History and Politics (Professional Placement Year)

Fascinated by the past? Ready to shape the future? On our History and Politics degree you’ll explore how historical events and political ideas continue to influence the modern world.

• Build practical and professional skills and apply them to contemporary social and political challenges.

• Develop the ability to analyse evidence, challenge assumptions and solve complex problems across a range of historical and political issues.

• Prepare for your future career. Our graduates progress to roles in government, media, education, policy and the public sector.

Our History and Politics degree combines specialised subject knowledge with practical, career-focused skills, preparing you to engage confidently with the debates, challenges and questions shaping the world today. Dynamic, applied and forward-looking, the course equips you for graduate careers across a range of industries and sectors.

Politics influences every aspect of our lives – from the decisions made in parliaments to the power held by transnational corporations – yet it can often feel distant or inaccessible. By studying Politics alongside History, you’ll get the context to understand how today's ideas and institutions have been shaped over time, and how they continue to evolve.

There are few better places to study History. Our stunning Newton Park campus is a historic resource in its own right, offering opportunities to explore landscapes, architecture, power and social change first-hand.

Nearby Bath and Bristol provide an ideal backdrop for historical enquiry, from Georgian wealth and empire to protest, activism and political contestation. The toppling of Bristol's Edward Colston statue demonstrated how powerfully the past continues to shape public debate and collective identity today.

You’ll tackle major contemporary issues including climate change, interstate conflict, inequality, poverty and political accountability. You’ll ask challenging questions about who holds influence in society — governments, businesses, institutions, or communities — and examine how political decisions affect everyday life.

Collaboration and applied learning are central to the degree. Working collaboratively across disciplines, you'll broaden your perspective, strengthen your analytical thinking, and deepen your understanding of political ideas, systems and historical change. Your work will be meaningfully connected to the real world and applied to live issues and working briefs, designed in partnership with academic staff, external organisations and other stakeholders.

Combined Honour Awards
At Bath Spa University many of our undergraduate programmes can be combined, so you don’t have to limit yourself to one subject. If you choose to study a combined award then in Year One you’ll start by studying both subjects in equal depth. From Year Two you can choose whether to continue with equal numbers of modules from each subject, or whether you want to select additional modules in one or the other. Upon successful completion of the programme you will graduate with a joint degree.

More about the Professional Placement Year
A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.

Year one
Build strong foundations in historical and political thinking through a broad curriculum that encourages curiosity, critical questioning, and the confident evaluation of evidence, data, and ideas.

Year two
Applied, practical, and career-focused: combine in-depth study of your chosen topics with professional skill development, applying your knowledge to real-world problems, projects, and debates.

Year three
Specialise, create, and achieve: your final project brings together everything you’ve learned as you pursue your own area of interest. Whether producing an extended dissertation, designing an exhibition, developing digital resources, leading a community project, or pitching ideas to external organisations, you’ll apply your skills in ambitious and meaningful ways.

You'll be assessed through a balanced mix of traditional academic work and applied, contemporary methods designed to reflect real-world practice. These may include essays, research papers, policy briefs, group presentations, project work, portfolios, campaign materials and professional reports.

Our assessment approach is designed to help you develop and demonstrate a wide range of academic and professional skills. These include planning and organising work effectively, meeting deadlines, prioritising tasks, and communicating complex ideas clearly. You will also gain experience in presenting information in different formats, including visual and digital communication as well as written work.

A key feature of the course is the opportunity to shape your own learning. You will design your own research projects and questions, developing your own specialist interests with guidance from tutors, input from industry partners, and support from your peers.