History and Philosophy

History and philosophy make a natural pairing because both are concerned with the most fundamental questions about human existence and how societies have understood and organised themselves over time. History examines the past through evidence, developing skills in research, source criticism, and narrative construction, asking how events happened, why, and what their consequences were. Philosophy brings rigorous conceptual analysis and argumentation to questions about knowledge, morality, political authority, and the nature of reality, asking not just what happened but what it means and whether it was right.

The University of Reading's three-year full-time History and Philosophy programme develops depth in both disciplines. You will engage with history across different periods and regions, developing the ability to work with primary sources, construct historical arguments, and understand how historiography shapes what we know and what questions we ask. Your philosophy studies will cover epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, and the history of philosophy, giving you the analytical tools to evaluate arguments and think clearly about difficult conceptual questions.

The two subjects inform each other productively: historical study raises philosophical questions about causation, agency, and the nature of historical knowledge, while philosophy provides frameworks for thinking about the moral and political dimensions of historical events. The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, which provide professional experience and international academic exposure alongside your intellectual development.

A typical entry tariff of 120 points makes the programme accessible to a broad range of students.

Graduates pursue careers in education, the civil service, law, journalism, publishing, heritage, the voluntary sector, and a range of management roles where the analytical and communication skills developed through history and philosophy are valued. Postgraduate routes include history, philosophy, law, and public policy.