Sociology/Scottish History

Sociology and Scottish history make a thought-provoking combination, pairing the study of how societies are organised and how they change over time with a deep investigation of Scotland's particular past from the medieval period to the present day. Sociology equips you with theoretical frameworks for understanding class, identity, inequality, and social institutions, while Scottish history grounds those ideas in the specific experiences of a nation whose story spans Gaelic culture, the Reformation, the Union with England, industrialisation, and contemporary devolution.

At the University of Glasgow you will benefit from researchers who are at the forefront of Scottish historical scholarship across all periods. The Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies provides a genuinely cross-disciplinary environment, encouraging you to see connections between history, literature, language, and social structure. Across the part-time programme you will engage with primary archival sources as well as theoretical texts, developing skills in historical analysis, sociological reasoning, and academic writing.

The course includes a year abroad, allowing you to study in an international setting and bring a comparative perspective to questions of national identity, social change, and historical memory.

This combination prepares you for a wide range of careers in education, heritage, public history, the civil service, journalism, community work, and the voluntary sector. Graduates also go on to postgraduate study in sociology, Scottish and Celtic studies, history, social policy, and related fields, building on the analytical and research skills developed throughout the programme.