History with Study Abroad

History is the disciplined enquiry into the human past, asking not only what happened but why, and what the evidence we have actually allows us to conclude. It is a subject that teaches you to read critically, to weigh contradictory accounts, to construct arguments from incomplete evidence, and to situate your own present moment within a longer story of change and contingency. These capacities are among the most widely valued that any degree can develop, and historians are found at the senior levels of virtually every profession that deals with complex information and competing claims.

At the University of Bristol, this four-year full-time degree is available with a study abroad component and includes a foundation year for students who would benefit from an additional period of preparation before engaging with the full honours curriculum. The foundation year develops the academic skills and subject knowledge needed for degree-level historical study, while the main programme covers an expansive range of periods and geographies, giving you the flexibility to follow your own historical interests while developing the advanced research skills that distinguish Bristol's history graduates. You will conduct original research on topics you care about, working with primary sources and engaging with current historiographical debates.

History graduates are highly employable across a very wide range of careers. The analytical, research and communication skills the degree develops are sought after in law, the civil service, journalism, policy, publishing, heritage and archives, education, finance, consultancy, and the media. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in history, law, public policy, or other disciplines, and some develop academic careers as historians.

The breadth of destinations open to history graduates reflects the genuine versatility of the intellectual skills the subject develops.