History

History is one of the foundational disciplines of the humanities, and at its best it is far more than the memorisation of dates and events. It is an active and critical practice of inquiry, requiring you to locate, evaluate, and interpret sources, engage with competing scholarly accounts of the past, and construct well-evidenced arguments about why things happened as they did and what significance those events carry. Historical awareness, as St Andrews puts it, enriches contemporary experience by linking present with past, helping you recognise the cultural and social values that have shaped societies across the globe.

At St Andrews this four-year full-time programme takes you across the full range of human activity over time, from political and military history to social, cultural, and intellectual history. You will develop the skills to evaluate different kinds of evidence, from documents and archives to material culture and visual sources, and to interpret and communicate that evidence effectively. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study at an international partner institution and experience historical inquiry in a different educational and cultural context.

The four-year Scottish MA structure allows the programme to develop your historical understanding with greater breadth and depth than a three-year degree typically permits.

Critical thinking, careful writing, and the ability to make sense of complexity and ambiguity are developed throughout, preparing you well for the many careers in which these capacities are valued.

Graduates of history programmes move into careers in education, heritage and museums, archives and records management, publishing, journalism, the civil service, law, international affairs, and a wide range of other roles in both public and private sectors. Many continue to postgraduate study in history, heritage, law, or education. The intellectual skills developed through historical study have genuine and wide-ranging professional value.