| UCAS code | V100 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 years |
| Entry year | 2025 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | History |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: AAB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBB |
| UCAS code | V103 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2025 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | History |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: AAB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBB |
| UCAS code | V105 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2025 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | History |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: AAB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBB |
| UCAS code | V106 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2025 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | History |
| Contact | Web: Enquire online |
| Typical offer | A-Level: AAB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBB |
Overview
- Study world history to its full: explore vital topics such as gender, race and global imperialism, navigate diverse geographical regions, and traverse 1,500 years of history, from the fall of the Roman Empire through to the post-Communist era
- Our strengths include Early Modern British and Modern European history, and specialisms in the histories of power, identity, knowledge and resources
- Exeter is a city bursting with history and heritage that offers museums, art galleries and a wide range of historical architecture. The University Library has extensive historical holdings and collections
- Our research centres, covering areas including Medical History and Medieval Studies, are a focus for interdisciplinary research activity across the institution and have significant international reputations
- The Student-Staff Liaison Committee provides an opportunity to communicate your views and influence, change and shape your degree. The student-run History Society organises guest speakers, trips and social events
We are 6th in the UK for research in History
Based on our GPA in REF 2021
Top 100 in world subject rankings for History
QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
Top 10 in UK subject rankings for History
8th in the Complete University Guide 2025
90% of graduates in or due to start employment or further study fifteen months after graduation
Based on full-time, first degree, UK domiciled graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes survey 2019/20
We are 6th in the UK for research in History
Based on our GPA in REF 2021
Top 100 in world subject rankings for History
QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
Top 10 in UK subject rankings for History
8th in the Complete University Guide 2025
90% of graduates in or due to start employment or further study fifteen months after graduation
Based on full-time, first degree, UK domiciled graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes survey 2019/20
History has always been my favourite subject. The wide range of module choices has allowed me to study a range of very interesting time periods and topics, and I have been given the opportunity to learn a new language which I am thoroughly enjoying.
I would recommend Exeter to anyone who would like to be taken out of their comfort zone. I have learnt a lot about myself by attending this institution.
I have thoroughly enjoyed diving deeper into medieval periods that I was unable to cover at school. Unlike some other history courses, Exeter’s course is not Eurocentric, and there are many modules covering different areas of world history. For example, I am currently studying a module on Islamic history.
Hanife
BA History (Exeter)
Entry requirements (typical offer)
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| A-Level | AAB | n/a |
| IB | 34/665 | n/a |
| BTEC | DDD | n/a |
| GCSE | C or 4 | English Language |
| Access to HE | 30 L3 credits at Distinction Grade and 15 L3 credits at Merit Grade | N/A |
| T-Level | Distinction | N/A |
| Contextual Offer | A-Level: BBB |
Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers. |
| Other accepted qualifications | ||
| English language requirements |
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country. |
|
NB General Studies is not included in any offer.
Grades advertised on each programme webpage are the typical level at which our offers are made and provide information on any specific subjects an applicant will need to have studied in order to be considered for a place on the programme. However, if we receive a large number of applications for the programme we may not be able to make an offer to all those who are predicted to achieve/have achieved grades which are in line with our typical offer. For more information on how applications are assessed and when decisions are released, please see: After you apply
Course content
You can customise the course to suit your needs, by selecting optional modules that you’re passionate about. In the first year, choose from modules such as Murder in Early Modern England or Gender and Sexuality in the Middle Ages.
The History degree programme is made up of compulsory (core) and optional modules, which are worth 15 or 30 credits each. Full-time undergraduate students need to complete modules worth a total of 120 credits each year.
Depending on your programme you can take up to 30 credits each year in another subject, for instance a language or business module, to develop career-related skills or just widen your intellectual horizons.
75 credits of compulsory modules, 45 credits of optional modules
Compulsory modules
Single Honours students must take at least 15 credits (and up to a maximum of 30 credits) of Sources and Skills modules at Stage 1. ‘Sources and skills’ modules change yearly, depending on staff availability and other factors.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIH1137 | Becoming a Historian: Core | 15 |
| HIH1421 | Understanding Medieval and Early Modern History | 30 |
| HIH1422 | Understanding Modern History | 30 |
Optional modules
Single Honours students must take at least 15 credits (and up to a maximum of 30 credits) of Sources and Skills modules at Stage 1. ‘Sources and skills’ modules change yearly, depending on staff availability and other factors.
