Overview
Why are some aspects of the past celebrated and others removed or destroyed? What and who shapes our understanding of the past? How does the past inform our identities, politics, and sense of belonging today? This distinctive, exciting degree course gives you a framework for understanding the past's role in the contemporary world and the part that heritage plays in shaping our collective futures.
You will gain in-depth historical knowledge and understanding of a range of periods, with modules focusing on the social, political, and environmental history of Europe, Africa and North America. Through modules on heritage and museums, you will engage with topics such as heritage protection, museum collecting, heritage and identity, cultural politics, globalisation and decolonisation. Optional modules from other subjects give you the opportunity to build your knowledge, understanding and skills in complementary areas. Throughout the course, you will explore topical issues relating to nationalism, conflict, civic society, culture, race, and gender.
The course will allow you to master a range of academic and practical skills. With a strong emphasis on employability and career development, you will be well-placed to pursue a career in the heritage and museum sectors, amongst others.
History and heritage students can be submitted for various prizes, mostly in final year. Some are dedicated solely for history and heritage, others across history, heritage and politics, and others across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
Environmental History Prize
An annual prize of £100 to be awarded for the best first-class dissertation in Environmental History.
Gordon Donaldson Prize
An annual prize of £50 for the best graduating student in History.
Robert and Margaret McKean Prize
An annual prize of £50 for the best performance by a final year student in European History.
Stirling Guildry Prize
An annual prize of £100 to be awarded for the best dissertation submitted by a student taking History or Scottish History.
Faculty Research based learning prize
The Division of History, Heritage and Politics has been granted £250 by the Faculty to reward undergraduate students for contributions to research through their studies (projects, dissertations etc).
The Scott Reid Memorial Prize
The £200 prize will be open to undergraduates in their final year of study studying History and/or Politics (including combined degrees with either subject). The prize will be awarded to the student who achieved their degree despite facing adversity during their studies and or who have shown outstanding support and selfless giving for their fellow students, local community or family.
The Alasdair Ross Memorial Essay prize.
The £200 prize is open to all University honours students who have written an essay between 2000 to 5000 words on a topic within the area of Scottish Studies, with an emphasis on environment and heritage.
Dee Amy Chin Prize for Gender and Feminist Studies
£200 is for the Dee Amy-Chinn prize for Gender Studies and is open to undergraduate students in any discipline within the University and recognises exceptional achievement in the study of gender and/or feminism (essay, dissertation, creative practice).
Entry requirements
SQA Highers
AABB
GCE A-levels
BBB
IB Diploma
28
BTEC (Level 3)
DDM
Widening access students
Widening access students may be eligible for an adjusted offer of entry. To find out if this applies to you go to our widening access pages.
Care-experienced applicants will be guaranteed an offer of a place if they meet the minimum entry requirements.
SQA Advanced Highers
ABB
GCE A-levels
ABB
IB Diploma
32
Essential subjects
History
Scottish HNC/HND
Year one minimum entry - Bs in graded units.
Access courses
University of Stirling access course - for mature students only. You must pass the course with 50% or above.
SWAP access course - for mature students only.
Email our Admissions Team for advice about other access courses.
Foundation Apprenticeships
Considered to be equivalent to 1 Higher at Grade B
English, Welsh and Northern Irish HNC/HND
Merits and Distinctions
English, Welsh and Northern Irish access courses
Access to Higher Education - 60 credits, minimum 45 at QCF Level 3, pass at 60% or above.
Year 2 entry
Entry into Year 2 may be possible depending on your HNC/HND course. To find out more go to our articulation pages.
Other qualifications
Advanced entry may be possible depending on your qualifications. For more information, contact our Admissions Team at admissions@stir.ac.uk.
If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.
- Pearson Test of English (Academic) 60 overall with a minimum of 59 in each sub-skill.
- IBT TOEFL 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.
See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.
Pre-sessional English language courses
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO University of Stirling offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.
Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses
Course details
The course is delivered in person on campus. It provides you with a knowledge and understanding of a wide range of historical periods, regions of the world, and topical issues, including heritage and identities, cultural politics, conflict, decolonisation, and environmental concerns.
Conceptual and theoretical understanding are combined with critical thinking and practical skills, to help you become an active, adaptable citizen capable of problem-solving in the face of complex global challenges.
The first and second years provide you with a grounding in essential skills for handling primary and secondary sources, as well as introductions to heritage approaches, through modules on medieval Scottish history, modern British history, concepts in history, and reputations in history. In your second year you will also take a dedicated employability module, ‘Back to the Future: putting history and heritage to work’, alongside a survey history module from a list of options.
In the third year you will take a compulsory module on heritage protection and select from a wide range of history, heritage, and museum honours modules, as well as option modules from literature, sociology, management, and marketing, which provide the opportunity to strengthen your knowledge and skills in complementary areas. A compulsory module in the third year prepares you to undertake independent, supervised research in your fourth year, leading to either a history dissertation or a heritage portfolio. In your fourth year you can also select further option modules or have the opportunity to choose an in-depth history special subject.
Modules
The module information below provides an example of the types of course module you may study. The details listed are for the academic year that starts in September 2024. Modules and start dates are regularly reviewed and may be subject to change in future years.
Course details
You will learn through a combination of formal lectures, seminars and tutorials. Small group tutorials will also provide feedback and reinforcement of lecture topics throughout each semester.
Digital technologies and sources of information play an important role, with tasks facilitated by blog posts, online discussion boards, podcasts, and video presentations.
