Programme description

The programme is aimed at students who have a specific topic of interest into which they wish to conduct their own research.

We provide structured research training while at the same time enabling you to pursue a research project that you design yourself, in consultation with supervisors. It serves as both a self-contained research degree and a preparation for further study for the PhD degree.

Breadth of expertise

Here in the nation’s capital, Scottish history is taught by a strong and distinguished team, comprising six core academic staff members, plus a number of postdoctoral fellows and associated staff.

The subject has been taught at the University of Edinburgh since the prestigious Sir William Fraser Chair of Scottish History and Palaeography was established in 1901. The post is currently held by Professor Ewen Cameron.

From the Middle Ages to the present day, we can offer expertise in all periods of study.

Other members of staff have published extensively on topics including:

• Scottish politics in all periods
• late medieval kingship
• saints’ cults
• the witch-hunt and associated beliefs
• religious and intellectual change, particularly in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
• the Scottish Enlightenment
• the Highlands, especially in the middle ages and the modern period
• Scotland’s external relations and involvement with empire

To find out more about our research strengths, and the research groups and centres based in the School, consult our research pages:

• School research website

You can identify a potential supervisor by looking at the School of History Classics and Archaeology’s Staff Profiles, which give details of research interests and publications, and email addresses. You are encouraged to contact a potential supervisor to discuss your research project before making a formal application.

To discuss possible topics and areas for the MSc by Research in Scottish History, please contact the Programme Director.