Intellectual History MSc

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
• Developing Historical Research

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.

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 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

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.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which 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 73 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 6 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:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

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).

• Approved universities in 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.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

• borrowing money

  • taking out a loan

  • family support

• personal savings

• income from work

• employer sponsorship

• scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Featured funding

• UK students: School of History, Classics & Archaeology funding opportunities
• International students: School of History, Classics & Archaeology funding schemes

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.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

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