History and Law

History and law is a combination that reflects a deep truth about both disciplines: the present legal order cannot be understood without understanding how it developed over time, and history cannot be fully understood without engaging with the legal frameworks that governed the societies under study. History trains the capacity to analyse evidence, construct argument, and understand context across long stretches of time and across different cultures and societies. Law develops the ability to interpret rules and principles precisely, to construct logical legal arguments, and to understand the institutional frameworks through which justice and order are maintained.

Together, the two disciplines develop an analytical and contextual intelligence that is valuable across many professional fields.

At the University of Derby, this three-year full-time degree with a foundation year and a sandwich year with work placement locates historical study within the rich cultural context of Derbyshire and the broader East Midlands, drawing on regional connections alongside the breadth of historical inquiry. You will explore five centuries of history alongside the core subjects of English law, developing skills in historical research, analysis, and argument alongside the legal reasoning, debating, and drafting abilities that legal study cultivates. The foundation year ensures you have the academic preparation needed for the degree, and the placement year gives you direct professional experience in a legal, historical, or related context.

Graduates enter careers in law, legal services, the civil service, heritage, museums, education, journalism, and public policy. The combination of historical perspective and legal knowledge is particularly valuable in roles involving legal research, archival work, policy analysis, and contexts where understanding how legal frameworks have developed over time matters. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in law, pursuing the Legal Practice Course, Bar training, or an LLM, while others proceed to postgraduate study in history, archival studies, or heritage management.

The range of transferable skills the degree develops, including research, writing, analysis, and argumentation, also opens pathways in management, public sector leadership, and the charitable sector.