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Image from Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year)
Image from Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year)
Image from Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year)
Image from Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year)
Image from Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year)
Image from Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year)

Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year)

University of Essex

(4.1)
53 reviews

Entry requirements

Here's what you will need to get a place on the Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year) course at University of Essex.

Select a qualification to see required grades

A level

B,B,B

Offers will be made in the range of BBB to BBC or 120-112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of the equivalent of 2 full A-levels

Most popular A-levels studied

The Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year) course at University of Essex features content from more than one subject area. Choose an option below to find out about the students taking courses in each of those subject areas at this uni.

History
Philosophy
SubjectGrade
HistoryC
English LiteratureC
GeographyC
Government and PoliticsB
PsychologyC
SubjectGrade
Religious StudiesC
SociologyB
HistoryC
Government and PoliticsC
MathematicsB
Source: HESA

Course summary

What this course is about

UCAS code: VV16

Here's what University of Essex says about its Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year) course.

Our course provides a wide-ranging and sound academic grounding in the disciplines of philosophy and history. You identify the relevance of philosophy to other forms of enquiry, for example social, political, cultural and in particular historical, and learn to actively connect these two fields of study. This is facilitated by the shared interests of our two departments and our strong commitment to interdisciplinary study.

You study topics including:

  • political philosophy

  • philosophy of religion

  • colonialism

  • inequality

  • culture, identity, citizenship

  • multiculturalism and

  • human rights

Source: University of Essex

Course details

Qualification

Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Department

Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies

Location

Colchester Campus | Colchester

Duration

4 Years

Study mode

Full-time

Subjects

• History

• Philosophy

Start date

October 2026

Application deadline

14 January 2026

Tuition fees

LocationFees
England£9,535 per year
Scotland£9,535 per year
Wales£9,535 per year
Northern Ireland£9,535 per year
Channel Islands£9,535 per year
Republic of Ireland£9,535 per year
EU£21,500 per year
International£21,500 per year

University of Essex student reviews

(4.1)
Based on 53 reviews from University of Essex's students and alumni
5 star
47%
4 star
31%
3 star
11%
2 star
11%
1 star
0%
All reviews

Showing 45 reviews

2nd year student

2 years ago

The SU tries their best with the budget they have. They are probably one of the only departments who try their hardest at Essex. Societies and sports clubs are great with lots of socials and a great way and the best way to make new friends at Essex. The 2 bars and nightclub on campus are ok although...

(4)
Student Union

2nd year student

2 years ago

I live near Colchester so I haven’t moved far to go to Essex University so I knew what the area would be like. It isn’t the most busiest area and you can pretty much find every and do everything tourist-wise in a couple of days. Nightlife is ok with the club on campus and a couple in the town, all o...

(4)
University life

2nd year student

2 years ago

With the cost of living so high in the UK, the University has only raised their rent slightly and when you take into account that bills are included, the cheaper accommodation options are quite good deals. I notice that financial support is offered to those in more difficult circumstances due to the...

(4)
Finance

2nd year student

2 years ago

There is more that could be done in this area and I imagine those who are new to this sort of environment (living on your own, needing to self motivate to study etc) would struggle as there is a lack of communication from all aspects of the University. A simple email explaining how a specific examin...

(3)
Support

2nd year student

2 years ago

The facilities on campus for education (library, labs etc) I cannot fault and they all work effectively. However, the accommodation is quite poor. In my 1st year in halls, I moved into a dirty room which smelt like a toilet. Clearly it hadn’t been cleaned since the last tenant which meant I had to c...

(2)
Facilities

2nd year student

2 years ago

The course content is good however the delivery is lacking. It seems pointless going to lectures face to face as a lot of lecturers just read off the slides and add nothing on top. Sometimes the lecturers themselves seem puzzled at some of the content on the slides and they often just quickly move o...

(2)
Course

National Student Survey (NSS) scores at University of Essex

The NSS is an annual survey where final-year students are asked to rate different aspects of their course and university experience.

The Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year) course at University of Essex features content from more than one subject area. Using the options below, you can see ratings from students who took courses in each of these subject areas at this uni

History
Philosophy

Select an option to see a detailed breakdown

How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?

95%

high

How good are teaching staff at explaining things?

100%

high

How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?

82%

low

How often is the course intellectually stimulating?

89%

low

To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?

83%

med

How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?

77%

low

How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?

83%

med

To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?

88%

med

To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?

77%

med

How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?

86%

med

How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?

92%

med

How often does feedback help you to improve your work?

76%

med

How often have you received assessment feedback on time?

86%

med

How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?

67%

low

How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?

97%

med

How well have teaching staff supported your learning?

92%

med

How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?

88%

med

How well organised is your course?

82%

med

How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?

89%

med

How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?

95%

med

How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?

87%

med

How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?

46%

low

To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?

85%

med

To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?

81%

med

How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?

63%

med

During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?

92%

med

How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?

72%

low

Select an option to see a detailed breakdown

How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?

77%

low

How good are teaching staff at explaining things?

100%

high

How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?

94%

high

How often is the course intellectually stimulating?

89%

low

To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?

80%

low

How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?

89%

med

How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?

94%

high

To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?

94%

high

To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?

86%

med

How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?

81%

low

How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?

85%

med

How often does feedback help you to improve your work?

64%

low

How often have you received assessment feedback on time?

82%

med

How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?

81%

med

How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?

86%

low

How well have teaching staff supported your learning?

86%

low

How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?

86%

med

How well organised is your course?

69%

low

How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?

83%

med

How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?

100%

high

How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?

90%

med

How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?

69%

med

To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?

82%

med

To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?

76%

low

How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?

65%

med

During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?

94%

high

How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?

81%

med

Student information

The Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year) course at University of Essex features content from more than one subject area. Choose an option below to find out about the students taking courses in each of those subject areas at this uni.

History
Philosophy
Mode of study
Full-time98%Part-time2%
Gender ratio
Female50%Male49%Other1%
Where students come from
International15%UK85%
Student performance
2:1 or above77%
Number of students180
Mode of study
Full-time99%Part-time1%
Gender ratio
Female41%Male59%Other1%
Where students come from
International15%UK85%
Student performance
2:1 or above87%
Number of students140
Source: HESA

Graduate prospects

What graduates do next

Facts and figures about University of Essex graduates who took Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year) - or another course in the same subject area.

History

Graduate statistics

40%

In a job where degree was essential or beneficial

87%

In work, study or other activity

65%

Say it fits with future plans

45%

Are utilising studies

Top job areas

20%

Sales occupations

15%

Business and public service associate professionals

10%

Administrative occupations

10%

Elementary occupations

Graduate statistics percentages are determined 15 months after a student graduates

Earnings after graduation

The Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year) course includes content from more than one subject area. Choose an option below for University of Essex graduate earnings across each of those subject areas.

History and archaeology
Philosophy and religious studies

Earnings

£20.4k

First year after graduation

£25.6k

Third year after graduation

£30.3k

Fifth year after graduation

Earnings

£22.6k

First year after graduation

£27k

Third year after graduation

£31.8k

Fifth year after graduation

Shown here are the median earnings of graduates at one, three and five years after they completed a course related to Philosophy and History (Including Placement Year).

Source: LEO

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree

Discussions

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Universities will list upcoming open days on their websites. Most will also have virtual open days; these are a great alternative if you really can't get there in person. For tips on preparing for open days, check the advice section here on The Uni Guide.

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