History MScR

Research interests within History are extremely wide-ranging. In particular, we host expertise in:

• Medieval history:

  • Our research interests lie in the social, political, religious and cultural history of Britain, Europe, the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean – with particular emphasis on gender, saints, medicine, crusades, trade, economic history and Islamic law.

• British and Irish history:

  • We have particular interests in early modern religion, belief and intellectual history (including the Scottish Enlightenment); social and political history; Second World War Studies, relations between Britain and Ireland; and international relations.

• European history:

  • Specialisms include the Renaissance, early modern political and intellectual history; genocide; Russia and the Soviet Union; modern political and intellectual history of France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Czech Republic; historical memory and public history; histories of gender and sexuality.

• US (American) history:

  • Expertise includes revolutionary and early national America; the Civil War; US diplomatic history in the 19th and 20th centuries; politics in the 20th century; African-American history and the civil rights movement; and history of labour.

• African history:

  • We have expertise in West, East and South Africa, and specialisms include intellectual history; environmental history; comparative African history; history of Islam; urban history; print culture; history of nationalism and decolonisation.

• Asian history:

  • We have expertise in the Middle East, South Asia and East Asia, with specialisms in histories of print and archives; intellectual history; diplomatic history; economic history and history of economic thought; cross-cultural interactions; histories of religion and philosophy; nationalism and colonial resistance.

• Latin American and Caribbean history:

  • Specialisms include history of slavery; colonialism; histories of race, gender, and the body; Indigenous history; and material culture studies.

This is a brief summary of the expertise of the academic staff in History. For fuller descriptions of faculty research specialties, please visit their individual pages.

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.

We require the following (with further details below):

• Provisional supervision agreement between you and a primary supervisor, in writing
• Research proposal
• Qualifications at undergraduate level
• References
• Entry interview
• Evidence of English language competency

Provisional supervision agreement

You must name a member of staff who has provisionally agreed, in writing, to supervise you in order for your application to be taken forward. Please ensure that the relevant correspondence is uploaded to your admissions application. This statement of support is provisional, pending assessment of your application and your performance at an interview. If you haven't approached a member of our academic staff yet, please use the following staff list to help you find a supervisor in the subject area of your interest.

• Guidance on finding a supervisor
• List of HCA academic staff

Research proposal

You must submit a research proposal (in a Word or PDF document) demonstrating your knowledge of your field of research. This will be closely scrutinised as part of the decision making process. Guidance on writing a research proposal can be found online:

• Guidance on writing a research proposal

Qualifications

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

We may also consider your application if you have relevant professional experience; please check with your potential supervisor before you apply.

You will need to submit your undergraduate degree certificates and transcripts in order to be considered for MSc by Research admission. For instructions on how to upload any additional documents after you have submitted your application, please follow the support guidance:

• Guidance on document uploading

References

You must submit two references with your application.

Entry interview

If you have met all of the entry requirements, you will need to attend an online interview with potential supervisors. The interview should last 20-30 minutes. Please note that an offer to study is subject to a successful interview.

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.

Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Trinity ISE, or Oxford ELLT test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the programme begins, regardless of your nationality. (Revised 14 January 2025 to include Oxford ELLT.)

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

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