History

History is the study of how the world came to be the way it is, pursued through the rigorous examination of evidence left by the past. It is a discipline that rewards both breadth of knowledge and analytical precision, asking not just what happened but why, and what the consequences were, and how historians have disagreed about the answers. Studying history develops your ability to read sources critically, to weigh competing interpretations and to communicate complex ideas with clarity and force.

At Leicester this three-year full-time programme incorporates a foundation year, a sandwich year, a year abroad and embedded work placement experience, making it an unusually richly structured history degree. The foundation year builds the research and writing skills that degree-level history demands. You will investigate a wide range of historical periods and themes, developing the depth of knowledge and the methodological awareness that distinguish a strong history graduate.

The sandwich year provides extended professional experience relevant to your career ambitions, and the year abroad allows you to study history in a different educational context, broadening your comparative perspective and your understanding of how different national traditions approach the past. Leicester has a strong tradition in both teaching and research in history, and you will be studying in the city where Richard III was famously re-discovered and re-interpreted, a reminder that historical questions remain alive and contested.

History graduates are valued for the quality of the analytical and communication skills their degree develops. Common careers include teaching, the civil service, law, journalism, broadcasting, publishing, museums and archives, heritage management, politics and the charitable sector. The research and writing skills the degree develops transfer to virtually any professional context that values careful reasoning.

Postgraduate study in history, heritage studies, archival science, law or public policy is a natural continuation.