History

History gives you a way of understanding the world that few other disciplines can match, revealing the deep forces, contingent choices and long-running processes that have shaped economies, societies, cultures and political systems. It trains you to work with complex, often contradictory evidence, to construct well-reasoned arguments and to communicate your thinking with clarity. At its best, studying history is an education in empathy, critical distance and intellectual rigour, all qualities that remain valuable long after the specific content has been absorbed.

At the University of York you will engage with the forces that have shaped power, faith, culture and social life across different periods and regions, developing a wide-ranging understanding of the past alongside deep expertise in the areas you find most compelling. You will work directly with primary sources, learning to assess their provenance, interpret their significance and situate them within broader historical contexts. The programme runs full time over three years and includes a sandwich placement year, a year abroad and a work placement, all of which give you direct experience of professional and international environments.

These structured opportunities might place you in archives, cultural institutions, media organisations, educational settings or government bodies, building your professional network and demonstrating your abilities to future employers.

History graduates from York go on to careers in law, the civil service and public administration, journalism and broadcasting, heritage and museums, education, diplomacy, publishing, politics, international development and the not-for-profit sector. The degree's emphasis on evidence, argument and communication means that employers across many fields value history graduates highly. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in history, international relations, law, public policy or related disciplines, building on the intellectual foundations the degree provides.