What do students actually study in a history degree?
A history degree involves studying the past through periods, regions, societies and themes such as politics, culture, economics, religion or empire. Students learn to evaluate primary sources, engage with historians’ interpretations, conduct research and communicate evidence-based arguments through essays, exams, presentations or a dissertation, depending on the course.
Key points
- Modules may cover broad survey topics as well as focused subjects chosen from optional offerings.
- You may work with written, visual, material or digital sources and consider their context, reliability and limitations.
- Skills developed can include critical reading, research, writing, source analysis and constructing evidence-based arguments.
Things to check
- The balance of periods, regions, compulsory modules, assessment methods and dissertation requirements varies by university, country and programme, so check the specific course description.