History and Economics

History and economics is a pairing that addresses the fundamental question of how the world came to be economically organised as it is, and what patterns in the past can tell us about the challenges of the present. History develops your capacity to understand events, structures, and ideas in their context, using primary sources and analytical frameworks to reconstruct how decisions were made and what their consequences were. Economics provides the theoretical and quantitative tools to model how markets, institutions, and incentives work, and to evaluate the effects of policy choices on welfare and distribution.

At the University of Reading, this BA allows you to understand the cultures and societies that shaped the past while exploring the critical economic issues that influence the world today. You will develop both qualitative historical skills and quantitative economic methods, studying how economic systems have evolved alongside the societies that produced them. The programme runs over three years full-time and includes a sandwich placement year, a year abroad, and a work placement, ensuring that your academic learning is complemented by professional and international experience.

Graduates of history and economics programmes pursue careers in economic analysis, the civil service, financial services, policy research, journalism, education, and the heritage sector. The combination of historical contextualisation and economic rigour is valued in roles where understanding the long-run dynamics of economic change is as important as technical modelling. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in economics, economic history, or public policy, where the quantitative and interpretive skills developed at undergraduate level provide a strong and distinctive preparation.