BA (Hons) History
University of Portsmouth
Key Information
Campus location
Southsea, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 9,250 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* for UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students/EU residents | £16,200/year: international students
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Explore the past to understand the now. Dive into moments of chaos, challenge and change. Uncover evidence that shines new light on societies around the world. Across issues of gender, class, race, inequality and power, you’ll see how diverse people responded to the times they lived in – and how their actions still shape our world today.
The city of Portsmouth is a time traveller's paradise where past and present collide: from historic warships to modern cruise liners, Southsea Castle to the Spinnaker Tower. It's the ideal place to create your own immersive and relevant BA (Hons) History degree.
Course highlights
- Study in a city that’s always been a gateway to the wider world, with options to explore the past of Britain, Europe, Africa, Asia and North America
- Get closer to history thanks to close links with Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, and the Portsmouth Museum and Records Service.
- Tailor your studies to times and themes you find most fascinating - from the British Civil Wars to the Opium War, from Victorian cities to modern Germany, from persecution and migration to anti-racism in the 20th century
- Learn in a place where historians collaborate with linguists, sociologists and political scientists to answer deep and complex questions
- Develop demonstrable skills in research, analysis and argument that are highly valued by all kinds of employers
- Apply your new expertise in a CV-boosting work placement at a museum, heritage site, charity or other organisation of interest
Focusing on your interests with pathways
You can follow optional sociology or politics pathways through this degree or include it as a pathway in our English Literature, American Studies or International Relations courses. It'll lead to one of these awards at the end of the course:
- BA (Hons) History with Politics
- BA (Hons) History with Sociology
- BA (Hons) English Literature with History
- BA (Hons) International Relations with History
- BA (Hons) History with American Studies
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
Modules
Year 1
Core modules
- Societies Nations And Empire Europe 1750-2000 – 20 credits
- Beliefs, Communities, And Conflicts: Europe 1400-1750 – 20 credits
- Traces Of The Past: Exploring Lives Through Sources – 40 credits
- World Histories: Introduction To African, East Asian, And North American History – 20 credits
- Thinking like a Historian – 20 credits
Year 2
Core modules
- Working with the Past – 20 credits
- Debating The Past: Historical Case Studies – 20 credits
Optional modules
- Danger! Censorship, Power, And The People In Britain, C.1850-2000 – 20 credits
- Rethinking Nazi Germany: Politics, History, Society – 20 credits
- Slavery and Resistance in the Atlantic World – 20 credits
- Underworlds: Crime, Deviance and Punishment in Britain, 1500–1900 – 20 credits
- Soviet History and Politics – 20 credits
- Modern Foreign Language (IWLP) – 20 credits
- Fear And Fun: Popular Culture In Britain And The USA, 1800-2000 – 20 credits
- Empire And Its Afterlives In Britain, Europe, And Africa – 20 credits
- A History Of US Foreign Policy: From The Great War To 9/11 – 20 credits
- Introduction to Teaching – 20 credits
- Professional Experience – 20 credits
- The Hidden Lives Of Things: Material Culture In The Early Modern World – 20 credits
- Race, Ethnicity, And Nation: Imagining Postwar Britain And Germany – 20 credits
- Study Abroad – 60 credits
Optional sandwich year
Optional modules
- Work Placement Year – 120 credits
Year 3
Specialist subjects
In your third year, you'll specialise in focused topics that most interest you. Alongside your dissertation or major project, you'll take on four special themes (or two, if you're on a pathway course) from subjects such as these:
- Britain in Revolution: the impact of the Civil Wars: 1637-1662
- Cinema-going in Wartime Britain
- Conflict, Conspiracy, Consensus? Religious Identities in Elizabethan England
- Decolonisation in Africa
- Europe in the American Century
- The French Revolution
- The Imperial City: Popular Culture, Slums and Scandal in Britain 1870-1939
- Magic and Modernity, 1780–1900
- The Making of the German Natio
- The Opium War, 1839-1842
- Racism and Anti-Racism in Postwar Britain
- Sex, Gender and Power in Early Modern England
- Dissertation/Major Project – 40 credits
Optional modules
If you're following a pathway, you'll complement your specialist subjects with two relevant options from these modules:
- Study Year Abroad – 120 credits
- Work Placement Year – 120 credits
Placement year (optional)
After your second year, you can undertake an optional work placement year. This is an exciting opportunity to get invaluable work experience relevant to your intended career path.
The University can provide support and advice to help secure a work placement best suited for you. You can find placements in the UK or beyond, depending on your identified career plans.
Placement destinations
History students undertake placements in a variety of areas. Current and recent students have worked in the not-for-profit sector, in museums and heritage sites, in digital content management and with legal firms.
We'll help you secure a work placement that fits your aspirations. You'll get mentoring and support throughout the year.
Career Opportunities
Employers in all kinds of industries value History graduates. This is because you’ll graduate with much-requested skills, including:
- analysing and managing large amounts of information
- carrying out research independently and as part of a team
- communicating a persuasive argument
- writing in a concise and informative way
What can you do with a History degree?
As a qualified historian, you can move forward to further study and research or put your degree to work in areas such as:
- archives and information management
- corporate governance
- law
- museums and the heritage sector
- publishing and media
- teaching
Graduate roles and destinations
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
- archivist
- barrister
- development editor in publishing
- museum curator
- researcher and writer for TV
- teacher
Portsmouth alumni have worked with organisations, including:
- central and local government
- higher education providers
- National Trust
- Office for National Statistics
- Serco
- West Midlands Police
Work experience and career planning
To give you the best chance of securing a great job when you graduate, our Careers and Employability service can help you find relevant work experience during your course. We can help you identify placements, internships and voluntary roles that complement your studies and build your portfolio.
We'll also be available to help, advise and support you for up to 5 years as you advance in your career.
This course allows you to take the Learning From Experience (LiFE) option. This means you can earn credits towards your degree for work, volunteer and research placements alongside your study.
Student Testimonials
English Language Requirements
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