PhD in History
The University of Edinburgh - The School of History, Classics & Archaeology
Key Information
Campus location
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 6 years
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 19,000 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* Full-time studies: Overseas £19,000 per year. Additional fees may apply
Scholarships
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Introduction
The PhD in History offers you the opportunity to study history at an advanced level through independent research.
The PhD is our principal research degree. The size of Edinburgh’s history department and the breadth of expertise available from our staff means that we can offer supervision for research projects in a wide array of fields. We have strong research concentrations in Scottish history, American history, global and transnational history, Irish history, intellectual history, and medieval history, and colleagues who can supervise topics spanning two millennia and five continents. Members of the history department have strong links with colleagues elsewhere in the University with research expertise in related disciplines, from Classics, Archaeology and History of Art to Politics and Economics.
The breadth of research expertise in the School and in the wider University makes it possible for us to supervise a very wide range of topics. Each student is allocated at least two supervisors, allowing us to combine thematic, chronological and, if appropriate, disciplinary expertise in the supervisory team. We also have close links with external organisations, such as the National Museums of Scotland, and may be able to include external partners in supervisory teams.
Admissions
Curriculum
Programme structure
The PhD is a substantial piece of independent research which makes a contribution to the state of existing knowledge in the field. The PhD programme is designed to take three years full-time or six years part-time. The PhD is examined by submission of a thesis of up to 100,000 words and by oral examination.
PhD students work closely with their supervisors, who are recognised experts in the field of study. All PhD students pursue an individually tailored programme of research training agreed with their supervisors. The PhD programmes in History provide core training in the research skills necessary to flourish at the doctoral level and beyond, through a core course in semester one, Professional Skills for Historians, and a day-long annual conference for PhD students in semester two. All PhD students in the School also benefit from School and University-wide training in research and professional skills.
PhD students are encouraged to share their research with other postgraduate students through workshops and seminars, and to take an active part in the research life of the history subject area, the School and the University through our research groups and centres and through student-led workshops and seminars. Current research groups include Digital Humanities; Intellectual History; Material Culture; Global and Transnational History; History of Science, Medicine and Technology; Economic and Social History; Political History; Irish History; and Late Antique and Byzantine Studies. We also have three research centres: The Centre for the Study of Modern and Contemporary History; Medieval and Renaissance Studies; and the Scottish Centre for Diaspora Studies.