History BA (Hons)
- Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
- UCAS Code(s): V100
- Start Date(s): September 2024
- Duration: Three years full-time, four – seven years part-time
- Study Mode(s): Full-time / Part-time (day)
- Campus: Clifton Campus
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Entry Requirements:
More information
Introduction:
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100% of NTU’s research in History was assessed to be world-leading or excellent in terms of its impact - REF 2021. -
Study in a city steeped in history and home to an array of museums and archives. -
Work on company projects for museums, heritage sites, charities, trusts, local organisations and private businesses. -
Study a course our students love - 97% of BA (Hons) History students would recommend studying at NTU to others.
History is being made right now. It is a living, breathing subject that is constantly renewing, evolving and revealing new information that teaches us about the past, anchors us to the present and informs our future. Historians are passionate, focused, curious, intellectual and open to new experiences and information. If this sounds like you, then read on.
History at NTU offers exciting opportunities to discover and understand the past through a range of skills and approaches. Our expert staff have strong links to the modern heritage industry and historical research groups, giving you opportunities to work on real-life projects and take work placements with some of the most prestigious heritage sites in the country. You’ll also have the opportunity to study abroad at one of our international exchange partner universities.
What you’ll study
This course will help to develop your knowledge and understanding of diverse cultures, nations and ideas from medieval and early modern right through to modern and contemporary history across the globe.
We offer you a wide range of options so you can study what you are passionate about, or discover a new and exciting area you never even considered before.
Year One builds the key historical skills and practices you'll need in your future, alongside introductory modules that focus on international perspectives.
Year Two is all about you. You can choose a pathway which suits your needs and interests with the opportunity to travel, work or specialise your study with optional modules.
Year Three is your chance to really explore what fascinates you, with a further range of options and a project on a specialist research topic of your choice. You'll be guided along with expert supervision from your teaching team.
Core modules
Europe since 1789: Revolution to Referendum
Explore the ideas, ideologies, political , social, and economic changes associated with the development of Western Europe and the European States from the late 18th Century to the late 20th Century. From revolutions to unifications, empire and colonisation, war and state, the rise of communism and fascism, intellectual, economic, cultural and social developments, the module will act as a foundation for future study of history at University.
History Matters: Self and Society
Explore the ways in which historical processes shape the lives of individuals and communities, how communications shape our histories, and how your own histories can be explored in relation to world events.
Rewriting the Conquest of Mexico: Burying the White Gods
Examine the history of the Aztecs, and the legacy of the so-called 'Conquest' of Mexico. How was the history written? And why does the traditional, colonial narrative remain problematic to this day?
Sustainability in Culture and Society (includes a work-like experience)
Engage with community-led enterprises and charities as you explore the concepts of sustainability, and how it has featured in a historical context.
America, 1607-2020: form Colony to Superpower
Examine the themes of race, colonisation, slavery in American history and examine the connections between the past and the present – for example, with the civil rights struggles of the sixties and the Black Lives Matter Movement today.
The Islamic World of the Near East
This module offers you a broad and globalised history of the Islamic World of the Near East between the years c.1000-c.1323. This was a time of tremendous change across the entire region with major developments in: culture, trade, art, architecture, religion, technology and demography.
Core module
The Historian's Craft
This module introduces you to a range of historical source collections and guides you through best practice of critically examining source evidence.
History in Action
You will evaluate your skill set and identify gaps to work on through a minimum of 80 hours of relevant work-like experience, to include placement, volunteering and charity work, community-engaged learning, consultancy or collaborations.
Money Matters: Finance Past and Present
See how historical processes affect share prices and economics by play the London Stock Exchange as a team, and research the individual companies and sectors you invest in.
In the second half of the year you will choose from:
Pathway 1: Extended work-like experience
Get the experience you need for after you graduate, and really understand how the things you study translate into the world of work with a work placement. Your highly experienced Employability Team will help you find a placement to suit your career goals from our huge network of companies, historical and heritage organisations, charities, institutions, and beyond.
Pathway 2: An international exchange
Travel the world, meet new friends, and have experiences you will remember for the rest of your life.
Our flexible curriculum has been designed to allow some amazing opportunities for you. Your second year of study is divided into two semesters, giving you the opportunity to take part in an international exchange. You could study with one of international exchange partners in Australia, Europe, USA, Canada, Thailand and many, many more.
