Start with a short course
Our online short courses provide an alternative entry route to this online Masters degree if:
- you want to get your postgraduate studies started without committing to a full Masters
- you’ve missed the deadline to apply for the full degree, or
- you do not meet the formal degree entry requirements.
A way to study for this online Masters without a degree
Our entry-route short courses are self-evaluating.
This means you do not need to provide formal qualifications to study them. If you believe you’re academically capable, you’re welcome to join a course.
To help you decide if a short course is right for you, check the entry guidance on each course page. It explains the level of teaching involved.
How it works
- Complete 30 credits’ worth of the recommended short courses for this online Masters.
- Then apply to transfer to the online Masters in August.
By earning 30 credits from the recommended courses successfully, you’ll have proved you’re capable of learning at this level.
You’ll then be eligible to apply to transfer to the online Masters, even if you do not hold the formal degree entry qualifications.
Degree transfers take place once a year, in August only.
Buy
Purchase and complete at least 30 credits’ worth of the recommended short courses for this online Masters degree.
Apply
We’ll contact you during your studies to help you apply to transfer to the online Masters in August.
Transfer
Provided the degree coordinator is happy with your performance, and you meet our English language requirements, we can transfer you in August.
Get started on the short course route
To start on the entry path to this online MLitt, complete 30 credits’ worth of the following courses.
Each course is worth 30 credits towards our online MLitt Scottish Heritage.
Some courses are compulsory for this degree, while others are optional. Before deciding what to study, view the full course options for MLitt Scottish Heritage.
These courses are delivered at postgraduate Masters level. At this level of teaching, you’d normally have:
- a 2:1 (upper-second) honours degree or equivalent (normally a 3.0 GPA in North America), or
- alternative qualifications combined with relevant professional experience.
Courses starting on 27 January 2025
Pandemics and Plagues: History’s Deadliest Diseases (30 credits)
Develop knowledge of historical pandemics around the world and in Scotland, discovering how societies have responded to the deadliest epidemics in history.
Buy Pandemics and Plagues: History’s Deadliest DiseasesThe Scottish Diaspora (30 credits)
Explore the stories of the men, women and children who left Scotland’s shores for a new life overseas.
Buy The Scottish DiasporaScottish Visual History (30 credits)
Examine Scottish art across a period of 150 years. Explore how it evolved, what makes it Scottish, and what this visual history tells us about Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Buy Scottish Visual HistoryScottish Church History: From Columba to Graham (30 credits)
Examine the history of the Christian faith in Scotland, from the mission of Columba, through the crusade of Billy Graham, to the present day.
Buy Scottish Church History: From Columba to GrahamCourses starting on 22 September 2025
Approaches to Research: Archives and Sources (30 credits)
Gain the skills you need to conduct research in archives and library collections anywhere in the world.
Buy Approaches to Research: Archives and SourcesJacobite Scotland: Cultures, Identities, Legacies, 1688-1830
Study the Jacobite cause and its complex relationship with Scottish culture and identity.
Buy Jacobite Scotland: Cultures, Identities, LegaciesScotland: A Millennium of History (30 credits)
Access fascinating source materials as you evaluate Scotland’s global impact over the past millennium, from the medieval period to the modern day.
Buy Scotland: A Millennium of HistoryScottish Witch-Hunting and the Rise of a Protestant Culture 1590-1690 (30 credits)
Examine the attitudes and approaches to witchcraft, magic, the preternatural and the supernatural in early modern Protestant Scotland.
Buy Scottish Witch-Hunting and the Rise of a Protestant Culture 1590-1690Purchasing your courses
To join a course, apply via the course page and follow the application and checkout process.
Courses are available to purchase until one week after their start date, but we encourage you to purchase your courses as early as possible to ensure a smooth start to your studies.
Study at your own pace
- Each 30-credit course is around 15 – 20 study hours per week, plus extra at assessment time.
If you’re planning to study part-time, especially if you’re studying around full-time work, we recommend taking a maximum of 30 credits per term.
You can access our online learning platform 24/7, and you can largely set your hours to suit you. You can take study breaks between courses too, as long as you complete your Masters within six years.
Online Masters route not for you?
You do not have to transfer to the Masters degree. Our online short courses give you the flexibility to:
- study any short course standalone, earning credits with each one
- build your credits up to a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma instead
- continue course by course, at your own pace, with the option to transfer to the online Masters when you’re ready.
Frequently asked questions
Here are answers to the most common questions we receive about our short course routes.
If your question is not answered here, we’re here to help. Get in touch.
We recommend these courses for this entry route for two reasons.
- It’s the recommended route set out by the programme coordinator.
- These are the courses that students taking the full online Masters degree will typically be starting with too. You’ll be studying alongside a cohort of online degree students. If you later transfer into the online degree, you’ll continue studying alongside these same students, giving you a smoother transition into the degree programme.
You’ll be eligible to apply to transfer to the online Masters when you:
- pass 30 credits’ worth of recommended short courses from this Masters degree successfully
- receive your official passing grades for these courses, and
- meet this degree’s English language requirements if English is not your first language.
If you fulfil these requirements, you can apply to transfer. The programme coordinator makes the final decision on degree transfers.
You can transfer once a year, in August. We carry out transfers in August because:
- August is the start of the new academic year, and
- it gives you time to choose your courses ahead of teaching starting in September.
The transfer process takes place once a year, in August only.
The School will contact you during your studies to find out what your intentions are for the next term. It’s at this point you can apply to transfer in August. The School will support you through the transfer process.
If you’re taking the short course route, you do not need to apply for the Masters degree separately via our Applicant Portal. Instead, the School will fast-track you into the online Masters, providing you meet the eligibility criteria.
If you fail your first attempt at a short course, you’ll be offered one chance to resit the course assessment.
If you fail this resit, you cannot take the course again.
We would then be able to advise you as to your options – you may still be able to qualify with a postgraduate qualification in a different specialism.
No. Once you’ve completed your entry-route short courses, you will not need to study them again when you transfer to the Masters degree.
The credits you have completed will count towards the Masters degree.
Once you’ve transferred to the Masters, you will not need to pay for the courses that you have already studied. Your Masters fee will be adjusted to deduct the cost of the courses you have already paid for.
A pay-as-you-go degree
We never charge the full fee for a Masters degree upfront. Instead, we charge for our degrees one term at a time, so you can spread the cost.
How pay-as-you-go works
Each term, you decide how many courses you’d like to take. Then you pay for these courses just before term starts. This gives you control over your degree fees and your workload, term by term.
Each 30-credit course is around 15 – 20 hours of study time per week, plus extra at assessment times.
This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes. This includes time for independent study, as well as teaching and assessments.
You’ll find more detailed and course-specific study hours on each online course page.
Studying around work?
If you’re planning to study part-time, especially if you’re studying around full-time work, we recommend taking a maximum of 30 credits per term.
I’ve already applied for this Masters degree, but I want to study via the short course route instead
If you’ve already submitted an application for this degree, please:
- email our Postgraduate Admissions team with your applicant number and ask them to cancel your degree application
- then purchase and join your chosen short course(s).