Medieval 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.

You must demonstrate a background in Medieval History and/or relevant language skills in your transcript. If this cannot be demonstrated your personal statement must clearly show you are equipped to undertake this programme.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This programme will provide you with what you need to pursue advanced research in medieval history, and it will help you to expand your own research interests through small, seminar based classes.

You will also have access to world-class resources, most notably the impressive combined collections of the National Library or Scotland and of the University of Edinburgh Main Library.

In addition to this, you will belong to a thriving community of scholars by becoming member of the highly cross-disciplinary Edinburgh Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRS), which organises regular research seminars as well as a range of other academic and social events.

Our programme includes a core course that offers knowledge of the principal categories of surviving primary evidence from the Middle Ages and the technical skills to use them. You will have the opportunity to work with a range of sources, from manuscripts held in the university library’s Special Collections, to objects in the city’s museums (subject to availability).

You will then be able to choose from two sets of optional courses, subject to availability. One set will allow you to further expand your research skills, including courses on Paleography, Latin and research methodology, for example. The other set contains courses reflecting the research specialism of our medieval historians.

It may also be possible to enrol on relevant courses in other parts of the University, such as the School of Divinity, the Edinburgh College of Art, and the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, which gives the opportunity to learn the value of an interdisciplinary approach to medieval research.

The optional courses that we offer range widely in terms of chronology (from Classical Antiquity to the Renaissance), geography (the western fringes of Europe to the eastern Mediterranean) and methodology. You will be able to select these in order to build your own path.