History/Theatre Studies

History and theatre studies is a combination that explores two disciplines concerned with human experience across time and through different forms of storytelling. History examines how societies change over time, how events are interpreted, and whose experiences are preserved in the record. It develops the analytical and research skills needed to work with evidence, construct arguments, and understand how the present is shaped by the past.

Theatre studies brings a complementary perspective, examining performance as a cultural practice and an art form, asking how theatrical conventions change across periods, how theatre reflects and challenges the societies in which it is made, and how performance creates meaning in ways that differ fundamentally from written texts.

At the University of Glasgow, this four-year, full-time programme includes a year abroad, which enriches both the historical and the theatrical dimensions of the degree. The history curriculum at Glasgow spans a wide range of periods and regions, with research expertise in Scottish, British, European, American, and global history, as well as in slavery studies, gender history, and war and genocide studies. The theatre element develops critical and analytical engagement with performance across its many forms, building both scholarly understanding and, often, practical experience of making theatre.

The combination invites you to think about the relationship between history and its theatrical representation, which is one of the most productive questions either discipline can ask. The typical entry tariff is 200 UCAS points.

Graduates from history and theatre studies programmes pursue careers in education, arts administration, theatre production, heritage, journalism, the civil service, cultural policy, and academic research. The analytical and communication skills the combination develops are valued across a wide range of professional contexts. Postgraduate study in history, theatre, performance studies, or cultural heritage is a natural continuation for those wishing to specialise further.