Bachelor of Arts - History (Honours)

BA (Hons) History studies the past across periods and regions: political, social and cultural history, historiography and method, and specialist options reflecting staff research, culminating in a dissertation built on primary sources.

Method is the discipline’s transferable core — locating evidence, assessing its reliability, weighing competing interpretations and constructing an argument that survives scrutiny — which is precisely the reasoning that research, policy and analytical careers require.

Archival and heritage engagement runs through the course, and Leicester’s deep historical fabric, from Roman remains to industrial and migration history, provides local material for genuine primary research. September entries are recorded across the three admission cycles.

Applicants should be told plainly that history is a general degree with specific transferable strengths rather than a vocational one, and that employers hire on evidence of research and writing capability rather than on the subject itself. Students who produce a genuinely strong dissertation, take on archival or heritage volunteering, and keep a portfolio of their best analytical writing convert the degree readily into research, policy, heritage and analytical roles. Those who do not compete poorly. Teaching remains a substantial destination through the PGCE, and Leicester’s layered history — Roman, medieval, industrial, post-war migration — supplies primary material within walking distance of campus. Students considering postgraduate study should identify potential dissertation supervisors early, as research-degree applications rest heavily on a well-matched supervisor and a credible proposal.

Graduates enter research, heritage, teaching and analytical roles at £20,000–£24,000, with the writing and reasoning skills transferring widely. As a completed honours degree the course qualifies for the Graduate Route at the 18-month post-2026 term, and dependants are excluded on taught study.