A student reading a book seated cross-legged on the grass.

BA(Hons) History

Entry year
2024/25
Course code
V100
Application
UCAS
Level
Undergraduate
School
School of Arts
Tariff points
112
Campus
Frenchay
Duration
Three years full-time; four years sandwich; part-time
Delivery
Full-time; sandwich; part-time
Programme leader
Dr Rose Wallis and Dr Martin Simpson

This course is open for applications

Page last updated 5 December 2023

Introduction

Study the history of Britain, Europe, America, Asia and Africa and develop valuable skills and a sense of enquiry that you can apply to both the past and the present.

Accreditations and partnerships:

Why study history?

History isn't just about facts. It's about the human experience in all its diversity. It's also about acquiring a sense of enquiry, which will sustain you during and after your studies.

History is a long-established discipline, much respected by employers because of the critical skills it gives you.

Understanding the past equips us to engage more intelligently with the present and to play a more valuable and informed part in society, whatever career path you decide to follow.

Why UWE Bristol?

BA(Hons) History shows you how to interrogate the past and expand your knowledge through challenging academic study.

Our staff are passionate about teaching and research. They'll help you deepen your historical knowledge and develop your critical thinking. Besides traditional forms of assessment such as essays, you'll have the opportunity to build practical skills, using software and editing tools, to make your own films, documentaries and websites.

Nurture your imagination and creativity, and build on your fascination with the social, economic and political forces that have shaped history across centuries and continents.

Using primary sources from the start, explore events in their historical contexts and gain a unique insight into the important global issues of today.

Study a broad spectrum of history, working on individual and group research projects. Gain skills and experience that will help you succeed in your studies and in your chosen career.

Take a look at the UWE History Community blog, a fantastic forum for student talent and creativity.

There are many opportunities to engage with Bristol's culture and fascinating history. We have strong links with Bristol's museums, galleries and archives, including M ShedWatershed, the Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust and the National Trust.

In your third year, you could negotiate a work placement with a local cultural provider, spending six months gaining real-world skills, experience and contacts. There are shorter placement opportunities too, and projects with heritage organisations.

Focusing on the avenues that most interest you, through your modules and assessments, you'll graduate well equipped to pursue diverse careers.

Springpod Subject Spotlights video - try your course before you apply

UWE Bristol has partnered with Springpod, an online platform that provides immersive career and education opportunities. On this platform, you can sign up and log in to watch a Subject Spotlight video for our BA(Hons) History course. The video is entitled Learning from the Criminal Past. In this Subject Spotlight, Dr Rose Wallis explores how we can use the past to evaluate society today, focusing on the UK's history of Youth Criminal Justice. She explains how we can use court records to learn about the lives of ordinary people, and how experiences of Criminal Justice deeply impact lives both in the past and today.

What can I do with a history degree?

The heritage sector, in particular, continues to grow dynamically and to attract history graduates.

However, graduates also enter into and succeed in a wide range of other sectors, including publishing, education, advertising and marketing, communications, IT, law, broadcasting, tourism and more. Many go on to further study.

Structure

Content

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

Year one

You will study:

  • A Global History of Europe
  • Early Modern British History: Reformation to the Rebellion
  • Europe and the World Order 1914-1945
  • Europe in the Age of Enlightenment and Revolution
  • History and Evidence 
  • Modern British History
  • The Global Cold War, 1945-1989
  • Working with History. 

Year two

You will study:

  • History in Practice
  • Making History

Plus, six optional modules from:

  • Chocolate, Spices, and Slavery: The World Comes to Britain, c.1497-1688
  • Crime and the Courts: Law, Criminal Justice and English Society from the Eighteenth-century
  • Exploring the Slum: Poverty and Urban Society in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Britain
  • Fascism in Europe, 1922-39: Italy, France, and the Spanish Civil War
  • International History of Africa
  • Memory, Place and Identity: An Introduction to Heritage
  • Nazi Germany: Roots, Rituals, and Race   
  • One Nation Divisible: US History, 1914-Present 
  • Pirates, Merchants, and Colonisers: Britain and the World, c.1497-1688
  • Punishment: Penal Policy in England
  • Russia in Revolution 1917-1921
  • Sex and the Social Order: Gender and Sexuality in Modern Britain
  • Southeast Asia's Twentieth Century
  • The Defence of the Indian Empire, 1815 to 1947
  • The Global Seventies: Counter-Revolution. Experimentation and Crisis
  • The Global Sixties: Utopia, Protest, Revolution
  • The Search for Order: US History, 1789-1914 
  • War and Memory I: Icons, Myths, and Memorials in Britain and Europe since 1936 
  • War and Memory II: European Field Trip 
  • War, Revolution and Diplomacy: Britain and the Middle East, 1815 to 1914.

Placement year (if applicable)

If you study on the four year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work or study placement after Year two.

You'll complete a placement learning module.

See the Placements and Fees sections for more information.

Final year

You will study:

  • Applied Historical Research.

Plus, three optional modules from (or two if you have completed a study year abroad or placement year):

  • Crowds, Disorder and the Law in England, 1730-1820
  • Heritage in Practice
  • History in the Public Space
  • International Politics in North Africa and the Middle East
  • Mafias, Mythologies and Criminal Networks: The United States and the Globalisation of Crime
  • Resistance to Fascism and Nazism in Western Europe: The Spanish Civil War and Occupied France, 1936-1945
  • Stalin and Stalinism
  • Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Politics and Religion and Society in Britain, 1640-1660
  • Un-ruling the World: Global Decolonisation
  • Youth and Youth Culture in Modern Britain.

