Connecting research and learning

The University of St Andrews is renowned for the quality and impact of both its research and teaching.

Across the University, interdisciplinary research focuses on six priority areas:

  • peace, conflict, and security
  • cultural understanding
  • evolution, behaviour, and environment
  • materials for the modern world
  • health, infectious disease, and wellbeing
  • sustainability

The Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Studies' Masters degrees are aligned with these priority research areas and each degree draws on the expertise of researchers working in one or more of these areas. Seminars led by subject experts from different disciplines allow students to connect with researchers and to learn how that research is shaping thinking in their subject.

Module assessments provide training in research and enquiry skills, helping students to develop the capabilities needed for independent research. These assessments culminate in the end of degree project. The project takes the form of a period of supervised research where students explore a topic in depth. Through the project students demonstrate their ability to plan and manage a substantial research project, to apply relevant methodological techniques, and to analyse and present research findings.

All Graduate School Masters degrees include an integrated training programme. The training programme connects students' academic learning with the development of professional competencies, in particular skills in communicating academic concepts and research to different audiences.

Graduate School Research Board

The Graduate School Research Board is a student-run arm of the Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Studies with the goal of developing and sustaining a vivid and friendly research environment for students, staff and the wider academic community. 

The board will be organising the inaugural Graduate School Conference on Interdisciplinary Studies, Flash Friday events, and plan on setting in motion the creation of a journal for interdisciplinary studies at St Andrews.

Contact
Email: gsfisresearch@st-andrews.ac.uk

 

Benjamin Balla, Global Social and Political Thought MLitt:
Benjamin is currently a Masters student at the Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Studies. Previously, he studied PPE at Durham University. At the moment, his research interests include anarchist political theory, radical feminism, and social ecology.

 

 

Frida Henriksen, Museum and Heritage Studies MLitt:
Frida is pursuing a Masters degree in Museum and Heritage studies at the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Studies. Frida graduated from the American University of Paris and holds an MPhil in Art History from the University of Bergen. Her research interests include performance art, participatory artworks, and the conservation of historical time-based artworks.

 

Hannah Lucey, Sustainable Development MSc:
Hannah is reading for a Masters degree in Sustainable Development at the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Studies. Hannah retains an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Bristol. Her research interests include environmental Holocaust, water toxicity, and ecological responses to climate change.