Postgraduate study
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Intellectual History MSc

Awards: MSc

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Intellectual History

Ideas and patterns of thought always have been, and continue to be, subject to historical change. The ways in which they change, and the reasons why they do so, make for fascinating study.

In this comprehensive programme, you will be introduced to the principal methodologies of intellectual history. You will also have the opportunity to explore particular themes in intellectual history, developing a detailed understanding of their origins, historical circumstances and implications.

By the end of the programme you will have the tools you need to appreciate the interdependence of text and context and the importance of ideas in past and present, as well as the ability to research effectively and present your work with confidence.

You will:

  • take a variety of seminar-style courses in small groups
  • carry out an extended piece of written work (some courses may also assess non-written skills)
  • complete two compulsory courses
  • select a further four course options from a wide range on offer
  • undertake an independent research dissertation and be assigned a supervisor from the outset

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 Politics of History in the Arabic-Speaking World (c.1750-Present)
  • ‘The Wisest Fool in Christendom’: the Ideas and Writings of James VI & I
  • African Print Cultures: Newspapers and their Publics in Modern African History, c. 1880 to 1975
  • Athens of the North: the Scottish Enlightenment
  • Debating Marriage between Antiquity and the Middle Ages
  • Islamic Africa
  • Literature and History in Early Medieval Britain and Ireland
  • Madness, Science and Society in the Modern World
  • Making Histories: Theories and Practices in Writing History
  • Myth and the History of Scholarship in Early Modern Europe
  • Seeking ‘Japan' in a Westernizing World: Revolution, Romance, and Imperialism, 1868-1945
  • The European Enlightenments, 1670-1820
  • The Global Renaissance
  • The Scientific Revolution in Global Perspective
  • Thinking the 20th Century: Hannah Arendt and the Breakdown of European Civilization

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
MScIntellectual History1 YearFull-timeProgramme structure 2023/24
MScIntellectual History2 YearsPart-timeProgramme structure 2023/24

You will be expected to achieve several aims which will be assessed primarily by essays and a dissertation. You will gain:

  • knowledge of the chief methods of practising intellectual history
  • a detailed understanding of certain major episodes in intellectual history
  • an appreciation of the interdependence of text and context, and of the importance of ideas in past and present

A wide variety of intellectual skills are promoted through seminars, discussions and advanced study. You will develop the:

  • ability to develop tight and coherent arguments both orally and on the page
  • capacity to read texts critically and sensitively, evaluating their arguments as well as situating them in their practical and intellectual contexts
  • appreciation of a variety of approaches to intellectual history
  • ability to cross-disciplinary boundaries, for example, between philosophy, science and history

Our students view the programme and a graduate degree from Edinburgh as an advanced qualification valued and respected by many employers.

Others are interested in pursuing long-term academic careers and therefore consider the MSc as preparation for a PhD.

The combination of skills training courses, specialised seminars, and 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
  • historic trusts

Others build on the transferable skills gained and enter areas as diverse as:

  • business
  • media
  • public administration
  • 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, normally History.

We will also consider honours degrees in other subjects such as Philosophy, Classics, Literature, or Politics if your personal statement demonstrates how you are equipped to undertake the 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
MScIntellectual History1 YearFull-timeTuition fees
MScIntellectual 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 residency 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