This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

"I had the chance to volunteer with the SS Great Britain Trust, which gave me experience in interpreting historical information and operational logistics. This introduction to the organisation prepared me for my heritage career and my current role as their Interpretation Manager." Natalie, 2012 History graduate

Learning and Teaching

Our history community is welcoming and supportive. We rank consistently highly in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and the National Student Survey (NSS).

Learn through lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, using a range of digital resources.

Develop as a trainee professional, craft your skills as a researcher and develop strong enterprise skills.

You'll work with academics and partners helping to shape new thinking in the field, learn to communicate your ideas clearly and succinctly, and build practical and academic skills you can take into any career.

Consider the uses of history outside of academia, take up placement opportunities and work on meaningful projects with heritage organisations.

Many optional modules incorporate field trips locally, nationally and internationally (there is a week-long field trip element on the War and Memory module - previously trips have been to Madrid and Paris). This is an important opportunity to engage with, and experience, history outside of the seminar room.

Complete a traditional style dissertation or work on a more practical project, such as a website, documentary or education materials, with a historical focus.

The course is linked to the Regional History Centre, which engages the public in, and shares knowledge about, local history and heritage.

See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Approximate percentage of time you'll spend in different learning activities*:

YearScheduled learning and teaching studyIndependent studyPlacement study
124%76%0%
224%76%0%
319%81%0%

*Calculated from compulsory and optional modules (where applicable) each year

Get involved

Join our thriving History Society. You'll have plenty of opportunities to get involved and it'll look great on your CV.

Take part in trips and social events throughout the year, visiting places of historical interest. Regular socials include trips to historic pubs in Bristol.

Sharpen your skills writing for UWE Bristol student media. Publications include the Western Eye and Westworld, blogs such as UWE Bristol Lingo, and the English Society's Cellar Door magazine.

Assessment

You can expect to be assessed through essays, document tests and exercises, assessed seminar papers and presentations, book and article reviews, projects, a dissertation and exams.

Some modules are almost entirely based on coursework or project work and others have split assessment with up to 50% of the module assessed by formal examination.

See our full glossary of assessment terms.

Approximate percentage of marks awarded by each assessment method*:

YearWritten exam assessmentCoursework assessmentPractical exam assessment
134%63%3%
233%63%4%
332%65%3%

*Calculated from compulsory and optional modules (where applicable) each year

Features

Professional accreditation

Upon completion of the History in Practice module, you'll be awarded the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Level 3 Award in Management awarded by the City and Guilds of London Institute.

Placements

Students who get work experience often find that their degrees are more marketable among employers. Experience also hones your skills, industry knowledge and professional network, making you a sought after graduate.

If you choose the four-year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work placement after year two. Your placement will be at least 26 weeks long, and must be relevant to your course.

We have strong links with Bristol's museums, galleries and archives, including M ShedWatershed, the Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust and the National Trust.

Our award-winning careers and employability service will guide and support you to find the right placement.

Study facilities

You'll study at Frenchay Campus, which houses a library with over 60,000 history books and an impressive number of history journals. It also contains an extensive collection of historical primary material. You'll also have access to a wide variety of digital archives and library materials.

Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.

Take a Virtual Tour of the English, History and Writing facilities and see what's on offer here for you.

Start your dream career at UWE Bristol

Life

Accommodation

An excellent range of options for all of the Bristol campuses and the city centre.

Bristol

A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.

Sports, societies and activities

There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.

Health and Wellbeing

We provide support in the way you need it.

Campus and facilities

Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.

Careers

Careers / Further study

Graduates with a background in history and English are highly employable recognised for their transferable skills and broad knowledge.

Tailoring what and how you study, you can shape the course towards your chosen career path.

You could find work in the heritage industry, leisure and tourism, local and central government, publishing, education, journalism, the health service, the armed forces and emergency services, the legal professions, financial services, or education.

Get inspired

Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and help find you graduate jobs, placements and global opportunities.

We can also help find local volunteering and community opportunities, provide support for entrepreneurial activity and get you access to employer events.

Visit our Employability pages to learn more about careers, employers and what our students are doing six months after graduating.

Fees

Supplementary fee information

Your overall entitlement to funding is based on how long the course is that you're registered on. Standard funding is allocated based on the standard number of years that your course lasts, plus one additional year.

You'll apply for funding each year that you study and Student Finance will take into account how long the course is in each year that you apply. So if you register for the four year course and then transfer to the three year course, the number of years you can apply for funding will change. Student Finance will reassess your funding based on how many years you have been in study, not just those years for which you received student finance.

Always seek advice before taking any action that may have implications for your funding.

Learn more about funding.

Additional costs

This refers to items you could need during your studies that aren't covered by the standard tuition fee. These could be materials, textbooks, travel, clothing, software or printing.

Learn more about costs.

Entry

Typical offers

  • Tariff points: 112
  • Contextual tariff: See our contextual offers page.
  • GCSE: Grade C/4 in English, or equivalent.
  • English Language Requirement:

    International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

     

    *The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Find out more about English language requirements.

  • A-level subjects: No specific subjects required.
  • EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: No specific subjects required.

    For information on required Guided Learning Hours please see our minimum entry requirements page.

  • Access: No specific subjects required.
  • Baccalaureate IB: No specific subjects required.
  • Irish Highers: No specific subjects required.
  • T Levels: No specific subjects required.

Entry requirements

International applicants

For country specific entry requirements please find your country on the Country Information pages. If you are an international student and do not meet the academic requirements to study this course, you can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College.

If you are applying to study at UWE Bristol and require additional support to meet our English language requirements, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Read more about our Pre-Sessional English Programme.

Read more about entry requirements.

How to apply

Read more about undergraduate applications.

Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.

For further information

Unistats

UWE Main Campus