MSc Economic History

About the MSc programme

Applicants for our MSc programmes should have at least an upper second class honours degree, or its equivalent, in the social sciences. The MSc Economic History offers a flexible programme to those who have already studied economic history at first degree level, or for those who have studied a related discipline and whose interests have moved towards economic history. The wide range of courses in economic history available enables candidates to compile a programme that meets their particular requirements. The degree is a twelve month programme, consisting of one compulsory half unit, a compulsory dissertation (half or full unit), and optional courses to the value of two and a half or three units selected from the prescribed list, which must include at least one of our advanced survey courses on modern or pre-modern economic history over the last millennium.

Please note that some options have prerequisites and some have a restricted intake. The range of options available in any one year may vary.

Students leave the department equipped for any profession that requires intellectual judgement, the ability to assess and analyse evidence and ideas, and good communication skills. Economic history graduates can be found in management and administration in the public and private sectors; banking; journalism; economic consultancy; and library and museum services, to mention just a few. 

Compulsory courses

(* half unit)

• Historical Analysis of Economic Change*

Choose one from:

• Essay/Dissertation (6,000 words)*
• Dissertation (10,000 words)

Choose one from:

• The Development and Integration of the World Economy in the 19th and 20th Centuries
• Pre-modern Paths of Growth: East and West Compared, c1000-1800

Options

Depending on the type of essay/dissertation chosen, select a total of one and a half or two units from:

• India and the World Economy*
• International Migration, 1500-2000: from slavery to asylum*
• Research Topics in Economic History A*
• Research Topics in Economic History B*
• The British Economy in Global Perspective, 1000-2000* 
• Research Issues in African Economic History*
• Scientific, Technical and Useful Knowledge from Song China to the Industrial Revolution*
• Shipping and Sea Power in Asian Waters, c1600-1860*
• International Economic Institutions since World War I*
• African Economic Development in Historical Perspective*
• Topics in Quantitative Economic History
• Economic Development of East and Southeast Asia
• Latin American Development: Political Economy of Growth*
• Latin American Development: Case Studies in Growth, Poverty and Social Change* 
• The Long-Run Analysis of Firms and Industries*
• The Historical Context of Business*
• The Rise and Decline of Economic Policy in 20th Century Western Europe
• History of Economics: From Moral Philosophy to Social Science
• The Development and Integration of the World Economy in the 19th and 20th Centuries
• Political Economy of Late Industrialisation*
• Great Depressions in Economic History*
• Economic History of Southeastern Europe and the Middle East, 1820-1970*
• Labour and Work in Pre-industrial Europe*
• Epidemics: Epidemic Disease in History, 1348-2000
• Japan and Korea as Developing Economies*
• Turkey: Political Economy and European Integration*
• Economic Globalisation: Long-term trends and consequences*
• Research Design and Quantitative Methods in Economic History*
• Quantitative Topics in Economic History I: Cross-Section and Panel Data* †
• Quantitative Topics in Economic History II: Time Series and Economic Dynamics* †
• Pre-modern Paths of Growth:  East and West Compared, c1000-1800

† Cannot be combined with Topics in Quantitative Economic History