BA (Hons) History and Politics
Course options
Key Details
- Award
- Degree of Bachelor of Arts
- UCAS Course Code
- VL12
- Typical Offer
- ABB
- Contextual Offer
- BBC
- Course Length
- 3 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2024
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Why you should choose us
UEA is ranked 3rd overall for research quality in History
UEA is ranked 14th overall for research quality in Politics and International Studies
Course Overview
On this exciting History and Politics degree, you will explore the relationships between contemporary politics and the history of the modern world as you learn from world experts, debating the very latest research and topics. You will learn to analyse carefully, to make well-informed and well-reasoned decisions, and to argue persuasively. You’ll also learn to challenge received wisdom, and develop different views, thoughtfully and respectfully. Above all, the joint study of these complementary disciplines will allow you to hone your skills of critical thinking. Taught jointly between the School of History and the School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies, you’ll get to experience the best of what both have to offer. Academics who teach both subjects are at the forefront of research: in the Times Higher Education Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 Analysis, UEA was ranked 3rd overall in the UK for research quality in History and 14th for research quality in Politics and International Studies.
If you are interested in how history and politics affect one another, our History and Politics BA is the perfect course for you. It’s an exciting opportunity to study history within a political context. What, for example, is the historical background to political notions of gender, class, and race? How has this informed our understanding of modern society from issues of racial discrimination to class privilege, and gendered ‘norms’?
Your degree will be taught by experienced and internationally renowned academics. Our modules are inspired by their research interests and expertise, putting you at the forefront of the historical and political debate. The degree’s flexible structure means you can choose your preferred balance between history and politics in your second and final years – tailoring your learning to your interests!
You’ll gain a foundation in the history of various nations, from Britain to Russia to Japan, which will enable you to understand better the complexities of global politics and diplomacy today. You’ll have the chance to investigate the political motivations of those who held power in the past and those who hold power today. And you’ll be able to take a long view on some of the most influential and important current debates.
Placement Year and Study Abroad
As a degree student within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities you’ll be given the option to spend a semester abroad in your second year, selecting from a broad range of partner institutions.
Your time abroad will be an invaluable academic and cultural experience, one that many students consider to be the highlight of their time at university. You’ll develop skills that you’ll use throughout your career, which are coveted by employers.
For further details, visit the Study Abroad section of our website.
Study and Modules
Structure
Your first year will equip you with the major skills required in both History and Politics. You’ll begin the course with compulsory modules, which will help you build a solid foundation of knowledge in political ideas and topics in contemporary politics, as well as modules that will provide a background to modern history, historical thinking, and historical methodologies.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 20)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
Throughout your degree, you’ll be taught by leading scholars from several disciplines through a combination of lectures and seminars. Many of our lecturers are world experts in their fields, giving you access to the latest research and thinking – before it hits the bookstands!
Teaching
In the first year, you’ll learn key historical methods and foundational political ideas. You’ll learn how to critique effectively, and be able to take a long view on some of the most influential and important current debates today through a mixture of lectures and seminars. You will learn how to listen to and critique the ideas of others, as well as how to present and defend your own ideas. The seminars allow for an open discussion between you and your peers while your seminar leader helps to guide you.
Independent Learning
Making use of UEA’s state-of-the-art library facilities, you’ll explore the library and discover the wealth of physical and online resources available to enrich your studies. With some guidance from your History lecturers and seminar leaders, you will develop your skills in independent reading and research to help you finish the year equipped with the skills you need to continue your journey. In your Politics modules, you’ll prepare for your weekly teaching with guided tasks, such as preparing answers to seminar questions or completing small weekly writing tasks which will help you to develop study skills.
Additional Support
Alongside timetabled lectures and seminars, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with members of academic staff through office hours where you can seek additional advice on a one-to-one basis. You will also be assigned an academic adviser who will support you through your studies. Designed to achieve a balance between independent thinking and taught study skills, our course will help you develop into a self-motivated learner, an expert researcher, and an analytical thinker. And you’ll receive guidance and constructive feedback throughout to help you improve.
