Modern History and Psychology

Modern history and psychology are disciplines that address human experience from different but complementary perspectives. History examines how people, societies, and institutions have changed over time, drawing on evidence from documents, material culture, and the records of the past to understand why things happened as they did and what significance those events carry. Psychology examines the mechanisms underlying human thought, feeling, and behaviour, using experimental and observational methods to build a scientific understanding of how minds work and why people do what they do.

Together they provide an unusually complete perspective on what it means to be human.

At St Andrews this four-year full-time programme gives you the opportunity to develop both subjects to a high level, taking advantage of the breadth and depth that the Scottish MA structure provides. Your modern history studies will engage with the major events, movements, and transformations of the past two centuries, developing your skills in evaluating evidence, constructing historical arguments, and situating events in their broader contexts. Your psychology work will introduce you to the full range of areas studied by psychologists, including perception, cognition, motivation, and behaviour, with an emphasis on research techniques and practical classes from the start of the programme.

The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study at an international partner institution and experience both disciplines from a different educational and cultural vantage point.

Graduates of this combination are well placed for careers that value both historical and psychological insight, including roles in education, healthcare, research, the civil service, policy, journalism, and the cultural sector. Many continue to postgraduate study in either psychology or history, with those wishing to practise as professional psychologists pursuing further training in their chosen specialism.