Modern History
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for postgraduate taught programmes are a 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent qualification (for example, GPA 3.0 or above) in a relevant subject unless otherwise specified.
Note: a short (one paragraph) statement of interest is also required.
Months of entry
September
Course content
Modern History at Glasgow brings together social and political historians, active in research on topics from the French Revolution to the War on Terror in Afghanistan. The Masters in Modern History provides you with thorough research training and a wide set of transferable skills in the conception, design and execution of a research project.
Why Glasgow
- Members of the Centre for Gender History, the Centre for War Studies and the Centre for Scottish Cultural Studies are all leaders in their fields.
- You will enjoy access to the Baillie Collection, our prized collection of printed medieval and modern sources in Scottish, Irish and English history. The collection also offers printed state papers, Historical Manuscript Commission publications and a select collection of modern monographs.
- Our programme has strong links with the University's Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, giving you access to primary source material including an enormous collection of anatomical and pathological specimens, coins, books, manuscripts and ethnography.
- You will also have unparalleled access to Scotland's world-leading collections including the National Library of Scotland, the National Collections and the Mitchell Library, Glasgow.
- Internships are available with the Hunterian Museum. There are also opportunities to work closely with other key institutions such as Glasgow Museums and Glasgow Women's Library.
Programme Structure
Our History Masters are built around a hands-on research training course, specialised courses on historical and theoretical themes, and other courses developing your technical skills and other abilities like languages and palaeography.
If you choose to study Modern History, there will be a guided selection of courses that will provide you with the specialised knowledge in that field. You will be taught through a series of seminars and workshops. Internationally recognised historians give guest lectures throughout the year.
In the final part of the programme, you will select a specialised topic and conduct original primary source research for your dissertation. You are supported in your research and writing up by an assigned supervisor with expertise in your field of inquiry.
Core courses
- Research resources and skills for historians.
Optional courses
Course options may include
- Secret intelligence in the 20th century
- American material culture
- Introduction to social theory for researchers
- American counterculture
- History of medicine, 1850-2000
- The American way of war
- Topics in historical computing
- Issues, ideologies and institutions of modern Scotland
- Gender, politics and power
- Christianity and sexual revolution.
The courses taught each year vary depending upon staff availability.
To widen your approach and develop an interdisciplinary perspective, you are also strongly encouraged to take one or two complementary courses in cognate subjects, such as
- The art of war
- Democracy and governance: classical political thought
- Political philosophy
- 2D digitisation
- Archives and records theory
- Employers, elites and the state: capitalism in Britain.
Courses in Scottish literature, English literature, theology, history of art and other College of Arts subjects can also be studied, by agreement with the programme convener.
Career prospects
Apart from continuing to study a PhD, you can transfer the arts research skills and methods you learn on this programme to positions in the public and private sectors, such as heritage, policy and projects, journalism and teaching.
Positions held by recent History graduates include Editor Business & History Products, Lead Scholar/Instructor and Secretary.
Information for international students
Please refer to our website for more information.
For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training):
- overall score 6.5
- no sub-test less than 6.5
- or equivalent scores in another recognised qualification:
Common equivalent English language qualifications
All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:
- ibTOEFL: 92; no sub-test less than:
- Reading: 23
- Listening:23
- Speaking: 23
- Writing: 24
- CAE (Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 176
- CPE (Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 176
- PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English, Academic test): 64 overall; no sub-test less than 62
- Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English: ISEII at Distinction with Distinction in all sub-tests
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept an IELTS test (Academic module) from any of the 1000 IELTS test centres from around the world and we do not require a specific UKVI IELTS test for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.
Pre-sessional courses
The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We also consider other BALEAP accredited pre-sessional courses:
Fees and funding
Qualification and course duration
MLitt
Course contact details
- Name
- Dr Martin MacGregor
- humanities-pg@glasgow.ac.uk