Assessment
In your first year, your History modules will be assessed by a mixture of essays, presentations, and document commentaries. In Politics, you might write essays, critical summaries, or reading logs. You’ll be able to explore the breadth of modules, gain experience and confidence with these assessments, without them counting to your final degree.
Feedback
You’ll receive tailored feedback from tutors on your practice assignments to help you improve your work before your final formal or ‘summative’ assignments. And we’ll strongly encourage you to discuss your feedback with academic staff. You’ll also receive feedback on final assessments, which will be tailored to your learning needs.
Structure
In your second year, you’ll be able to decide whether to weight your learning more in favour of one discipline or the other – or to keep it evenly balanced.
There are no compulsory modules in this year, so you’ll be able to tailor your learning to the topics that most interest you, while honing your skills of academic enquiry and argument. You’ll be given access to a broad and exciting range of optional modules offered across both Schools, many of which are complementary. For example, you could elect to study an introduction to the European Union alongside the history of modern Germany.
You can also choose to study abroad in your second year, learn a new language, and/or broaden your studies by taking modules chosen from those offered by other disciplines in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
Optional A Modules
(Min Credits: 40, Max Credits: 60)Optional B Modules
(Min Credits: 40, Max Credits: 60)Optional C Modules
(Min Credits: 0, Max Credits: 20)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
Teaching
Lectures and seminars will enable you to build on your foundational knowledge and skills acquired in the first year. With the choice of modules from medieval to modern history, alongside studying global politics and diplomacy, you can develop your own pathway and start to specialize in a particular area of your choice. You might also take a placement as part of a Humanities-wide module or learn a new foreign language.
Independent Learning
You’ll deepen your ability to read sources critically to analyse and evaluate them within context through independent study. You will gain the confidence to take more risks in your academic work, finishing the year with a real sense of how history and politics shape and mould our society.
Assessment
In your second year, your History work will continue to be assessed through essays, presentations, and document commentaries, while in Politics, as well as written coursework, you might take modules involving assessment by giving presentations, completing group projects, or writing policy briefs or select committee submissions. In each module, you’ll have a chance to test your skills and receive feedback from your tutors through practice assessments (also known as formative work), which can take a variety of forms, such as presentations, reviews, and historical source analyses. You’ll continue to receive detailed feedback on your work and be encouraged to benefit from the support of your tutors in their office hours.
Structure
In your final year, you’ll become more focused, selecting modules from a range offered by the School of History that currently includes topics such as Japan’s first modern century, Communism and Nationalism in Yugoslavia, and the Third Reich.
In addition to your chosen area of focus you’ll study two advanced modules from either History or Politics covering topics such as politics and popular culture or twentieth-century sport history. Alternatively, you could opt to take just one advanced module, and also write a dissertation on a historical or political topic of your choice.
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 60)Optional B Modules
(Credits: 30)Optional C Modules
(Credits: 30)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
Teaching
This is your chance to really delve into specific topics that have interested you in the first two years. As part of a Special Subject, you get the opportunity to explore your chosen topic through longer seminars in discussion with an expert in the field. As part of both the School of History and the School of Politics, Philosophy, Languages and Communications studies you will benefit from the wide range of expertise our academic staff can offer. You’ll then have the opportunity to pursue a dissertation, working one-to-one with an expert in the field, or choose to take another advanced module.
Independent Learning
You will bring together all the skills and confidence you have developed over the previous two years through independent research and critical analysis of documents as you master your field of study.
Assessment
Your final year History modules will be assessed through coursework and document work, along with examinations and an extended essay on your specialist subject. In Politics you’ll continue to be assessed in a diverse array of forms. Your final degree result will be determined by the marks you receive in years 2 and 3. All the feedback you’ll continue to receive will enable you to deepen your understanding of both your subjects and to graduate with a host of flexible skills valued by employers.
