Postgraduate community

Our postgraduate community is international, making the School the ideal environment for you to share ideas, collaborate on research, gain new perspectives and meet like-minded individuals.

We have a diverse and close-knit postgraduate community – you’ll always find someone to talk to about the topic you’re interested in and be supported to conduct your own conferences. You’ll become part of a research community with opportunities to attend a broad range of seminar series and public lectures beyond your programme of study

Seminars

The School has a diverse range of regular seminar series and many standalone events and there are many other Edinburgh-based societies and groups who also run related events such as The Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRS).

The CMRS has more than 70 members of academic staff attached to it, and it organizes academic as well as social events, some of which focus on our community of postgraduates especially. The main events of the CMRS include its weekly seminar series (which includes papers by local as well as international speakers, which are always followed by a reception), and, towards the end of the academic year, the Denys Hay Lecture, but every year it also organizes a series of one off events.

More recently the CMRS has launched the yearly Sir Walter Scott Roundtable on Medieval History and Popular Culture, which aims to foster links between the academic world and creative industries. The first pilot Sir Walter Scott Rountable was entitled ‘Gaming with History’ and its success has led to the creation of a network of academic and postgraduate students interested in historically inspired games. This network is now organising monthly meetings to try tabletop boardgames, and we are also building partnerships with local gaming clubs and game producers. 

Societies

The History Society is a large and active group. It hosts internationally renowned lecturers, provides study advice and publishes the student-run award-winning journal Retrospect. Social events include film and quiz nights, themed pub crawls, trips to historical sites across Edinburgh and Scotland, a Winter Ball and even a football team, ‘You’re History FC’.

Outside the University, The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland holds regular lectures. Fellowship of the Society is open to anyone with an interest in history and archaeology; applications are considered in late November.

We have a diverse and close-knit postgraduate community – you’ll always find someone to talk to about the topic you’re interested in and be supported to conduct your own conferences. You’ll become part of a research community with opportunities to attend a broad range of seminar series and public lectures beyond your programme of study

Seminars

The School has a diverse range of regular seminar series and many standalone events and there are many other Edinburgh-based societies and groups who also run related events such as The Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRS).

The CMRS has more than 70 members of academic staff attached to it, and it organizes academic as well as social events, some of which focus on our community of postgraduates especially. The main events of the CMRS include its weekly seminar series (which includes papers by local as well as international speakers, which are always followed by a reception), and, towards the end of the academic year, the Denys Hay Lecture, but every year it also organizes a series of one off events.

More recently the CMRS has launched the yearly Sir Walter Scott Roundtable on Medieval History and Popular Culture, which aims to foster links between the academic world and creative industries. The first pilot Sir Walter Scott Rountable was entitled ‘Gaming with History’ and its success has led to the creation of a network of academic and postgraduate students interested in historically inspired games. This network is now organising monthly meetings to try tabletop boardgames, and we are also building partnerships with local gaming clubs and game producers. 

Societies

The History Society is a large and active group. It hosts internationally renowned lecturers, provides study advice and publishes the student-run award-winning journal Retrospect. Social events include film and quiz nights, themed pub crawls, trips to historical sites across Edinburgh and Scotland, a Winter Ball and even a football team, ‘You’re History FC’.

Outside the University, The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland holds regular lectures. Fellowship of the Society is open to anyone with an interest in history and archaeology; applications are considered in late November.

What our students think

We interviewed a recent student, Samantha about the programme and her time with us.

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