History

Studying History is an imaginative process that fundamentally challenges your worldview. Using past societies from across the world, and supported by our specialist experts, you’ll develop advanced analytical skills, decipher diverse viewpoints, and learn how to express yourself fluently.

Covering topics ranging from the ancient world to the present and encompassing Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, you’ll analyse the processes and ideas that have shaped our world. In the process, you’ll learn key skills for historical research and for a successful future.

Through the study of history, you will learn to analyse the complexity of human society and culture from many different perspectives. You’ll develop a critical appreciation of how cultures and ideas are constructed and negotiated: an understanding of power, especially who has power, how they got it, and how they use it; and what this means for people's sense of identity.

Knowing about the events of the past also provides an essential basis for understanding the modern world, which is highly relevant for confronting the challenges that face us today and in the future.

With leading experts whose interests span the globe and cover more than two millennia, history at Sheffield offers you the global context needed to understand today's most complex problems.

Equipping you with analytical and practical skills, you’ll be able to conduct your own research project and determine the direction of your degree based on the breadth of modules that constitute our vibrant, research-led curriculum.

Why study this course?

• Quality teaching time in smaller seminars - We are committed to small-group teaching, enabling you to benefit from exchanging ideas, critical discussion and collaborative tasks. Guided by your tutor, you’ll develop crucial skills in debate and analysis that are essential for any career.

• Sheffield’s research-led special subject - In your third year, you’ll take a full-year, research-led special subject. There, you’ll work directly with a leading specialist in your chosen area, interrogating original sources and engaging with cutting-edge historical analysis as part of a process of becoming an expert yourself.

• Choose a year abroad or work placement - We have strong links with local and national organisations and institutions in Europe and the wider world, and you can easily add a year to your degree to explore history while studying in another country, or gain valuable work experience through a year-long placement.

• Building transferable skills - Over the course of the degree you'll become highly skilled in research, managing information, critical thinking, analysis, and presenting convincing arguments. In a context of contested and misleading information, we ensure that our graduate historians are equipped with the skills to critically evaluate competing claims.