Geography and Modern History

Geography and modern history is a combination that gives you two complementary ways of understanding how the world came to be as it is. Geography examines the relationship between human activity and the physical environment, addressing questions of place, space, scale and the processes that shape landscapes, urban systems, economic patterns and environmental change. Modern history investigates the human past from the eighteenth century to the present, examining the political, social, economic and cultural transformations that have produced the contemporary world.

Together, they develop the capacity to think critically and creatively about complex systems and their change over time.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time degree is taught in an institution with a strong research culture in both disciplines and a demanding intellectual environment. You will study geography across its human and physical dimensions, developing skills in fieldwork, spatial analysis, quantitative and qualitative research methods, and critical engagement with questions of environment, society and global development. The history component takes you across the modern period, examining key transformations in Britain, Europe and the wider world with the source-analysis and argumentative rigour that historical scholarship demands.

A year abroad is available, giving you the opportunity to study in another leading academic environment and to bring an international perspective to both disciplines.

The combination develops analytical, research and communication skills across two complementary disciplinary traditions, and you will learn to move between different methods and kinds of evidence in ways that enrich your understanding of both subjects.

Graduates from geography and modern history programmes move into careers in environmental management, planning, education, journalism, the civil service, international development, heritage, policy research, business, and the third sector. Postgraduate study in geography, history, environmental management, or international development is a well-established pathway.