History and Politics

History and politics is a natural combination, rooted in the recognition that the present political world can only be fully understood through its historical development, and that history itself is inseparable from the political contexts in which events unfold and are interpreted. History provides the methods and the chronological depth to understand how change happens over time, while politics offers analytical frameworks for understanding power, institutions, ideology, and the processes through which collective decisions are made. Together they develop graduates who can think both with historical perspective and with contemporary analytical rigour about the world's most significant questions.

At the University of East Anglia, this three-year full-time programme develops your skills in historical research and analysis alongside engagement with the major traditions and debates in political science. You will study British, European, and world history across a range of periods, developing your capacity to work with primary sources, evaluate historiographical debates, and construct sustained arguments about the past. In politics, you will engage with comparative politics, political theory, international relations, and contemporary policy analysis, developing the conceptual vocabulary and analytical skills that political study demands.

UEA's interdisciplinary environment means the two subjects are taught in dialogue with each other, encouraging you to draw connections and see how political and historical analysis can illuminate the same questions from different angles.

History and politics graduates go on to careers in the civil service, local government, journalism, education, law, international organisations, political parties, NGOs, research institutes, and the wider public affairs and policy sector. The combination of analytical thinking, research skills, and historical awareness is valued wherever organisations need people who can think clearly and contextually about complex situations. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in history, politics, international relations, or law.