History and Politics

This is a Connected Degree
Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.

Overview
Discover how the politics of the past have shaped the world we know today. On this BA (Hons) History and Politics degree, you'll retrace the political and social conflicts, revolutions and protest movements of yesterday in order to make sense of the here and now and create positive change.

Travel back to pivotal political moments in time from around the globe guided by our expert academics. Craft your own learning experience by choosing to study the historical and political subjects and eras that most inspire you, such as the French Revolution, post war Britain and Germany, or the American Civil Rights Movement.

As this is an interdisciplinary course, each year you'll also study a bespoke combined history and politics module as well as delving into each subject separately.

Through the course's overarching theme of 'changing the world', you'll use what you learn to rethink modern societal issues, such as social justice, racial and gender equality, and global migration.

You'll graduate with an insight into the powers and processes that have formed today's societies and how positive changes are made. Armed with this understanding of the past, you'll be empowered to address the challenges of the future.

Course highlights

• Study two fascinating and interwoven subjects from 1750 to today, through combined interdisciplinary modules and specialist modules in each subject area

• Bring new perspectives to contemporary social issues – such as social justice, human rights and environmentalism – through your studies, supported by the course's overarching theme of 'changing the world'

• Customise your course by choosing your own topics to focus on in years 2 and 3

• Immerse yourself in Portsmouth's rich heritage, thanks to our close links with the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth Records Service and the D-Day Museum

• Learn from staff who are members of the Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR)

• Go on field trips to locations such as the Houses of Parliament and heritage sites on the south coast

• Take part in an interactive mock UN meeting called 'Model United Nations' and take on the role of a specific country

• Choose to spend a year building real experience on a work placement at a museum, law firm, government department, charity or other organisation of interest

Careers and opportunities
Studying history and politics together will give you transferable skills in critical thinking, collaboration, research, analysis and argument, all of which are highly valued by many kinds of employers. You could also continue your studies at Master's or PhD level in history, politics or a combination of the two.

What areas can you work in with a history and politics degree?
Graduates from our other history and politics courses have taken up roles in the following sectors:

• central and local government

• primary and secondary schools

• higher education providers

• financial services

• corporate governance

• trade unions

Placement year (optional)
After your second year, you'll have the chance to do an optional year-long work placement to get valuable work experience in a sector of your choice. Students from our other history and politics courses have secured placements at:

• The Ministry of Defence

• The House of Commons

• National Museum of the Royal Navy

• Freedom from Torture, a charity which supports survivors of torture who seek protection in the UK

• Shrewsbury Museums

• Law firms such as Darton Law Ltd

Course Modules

The University of Portsmouth is passionate about creating career-focused modules that do more than support your studies, they empower your academic journey and prepare you for what comes next.

We design modules that have:

• Clear themes and skills development as you progress through each year
• Assessments that feel meaningful, often based on real-world tasks rather than isolated exams
• Career-enhancing opportunities such as placements, live projects, enterprise and volunteering

For a full list of the modules you will study on this course, please visit the link to the course page.

https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-history-and-politics#modules