History

History is the disciplined study of the human past, using documentary and material evidence to understand what happened, why it happened, and what it meant for the people who lived through it. It is not simply about memorising dates and events; it is about learning to find, read, and evaluate sources critically, to construct well-reasoned arguments about the past, and to understand how the world we live in has been shaped by choices and contingencies that might have gone differently. History develops analytical thinking, research skills, and the ability to write clearly and argue persuasively under conditions of genuine evidential uncertainty.

At the University of Hull, this three-year full-time degree invites you to illuminate the past, tackle the present, and shape the future by developing historical knowledge alongside the skills to engage with today's most pressing challenges. Hull's history department has a strong record of research across different periods and regions, and its location in a city with a rich and complex industrial and maritime past gives the subject a distinctive local context alongside its broader scope. The degree does not include a placement year or year abroad, allowing the three years to focus fully on historical depth and analytical development.

History graduates are valued by employers across a remarkably wide range of careers. The civil service, journalism, law, education, heritage and museums, publishing, archiving, and policy are all common destinations. The skills history develops, critical thinking, meticulous attention to evidence, the ability to construct and evaluate complex arguments, and clear expository writing, are genuinely transferable and consistently valued by employers who need people who can make sense of complex information.

Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in history, archive studies, law, journalism, education, or a range of other subjects where the intellectual habits the degree develops are a strong foundation. The typical entry tariff is 104 points.