About this program
Modern History MA Hons
The MA (Hons) in Modern History will teach you to analyse historical events from the past 500 years from a present-day context. You will choose from a range of optional classes with very broad chronological, geographical and thematic coverage.
The modern era comprises the period from around 1450 to the 21st century, and classes are offered on the histories of many nations and regions, including Britain, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia and parts of Africa and the Americas. Intellectual, political, cultural, military, religious, gender, social and economic history are among the options on offer.
Admission requirements
These grades are the overall standards required to consider you for entry. Find out more about Standard, Minimum and Gateway entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.
- SQA Highers
- GCE A-Levels
- IB points
International applicants
If English is not your first language you will need an overall IELTS score of 7.0, with a minimum score of 6.5 in each component (Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking), or an equivalent English language qualification.
For more information about admission requirements, please visit the university website.
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Learn moreProgram content
First Year
Students will take the following compulsory first-year modules:
- The Early Modern Western World (c. 1450-1770)
- Themes in Late Modern History (c. 1776-2001)
Second Year
Students will take the following compulsory second-year modules:
- History as a Discipline: Development and Key Concepts
- Scotland, Britain and Empire (c. 1500-2000)
Honours
If you decide to take modern history in your third and fourth years, you choose from a wide variety of advanced options, including modules ranging from Elizabethan England to East Asia in the 20th century.
Here is a sample of Honours modules which have been offered in previous years:
- British Cinema History, 1920-1960
- China's Revolutions, 1850-1989
- Curiosity, Empire, and Science in Eighteenth-century France
- From Cradle to Grave: Living and Dying in Early Modern England (c. 1500-1800)
- Imperial Russia 1815-1917
- Political Thought From Machiavelli to Tocqueville
- Stalinism, Nazism and Central Europe (1912-1941)
- The American Revolution
- The Decline and Fall of the French Old Regime (1715-1789)
- Twentieth-century Germany: A sense of place
- Women and Men in Europe (1500 – 1800)
Scholarships & funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the university website for more information.
Program delivery
When not attending lectures and tutorials, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve:
- working on individual and group projects
- undertaking research in the library
- preparing coursework assignments and presentations
- preparing for examinations.
Tuition
Career paths
History graduates find employment in academia, museums and archives, or as history teachers.
Using the analytical and communication skills acquired through the study of history, many also proceed to careers including:
- law
- publishing
- armed forces
- service industries
- the financial sector
- the arts
- the media.
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About this institute
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews is Scotland’s first University. As a 600 year-old institution, we are known across the globe for our world leading quality and depth of research. For six centuries some of the world’s brightest and most promising...
Why study at University of St Andrews
Studying in St Andrews is a unique and rewarding experience that will take your skills and knowledge to the next level.
Students at St Andrews have access to some of the world’s best professors and lecturers and a degree from the University of St Andrews is sought after by employers around the world.
In addition to award-winning teaching and research, the University of St Andrews has an array of facilities which result in high levels of student satisfaction and a world class reputation.
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University of St Andrews
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