Disciplines

The Art History programme at Aberdeen provides students with an extensive knowledge of the history of art from the Middle Ages to the present day, covering a wide range of media and techniques. Our curriculum aims to situate European art in its global connectedness and its full complexities. Staff areas of expertise include late medieval art in Italy and the Alps, print culture in Early Modern Europe, 18th and 19th-century art and historiography, and exhibition history.

Divinity and Theology degrees at Aberdeen concentrate on the study of Christian faith, life and doctrine in its historical, institutional and contemporary contexts. As a discipline, Divinity has been taught at Aberdeen since the University was founded in 1495. Students join an international community alongside leading academics carrying forward 500+ years of tradition, with the highest-quality teaching and research on all aspects of theology and ministry.

History at Aberdeen is diverse and takes a holistic approach to the subject. Students gain an in-depth knowledge of past events, human activity and the relationships between cultures over a range of historical periods. Areas of study include Scottish and European History, Vikings, Medieval Europe, the History and Philosophy of Science, and how to read and think about history. The university holds historically significant collections, including 7,000 early printed books, the magnificent 12th-century Aberdeen Bestiary, a large Jacobite collection, works of the Scottish Enlightenment, and local records dating from the Middle Ages.

Viking and Medieval Nordic Studies in Aberdeen is led by the Centre for Scandinavian Studies (CfSS), founded in 2007. The Centre specialises in the literature, history, language and culture of Viking Age and Medieval Scandinavia (including Iceland and other parts of the 'Viking world'). We run a PhD and an MLitt in Viking and Medieval Nordic Studies and co-ordinate and teach related courses in the undergraduate degree programme in History.

Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen includes a wide variety of courses offered by committed and knowledgeable lecturers. Students can choose to focus on a variety of subjects, including Moral Philosophy, Knowledge and Mind, and Reason and Argument, learning how philosophy is as much the study of what constitutes a 'good' or 'valid' argument as it is the application of thought to specific problems.