Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MLitt)
Introduction
Explore the historical and cultural connections between the North-East of Scotland, Pre-Modern Europe, and the global world. Examine Scottish, European and global history and culture from the Middle Ages to today to understand the fundamental changes that connect the modern world with its past.
Tailor your degree through an interdisciplinary choice of topics delivered by leading experts across specialisms, and access historical archives dating back to the 15th century to advance your learning or career aspirations. Students can pursue three specialist pathways in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Viking and Medieval Nordic Studies or Modern History, in line with the expertise of the department.
We deliver diverse topics from specialisms in art history, Celtic culture, church history and theology, languages, legal history, philosophy, Scottish and Irish studies, and Scandinavian studies, giving the flexibility to tailor the degree to your learning or career aspirations. Depending on the combination of courses taken, students can graduate with a degree in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, or a specialist pathway in either Viking and Medieval Nordic Studies or Modern History. Our world-class academics teaching the programme offer unrivalled expertise and knowledge, with links to researchers and specialists abroad. We also provide personal reading courses and supervisors with varied specialisms to support your research interests.
We host an annual postgraduate training weekend for students to collaborate and engage in research at the 18th-century estate in the Scottish countryside, The Burn. You can also participate in student seminars and projects through our various research centres, such as the Centre for Early Modern Studies (CEMS), the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies, the Centre for Scandinavian Studies or the Centre for History and Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine.
You have access to the Museum and Special Archives Collections dating back to the 15th Century, giving you excellent opportunities to exercise your research skills by analysing and interpreting art, objects, and unedited literary and archival sources. These historical treasures include the specialist collections on the early modern history of science and medicine, the MacBean Stuart and Jacobite Collection, the UNESCO UK recognised Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives, the Scottish Catholic Archives, and private estate papers from the early modern period in North-East Scotland and its networks in the North Sea and Baltic world, offering a broad insights into the historical and cultural changes.
Available Programmes of Study
You can choose to study for a:
- Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) based on undertaking 60 credit points; 40 credits must be at level 5.
- Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) based on 120 credit points; 90 credits must be at level 5.
- Master of Letters (MLitt) based on 180 credit points.
- MLitt
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Medieval and Early Modern Studies
- Qualification
- MLitt
- Duration
- 12 months or 24 months
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Study Mode
- Full Time or Part Time
- Start Month
- September
- Location
Modern History Pathway
- Qualification
- MLitt
- Duration
- 12 months or 24 months
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Study Mode
- Full Time or Part Time
- Start Month
- September
- Location
- Aberdeen
Viking and Medieval Nordic Studies Pathway
- Qualification
- MLitt
- Duration
- 12 months or 24 months
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Study Mode
- Full Time or Part Time
- Start Month
- September
- Location
- Aberdeen
Programme Fees
Please refer to our Tuition Fees page for fee information for this programme, or contact us via the Enquire Now form.
Stage 1
Stage 1: Compulsory Courses
Note: Students with appropriate proficiency in Old Norse should take alternative non-Norse courses from the list of electives, in consultation with the programme coordinator.
- Getting Started at the 黑料网 (PD5006)
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This course, which is prescribed for all taught postgraduate students, is studied entirely online, takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across the first 4 weeks of term.
Topics include University orientation overview, equality & diversity, MySkills, health, safety and cyber security, and academic integrity.
Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Transcript as ‘Achieved’.
- Unlocking Old Norse: Language, Myths and Sagas (HI503Y)
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30 Credit Points
Old Norse was also the primary literary language of the Scandinavian Middle Ages, notably the Icelandic sagas and skaldic and eddic poems. This course will provide the basic linguistic tools needed to read Old Norse texts, and some background about the history of the language and its links with other languages. No prior knowledge of Old Norse is assumed. This course uses Old Norse literature, in particular the sagas and Eddas, to introduce aspects of early Scandinavian culture, including literature and pre-Christian religion.
