Program Overview

• Set yourself up to flourish in your degree and beyond with our Foundation Year
• Choose modules from an exceptionally broad range of topics
• Learn from expert tutors and their cutting-edge research
• Become a critical reader of evidence
• Study in a city steeped in history
• Enjoy trips and talks with our student-led History Society

History helps us to better understand the past and make sense of the world we live in. Our BA in History is an immensely varied and rich course that gives you an in-depth view of the world and the contours and forces at play between economics, society, culture, politics and religion.

A Foundation Year is the perfect way to boost your academic skills, build your confidence and develop your wider subject knowledge so you can succeed at Winchester. This course offers an extra year of study at the start (Year 0) which leads onto a full degree programme (Years 1, 2 and 3).

A Foundation Year is ideal if you are returning to education after a break; haven’t quite achieved the entry qualifications required; are wanting more support during the transition to studying at university; or are unsure about which subject you wish to pursue.

In Year 0, you will study a set of modules from across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences which are designed to develop your academic and practical skills. This broader focus in your first year introduces you to studying at university level and provides you with a better understanding of History and related subjects.

In Year 1 (second year of study), you are introduced to the study of history at degree level. We help you to gain a good grounding in historical periods and cultures from around the globe, including Asia, Europe and the Americas. You explore the nature of history as a discipline, its changing assumptions, methods and definitions, and the current concerns of historians.

In Years 2 and 3 (third and fourth years of study), you will focus on the acquisition of research skills and knowledge as the basis of more specialised study. You choose from a range of optional modules in Year 2 that either focus on how to use original documents or explore, through thematic approaches, continuity and change over a long period of time.

In Year 3 (fourth year of study), optional modules take the form of Depth Studies and Comparative Studies. An understanding of methodology is developed by Depth Studies, which establish a comprehensive knowledge of a particular period by evaluating the use of primary and secondary sources and any issues associated with them as evidence. Comparative Studies looks at an area of historical concern across more than one country and culture.