Economics and Mediaeval History

Economics and medieval history is an unusual but intellectually compelling combination. Economics brings rigorous quantitative and theoretical tools to the analysis of how markets, institutions, and policies work. Medieval history brings a deep and detailed engagement with a period when the economic and social structures of Europe and the Middle East were being formed, contested, and transformed.

The combination allows you to ask economic questions of historical materials and to ground economic thinking in the longer sweep of how societies have organised production, trade, and distribution over time.

At the University of St Andrews, the economics strand provides a structured, cumulative, and rigorous foundation in economic concepts, principles, analysis, techniques, and knowledge, developing your analytical and decision-making abilities through training in quantitative and model-based methods. The medieval history strand teaches you to engage with sophisticated modes of thought and expression across medieval Europe and the Middle East, grappling with complex historical issues and building a clear understanding of the background that underlies the present day. The programme includes a year abroad and runs over four years full-time.

Graduates of economics and medieval history programmes are highly versatile. Many go into economic analysis, policy, finance, and the civil service, where the quantitative rigour of the economics training is directly applicable. Others pursue careers in heritage, education, publishing, and the cultural sector, where the historical depth and analytical skill of the history strand are valued.

Many go on to postgraduate study in economics, history, or interdisciplinary fields that bridge the two.