You are strongly encouraged to take at least 15 credits (and up to a maximum of 30 credits) of modules outside History in Stage 1 via modularity.
Single honours students may take as one of their options HIH1139 Becoming a Historian (Extension)
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIH1139 | Becoming a Historian: Extended | 15 |
| History Stage 1 Option modules 2024-5 | ||
| HIH1402 | Britain, America, and the Global Order, 1846-1946 | 15 |
| HIH1618 | Body, Border, Partition: Understanding Violence in South Asia | 15 |
| HIH1140 | Confinement, Care, Cure: Psychiatric Institutions in the Twentieth Century | 15 |
| HIH1412 | Early Modern Magic and Witchcraft | 15 |
| HIH1614 | Environment and Industry, 1750-1950: Global Perspectives | 15 |
| HIH1053 | Gender and Sexuality in the Middle Ages | 15 |
| HIH1600 | Images of Stalinism | 15 |
| HIH1585 | Ladies of the Night: Prostitution in the Victorian World | 15 |
| HIH1607 | JFK | 15 |
| HIH1002 | Losing an Empire, Finding a Role: Britain Since 1945 | 15 |
| HIH1042 | Murder in Early Modern England | 15 |
| HIH1411 | From Wigan Pier to Piccadilly: Britain between the Wars | 15 |
| HIH1501 | The Viking Phenomenon | 15 |
| HIH1506 | The First Day of the Somme | 15 |
| HIH1532 | The History of Strategic Thinking | 15 |
| HIH1596 | The Good War? The United States in World War II | 15 |
| HIH1612 | Renaissance Florence 1350-1550 | 15 |
60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIH2237 | Doing History in the Digital Age | 30 |
| HIH2002 | Uses of the Past | 30 |
Optional modules
You must select 30 credits of Stage 2 Option Modules from term 1, and 30 credits from term 2.
As part of your options, you are strongly encouraged to take 30 credits outside History via modularity.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| History SH Stage 2 Option modules 2024-5 | ||
| HIH2036A | Albion's Fatal Tree: Capital Punishment in England, 1688-1965 | 30 |
| HIH2037 | American Frontiers: The West in U.S. History and Mythology | 30 |
| HIH2041 | The First Welfare State? England's Poor Law, 1520-1835 | 30 |
| HIH2016A | Living Through the Global: Colonial Migrants and the British Empire from the Eighteenth Century to the Present | 30 |
| HIH2137A | Inventing Modern Man: Constructions of Mind, Body, and the Individual, 1400-1800 | 30 |
| HIH2138A | History of Development: Ideologies, Politics, and Projects | 30 |
| HIH2145A | Spain from Absolutism to Democracy | 30 |
| HIH2208A | Medieval Paris | 30 |
| HIH2210A | The Russian Empire, 1689-1917 | 30 |
| HIH2218A | Religion, Society and Culture in Tudor England | 30 |
| HIH2238 | Slavery, Revolution, Independence: Saint-Domingue and Haiti, 1685-1838 | 30 |
| HIH2241 | Rise and Demise of Communism in Global Perspective | 30 |
| HIH2587 | The Other Renaissance: Religion, Knowledge, and Power in the Twelfth Century | 30 |
| HIH2590 | An Age of Iron? Europe in the Tenth Century | 30 |
| HIH2591 | Philip Augustus and the Making of France, 1180-1223 | 30 |
| HIH2594 | Europe in the Era of the Great War, 1908-1923: Crisis, Conflict and Collapse | 30 |
Find out more about study abroad or employment experience under Course variants.
With Study Abroad
No information has been returned for this stage. Please check back again later.With Employment Experience
120 credit compulsory placement module
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HUM3998 | Employment Experience UK | 120 |
With Employment Experience Abroad
120 credits of compulsory modules
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HUM3997 | Employment Experience Abroad | 120 |
30 credits of compulsory Dissertation, 60 credits Special Subject, 30 credits of Option modules.
Compulsory modules
a - You must select HIH3005 Dissertation OR HIH3006 Research Project Dissertation
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIH3005 | General Third-Year Dissertation [See note a above] | 30 |
| HIH3006 | Research Project Dissertation [See note a above] | 30 |
Optional modules
You must select a Special Subject for 60 credits.
