Modern History MA (Honours) 2025 entry

Entry requirements

The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about Standard, Minimum and Gateway entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.

For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject-specific entry requirements as outlined on their pages.

• SQA Highers

  Standard entry grades:

  AAAAB, including A in History.

  Minimum entry grades:

  AABB, including B in History.

  Gateway entry grades:

  Applicants who have narrowly missed the minimum entry grades, but meet the University's contextual criteria, may be interested in one of the University’s Gateway programmes.

• GCE A-Levels

  Standard entry grades:

  AAA, including A in History.

  Minimum entry grades:

  ABB, including B in History.

• IB points

  Standard entry grades:

  38 (HL 6,6,6), including HL6 in History.

  Minimum entry grades:

  36 (HL 6,5,5), including HL5 in History.

General entry requirements

All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.

• SQA qualifications

  SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computing science
  • Geography
  • Applications of Mathematics
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychology.

• GCSE qualifications

  GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computing Science
  • Geography
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychology.

Other qualifications

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes. Please see our entry requirements for more information.

More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University’s entry requirements web page.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

Students must have studied History at SQA Higher, GCE A-Level or equivalent.

Alternative study options

Students interested in this course may also be interested in the following:

Study abroad

Modern history students can apply to participate in the University-wide St Andrews Abroad programme. You may also have the opportunity to participate in the School Abroad exchange programme. For information about study abroad options, please see the study abroad site.

International applicants

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. Find out more about approved English language tests and scores for this course.

Course details

The MA (Hons) in Modern History is a four-year course run by the School of History. During your studies, you will learn to critically examine primary sources, survey material analytically and develop study skills. 

Alongside modern history, in the first year of your studies, you will be required to study an additional two subjects. In the second year, you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects, sometimes two. Find out more about how academic years are organised.  

The skills you gain in analysing original and secondary source materials will prepare you to continue exploring a wide range of historical subjects at a more advanced level in your third and fourth years. During these years, you will be able to branch out and study the modern history of countries and societies from around the globe. You will also be encouraged to dive deeper into a specialist topic of your choice during your fourth year. 

Breadth of knowledge and perspective are highly encouraged, and all sub-honours students are expected to take some modules in other subject areas, for example English, art history or geography.   

Graduates in modern history from St Andrews can expect to have developed a wide knowledge in history and to be able to make connections across different time periods and between different cultures. 

The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits. More information on the structure of the modules system can be found on the flexible degree structure web page.

Modules

In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours), you will take the required modules in modern history alongside modules in at least one other subject.

Typically, you will take one modern history module per semester during your first two years, and two modules per semester during your third and fourth year (known as Honours).

Fees

Scotland
£1,820

England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man

Following the decision of the UK Government to raise undergraduate tuition fees and maintenance loans in line with inflation from April 2025, we are reviewing the consequences of that decision for fees payable by students from the rest of the UK who have chosen to study in Scotland. We will update the information on this page as soon as possible.

EU and overseas
£31,670

More information on tuition fees can be found on the undergraduate fees and funding page.

Accommodation fees

Find out about accommodation fees for University accommodation.

Funding and scholarships

The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to undergraduate students each year.

Joint Honours degrees

You can also take Modern History as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take core modules of your chosen subjects.

"With" degrees

You can take Modern History as part of a "with" Honours degree in which the majority of the course deals with the first name subject. St Andrews offers the following "with" degrees in Modern History:

• Master of Arts (Honours) Modern History with Bible and Culture - UCAS code MB01
• Master of Arts (Honours) Modern History with Persian - UCAS code 91V6

Careers

History graduates find employment in academia, museums and archives, or as history teachers. 

Using the analytical and communication skills acquired through the study of history, many also proceed to careers including: 

• law 
• publishing 
• armed forces 
• service industries 
• the financial sector 
• the arts 
• the media. 

The School also offers a course which gives students the opportunity to gain invaluable first-hand experience of teaching in local schools. 

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

Contact us

Phone

+44 (0)1334 46 2900

Email

history@st-andrews.ac.uk

Address

School of History
St Katharine's Lodge
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9BA

School of History website