German and Modern History

German and modern history is a combination that explores one of the most intensely documented and historically significant relationships in European history: that between Germany and the broader currents of modern European and world history. At the University of St Andrews, this MA programme runs over four years of full-time study and includes a year abroad. As the current description notes, you will develop language and communication skills in German to a high level of proficiency while exploring the rich cultural heritage of the German-speaking lands, with the freedom to choose from a broad range of course options that reflect your particular interests.

German history is central to the history of modern Europe: the Reformation, the Enlightenment, the creation of the German nation-state, two world wars, the Holocaust, the Cold War, and German reunification are all pivotal events in the European and global story, and the Germany that emerged from these experiences is now the largest economy in Europe and a central actor in European governance. Studying German alongside modern history gives you access to the primary sources, the cultural context, and the intellectual traditions that make genuinely deep historical understanding of Germany possible. The history strand develops your analytical and research skills across the modern period, situating German history within broader European and global contexts.

The year abroad provides immersive experience in the German-speaking world.

Graduates of German and modern history programmes are well placed for careers in diplomacy, European institutions, journalism, international business, think tanks and policy research, law, education, and the cultural sector. Germany's continued centrality to European affairs makes German language expertise a genuinely valuable professional qualification. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in German studies, European history, international relations, or related disciplines.

Others move directly into careers that draw on their combined linguistic, cultural, and historical knowledge. The analytical skills in working with evidence, constructing arguments, and engaging with contested historical questions that the history strand develops are broadly transferable across careers in public life.