History and Politics, BA (Hons), University of Portsmouth

the United Kingdom

Study options for this course

The award	How you will study	Study duration	Course start	Domestic course fees	International course fees
BA (Hons)	Full-time, Sandwich	3 - 4 years	September	find out	find out

About History and Politics, BA (Hons) - at University of Portsmouth

Overview

Discover how the politics of the past have shaped the world we know today. On this BA (Hons) History and Politics degree, you'll retrace the political and social conflicts, revolutions and protest movements of yesterday in order to make sense of the here and now and create positive change.

Travel back to pivotal political moments in time from around the globe guided by our expert academics. Craft your own learning experience by choosing to study the historical and political subjects and eras that most inspire you, such as the French Revolution, post war Britain and Germany, or the American Civil Rights Movement.

As this is an interdisciplinary course, each year you'll also study a bespoke combined history and politics module as well as delving into each subject separately.

Through the course's overarching theme of 'changing the world', you'll use what you learn to rethink modern societal issues, such as social justice, racial and gender equality, and global migration.

You'll graduate with an insight into the powers and processes that have formed today's societies and how positive changes are made. Armed with this understanding of the past, you'll be empowered to address the challenges of the future.

Course highlights

Study two fascinating and interwoven subjects from 1750 to today, through combined interdisciplinary modules and specialist modules in each subject area
Bring new perspectives to contemporary social issues – such as social justice, human rights and environmentalism – through your studies, supported by the course's overarching theme of 'changing the world'
Customise your course by choosing your own topics to focus on in years two and three - from censorship in modern Britain to the Opium War, from Nazi Germany to digital democracy, from the American Republic to anti-racism in the 20th century
Immerse yourself in Portsmouth's rich heritage, thanks to our close links with the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth Records Service and the D-Day Museum
Learn from staff who are members of the Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR), the UK's largest research centre specialising in humanities and social sciences
Go on field trips to locations such as the Houses of Parliament and heritage sites on the south coast
Participate in an interactive mock UN meeting called 'Model United Nations' and take on the role of a specific country
Choose to spend a year building experience on a work placement at a museum, law firm, government department, charity or other organisation of interest after your second or third year on this Connected Degree - we're the only UK university to offer flexible sandwich placements for undergraduates
Take up an exchange opportunity at a university outside the UK, such as University of Prince Edward Island in Canada, Halmstad University in Sweden, Nagoya University in Japan, Caen-Normandy University in France, University of Western Carolina in the USA, or Edith Cowan University in Australia
Have the chance to learn a foreign language for free as part of your degree, choosing from Arabic, British Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin or Spanish.

Careers and opportunities

Studying history and politics together will give you transferable skills in critical thinking, collaboration, research, analysis and argument, all of which are highly valued by many kinds of employers.

You could also continue your studies at Master's or PhD level in history, politics or a combination of the two.

What areas can you work in with a history and politics degree?

Graduates from our other history and politics courses have taken up roles in the following sectors:

central and local government
primary and secondary education
higher education
charity / not-for-profit organisations
financial services
corporate governance
trade unions

Our history and politics alumni have worked with organisations including:

National Trust
Office for National Statistics
Serco
West Midlands Police
NHS

What jobs can you do with a history and politics degree?

Roles our graduates from other history and politics courses have taken on include:

public affairs consultant
museum curator
archivist
development editor in publishing
researcher and writer for TV
teacher
political researcher, Houses of Parliament
assistant to Member of Parliament
civil servant, Department for the Cabinet Office
senior policy advisor, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
communications officer, House of Commons
local government administrator, Government of Jersey

Placement year (optional)

After your second or third year, you'll have the chance to do an optional year-long work placement to get valuable work experience in a sector of your choice.

Potential placement roles

Students from our other history and politics courses have secured placements at:

The Ministry of Defence
The House of Commons
National Museum of the Royal Navy
Freedom from Torture, a charity which supports survivors of torture who seek protection in the UK
Shrewsbury Museums
Law firms such as Darton Law Ltd

The sort of activities you could do during your placement year will depend on the field of your chosen placement. Among other activities, our previous placement students have curated exhibitions, worked as paralegals, organised charity events, or supported MPs in their constituency offices.

We'll help you to identify opportunities and approach possible organisations and businesses. You'll have support from our Placement and Internship Centre and a personal tutor throughout the year.

We can also help you find shorter placements, internships or volunteering opportunities in and around Portsmouth to complement your studies and build your CV. Previous students have done projects for community groups and worked with heritage sites, archives, political parties and local government.

You could also choose to set up your own business, or take a voluntary placement.

Notes about fees for this course

https://www.port.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-fees-and-student-finance

Entry requirements

96-112 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent, to include a relevant subject.

English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.

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History and Politics, BA (Hons), University of Portsmouth

Study options for this course

About History and Politics, BA (Hons) - at University of Portsmouth

Notes about fees for this course

Entry requirements

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