You must select 30 credits of Option Modules from either Concepts or modules from outside of History via modularity.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| History UG Final Stage Concepts Concepts modules | ||
| HIH3330 | Truth | 30 |
| HIH3332 | Labour | 30 |
| HIH3333 | In Sickness and in Health | 30 |
| HIH3334 | War | 30 |
| HIH3336 | Revolution | 30 |
| HIH3331 | Elites | 30 |
| History UG Final Year Special Subjects 2024-5 Special Subjects | ||
| HIH3415 | Everyday Stalinism: Life in the Soviet Union, 1928-53 | 60 |
| HIH3416 | Critics of Empire | 60 |
| HIH3417 | The Yes, Minister Files: Perspectives on British Government since 1914 | 60 |
| HIH3422 | Street Protest and Social Movements in the Modern Era | 60 |
| HIH3426 | Health and its Politics in the 20th Century | 60 |
| HIH3430 | From the Grand Tour to Gladiator: Modern encounters with the ancient world | 60 |
| HIH3433 | Beyond Cannibalism: Indigenous Peoples and the European Colonisation of Brazil, 1500-1822 | 60 |
| HIH3434 | The Body in Early Modern England | 60 |
| HIH3436 | Engendering Empire: Making the British Imperial World | 60 |
| HIH3437 | Death to the Traitors: Rebellion and Resisting Tyranny in the Middle Ages | 60 |
| HIH3438 | The Rise of Capitalism in Britain 1660-1830 | 60 |
| HIH3439 | Women's Experience in Britain: Race, Class and Gender since 1945 | 60 |
| HIH3441 | Britons Abroad: The Experience of Travel, c. 1650-1900 | 60 |
| HIH3442 | From Its Cradle to Its Grave? The National Health Service in Britain, 1948-Present | 60 |
| HIH3444 | Them and Us: Imagining the Social "Other" in Britain since the 1880s | 60 |
| HIH3450 | Decolonisation and Colonial Conflict | 60 |
| HIH3451 | Borders and Mobilities in Postcolonial South Asia | 60 |
| HIH3452 | Whiteness: A Global History | 60 |
| HIH3448 | Britain and the Age of Revolution, 1775-1832 | 60 |
Course variants
UCAS code: V103
Our four-year ‘with Study Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, studying with one of our many partner universities.
Why Study Abroad?
Living and studying in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. Students who have studied abroad demonstrate initiative, independence, motivation and, depending on where they stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language – all key qualities that employers are looking for in today’s competitive employment environment.
Where can I Study Abroad?
We have partnership arrangements with many prestigious institutions across the globe. Exactly where you can apply to study will depend on the subjects you are studying at Exeter. For a full list please visit the Study Abroad website.
Does it count towards my degree?
Credit for academic work during your year abroad is arranged by agreement between the University of Exeter and the host institution. These marks are then translated back into your degree at Exeter. If you are Studying Abroad for a semester or full year, your time abroad will count toward your final degree. Please refer to your College Study Abroad co-ordinator for further details.
How does it affect my tuition fee and funding?
For the year that you spend studying abroad you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter, but nothing to your host university – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your Study Abroad year.
UCAS code: V105
Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements within the UK as part of your degree.
Why choose to include Employment Experience?
Undertaking graduate-level work during your degree unlocks a world of experience that allows you to develop essential employability and interpersonal skills that relate to your degree and future career. A work placement will dramatically boost your confidence, enhance your CV and develop graduate level skills and competencies that employers are looking for.
Where will I do my work placement?
The sector you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.
How does it affect my tuition fees and funding?
For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.
Find out more
Visit our website to learn more about employment experience opportunities.
UCAS code: V106
Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements as part of your degree.
Why choose to include Employment Experience Abroad?
Spending up to a year living and working in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. By carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements abroad you can demonstrate to employers your adaptability, cultural awareness, independence and resourcefulness and, depending on where you stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language.
Where will I do my work placement?
The sector and country you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.
How does it affect my tuition fee?
For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.
Is the placement paid?
You will be paid in accordance with the rules of the country you work in and there may be visa restrictions or requirements which you need to consider when applying.
