History and International Relations

History and international relations is a combination that provides both the depth of historical perspective and the contemporary analytical framework to understand how the world arrived at its present condition. History teaches you to work rigorously with evidence, to understand causation and contingency, and to appreciate how different contexts shape the meaning of events. International relations provides the conceptual tools to analyse the behaviour of states, international institutions and other actors, and to understand the political, economic and military forces that shape international order.

Together, they give you an integrated understanding of the past and the present.

At Liverpool Hope University, this three-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year in professional placement, a year abroad and a work placement, giving you substantial practical and international experience alongside your academic study. You will explore many historical periods, engaging with key themes including nationalism, imperialism, colonisation, decolonisation, gender and identity, and you will develop the critical capacity to challenge interpretations and understand how historical knowledge is produced and revised. The international relations component equips you to analyse contemporary global affairs with rigour and to connect the dynamics of the present to the historical trajectories that have produced them.

Graduates from history and international relations programmes pursue careers in the diplomatic service, international organisations, the civil service, journalism, policy research, NGOs, education and the cultural sector. The combination of historical depth and contemporary political analysis is particularly valued in organisations working on foreign policy, security, international development and global affairs. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in history, international relations, diplomacy, law or security studies, and the analytical and research skills of the degree are highly transferable across public life and the professional world.