Our dedicated team will support you in finding and arranging a suitable exchange. And don't worry about the cost, they will help you apply for any grants or loans you may need, as no one should miss out on the chance to broaden their horizons.
Pathway 3: Taught pathway choosing three optional modules from:
Fascism, Past and Present
Examine and contextualise fascism and fascist regimes both in the past as well as the present - specifically recent neo-fascist movements and illiberal right-wing governments.
People and Planet: pasts, presents, and futures
Develop an understanding of the human impact on the environment from the 15th Century to the present and how such slow-moving change can interact with social justice.
Global Middle Ages
Consider traditional boundaries of ‘periodisation’ and take a broad geographic perspective on the Medieval period to explore trans-cultural connections.
Tudors and Stuarts: Rulers and representations
Understand the relevance of themes in Tudor and Stuart history to contemporary Britain.
History Online: Researching and Presenting the Past
Create a 'magazine' project to contribute to the History blog.
Year-long University Language Programme language module.
Core module
History Research Project
Produce your final year research project which will include a product pitch , literature review and finally a showcase where you present in an exhibition-style environment.
Optional modules
Choose two modules from:
Representing History
Apply your historical knowledge and skills to deliver a real world project working for an external client brief.
Women and Gender in the Pre-Modern World
Explore the changes in lived experience and gender roles from biblical to renaissance periods.
Understanding Emotions
Understand the theoretical frameworks used by contemporary historians to analyse emotional experience.
Legacies and Memory of Conflict
The module examines the issue of conflict, its legacies and memorialisation. It will focus on a series of historical struggles from around the world and use them to interrogate what happened and why before analysing their traces and consequences in their respective post-conflict eras.
The Global Struggle for Civil and Human Rights
Examine the long struggle for civil and human rights within different national and transnational contexts
History on Trial
Examine and contextualise the issues and controversies that faced various societies in the United States, Great Britain and the Middle East at critical moments in history
History Online: the Value and Values of History
Explore a diverse range of historical subjects based on the latest research and your personal interests.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
Video Gallery
How you’re taught
Our students love their course, and you will too
94% of BA (Hons) History students are satisfied with teaching on their course (National Student Survey 2022)
How will I learn?
As well as traditional lectures and seminars, your learning is designed to help you hone your skills of research, critical analysis and intellectual discussion. You will be involved in group work, live projects, tutorials, presentations, visits and workshops that will help you to develop your teamwork and communication skills, as well as your ability to present complex arguments.
You will also carry out independent project work where you’ll have the support of NOW, our virtual learning environment, as well as face-to-face support from your teaching team.
How will I be assessed?
We use a varied and diverse range of coursework assessments to develop your skills and support your progress. These include digital projects, reviews, case-studies, essays, presentations and reports.
Our innovative approach to assessment means that in Year One you will develop and enhance a complementary set of key skills for success in second and third year, and throughout the degree the varied assessment pattern will enable you to engage with the past and prepare for your future through an exciting array of projects
Learn a new language
Alongside your study you also have the opportunity to learn a new language. The University Language Programme (ULP) is available to all students and gives you the option of learning a totally new language or improving the skills you already have. Learning a new language can enhance your communication skills, enrich your experience when travelling abroad and boost your career prospects. Find out more about the ULP.
Contact hours
- Year 1 lectures/seminars/workshops (23%), independent study (77%)
- Year 2 lectures/seminars/workshops (21%), independent study (79%)
- Year 3 lectures/seminars/workshops (20%), independent study (80%)
All Arts and Humanities students will complete a minimum of 240 hours of work like experience over the three years of the course
How you’re assessed
- Year 1 coursework (93%), practical (7%)
- Year 2 coursework (100%)
- Year 3 coursework (100%)
Careers and employability
Your career development
Knowledge and understanding of the past is of incalculable value both to the individual and to society, and as one of our History students you will gain a wide range of academic and transferable skills to achieve this.
…at university
As well as through study, the combination of skills gained from work experience and extracurricular activities can help boost your job prospects and develop a well-rounded CV. Undertaking volunteering or work experience with organisations and businesses that you are interested in working for will help you develop some skills that are relevant to your career interests. For example, experience working with museum collections if you want to pursue a career in curatorship.
… on graduation
History graduates find employers respect and desire the skills they acquire. Popular career routes you may follow include research or teaching, politics, law, business, social care, arts and museum curatorship, journalism, librarianship and archiving.
