History and International Relations

History and international relations are disciplines that complement each other in fundamental ways. History provides the long-term view: it shows how the present was made, how international orders have risen and collapsed, and how the choices of states and individuals have had consequences that reverberate across generations. International relations provides the analytical framework for understanding how states, institutions, and non-state actors interact in the present, using theoretical models to explain patterns of conflict, cooperation, and change.

Together they develop a combination of contextual depth and analytical precision that neither discipline provides alone.

At Loughborough University, this joint honours degree gives you equal exposure to both disciplines, allowing you to develop genuine expertise in each rather than treating one as a support for the other. You will study the methods and debates of historical scholarship alongside the theoretical frameworks of international relations, building the capacity to analyse contemporary international events with both factual grounding and conceptual rigour. The programme runs over three years full-time.

Graduates of history and international relations programmes pursue careers in diplomacy, the foreign and civil service, policy research, journalism, think tanks, NGOs, and international business. The combination of historical knowledge and international relations analysis is particularly valued in roles concerned with foreign policy, security, and global development. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in international relations, security studies, history, or public policy, where the dual perspective of their undergraduate training is a genuine intellectual asset.