside and outside of academia lies at the heart of the most urgent questions of our society," course leader Prof Emily Selove said.

“Decolonisation, the exploration of alternative epistemologies, feminism and anti-racism are at the core of this programme.”

The course will be offered at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies.

Prof Selove added: “This MA will allow people to re-examine the assumption that the West is the place of rationalism and science, while the rest of the world is a place of magic and superstition."

While career prospects for the degree include teaching, counselling, mentoring, heritage and museum work, and work in libraries, tourism, arts organisations or the publishing industry.

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