History and Politics

History and politics are disciplines with deep natural affinities. Political institutions, ideologies and conflicts cannot be understood without historical context, and the writing of history is itself always shaped by the political assumptions and concerns of the moment in which it is produced. Studying them together at the University of Nottingham gives you a dual perspective that allows you to move between the close reading of evidence that historical inquiry demands and the analytical frameworks that political science brings to questions of power, governance and institutional change.

You will engage with a wide chronological and geographical range in history, developing the skills of archival research, source criticism and historical argument that the discipline requires. The politics strand will introduce you to political theory, comparative politics, international relations and the analysis of public policy, giving you the conceptual vocabulary to understand how political systems work and why they sometimes fail. Nottingham's strong research departments in both fields mean you will encounter current thinking from academics working at the frontiers of each discipline.

The combination trains you to think carefully across time and space, to evaluate competing explanations and to construct well-evidenced arguments, skills that are widely transferable in graduate employment.

Graduates of history and politics are found in a wide range of careers. The civil service, Parliament, political parties, think tanks, public affairs consultancies and international organisations are among the most direct destinations. Journalism, law, publishing, education and the charitable sector also draw graduates from this combination.

The research and analytical skills developed through the joint programme, particularly the ability to engage seriously with complex primary and secondary sources and to synthesise them into clear argument, are valued across almost every professional field. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in history, politics, international relations or law.