Medieval History (MLitt) 2025 entry

The MLitt in Medieval History allows students to study a variety of topics in depth from across the medieval worlds, from Central Asia to the Atlantic and from Iceland to Egypt. This broad-ranging programme is designed to cater for students of differing career ambitions, areas of specialisation and previous training.

Start date
September 2025
End date
September 2026
Duration
One year full time
School
School of History

Application deadline

Thursday 7 August 2025

Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships.

Entry requirements

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 Medieval History is a taught postgraduate programme run by the School of History. 

Highlights 

  • The course benefits from an immense range of expertise from medieval scholars. 
  • The flexible nature of the programme makes it suitable both for those wishing to go on to doctoral research and for those wishing only to take a year’s specialist study. 
  • Study fosters fundamental research skills, including bibliography and source criticism. 
  • Develops writing skills for the presentation of extended research projects, including as training for doctoral study.  

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.

 

 

Students must take the following compulsory modules: 

  • Sources and Source Criticism (1 and 2) which address the interpretation and criticism of medieval sources. 

You will also choose one of the following: 

  • An Introduction to Palaeography with Codicological and Manuscript Studies (1 and 2): equip students to tackle the reading, transcription and editing of manuscripts up to c.1500. 
  • Historical Sources and Skills (4 and 5): give students a chance to acquire a technical skill crucial for their research plans. This will normally involve a one semester introduction to reading Latin for historians; training in other languages can also be arranged. 
  • Special Topic in Medieval History (1 and 2): a detailed study of a medieval topic of the student's own choice which will include tutorials with a designated tutor. 
  • With permission from the programme convenor, students may take an Arabic, French, German, Italian or Spanish language module at the level appropriate to the student's proficiency. 

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 programme comprises two semesters of taught modules followed by a three-month focused period for writing a dissertation of not more than 15,000 words. 

The taught component comprises lectures, discussions and individual tutorials, with class sizes ranging from individual supervision up to 12 students.

Assessment methods include classwork participation and essays.

Events

The St Andrews Institute of Medieval Studies (SAIMS) hosts a postgraduate seminar series which is intended to provide a space for postgraduates at all stages to present ideas, discuss research issues and get some practical presentation experience.

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.

Taught postgraduate scholarships    Postgraduate loans

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 research

Contact us

Phone
+44 (0)1334 46 2900
Email
pghist@st-andrews.ac.uk
Address
School of History
St Katharine's Lodge
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9BA

School of History website