History

Our history courses are ranked 9th in the UK for Student Satisfaction in The Complete University Guide 2027.

Understanding the making of the modern world has never been more important.

Interpretations of the past influence the present day in numerous ways – whether it is war and conflict in eastern Europe and the Middle East, political turmoil, social change at home and abroad, the changing role of race, class, and gender in modern society, clashes over monuments and heritage, or the ways in which history is remade through popular culture.

With a focus on Early Modern, British, European, American and Russian history, the BA (Hons) History course explores the fundamental issues, events, and ideas that have shaped the last 600 years.

The course also focuses on developing the important transferrable skills that are required to investigate, interpret and communicate information about the past.

The cornerstone of the course is our small-class teaching involving interactive discussions, debates, and hands-on interpretation of historical materials.

Led by subject experts and researchers, our classes allow you to make the most of class time, while developing key critical skills and confidence. This approach also allows your tutors to get to know you better, your interests, strengths and areas for development, so that you get the degree you want and the support you need.

You will also gain transferrable skills for a number of possible careers by ‘doing’ history. You will have the opportunity to conduct original research, manage projects, and present your work in public facing exhibitions via the Cotswold Centre for History & Heritage, and work alongside a number of external partners, including Gloucestershire Archives and the Gloucester History Festival.

All of our students also have the opportunity to conduct career-related placements in their second year.

Research by the British Academy on SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) subjects which include History has demonstrated that graduates from these disciplines have the same employability as students from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), but can enjoy a more varied careers. In addition, graduates from SHAPE subjects such as History have been deemed ‘vital to the health, wellbeing and prosperity of the nation and to tackling grand challenges’.

Our History graduates develop a number of important and transferrable skills such as critical thinking, working independently and as part of teams, analysis and interpretation, research and investigation, communication, and time management and organisation.

This means that our graduates go into a range of different careers, as exemplified by our Alumni Stories. These include teaching, journalism, the civil service, politics, the law profession, archiving, heritage management, as well as further study and research.