A module focusing on museum and heritage interpretation is a highlight, where students work as a group to design and produce an exhibition.
In the fourth year, students undertake either a history dissertation or a Heritage Portfolio. This is an independent supervised project, which brings together the knowledge, understanding and skills students have developed during the degree.
A key feature of this degree is the emphasis on authentic work-related learning, based on real-world tasks and case studies, supporting them to develop employability skills. For instance, in one of the heritage modules, students work as a team to design and construct an exhibition, making extensive use of digital media. In another they plan and deliver an online mini conference. One of the core modules involves the development of a LinkedIn profile encouraging students to think critically about self-presentation on online career networking platforms, while managing digital identity, reputation, wellbeing, and safety. Finally, the heritage portfolio gives students the opportunity to research, design and develop heritage outputs (e.g. an exhibition design, a guidebook, a heritage trail), accompanied by interpretation and promotional strategies and a reflective report.
Field visits are an important element in the teaching and learning strategy for heritage modules, allowing you to engage with heritage places and organisations. They are also increasingly used in history modules.
If you choose to do a heritage portfolio in Year 4, you will have the opportunity to design heritage and museum outputs. These practical teaching environments encourage you to take a proactive, responsible and independent role in your learning.
The teaching and learning strategies draw on a variety of methods of assessment to enable you to demonstrate your progress and attainment against the intended learning outcomes of each module. Assessment methods are wide-ranging to accommodate a wealth of learning styles. They include:
- essays
- presentations
- exams
- projects
- exhibition design
- reports on primary sources
- critical reviews
- policy papers
- academic posters
- reflective reports
- career development planning and networking profiles
- final year dissertation or heritage portfolio
Your active preparation and contribution to tutorial and seminar work may also be assessed.
Lectures usually last 50 minutes and are recorded to allow students to listen again. Most teaching is done in small groups. In years one and two, tutorials last one hour. In year three, seminars last two hours, and in year four, seminars in special subjects last three hours (with a break in the middle).
An optional Faculty of Arts and Humanities module, "Putting Arts & Humanities to Work", gives you the opportunity to undertake 30 hours of work placement in a career area linked to your degree subject.
As a University of Stirling student, you’ll have the opportunity to broaden your horizons and study abroad through our well-established connections with several international universities.
Professor Siân Jones, Course Director
Fees and funding
Scottish students
This fee is set by the Scottish Government and is subject to change.
Although you’re liable for annual tuition fees, if you are domiciled in Scotland you can apply to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) to have your tuition fees paid by the Scottish Government on your behalf.
You will be charged the annual tuition fee each year when you enrol.
If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland
This tuition fee may be subject to change depending on guidance provided by the UK Government.
You can apply for financial assistance, including a loan to cover the full cost of your tuition fees, from your relevant funding body. Students from the Republic of Ireland are eligible for a tuition fee loan of up to £9,535 from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).
We also offer additional funding – such as our Honours Year Scholarship – for students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. See our funding opportunities section below for more information.
You will be charged the annual fee each year when you enrol.
If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy and terms and conditions.
International students (including EU)
Eligible students will automatically receive a scholarship worth between £8,000-£30,000 over the duration of your course. See our range of generous scholarships for international undergraduate students.
You will be charged the annual fee each year when you enrol. Your fees will be held at the same level throughout your course.
If you need to take additional modules or resit modules, you will be liable for an additional fee.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Additional costs
There are some instances where additional fees may apply. Depending on your chosen course, you may need to pay additional costs, for example for field trips. Learn more about additional fees.
See what funding opportunities and loans are available to help you with tuition and living costs.
Students from Scotland
Find funding opportunities for Scottish students.
Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland
Eligible students will automatically receive our Undergraduate Welcome Scholarship, Undergraduate Merit Scholarship, and our Honours Year Scholarship, which are worth between £1,000 and £9,250.
International students
Eligible international students will automatically receive a scholarship worth between £8,000-£30,000 over the duration of your course. Find funding opportunities for international students.
If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.
International (including EU) students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.
We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay.
After you graduate
Preparing you for the world of work
There is a strong emphasis on employability and career development throughout this degree course.
In second year you will take a dedicated employability module, which explores history and heritage in the world of work, as well as offering skills training in career development, CV writing and use of social media for professional networking.
Specialised option modules will provide you with a knowledge and understanding of the heritage and museum sectors, and how they can contribute positive and sustainable solutions to local, national and global issues.
We have formal institutional partnerships with The National Trust for Scotland and the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage. We also draw on our networks in a wide range of organisations (e.g. National Museums Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland and Kelvingrove Museum).
Our Heritage Lecturers have all worked in the heritage and museum sectors at some time in their careers and students gain from their wide-ranging experience in the classroom. In addition, professional practitioners are invited to present guest lectures providing you with first-hand insights into the latest challenges and opportunities facing their sectors. Students also visit heritage organisations and museums during field trips on a range of modules, which play an important role in enhancing learning.
Finally, we also have a dedicated Faculty Employability and Skills Officer and a Careers Service that work in partnership with academic staff to ensure you get the best out of your University experience, and are given the right opportunities to make you ready for the world of work.
Career opportunities
A History and Heritage degree from the University of Stirling opens up career opportunities in a range of sectors, from museums and heritage trusts to the civil service and worlds of teaching, marketing and journalism. Jobs directly related to a history and heritage degree include:
- Heritage manager
- Historic buildings inspector or conservation officer
- Museum education officer
- Museum or gallery curator
- Museum or gallery exhibitions officer
- Secondary school teacher
- Civil Service fast streamer
- Research officer
