Course information

Course highlights

• Students receive advanced training in the history of the early modern European and Atlantic worlds with a high level of specialised supervision in most fields.
• Modules offer a wide-ranging survey of major historical and historiographical controversies in the early modern period. 

Teaching format

The MLitt in Early Modern History is a taught postgraduate programme run by the School of History. Over two semesters, students complete three compulsory and one optional module. 

Teaching methods typically include fortnightly seminars, practical classes and tutorials. Class sizes range from individual supervision up to 12 students. The modules are assessed by coursework only; there is no final exam.

Students will spend the final three months of the course focusing on researching and writing the final assessment piece for the MLitt, a dissertation of not more than 15,000 words.

Further particulars regarding curriculum development.

Modules

The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue.

Compulsory modules

• Themes and Debates in Early Modern History: introduces students to a variety of key debates in early modern history through studying different scholars’ approaches to the period.

and two of the following:

• Material Bibliography: covers the use of the book as historical evidence and practical aspects of cataloguing and Special Collections work.
• Early Modern Documents and Sources: provides a wide-ranging introduction to the types of source material which researchers on the early modern period may encounter.
• Latin for Postgraduate Research: provides three tiers of Latin teaching (beginners, intermediate, and translation) for students with earlier or no experience.
• Paleography and Manuscript Studies:  learn to read early modern handwriting and gain a sense of the nature of European handwriting in the early modern period.

Optional modules

Students choose one optional module.

• Religion and Identity in Early Modern Britain: explores the significance of the Reformation in reshaping Scots and English self-definitions in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• War, State and Society in Early Modern Europe and New Worlds: explores the transformations in the size, scale and scope of European warfare between the late 15th and late 18th centuries.
• The European Renaissance: compares and contrasts the Italian and Northern Renaissances, examining their mediaeval origins and exploring themes such as religion, humanism, court and urban life, in order to test this traditional interpretation. 
• The Creation of an Atlantic World: introduces students to the concept of the Atlantic World, a unit of analysis used by historians to understand the changes wrought in the western hemisphere by the British, French, and Iberian discovery and settlement of the Americas, and by Europe’s slave trade with Africa.  
• Law, Justice and Community: Court Records and British Society, 1400-1800: an introduction to the records of law courts, the single most important source for early-modern British social history.
• Political Thought and Intellectual History: an introduction to the political theory and intellectual history of the early modern period
• Directed Reading: offers a directed reading project designed to encourage the development of skills of historical analysis through concentrated study of a topic chosen by the student.
• History of Modern Science: introduces students to core themes int he history of science from the Scientific Revolution onwards.

The modules listed ran in the academic year 2015-2016 and are indicative of this course. There is no guarantee that these modules will run for 2016 entry.

Take a look at the most up to date modules in the module catalogue.

Dissertation

Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of not more than 15,000 words must be submitted by a date specified in August.

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.

Conferences and events

The School of History hosts the Early Modern and Modern History (EMMH) Postgraduate Forum, which provides a space for postgraduates at all stages to present ideas, discuss research issues and find out about what their fellow historians are up to.  

The Reformation Studies Institute at St Andrews hosts a seminar programme, holding numerous talks and lectures each month.

Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online. (PDF, 72 KB).

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online. (PDF, 84 KB).