Economic & Social History/History

Economic and social history uniquely combines the study of history and the social sciences, focusing on social and economic structures, activities, and experiences over time. The discipline examines how people in the past lived and worked, and how this has affected the development of the world today. Pairing it with history at the University of Glasgow deepens and diversifies your engagement with the past, bringing together the structural analysis of economic and social history with the political, cultural, and narrative approaches more typical of history as a discipline.

This part-time programme gives you the flexibility to pursue these subjects alongside other commitments, developing your skills as a researcher and analyst at a pace that suits your life. You will explore topics spanning trade and commerce, industrialisation, standards of living, class and inequality, migration, gender and labour, and the long-run economic development of regions and nations, alongside broader historical study covering political history, cultural history, and the history of ideas. The year abroad option gives you the chance to study in another country, broadening your comparative perspective on how different societies have developed over time.

Graduates from economic and social history and history combinations are valued across a wide range of careers. The analytical, research, and communication skills you develop transfer well into finance, policy, journalism, the civil service, heritage, education, law, and business. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in history, economic history, social science research, or public policy, and the combination of quantitative and qualitative analytical skills you develop is increasingly valued in research roles across both academic and policy environments.