Contemporary History

Entry requirements

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

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

Months of entry

September

Course content

Has the end of the Cold War created a new world order? Has the fall of the Berlin Wall inaugurated a new Europe? Has 9/11 changed our world and the character of our democracies forever? Are we facing a ‘clash of cultures’ in the Middle East? Is American power declining and being replaced by new players on the world stage?

This MSc allows you to explore such questions critically and analytically while discovering how the recent past shaped the modern world. You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the increasingly global experience of humankind in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. A specialised methodological and historiographical course will help you appreciate the distinctiveness of contemporary history; its use of radio, television, film, and internet-based sources such as Wikileaks; and its methodology. This rigorous skills training will be supplemented by a variety of topical, specialised options, covering virtually every distinctive approach to history (e.g. political, social and economic) and every region on the globe, underlining the increasing globalisation of our recent past.

The MSc makes use of Edinburgh’s unique archival and bibliographical resources – the National Archives of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland, the University’s library and archives – and is enriched by the city’s key role in current British politics. Additionally, with our close association to the Centre for the Study of Modern and Contemporary History, Edinburgh is a wonderful environment for contemporary scholarship.