Or you may wish to follow in the footsteps of other graduates and choose to progress to further study, either by continuing your research within History, or gaining more direct vocational qualifications such as museum and heritage management, teaching, or tourism.
Our History course also has established links with its former students, through which we receive employment opportunities for graduating students. Our graduates have gone on to forge successful careers both within large, well-known organisations and the small to medium-sized companies that constitute much of the UK economy.
Employability
Our friendly and experienced careers consultants will work closely with you at every stage of your career planning, providing personal and practical support. Find out more about our Careers Service.
What our students are doing now
Molly Slifkin
After completing a History BA in 2015, Molly Slifkin successfully secured a place on the John Lewis Graduate Scheme, which led her to progress to her current role as Customer Proposition Manager for Waitrose. Molly reflects on her time at NTU and shares how her course equipped her with the transferable skills needed to excel in her industry.
Edward Hammond
William Parkin
Campus and facilities
Here are some of the free services, student discount and benefits you'll get studying at NTU
We've carefully considered what benefits and services you need for your studies, so when you join NTU you'll get free printing and materials credits, access to our free WiFi, a copy of Microsoft Office, and can even borrow a laptop if yours is out of commission.
For life outside your lectures, you'll enjoy access to over 60 sports clubs and 130 student societies, discounted travel and bike hire, free language learning, award-winning student support and an entertainment programme which is second to none.
See all the benefits and free services you will enjoy as an NTU student.
Books and library resources
In our library you’ll have access to an extensive and diverse range of books including those on your reading list.
The library's online resources and NTU Online Workspace (NOW) also provides digital access to the core resources for your modules and a wide range of specialist collections, texts, and databases
Nottingham Trent University has its own Blackwell’s Bookshop which stocks relevant academic texts plus a wide range of bestselling novels.
IT Resources
Our IT resource rooms and PC clusters are distributed across the campus, with PCs providing access to: Microsoft Office, email, web browsing, networked file storage and high-speed online printing services (with a free printing allowance for each student). Resource rooms are available 24 hours a day.
Societies
Current students run societies in a range of Humanities and Arts subjects including History, Medieval, Film, Filmmaking, Philosophy, Politics and International Relations, and the Book society.
There are also a number of media channels which our students get involved in such as the NTU radio station FlyLive, our student magazine Platform, and TV station TrentTV.
Find out more about student societies at the Student Union website.
Entry requirements
- 112 - 120 UCAS tariff points from four A-levels or equivalent qualifications
- GCSE English and Maths grade C / 4.
To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.
Contextual offers
A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here but who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Find out how we assess your application.
Other qualifications and experience
We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
You will need the equivalent to:
- 120 UCAS tariff points from four A-levels or equivalent qualifications
- GCSE English and Maths grade C / 4.
International qualifications
We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:
Undergraduate preparation courses (Foundation)
If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Foundation courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:
English language entry requirements
You can meet our language requirements by successfully completing our pre-sessional English course for an agreed length of time, or by submitting the required grade in one of our accepted English language tests, such as IELTS:
Advanced standing (starting your undergraduate degree in year 2 or 3)
You may be able to start your undergraduate course in year 2 or 3 based on what you have studied before. This decision would be made in accordance with our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy.
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office
Fees and funding
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there’s no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service on +44 (0)115 848 2494.
Additional Costs
Your course fees cover the cost of studies, and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.
Library books
Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential text books, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.
Field trips
All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
Please see our fees page for more information.
Tuition fees are payable for each year that you are at the University. The level of tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your undergraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.
Scholarships
We offer scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for your scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.
Living costs
Get advice on the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget:
Paying fees
Find out about advanced payments, instalment plan options and how to make payments securely to the University:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
How to apply
Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can.
For the full-time route just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow our step-by-step guide.
If you're applying for the part-time route please apply online using the NTU Applicant Portal.
Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.
Writing your application and personal statement
Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only make a decision based on what you tell us. So include all of your qualifications and grades, including resits or predicted grades.
Your personal statement is a really important part of your application. It’s your chance to convince us why we should offer you a place! You've got 4,000 characters to impress us. Make sure you use them to show how your skills and qualities are relevant to the course(s) you’re applying for. For more hints and tips, take a look at our page on how to write a good personal statement.
Keeping up-to-date
After you've applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!
Need help with your application?
For admissions related enquiries please contact us:
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 4200
You can apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our NTU applicant portal.
Application advice
Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example. After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
Writing your personal statement
Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.