History BA (Hons)

Develop your critical abilities and historical knowledge within a vibrant department of committed students and scholars.

The course encompasses histories from Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia and examines pivotal events, transformative processes and historical debates. Lectures and seminars will deepen your critical historical knowledge and support you in developing your own research, essay-writing and presentational skills. The majority of our students choose from a second set of optional first-year modules. These specialised modules include ‘The Fall of Rome’ and ‘Histories of Violence: How Imperialism made the Modern World’.

For second and third-year students, the Department offers an extensive range of modules that includes both short term-length modules and the third-year Special Subjects. You can choose to focus on a particular period, theme or region or to develop a breadth of chronological and geographical knowledge. These module options include British, European, American, Asian and Middle Eastern history, from the ancient world to the twenty-first century. These modules emerge from the research expertise of academic staff in the department.

In your second year you can also choose to undertake a heritage placement project. These placements allow our students to gain invaluable work experience and enhance their employability. Some previous placements partners include The National Trust, Cumbria County Council and The Duchy of Lancaster.

Careers

Our graduates have a number of career paths open to them, including journalism and publishing, marketing, PR and retail management. Core skills including independent research, critical analysis and effective presentation have enabled recent graduates to gain roles with major employers including Marks & Spencer, Santander, BskyB and Sainsbury’s.
The interdisciplinary research methodologies, critical analysis, organisational and writing skills developed over the course of our degrees can lead to career destinations including business, marketing, the media, publishing, the Civil Service and the public sector.

Many of our graduates decide to progress to postgraduate studies with us or other institutions, often entering into research and teaching positions.