History and Law

History and law is a pairing that develops complementary and mutually reinforcing analytical skills, examining both the record of human societies across time and the legal systems through which those societies have regulated themselves. History teaches you to read complex evidence critically, to construct coherent arguments from diverse sources and to understand the long processes of social, economic and cultural change that have produced the world we live in. Law provides precise training in legal doctrine and reasoning, covering contracts, torts, criminal law, constitutional principles and the skills of applying legal rules to factual situations.

At the University of Strathclyde you will study across four years of full-time study, including a year abroad that broadens your perspective on how different historical and legal traditions have evolved. Strathclyde's history classes cover periods and themes from Scotland and its distinctive historical traditions through to global and comparative history, while the law component provides a thorough grounding in Scots and English law and the legal principles that underpin professional practice. The combination develops both disciplines' analytical demands, training you to be at once historically sensitive and legally precise.

Graduates in history and law are well placed for the further professional training required for careers as solicitors or advocates, and the historical grounding provides particular depth for work in areas such as constitutional law, public international law and legal history. Many graduates also move into careers in journalism, the civil service, policy research, academia, publishing, archiving and the heritage sector, where the combination of rigorous historical analysis and legal understanding is distinctively valuable. Postgraduate study in law, history, legal history, public policy or archival science is a natural route for those seeking to develop specialist expertise.