Entry Requirements
- A Levels
- ABB
- T Levels
- Not accepted.
- BTEC
- DDM. Excluding BTEC Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration. See below for accepted subjects and combinations
- Contextual Offer
A Level – BBC
BTEC L3 Extended Diploma – DMM
UEA are committed to ensuring that Higher Education is accessible to all, regardless of their background or experiences. One of the ways we do this is through our contextual admissions schemes.
- Scottish Highers
- AAABB
- Scottish Advanced Highers
- BCC. A combination of Advanced Highers and Highers may be acceptable
- Irish Leaving Certificate
- 3 subjects at H2, 3 subjects at H3
- Access to HE Diploma
- Pass the Access to HE Diploma with Distinction in 30 credits at Level 3 and Merit in 15 credits at Level 3
- International Baccalaureate
- 32
- GCSE
You are required to have Mathematics and English Language at a minimum of Grade C or Grade 4 or above at GCSE.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
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IELTS: 6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in all components)
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.
If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study:
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- Interviews
Most applicants will not be called for an interview and a decision will be made via UCAS Hub. However, for some applicants an interview will be requested. Where an interview is required, the Admissions Service will contact you directly to arrange a time.
- Deferred Entry
We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.
- Intakes
This course is open to UK and International applicants. The annual intake is in September each year.
Additional Information or Requirements
Extended Diploma DDM. Excluding BTEC Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration
Diploma: DD plus B at A-level. Excluding BTEC Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration
Extended Certificate: D plus BB at A-level. Excluding BTEC Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration
If you do not meet the academic requirements for direct entry, you may be interested in one of our Foundation Year programmes such as - BA History with a Foundation Year or BA Politics with a Foundation Year
UEA are committed to ensuring that Higher Education is accessible to all, regardless of their background or experiences. One of the ways we do this is through our contextual admissions schemes.
We welcome and value a wide range of alternative qualifications. If you have a qualification which is not listed here, or are taking a combination of qualifications, please contact us via Admissions Enquiries.
International Requirements
We accept many international qualifications for entry to this course. View our International Students pages for specific information about your country.
If you do not meet the academic and/or English language requirements for direct entry our partner, INTO UEA offers progression on to this undergraduate degree upon successful completion of a preparation programme. Depending on your interests, and your qualifications you can take a variety of routes to this degree: International Foundation in Humanities and Law
Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all undergraduate applicants.
Fees and Funding
Tuition Fees
View our information for Tuition Fees.
Scholarships and Bursaries
We are committed to ensuring that costs do not act as a barrier to those aspiring to come to a world leading university and have developed a funding package to reward those with excellent qualifications and assist those from lower income backgrounds. View our range of Scholarships for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
The cost of individual field trips will vary, and all such trips are optional.
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of other course-related costs.
How to Apply
Apply for this course through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS), using UCAS Hub.
UCAS Hub is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom.
Your application does not have to be completed all at once. Register or sign in to UCAS to get started.
Once you submit your completed application, UCAS will process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.
The Institution code for the University of East Anglia is E14.
View our guide to applying through UCAS for useful tips, key dates and further information:
Employability
After the Course
BA History and Politics graduates have the world at their feet. As well as your subject-specific skills and knowledge, you will develop a range of transferable skills and qualities, including analytical and communication skills, team working, leadership, self-management, and sophisticated digital literacy. Such attributes open up a wide variety of professions and careers.
Our graduates have a proven track record of moving onto a wide and interesting range of careers, such as law, finance, local government and administration, the heritage and tourism sector, the civil service, political lobbying, non-governmental organisations, teaching, think-tanks, and many more besides. Or you could further your research by going on to postgraduate study.
Careers
A degree at UEA will prepare you for a wide variety of careers. We've been ranked 1st for Job Prospects by StudentCrowd in 2022.
Recent graduates have entered a number of fields, including:
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Political lobbying
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Museums and heritage industries
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Finance
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Postgraduate Study
Discover more on our Career pages.