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University of Sheffield

UCAS Code: V100 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A,A,B

Access to HE Diploma

D:36,M:9

Award of Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject, with 45 credits at Level 3, including 36 at Distinction, and 9 at Merit

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

34

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H2,H2,H3

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DD

+ A at A Level

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

in a relevant subject; DDM in a relevant subejct + A at A Level

Scottish Advanced Higher

A

+ AAABB in Scottish Highers

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,A,B

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024)

B

+ AA at A Level

UCAS Tariff

56-159

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2025

Subject

History

History is an imaginative process; it requires us to appreciate things from points of view that are often very different. Covering topics ranging from the ancient world to the present and encompassing Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, you’ll analyse the processes and ideas that have shaped our world.

**Follow the endlessly fascinating threads of human history from 1000 BCE right up to the twenty-first century, as you learn to master the skills for historical research and a successful future.**

Through the study of history, we learn to analyse the complexity of human society and culture from many different perspectives. Historians are skilled in a critical appreciation of how cultures and ideas are constructed and negotiated; an understanding of power, especially who has power, how they got it, and how they use it; and what this means for people's sense of identity.

Knowing about the events of the past also provides an essential basis for understanding the modern world, which is highly relevant about the challenges that face us today and in the future.

With experts in every area of the globe and whose interests cover more than two millennia, history at Sheffield thus offers you the necessary global context to understand the most complex problems.

Studying history is also a personal journey, as you learn independent judgement, how to critique accepted opinions, and hone the skill of making your own effective arguments.

Equipping you with analytical and practical skills, you’ll be able to conduct your own research project and determine the direction of your degree based on the wide variety of modules that make up our vibrant, research-led curriculum.

**Why study this course?**
- History Special Subject: Sheffield’s research-led special subject, which you take in your third year, enables you to become an expert in your chosen area over a full year of teaching. You'll explore a specialised area of history with a subject expert, work with original sources and engage with cutting edge historical analysis.

- Quality teaching time in smaller seminars: We are committed to small group teaching, in which you will benefit from exchanging ideas, discussing problems and completing tasks with other students, guided by your tutor.

- Choose a year abroad or work placement: We have strong links with local and national organisations and institutions in Europe and the wider world, and you can easily add a year to your degree to explore history while studying in another country, or gain valuable work experience through a year-long placement.

- Build transferable skills: Over the course of the degree you'll become highly skilled in research, managing information, critical thinking, analysis, and presenting convincing arguments in a variety of formats. In a context of contested and misleading information, we ensure that our graduate historians are equipped with skills to evaluate competing claims critically.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,535
per year
International
£23,810
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,535
per year
Scotland
£9,535
per year
Wales
£9,535
per year

The Uni

Course location:

University of Sheffield

Department:

School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities (History)

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

96%
History

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

History

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
92%
Staff are good at explaining things
86%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
73%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

75%
Library resources
91%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
67%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

98%
UK students
2%
International students
48%
Male students
52%
Female students
97%
2:1 or above
6%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

History

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£25,000
med
Average annual salary
81%
low
Employed or in further education
70%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

16%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Other elementary services occupations
8%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

History is a very popular subject (although numbers have fallen of late) — in 2015, over 10,000 UK students graduated in a history-related course. Obviously, there aren't 11,000 jobs as historians available every year, but history is a good, flexible degree that allows graduates to go into a wide range of different jobs, and consequently history graduates have an unemployment rate comparable to the national graduate average. Many — probably most — jobs for graduates don't ask for a particular degree to go into them and history graduates are well set to take advantage. That's why so many go into jobs in the finance industry, human resources, marketing, PR and events management, as well as the more obvious roles in education, welfare and the arts. Around one in five history graduates went into further study last year. History and teaching were the most popular further study subjects for history graduates, but law, journalism, and politics were also popular postgraduate courses.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

History

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£19k

£19k

£26k

£26k

£30k

£30k

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.

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here