Anthropology and History BA (Hons)

Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. If you want to understand the past to prepare for your future in a changing world, studying History is the way forward.

Staff at Birmingham teaching in both Anthropology and History have an outstanding international reputation for excellence in both teaching and research, providing you with valuable skills in analysis, research, reasoning, time-management and being able to present yourself confidently orally and in writing.

This undergraduate degree course aims to cover modern, early modern and medieval Britain, Europe and the wider world alongside the critical, comparative perspective offered by anthropology. Whatever your interests - whether global, cultural, social, military, diplomatic, political, economic, military or religious history - there is someone in the department teaching your kind of history. Moreover, historians in other departments in the University expand the range of courses on offer, notably in the fields of Byzantine and African history. After a thorough grounding of modules in the first year of your degree course, we offer a wide range of optional modules to study in subsequent years, culminating in a final year dissertation.

Developing your career

There is a range of opportunities through our Careers Network and beyond. For example, our innovative Cultural Internships offer graduates the opportunity for a six-month paid internship at a leading cultural institution in the West Midlands. These internships will give you professional experience to set you apart in a competitive graduate market.

Current partners include Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham REP, Birmingham Royal Ballet, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust, and the Library of Birmingham. There are also internships available at the University’s own cultural assets, such as Winterbourne House, the Lapworth Museum, and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.

There are regular events each year covering careers in teaching, events management, working with charities and more, to help you meet potential employers and learn more about a range of sectors.

Extra-curricular activities

To enhance your career prospects even further, you may want to engage in extra-curricular activities to broaden your skills and your network of contacts.

Our College of Arts and Law Undergraduate Research Scholarship Scheme enables interested students to work on a current academic research project run by one of our researchers in drama and theatre. You gain work experience over the summer after your first or second year and have the chance to develop skills in both collaborative and independent research.

Our employer-endorsed Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.