Application deadline
Thursday 7 August 2025
Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships.
“I’ve benefited from the knowledge and experience of the academic luminaries on my programme – they've literally written the textbooks and edited the standard editions of our major works. They have also made themselves available to discuss my questions and interests.”
- New York, USA
Entry requirements
- A 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree in a subject-related area. If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.
- English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.
The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.
Application requirements
- CV or résumé. This should include your personal details with a history of your education and employment to date.
- a personal statement
- a sample of your own, single-authored academic written work (2,000 words)
- two original signed academic references
- academic transcripts and degree certificates
For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.
English language proficiency
If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. See approved English language tests and scores for this course.
Course details
The MLitt in Intellectual History is an interdisciplinary taught postgraduate programme run by the School of History. The course explores major historical, historiographical, and methodological aspects of intellectual history alongside an individually tailored programme of directed reading.
Highlights
- Brings together experts from across the University with a common interest in researching and contextualising key ideas in their subject areas.
- Students learn to treat past ideas as historical phenomena, as well as assess the meanings of these ideas as intended by their authors, and in contexts beyond those their authors may have foreseen.
- Students examine the different kinds of intellectual history being practised today, as well as the relationship between intellectual history and philosophy, literature and literary studies, international relations, law, politics, economics and theology.
Modules
The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your course. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.
Individual modules typically comprise:
- seminars ranging from 1.5 to 3 hours per week
- fortnightly tutorial sessions for directed reading
- 100% coursework assessment.
- Current Controversies in Intellectual History: enables students to scrutinise central historiographical disputes that continue to determine the nature and practice of intellectual history.
- Turning Points in the History of Ideas: investigates a series of historical moments of intellectual change by directly engaging with the major political, philosophical, and scientific writings of different eras.
- The Theory and Practice of Intellectual History: provides a methodological introduction to intellectual history by surveying how it has been practised in the last half century.
Students may also choose a Directed Reading topic which and is designed to encourage the development of skills of historical analysis through concentrated study. Depending upon other module choices this may be taken across one or both semesters. The Directed Reading topics offered will vary slightly each year depending on staff.
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.
Teaching
The modules are taught through seminars and fortnightly tutorials, with class sizes ranging from individual supervision up to 12 students.
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.
The modules are assessed by coursework only; there is no final exam.
Events
The St Andrews Institute of Intellectual History hosts an ever-widening series of lectures, seminars and conferences, all of which are open to the public.
Fees
Home
£12,030
Overseas
£25,900
Application fee
Before we can begin processing your application, a payment of an application fee of £50 is required. In some instances, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver. Details of this, along with information on our tuition fees, can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.
Funding and scholarships
The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of financial circumstances.
The School of History is pleased to be able to offer a number of competitive scholarships which contribute to the fees and maintenance for postgraduate study.
School of History MLitt Awards
Offer the cash equivalent of one year's home fees and cannot be held in conjunction with other awards offering full fees and maintenance.
Whenever it is relevant to your programme and possible, the School makes available competitive language bursaries for training prior to the start of an MLitt programme. To find out more, please contact pghist@st-andrews.ac.uk as early as possible. Note that, when available, the application deadline is normally in the early Spring.
15% Recent Graduate Discount
If you have graduated from the University within the last three academic years, you may be eligible for a 15% discount on postgraduate taught tuition fees. Terms and conditions apply.
After your degree
Careers
History postgraduates go on to pursue careers in a range of sectors including:
- journalism
- publishing
- think tanks
- government
- law
- teaching.
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.
Further study
Many graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews.
Postgraduate researchContact us
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 2900
- pghist@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Address
- School of History
St Katharine's Lodge
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9BA