History and Politics

History and politics is a combination that recognises how deeply intertwined these two disciplines are: political life is always historically situated, and history is fundamentally shaped by the exercise of political power. History develops the methods for understanding the past through its sources, the capacity to situate events in their contexts, and the ability to evaluate competing interpretations of what happened and why. Political science provides analytical frameworks for understanding power, governance, ideology, and the behaviour of states, institutions, and citizens, and for comparing how different political arrangements develop and perform over time and across places.

Together, they offer a particularly rigorous preparation for understanding the contemporary world.

At the University of Stirling, this four-year full-time programme follows the Scottish degree structure, which typically gives you a broader first year before you develop greater depth and focus in subsequent years. Stirling has strengths in both history and politics, with research interests spanning Scottish and British history, political thought, comparative politics, and international relations. The combination allows you to examine political events and institutions in their historical context and to bring historical understanding to bear on contemporary political questions in ways that a single-subject degree cannot achieve.

You will develop skills in archival and secondary source research, political analysis, essay writing, and argumentation, which are among the most transferable capacities that a humanities and social science education provides.

The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study at a partner university in another country and to engage with history and politics from a different national perspective.

History and politics graduates pursue careers across the civil service, political organisations, journalism, research, law, international organisations, non-governmental organisations, education, and a wide range of professional roles where analytical rigour and effective communication are valued. Postgraduate study in history, politics, international relations, or area studies is a natural progression for those with research or specialist career ambitions.