Start a Masters course in January

The following courses in each Department or School are offered with a January-start option. Click through to the course pages to learn more about each one.

Department of Economics:

• MSc Economics of Business and Management

Department of Government:

• Master of Public Policy: The Essex MPP
• MA Politics

Department of Language and Linguistics:

• MA Applied Linguistics
• MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Department of Psychology:

• MSc Psychology

Edge Hotel School:

• MSc International Hospitality Management

Essex Business School:

• The Essex MBA (full-time study)
• The Essex MBA (part-time study)
• MSc Business Analytics
• MSc Management
• Master of Business Management (MBM)

Essex Law School:

• LLM International Law
• LLM International Commercial and Business Law

School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering:

• MSc Artificial Intelligence
• MSc Artificial Intelligence and its Applications

School of Health and Social Care:

• MSc Global Public Health

School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science:

• MSc Applied Data Science
• MSc Data Science and its Applications

Information on applying for these courses is given further down this page, including application deadlines

When you choose to start your Masters degree is entirely up to you and what suits your personal needs best. Starting your degree in January may just be more convenient for you than starting in October (which is the traditional time to start a Masters degree at Essex).

Whether you begin in October or January, you will qualify with the same degree at the end of your period of study.

Yes, both October and January start dates will enable you to graduate with the same qualification.

No, if you begin your course in October, your studies will finish the following October. If you start in January, your studies will end the following January. For example, if you start in January 2024, you will complete your course in January 2025.

Applications for January 2024 entry are now closed for all courses.

We expect applications for January 2025 to open later in the year.

Please be aware that some of our courses may close earlier than the deadlines we publish, so if you are interested in one of our courses, we recommend applying as soon as possible so that you don't miss out. Learn more about how to apply and other important things to consider during the application process.

We offer a range of scholarships and financial packages that help students afford the tuition fee costs and other expenses of studying a postgraduate course at Essex. For students starting their degrees in January, we currently have the following available:

• Academic Excellence International Masters Scholarship
• Africa Postgraduate Scholarship
• Masters (PGT) EU Scholarship
• Masters Excellence Scholarship
• The Essex MBA Dean's Award

We also offer an Alumni Loyalty Discount to students who are currently studying their undergraduate degree at Essex and progress onto a postgraduate taught course or are returning to Essex after time away from education and previously studied at Essex.

There's also a wide range of other financial support options to consider, including loans, for students starting postgraduate degrees at Essex.

There will be a range of accommodation available for all full-time postgraduate students who are starting their course in January. 

Once you have received and accepted an offer of study from the University, you will be able to apply for accommodation on campus. Aim to get this done as soon as possible to secure your preferred option. Take a look at the choices available for postgraduate students, which includes North Towers, The Meadows and University Quays at our Colchester Campus and University Square at our Southend Campus.

If you would like to virtually look around our Colchester Campus and accommodation, check out our virtual tour.