Find out more
Visit our website to learn more about employment experience opportunities.
Fees
Tuition fees for 2025 entry
UK students: £9,535 per year
International students: £24,700 per year
Scholarships
The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*. Financial support is also available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.
* Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.
Learning and teaching
How will I learn?
As well as lectures, seminars and tutorials led by internationally respected academics at the forefront of research, you engage in group tasks and independent study: reading or viewing module material, writing essays or preparing for seminars and presentations. We encourage presentation work and written coursework, because it involves you actively in the teaching and learning process and develops important transferable skills such as good verbal and visual communication, as well as effective interaction with other people. You will also develop a range of professional skills, such as time management and team working, plus valuable critical and analytical skills.
Modules
Modules encourage you to think about long-term developments and processes of historical change, and to make comparisons between countries and cultures. We emphasise historical questions that require you to identify patterns across time or between countries, and to isolate common or competing trends, instead of concentrating on short-term or single explanations.
Teaching hours
You’ll have on average 1-3 teaching hours per module and will need to allow for up to nine additional hours of private study. You should expect your total workload to average about 40 hours per week during term time. As well as attending lectures and writing essays and assignments, you’ll be expected to make presentations in seminars or tutorials. We encourage your presentation work, because it involves you actively in the teaching and learning process and develops important life skills, such as good verbal and visual communication and effective interaction with other people.
Personal tutor
You'll have a personal tutor as well as tutors in individual subjects and they will work with you to monitor your progress, as well as offering pastoral support and other help. You will have a chance to make your mark on the programmes through regular student evaluations and participation in the Student-Staff Liaison Committees and the student History Societies on both campuses.
How will I be assessed?
All the degrees in the Department of History have assessments and examinations each year. Although formal examinations are important tests of skill, up to 50% of your marks will come from other forms of assessment, including coursework essays, projects, dissertations and measures of your skill in presentation and oral work. The exact balance will depend on the modules you choose, and you’ll be informed of the methods of assessment before making your choices.
Progression
You must pass your first-year assessment in order to progress to the second year, but the results do not count towards your degree classification. For three-year programmes, the assessments in the second and third years contribute to your final degree classification. For four-year programmes the assessments in the second, third and fourth years all contribute to your final degree classification.
Optional modules outside of this course
Each year, if you have optional modules available, you can take up to 30 credits in a subject outside of your course. This can increase your employability and widen your intellectual horizons.
Proficiency in a second subject
If you complete 60 credits of modules in one of the subjects below, you may have the words 'with proficiency in [e.g. Social Data Science]' added to your degree title when you graduate.
- A Foreign Language
- Data Science
- Entrepreneurship
- Innovation
- Law (Penryn Campus only)
- Leadership
- Management
- Social Data Science
Your future
Employer-valued skills this course develops
History graduates from the University of Exeter have an excellent reputation with graduate recruiters and compete very successfully in the employment market. Alongside in-depth subject knowledge you’ll develop highly transferable skills in researching; analysing and assessing sources; written and verbal communication; managing and interpreting information; developing ideas and arguments; teamwork; and problem solving.
Employer visits
We have a dedicated, award-winning Careers Service, with offices at our Exeter and Penryn campuses, ensuring you have access to careers advisors, mentors and the tools you need to succeed in finding employment in your chosen field on graduation. We offer the Exeter Award and the Exeter Leaders Award which include employability-related workshops, skills events, volunteering and employment which will contribute to your career decision-making skills and success in the employment market. Our graduates compete very successfully in the employment market, with many employers targeting the University when recruiting new graduates. For further information please visit our Careers Service.
Career paths
You will be equipped with skills that are attractive to employers and relevant for a wide range of careers, including graduate-level roles in the heritage and arts sectors as well as other fields of work, including education, retail management, recruitment, charities, finance and accounting, and journalism.
Example careers
- Account Manager
- Archivist
- Business Analyst
- Civil Servant
- Digital Marketing and
- Events Executive
- Event Project Manager
- Global Market
- Researcher
- Historian
- Parliamentary Researcher
- TV Researcher
Further study
A History degree may also lead to further study or research and recent graduates have progressed to postgraduate courses in:
- MA Conflict, Security and Development
- Graduate Diploma in Law
- MA English Literary Studies
- MA History
- MSc International Management
- PGCE
