Postgraduate study
Edinburgh: Extraordinary futures await.

American History MSc

Awards: MSc

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: American History

This programme allows you to explore American History in the hemispheric sense, taking ‘America’ to mean the whole hemisphere of the Americas. You will have the opportunity to take a comparative or transnational approach to the history of the Americas, as well as to study some countries and regions in more depth.

The University has an exceptional range of historians of the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean, which allows us to provide courses and research supervision in a wide array of topics and time periods, ranging from the American Revolution to comparative slavery; from the Latin American dictatorships to the Cold War foreign policy of the United States.

You will take a variety of seminar-style courses in small groups while developing your own research project in consultation with a member of an internationally-respected team of historians. The programme provides advanced knowledge and understanding of selected topics in American history, and will enhance your skills in independent research, critical analysis, and both oral and written presentation.

You are also encouraged to participate in a vibrant research culture that includes regular lectures, seminars, and other events on American topics involving leading historians from the United Kingdom and internationally. Our staff strengths are complemented by the impressive combined resources of the University’s Main Library and the nearby National Library of Scotland, which boasts one of the UK's largest collections of Americana, encompassing excellent collections for Caribbean and Latin American history as well as US history.

You will:

  • take two semesters of seminar-style courses in small groups
  • apply your independent research skills, developing your dissertation with the supervision of academic staff

    • This is your chance to be creative; our breadth of expertise means we are open to almost any area of interest.
  • complete two compulsory courses
  • select a further four course options from a wide range on offer

The compulsory courses are:

  • Historical Methodology
  • Historical Research: Skills and Sources

Option courses previously offered include those listed below. Option courses change from year to year and those available when you start your studies may be different from those shown in the list:

  • The Sixties in the United States
  • Freedom and Coercion in the Making of the Atlantic World
  • The Demise of the Slave-Holding American South, 1846-1877
  • Race, Religion, and Ridicule: The American South from Reconstruction to World War II
  • Slavery in the British Atlantic World, 1650-1834
  • Conservatism in the United States, c.1930-c.1990
  • The Civil Rights Movement
  • The United States and the Cold War
  • The American Civil War and Reconstruction

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScAmerican History1 YearFull-timeProgramme structure 2023/24
MScAmerican History2 YearsPart-timeProgramme structure 2023/24

Our students view the programme and a graduate degree from Edinburgh as an advanced qualification valued and respected by many employers. Those students interested in long-term academic careers consider the programme as preparation for a PhD.

The combination of specialised skills training courses and seminars, and the opportunity for independent research provides you with transferable skills that will be beneficial whatever path you choose. Graduates pursue work in related areas such as museums, policy think-tanks, national and international civil services, non-governmental organisations, galleries, libraries and historic trusts whilst others build on the transferable skills gained and enter areas as diverse as business, media, public administration and marketing.

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, a minimum US 3.25 GPA or its international equivalent in a subject related to this programme.

Relevant experience, or professional or other qualifications will also be considered.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScAmerican History1 YearFull-timeTuition fees
MScAmerican History2 YearsPart-timeTuition fees

Featured funding

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

  • your programme
  • the duration of your studies
  • your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • School of History, Classics & Archaeology
  • William Robertson Wing
  • Teviot Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AG
Programme start date Application deadline
9 September 2024 5 June 2024

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Please be aware that applications must be submitted and be complete, i.e. all required documents uploaded, by the relevant application deadline in order to be considered in that round. Your application will still be considered if you have not yet met the English language requirement for the programme.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2024/25:

Round Application deadline Places awarded by
1 05 December 2023 18 January 2024
2 02 February 2024 14 March 2024
3 01 April 2024 13 May 2024
4 05 June 2024 08 July 2024

You must submit one reference with your application.

Please read the application guidance for more information:

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • School of History, Classics & Archaeology
  • William Robertson Wing
  • Teviot Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AG