Stage 1: Optional Courses
Plus 90 credit points from the following options:
- Viking Archaeology (AY5005)
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30 Credit Points
In their brief 300-year heyday, the peoples of Viking-Age Scandinavia transformed the northern world, and themselves. This course explores the Vikings at home, abroad, and in their new homes overseas in the developing colonies of the diaspora that stretched from the coasts of North America to the Asian steppe. In lectures and seminars students will consider themes such as settlement and social structure, urbanism and commerce, pagan and Christian religion, and the political process that created the modern nation states of Norway, Sweden and Denmark
- Palaeography i (HI501D)
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15 Credit Points
A postgraduate student of medieval and early modern history or literature often needs to be able to use unedited literary and archival sources, or to check the completeness and accuracy of existing editions. Medievalists often need to consult material available only in later copies, extracts and antiquarian notes. To do so, you must be able to read pre-modern scripts. This course is designed to give students the necessary skills to use manuscript sources for themselves, whatever their date, describe manuscripts, and transcribe texts. Assessment is by exercises and a final essay.
- Special Subject (HI502K)
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30 Credit Points
This course allows you to participate in lectures and seminars for a specialist upper-level undergraduate (Honours) course in History or a neighbouring discipline, with tailored postgraduate-level research and assessment methods. The course is open to students on any of the campus-based PGT programmes in History, and you are able to choose the option that best suits your interests and programme, in consultation with your programme coordinator.
Example courses, from a wide range available each year, include: History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict; The Scottish Wars of Independence, 1286-1328; Britain and Revolutionary Russia 1917-1924; The Black Radical Tradition; Myths of the North; Enlightenment Compared: Ireland, Scotland, Central Europe.
- Design Your Degree: Focused (HI503U)
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15 Credit Points
This course allows you to design a tailored, focused line of study related to your interests and postgraduate degree programme. Expert, one-on-one supervisory support will guide your project as you develop independent research skills and specialist knowledge, culminating in a concise research essay in your chosen area. You will also have the opportunity to showcase your work and develop professional presentation skills via a poster presentation of your work in progress.
- Design Your Degree: Sustained (HI503V)
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30 Credit Points
This course allows you to design an independent research project on a topic tailored to your interests and degree programme.
You will work one-on-one with an expert supervisor to develop a sustained line of inquiry. Regular meetings with your supervisor allow for in-depth discussion of your research, which you will have the opportunity to showcase in a poster presentation and finally produce an extended research essay in your chosen area.
- Latin 1 (LT1009)
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15 Credit Points
Latin 1 is an introductory, intensive course for those with little or no previous exposure to Latin. Students completing this course should have a Latin vocabulary of about 400 words and a basic understanding of Latin grammar and syntax. Students successfully completing this course will be adequately prepared to attend Latin 2. Students will very likely discover that their knowledge of English vocabulary and grammar/syntax is improved by their study of Latin. The etymological roots of many English words can be traced to the Latin language.
Stage 2
Stage 2: Compulsory Courses
- Northern Peoples and Culture (AY5501)
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30 Credit Points
In a series of text based student-led seminars we study past Northern Peoples and Cultures through key topical debates, characteristic for different cultural regions and time periods. In the seminars students examine a range of northern contexts, from prehistory to more recent times all over the Circumpolar North. Students encounter topics as versatile as animal domestication in Northern Eurasia, Scandinavian Vikings, and Colonial North America illustrating the diversity of life and thought in Northern communities. Each seminar will also explore how particular key issues have become central to the 'identity' of archaeological research in the respective areas
- The World of Vikings (AY5505)
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30 Credit Points
The last centuries of the Scandinavian Iron Age, c. 750-1050, is the dynamic era in which Norse peoples made a lasting impression on Northern European and indeed world history. We call it the Viking Age. It was characterised by a society in transition – between Pagan beliefs and Christianity, Iron Age Chiefdoms and Medieval States, Thing and Law. In this course we explore the impacts that the Vikings had on Northern European society through the ancient artefacts and places they left behind. In addition to biweekly seminars, this course lets you meet the Vikings in their World through a week-long field trip where we will explore how society, landscape, economy and worldview was radically changed by the Viking Age.
