BA History / Course details

Our BA History course will give you the opportunity to tailor your degree to suit your own interests while learning from one of the largest concentrations of historians in Britain.

You will be able to choose course units covering a wide range of periods and topics, including ancient, medieval, modern and economic and social history, as well as the history of science, technology and medicine.

In Years 1 and 2, you can also take course units in other disciplines, including languages, the humanities and the social sciences. There are also opportunities for you to spend part of your degree studying abroad.

Students will have the option to specialise in a particular area of interest or continue to study a broad range of areas in their final year, when you have a choice of units covering topics such as British, European, American, African and Asian history at different periods, culminating in a 12,000-word thesis.

You will receive expert training in analysis and critical reasoning while developing important transferable skills in communication and presentation, argument and debate, teamwork, research, and time management, all of which will help prepare you for life after university.

Placement year option  

Apply your subject-specific knowledge in a real-world context through a  placement year  in your third year of study, enabling you to enhance your employment prospects, clarify your career goals and build your external networks. 

Study abroad

You can apply to spend one semester  studying abroad  during Year 2, with exchange partners including those in Europe as well as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. 

Get involved 

Our students can take part in history-related activities outside of the course, including the  Manchester Histories Festival . 

Explore world-class collections 

Enjoy  unique opportunities  to explore special archived material and carry out research in a wide range of archives, libraries, museums and other research institutions in Manchester and beyond. 

Flexible Honours 

Our  Flexible Honours  initiative may allow you to study an additional arts, languages or cultures subject in conjunction with History.

You will learn through a variety of channels, including lectures, face-to-face and online seminars, and small group tutorials.

We encourage students to undertake independent study at every level.

Assessment procedures in different course units vary, but our basic objective is to achieve a good balance between formal examinations, continuous assessment and project work.

The Year 3 dissertation is a major piece of original work, accounting for 22% of the final overall mark.

As well as taking advantage of the University Library and study spaces such as Alan Gilbert Learning Commons, you will be able to explore a wealth of archives, libraries, museums and other research institutions in Manchester and beyond, including the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre, John Rylands Library and the Manchester Museum. 

Visit the  Facilities  page on the History website to find out more.