History

History is the discipline concerned with understanding the human past, not simply as a record of events but as a site of interpretation, argument, and meaning-making. It asks how we know what happened, whose accounts have been preserved and whose have been silenced, and what the past tells us about the forces that shape societies over time. Studying history develops your ability to engage critically with evidence, construct sustained arguments, and write with clarity and precision.

These skills are transferable across almost every professional field, which is part of why history graduates are found in such a wide range of careers.

At Cardiff University, part of the Russell Group and a leading research university in Wales, this three-year full-time programme engages with history across a broad chronological and geographical range. You will study methodological approaches to the discipline as well as substantive periods and themes, developing both your technical skills as a historian and your knowledge of how different societies and cultures have developed over time. Cardiff's position in Wales also means you will have access to a rich regional history and a distinctive archival and cultural heritage that enriches the study of Britain and its broader context.

The typical entry tariff of 136 points reflects a programme that takes academic rigour seriously.

History graduates are among the most versatile in the job market. The skills the discipline develops, close reading of complex materials, the construction of evidence-based arguments, and the ability to communicate ideas clearly to diverse audiences, translate directly into journalism, law, the civil service, politics, policy research, teaching, publishing, museum and heritage work, and many other fields. Law conversion programmes, postgraduate degrees in history, international relations, politics, archival science, and public history are among the most popular next steps.

Many graduates also go on to pursue doctoral research, contributing original scholarship to the understanding of the past.