This programme will provide exceptional preparation for graduate-level research on historical and art-historical topics focusing on the cultural life of eighteenth-century Scotland. Its conjoined aim is to train students in historical and archival methods on-site at Edinburgh's world-class heritage resources (including museums, libraries, and galleries), with seminar-based scholarly training that draws on a cross-School team of experts working in various cultural fields within Enlightenment Studies. Accordingly, students will be assessed on their written, oral, and curatorial skills appropriate both to their individual goals and to the aims of this rigorous training programme. Thus this programme is unique both for its conceptual emphasis on the Scottish dimension of the pan-European Enlightenment, ideal for students aiming to pursue a PhD in History or Art History, and for its provision of professional skills suitable for students who wish to pursue careers in heritage industries beyond academia. In several important respects, this programme reflects new developments in advanced research and in the changing job market for our MSc graduates.