Overview
Explore the past to understand the now. Dive into moments of challenge, change and everyday life across six centuries and four continents.
Uncover the ways in which diverse groups of people were shaped by, and themselves shaped, the world they lived in. In doing so, you can reflect on your own values and better understand how history is about the present, and the future.
The city of Portsmouth has its own rich stories to tell, connecting to local, national and global history. Past and present meet on every corner - from its Tudor Castle to the millennial Spinnaker Tower. It's the ideal place to create your own immersive and relevant BA (Hons) History degree.
Course highlights
- Study in a city that’s always been a gateway to the wider world, with options to explore the past of Britain, Europe, Africa, Asia and North and South America
- Discover how to interpret a range of historical artefacts and sources, from the possessions of Tudor sailors to 1930s movie magazines
- Get closer to history thanks to close links with Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, and the Portsmouth Museum and Records Service
- Tailor your studies to times and themes you find most fascinating - from the British Civil Wars to the Opium War, from Victorian cities to modern Germany, from persecution and migration in the 16th century to anti-racism in the 20th century
- Learn in a place where historians collaborate with linguists, sociologists and political scientists to answer deep and complex questions
- Develop demonstrable skills in research, analysis and argument that are highly valued by all kinds of employers
- Have the chance to do a CV-boosting work placement year at a museum, heritage site, charity or other organisation of interest after your second or third year on this Connected Degree - we're the only UK university to offer flexible sandwich placements for undergraduates
- Take up an exchange opportunity at a university outside the UK, such as University of Prince Edward Island in Canada, Halmstad University in Sweden, Nagoya University in Japan, Caen-Normandy University in France, University of Western Carolina in the USA, or Edith Cowan University in Australia
- Choose to learn a foreign language for free as part of your degree, from a selection of Arabic, British Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin or Spanish
Careers and opportunities
Studying history will give you transferable skills in critical thinking, collaboration, research, analysis and argument, all of which are highly valued by many kinds of employers.
What can you do with a History degree?
As a qualified historian, you can move forward to further study and research or put your degree to work in areas such as:
- archives and information management
- corporate governance
- creative industries
- heritage
- law
- primary and secondary education
- higher education
- charity / not-for-profit organisations
- publishing and media
- trade unions
Graduate roles and destinations
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
- administrator for social enterprise
- barrister
- case worker for MP
- development editor in publishing
- exhibitions project manager
- founder of a digital solutions company
- researcher and writer for TV
- teacher
- workplace financial education consultant
Portsmouth alumni have worked with organisations including:
- central and local government
- higher education
- National Trust
- National Maritime Museum
- NHS
- the probation service
- Royal Navy
