Program Overview

• History achieved more than 90% overall satisfaction as rated by final-year undergraduate students in the 2019 National Student Survey
• Broaden your horizons and boost your CV with a year studying abroad
• 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.

In Year 1, 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 4, you 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, you spend a year studying at one of our partner universities in Europe or USA, gaining a valuable experience, broadening your horizons by learning about another culture first-hand, and boosting your CV.

In Year 4, 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.