Economic & Social History/French

Economic and social history is a discipline that asks how material conditions, institutions, and social structures have shaped human experience over time. It draws on economics to analyse markets, wages, trade, and inequality, and on sociology and history to understand how societies organise themselves, how power is distributed, and how change happens. The result is a rich, empirically grounded approach to the past that has immediate relevance for understanding the present.

Pairing this with French adds a major linguistic and cultural dimension, opening access to Francophone scholarship and to the rich historical and contemporary cultures of the French-speaking world.

At the University of Glasgow, the French strand of this programme offers a broad range of topics to focus on, including French comics, song, travel writing, medieval France, and contemporary French history, giving you considerable flexibility in how you develop your expertise. You will study economic and social history with rigour and breadth, developing the quantitative, archival, and interpretive skills that the discipline requires. The programme includes a sandwich placement year and a work placement, giving you professional experience within the degree structure.

It runs over five years full-time and leads to an MA (Hons) degree.

Graduates combining economic and social history with French are well placed for careers in the civil service, policy research, international development, journalism, education, and the cultural and heritage sectors. The French language gives additional access to roles in Francophone contexts, including European institutions, NGOs, and businesses operating across France and beyond. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in history, economic history, development economics, or French studies.