History, Politics and Economics

History, politics, and economics is one of the most intellectually comprehensive combinations available at university, bringing together three disciplines that each illuminate a different dimension of how human societies are organised and how they change over time. History provides the long view, examining how political and economic arrangements have evolved and what conditions made certain outcomes possible. Politics examines the structures, institutions, and dynamics through which collective decisions are made.

Economics analyses the principles of resource allocation, incentives, and the behaviour of markets and governments.

At University College London in London, this three-year full-time degree draws on the strengths of UCL's history, political science, and economics departments, providing a programme of genuine depth and breadth in each of the three disciplines. You will engage with historical method and evidence, with political theory and empirical political science, and with economic reasoning and quantitative analysis, developing the ability to think about social phenomena from multiple disciplinary perspectives simultaneously. UCL's location in London means you are studying in the city at the centre of British political and economic life, with access to institutions, archives, and networks that make the intellectual content of the programme tangible and immediate.

The combination is demanding, requiring facility with both mathematical and humanistic modes of thought.

Graduates from history, politics, and economics programmes at UCL go on to work in finance, the civil service, management consultancy, journalism, law, policy research, international organisations, and politics itself. The combination of analytical breadth, quantitative skill, and historical perspective is valued by employers who need graduates capable of thinking clearly about complex social problems. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in economics, political science, history, or public policy, and some pursue careers in government, diplomacy, or political life directly.