- Myths, Legends and Poetry of the Mediaeval Gaels (GH4528)
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30 Credit Points
Europe’s earliest surviving body of vernacular literature was written by the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland, in their shared Old Gaelic language. Recasting oral traditions in new literary forms, these stories and poems dramatize the passions, conflicts and convictions of mythological and legendary men and women. They entertained and inspired mediaeval audiences and continue to enthral readers today. We explore selected works in translation to uncover their purposes, meanings and artistry.
- Approaching Archives (HI552L)
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15 Credit Points
What is an archive and how can it be used? Students are introduced to some archives in Aberdeen and learn how to make best use of these important resources for research. Seminars investigate the history and philosophy of archival collections, and how they relate to museums, libraries and galleries; approaches to the evaluation of contents of archives and qualitative analyses of specific collections. Assessment is based on a 5000-word essay in which students are asked to identify and analyse material from a specific archive which may be in Aberdeen, or elsewhere in Scotland, the UK, or abroad.
- Design Your Degree: Focused (HI553U)
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15 Credit Points
This course allows you to design a tailored, focused line of study related to your interests and postgraduate degree programme. Expert, one-on-one supervisory support will guide your project as you develop independent research skills and specialist knowledge, culminating in a concise research essay in your chosen area. You will also have the opportunity to showcase your work and develop professional presentation skills via a poster presentation of your work in progress.
- Design Your Degree: Sustained (HI553V)
-
30 Credit Points
This course allows you to design an independent research project on a topic tailored to your interests and degree programme.
You will work one-on-one with an expert supervisor to develop a sustained line of inquiry. Regular meetings with your supervisor allow for in-depth discussion of your research, which you will have the opportunity to showcase in a poster presentation and finally produce an extended research essay in your chosen area.
- Creative History: Understanding the Past Through Creative Practice (HI553Z)
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30 Credit Points
The use of creative media to examine the past is increasingly recognised as a discrete field of ‘creative history’. In this course students will engage with the growing literature in this area, developing their understanding of historical theory and creative practice to find new ways of looking at their historical subjects of interest. They will also dive into the practice of creative history for themselves through practice-research projects using media of their choice.
- Latin 2 (LT1507)
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15 Credit Points
Latin 2 picks up where Latin 1 finished in first term. By the end of this course students should have a more or less comprehensive understanding of Latin syntax and grammar, a Latin vocabulary of 700-800 words, and should be capable of translating simple Latin texts into idiomatic English. Students will very likely discover that their knowledge of English vocabulary and grammar/syntax is improved by their study of Latin.
Stage 3
Stage 3: Compulsory Courses
- Dissertation in Historical Studies (HI503S)
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60 Credit Points
An individually supervised research project, supported by whole-group information sessions, with a 15,000-word dissertation for students to complete their MLitt qualification.
Programme Fees
- UK
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- Tuition Fees for 2027/28 Academic Year
- 拢10,000
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year
- 拢10,000
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year (黑料网 Graduates *)
- 拢7,000
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黑料网 graduates are eligible for the Alumni Postgraduate Scholarship, reducing tuition fees to £7,000 - matching the current SAAS tuition loan - See full terms and conditions
- Tuition Fees for 2027/28 Academic Year (黑料网 Graduates *)
- 拢7,000
-
黑料网 graduates are eligible for the Alumni Postgraduate Scholarship, reducing tuition fees to £7,000 - matching the current SAAS tuition loan - See full terms and conditions
- EU / International students
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- Tuition Fees for 2027/28 Academic Year
- 拢22,000
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year
- 拢22,000
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year (Self-funded Students *)
- 拢14,000
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The above fee includes the £8,000 Aberdeen Global Scholarship provided to self-funded international students. Full terms and conditions apply.
- Tuition Fees for 2027/28 Academic Year (Self-funded Students *)
- 拢14,000
-
The above fee includes the £8,000 Aberdeen Global Scholarship provided to self-funded international students. Full terms and conditions apply.
We will endeavour to make all course options available. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page. In exceptional circumstances there may be additional fees associated with specialist courses, for example field trips.
Fee Information
Scholarships
All eligible self-funded international Postgraduate Masters students will receive an 拢8,000 scholarship. Learn more about this Aberdeen Global Scholarship here.
