History and Politics

History and politics together address the most consequential questions of the public world: why events unfolded as they did, how power is organised and exercised, and what the relationship is between past decisions and present realities. Studying them in combination is intellectually natural: political understanding without historical context lacks depth, and historical study benefits enormously from the analytical frameworks that political science provides. Together, the two disciplines develop a particularly powerful capacity for understanding how the modern world came to be and how it continues to change.

At City St George's in London this three-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, giving you substantial professional and international experience alongside your academic development. Studying in London, a city at the intersection of global history, provides a distinctive environment for this kind of work, with access to archives, policy institutions, and a deeply internationally diverse community. The programme develops your understanding of key historical events and political processes from an international and global perspective, building expertise in how the modern world was shaped and how contemporary political dynamics operate at national, European, and global scales.

You will develop research skills, analytical rigour, and the ability to construct and communicate complex arguments clearly.

Graduates find careers in politics and government, the civil service, public policy, journalism, international organisations, law, research, and the charitable sector. The combination of historical perspective and political analysis is valued in roles that require both an understanding of the longer-term context of current events and the ability to engage analytically with how power and institutions operate. The year abroad and work placement add practical credibility to academic achievement.

Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in history, politics, international relations, or public policy.