History and Psychology

History and psychology is a combination that might seem unexpected but rewards close examination. History develops the skills to interpret evidence, construct arguments about causation and consequence, and understand how the circumstances of the past have shaped the present. Psychology provides the scientific framework to understand how people think, feel, learn, and behave, and how those processes are influenced by context, society, and development.

Together they illuminate the human world from two complementary angles, one focused on the collective experience of societies over time, the other on the individual processes that underlie human behaviour.

At Liverpool Hope University, this four-year programme, which includes a foundation year, allows you to explore history across many periods, from the Early Modern era to the present, covering themes including nationalism, imperialism, colonisation, decolonisation, gender, and identity. You will be encouraged to engage with and challenge historical interpretations, recognising that history is always being rethought. Alongside this, you will study the core disciplines of psychological science, developing research skills and an understanding of cognition, development, and social behaviour.

The programme includes a sandwich placement year and a year abroad, alongside embedded work placement opportunities, giving you professional experience and international exposure.

Graduates from history and psychology programmes are well placed for a wide range of careers. Teaching, educational psychology, heritage and museums, archiving, journalism, research, the civil service, human resources, community development, and mental health support are all accessible destinations. The combination of historical critical thinking and psychological understanding is particularly valuable in roles that require understanding how people and institutions change over time, and what motivates and shapes human behaviour within social contexts.

Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in psychology, education, history, or a related field.