History

History is the study of the human past, but it is more than a record of what happened. It is a discipline that asks how we know what we know, who constructed the records we depend on and why, and how interpretations of the past have been shaped by the concerns of the present. Studying history develops the ability to evaluate evidence critically, to construct sustained arguments from multiple sources, and to understand the complex, contingent, and contested nature of historical change.

These skills are valuable not just for understanding the past but for navigating a world that is always shaped by it.

The Open University offers history by distance learning on a part-time basis, which makes it accessible to people who cannot or do not want to study full-time at a campus university. The OU's approach to distance education is well developed and well resourced, with high-quality online and printed materials, strong academic support, and an active community of students. Part-time distance learning means you can study history while maintaining your existing commitments, whether professional, family, or personal, and the flexibility to progress at your own pace makes the degree available to a genuinely wide range of people.

You will engage with a range of historical periods, places, and methods across the degree, developing close reading skills, the ability to work with primary and secondary sources, and the capacity to write clear, well-evidenced historical argument. The OU's history curriculum tends to be broad and international in scope, moving beyond exclusively British and European history to engage with the wider world.

History graduates from the OU go into careers in education, heritage, the civil service, journalism, publishing, research, museums and archives, the law, and a wide range of other fields where analytical thinking, careful reading, and persuasive writing are valued. The discipline trains you for almost any role that requires understanding of context, nuance, and evidence.