History and English

History and English literature are natural companions as academic disciplines. Both are fundamentally concerned with how human beings have made sense of their experience through language and narrative, in one case through the analysis of texts that record, interpret and argue about the past, and in the other through creative works that illuminate human life in all its variety. Studying them together develops two related but distinct modes of reading: the historian's attention to context, evidence and causation, and the literary critic's attention to form, voice and meaning.

At Roehampton University you will study history and English together over three years of full-time study, with a foundation year available for students who want additional preparation before beginning the degree proper. The programme is designed for students who are drawn to big ideas and bold questions, and who want to explore how the past continues to shape the present. You will move across periods and geographies in both disciplines, reading historical sources alongside novels, poetry and drama, developing the analytical and interpretive skills that allow you to engage with complex material from multiple angles.

The typical tariff of 104 makes this programme accessible to motivated students from a range of educational backgrounds, and the foundation year route further broadens access to a degree that rewards intellectual curiosity and careful reading.

Graduates of joint history and English programmes are well prepared for careers in teaching, journalism, publishing, communications, the civil service, heritage, arts administration, law and the voluntary sector. The combination of strong analytical writing, research skills and wide reading is valued across a huge range of graduate employers. Many students go on to postgraduate study, whether in history, English literature, creative writing, education or other humanities disciplines.

The ability to read, think and write with precision and clarity, developed through close engagement with both historical and literary material, is among the most durable and versatile of graduate attributes.