To see our full range of scholarships, visit our Funding Database.
How You'll Study
Learning Methods
- E-learning
- Field Trips
- Group Projects
- Individual Projects
- Lectures
- Research
- Seminars
- Tutorials
- Workshops
Assessment Methods
You must acquire 180 credits over the year (120 for courses + 60 for the dissertation) to obtain the master's degree qualification. Courses usually should total 45-60 credit points in each half-session. Assessment is based on written work and moderated according to university standards. You are assigned a dissertation supervisor based on your research interests.
Why Study Medieval and Early Modern Studies?
- Ranked 4th in Scotland for History (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027)
- Flexibility to tailor the degree to suit your interests through diverse courses.
- The MLitt enables an interdisciplinary approach to exploring medieval, renaissance, and early modern periods to discover the historical developments in art, literature, the built environment, technologies, practices, belief systems, music, society and more.
- Analyse and interpret culturally significant historical archives and artefacts to appreciate the medieval, Renaissance, and early modern periods
- Ranked 1st in Scotland for Overall Satisfaction in History (National Student Survey 2026).
- Over 91.2% of DHPA graduates are in employment or further study 15 months after graduation. (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2026)
- Acquire research training and skills to examine the historical and cultural transformations that have shaped societies and broaden your awareness of the pre-modern past.
- Join a dynamic research community with opportunities to engage with peers, researchers, and scholars in student seminars and collaborative projects.
Interested in this programme?
What Our Students Say
Entry Requirements
For more information about the application process, including details about which supporting documents you will be asked to provide, please click .
Qualifications
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the 黑料网.
You must normally have an Honours degree to at least 2:2 standard in an appropriate discipline or equivalent qualifications and experience.
Document Requirements
You will be required to supply the following documentation with your application as proof you meet the entry requirements of this degree programme. If you have not yet completed your current programme of study, then you can still apply and you can provide your Degree Certificate at a later date.
- Degree Certificate
- a degree certificate showing your qualifications
- Degree Transcript
- a full transcript showing all the subjects you studied and the marks you have achieved in your degree(s) (original & official English translation)
- Personal Statement
- a detailed personal statement explaining your motivation for this particular programme
Careers
What can I do with a history degree?
A degree in history can open a range of career paths to complement your skills and build your confidence in the workplace. These roles include and are not limited to:
- Archaeologists
- Archivists
- Academic Researchers
- Curators
- Digital industries and media
- Heritage Managers or Officers
- Historians
- Journalists or Writers
- Librarians
- Public Office
- Teachers or Lecturers
You develop core skills in research, critical reasoning, interpersonal communication, problem-solving and analytical thinking, offering you opportunities to work across different industries or pursue doctoral studies.
Our degree provides ideal preparation for doctoral studies and equips you with applied skills for work in museums, archives, education, and media. Graduates have also progressed onto roles in teaching, the government, public services, journalism, business, and academia.
What our Alumni Say
Our Experts
Our academic staff have diverse specialisms across disciplines in literature, philosophy, art history, medicine, history, music, and law, offering you the flexibility to study topics that interest your vocation.
- Programme Coordinators
- Dr Hannah Burrows
- William Hepburn
- Other Experts
- Professor Karin Friedrich
- Dr Jackson Armstrong
- Professor Robert Frost
- Brad Bow
- Dr Cecilia Brioni
- Dr Marie-Luise Ehrenschwendtner
- Dr Laura Mair
- Dr Ben Marsden
- Dr Heidi Mehrkens
- Professor Ralph O'Connor
- Dr Owen Walsh
- Professor Thomas Weber
- Professor Michael Brown
- Dr Alessandra Cecolin
- Dr Andrew Dilley
- Dr Charlotta Hillerdal
- Dr Alastair Macdonald
- Dr Thomas Rist
- Dr Bruno Tribout
Information 黑料网 Staff Changes
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.
Facilities
We have a range of research centres led by academic experts and researchers in their respective fields. The centres support collaborations between scholars across other disciplines within and outside the university.
Get in Touch
Contact Details
- Address
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Student Recruitment & Admissions
黑料网
University Office
Regent Walk
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX