Modern History with a Placement Year

Modern history, from the French Revolution to the present day, covers one of the most transformative periods in human experience. It encompasses the age of revolutions, industrialisation, the rise and collapse of empires, two catastrophic world wars, decolonisation, the Cold War, the civil rights movements, and the rapid and unsettling changes of the recent past. Studying this period develops not just knowledge of these events but the analytical skills to understand why they happened, what forces drove them, and how they continue to shape the world we inhabit.

At the University of East Anglia, this four-year full-time degree with a placement year takes a focused approach to modern history, addressing the forces that have shaped nations, societies and individuals since 1789. You will examine why nations have succeeded and failed, how societies have managed the impacts of empire and industrialisation, how battles for social justice have unfolded, and how the political and economic decisions of the past continue to resonate. The placement year gives you a full year of professional experience in a relevant organisation, whether in heritage, journalism, policy, archiving, education or the third sector, and is one of the most effective ways to connect your historical education to the professional world.

You will develop the capacity to evaluate primary and secondary sources critically, to construct sustained arguments from complex and sometimes contradictory evidence, and to communicate your findings in clear, precise written and oral form. Independent research plays a growing role as you progress, culminating in substantial work of your own.

Graduates move into careers in education, heritage, archiving, journalism, the civil service, public policy, law, business, the third sector and international organisations. Postgraduate study in history, law, public administration or international relations is a common pathway.