History and Philosophy

History and philosophy is a combination that asks two of the most fundamental questions about human life: how did we get here, and how should we think about where we are? History investigates the human past through evidence and argument, tracing the events, structures, and ideas that have shaped societies across time and place. Philosophy brings rigorous conceptual tools to bear on questions about reality, knowledge, and how we should live, evaluating the reasoning behind claims rather than simply their content.

Together, the two disciplines develop exceptional critical thinking, close reading, and the ability to construct and evaluate arguments from different kinds of evidence.

The University of Sussex's three-year full-time History and Philosophy degree includes a foundation year option, a sandwich year, a year abroad option, and work placement opportunities. As the course itself describes, it embraces global as well as Western perspectives, exploring how history was made by people of the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean as well as Britain, Europe, and the Americas, looking not only at leaders but at ordinary men and women. Using both analytic and continental philosophical methodologies, you will tackle philosophical issues and become adept at theoretical philosophy and its applications.

The typical entry tariff is 120 points. The combination of global historical breadth and philosophical rigour develops graduates who can think carefully across traditions and scales.

Graduates of history and philosophy programmes work in education, journalism, the civil service, law, think tanks, international organisations, policy work, heritage, museums, and a wide range of roles where analytical depth and the ability to reason across complex evidence is valued. The unusual combination of rigorous argumentation from philosophy and deep contextual understanding from history is particularly distinctive. Postgraduate study in philosophy, history, ethics, law, or related disciplines is a natural next step.