STUDY

Undergraduate

BA (Hons) History

Course options:	Professional Placement, Study Abroad
Institution code:	S82
UCAS code:	V100
Start date:	September 2024
Duration:	Three years full time.
Location:	Ipswich
Typical Offer:	112 UCAS points (or above), BBC (A-Level), DMM (BTEC), Merit (T Level)

Course options:	Professional Placement, Study Abroad
Institution code:	S82
UCAS code:	V100
Start date:	September 2024

Duration:	Three years full time.
Location:	Ipswich
Typical Offer:	112 UCAS points (or above), BBC (A-Level), DMM (BTEC), Merit (T Level)

Book an Open Day Ask a question Applying to university Get a prospectus

Course information table
Course options:	Professional Placement, Study Abroad
Institution code:	S82
UCAS code:	V100
Start date:	September 2025
Duration:	Three years full-time.
Location:	Ipswich
Typical Offer:	112 UCAS tariff points (or above), BBC (A-Level) DMM (BTEC), Merit (T Level).

Course information table
Course options:	Professional Placement, Study Abroad
Institution code:	S82
UCAS code:	V100
Start date:	September 2025

Course information table
Duration:	Three years full-time.
Location:	Ipswich
Typical Offer:	112 UCAS tariff points (or above), BBC (A-Level) DMM (BTEC), Merit (T Level).

Book an Open Day Ask a question Applying to university Get a prospectus

Overview

The legacies of the past are all around us. From the structure of institutions to the shape of economies; from the ways we think to the course of social movements; and from the problems of our day to the relationships that give our lives meaning, history’s influences are complex and subtle. Historians explore a wide range of evidence to construct interpretations of human behaviour and thinking in the past, communicating them to a variety of audiences to better make sense of the world around us.

Undertaking a history degree with us allows you to study what you’re passionate about while gaining the tools, skills, and experience to stand out in the workplace or further study as a critical thinker with deep understandings of context, continuity, and change, and ready to take on the challenges of today and tomorrow with confidence, resilience, and creativity.

Our BA (Hons) History spans a wide chronology from the early medieval period to the modern day. The course leads students on an exploration of experiences and themes in both Global and British History, developing an awareness of national, regional, and local experiences and perspectives and their interrelationships. Classroom learning is augmented with regular trips, social events and external lectures to help you have fun, make new friends and widen your horizons, and there are opportunities to undertake study abroad, work placements, and work with external organisations on community-based projects to help equip you with the skills and confidence necessary to launch a successful career or business. Progressing through the course, students will continually build their knowledge, skills, experience, portfolio, and historical practice and, by the end, will produce a specialist dissertation project on a topic of their choosing.

Joining our community of scholars means you will study in one of England’s richest historical landscapes, benefit from exciting opportunities to work directly with our community and heritage partners on a variety of projects, be taught and mentored by expert and supportive staff, and enjoy our modern facilities, including unrivalled access to The Hold, the flagship branch of the Suffolk Archives located right on our campus which puts over 900 years of historical documents at your fingertips.

The University of Suffolk is world-class and committed to our region. We are proudly modern and innovative and we believe in transformative education. We are on the rise with a focus on student satisfaction, graduate prospects, spending on academic services and student facilities.

100%

student satisfaction for History

The National Student Survey (NSS) 2022

6th

in the UK for History

The Guardian University Guide

95%

in the UK for graduates in a career 15 months after graduation

Graduate Outcomes Survey

Course Modules

Our undergraduate programmes are delivered as 'block and blend' - more information can be found on Why Suffolk? You can also watch our Block and Blend video.

Your first year with us will introduce you to the study of history at university level, providing you with the chance to hone your research and communication skills and attune your awareness of foundational approaches and periods of history. Your second year will give you the opportunity to increase your familiarity with the practice of history, exploring themes and processes and working with your peers and our partners on public history projects. Your final year will see you dive deep into specialist subjects and approaches. You will also work directly under the mentorship of a member of our course team on a research project of your own topic and design. This 8,000 word dissertation will be the capstone of your time with us and is an opportunity to showcase all your talent, creativity, and skill.

Downloadable information regarding all University of Suffolk courses, including Key Facts, Course Aims, Course Structure and Assessment, is available in the Definitive Course Record.

Waterfront Building reflecting in the marina

WHY SUFFOLK

16th place in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards for Best Facilities 2023

WUSCA 2023

5th place in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards for Career Prospects 2023

WUSCA 2023

14th place in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards for Student Support 2023

WUSCA 2023

The ceiling in the Waterfront Building — Inside the Waterfront Building

Boats on the marina in front of the Waterfront Building — The Waterfront Building on Ipswich Marina

Bookshelves and step ladder — The Library

A student sitting with a laptop — SU Social Space

Entry Requirements

2024/25

112 UCAS Points (or above)

BBC (A-Level)
DMM (BTEC)
Merit (T Level)
Pass in Access to HE Diploma or above.

How to Apply Entry Requirements Explained

All applicants are required to hold GCSE's English and Maths at Grade C/4 (or Level 2 equivalents). Applicants who do not hold these qualifications may be considered on an individual basis based upon their overall application and the course applied for.

IELTS 6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in all components) where English is not the student's first language. You can read more about our English language requirements here.

Applicants whose first language is not English, but who have been living in the UK for 2 years or more will be expected to hold GCSE English at Grade C or above, (grade 4-9 for the new GCSEs) or the relevant Level 2 equivalent (if applicable).

Please select your country of permanent residence from the list below, specific requirements for your country will then be shown.

International Home

GO TO COUNTRY PAGE

Transferring Credit

If you have previously studied at higher education level before you may be able to transfer credits to a related course at the University of Suffolk and reduce the period of study time necessary to achieve your degree.

Further information on Recognition of Prior Learning

Students aged 21 or over at the start of their course are regarded as mature students. The University of Suffolk offers a flexible admissions policy for mature students, which takes into account life and work experience.

Applying as a mature student

Entry Requirements

2025/26

112 UCAS Points (or above)

BBC (A-Level)
DMM (BTEC)
Merit (T Level)
Pass in Access to HE Diploma

How to Apply Entry Requirements Explained

All applicants are required to hold GCSE English and Maths at Grade C/4 or above (or Level 2 equivalents). Applicants who do not hold these qualifications may be considered on an individual basis based upon their overall application and the course applied for.

IELTS 6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in all components) where English is not the student's first language. You can read more about our English language requirements here.

Please select your country of permanent residence from the list below, specific requirements for your country will then be shown.

International Home

GO TO COUNTRY PAGE

Further information on Recognition of Prior Learning

Applying as a mature student

Career Opportunities

A history degree prepares you for a very wide variety of career paths and we’re excited to help you on that journey. Susan Wojcicki (CEO of YouTube from 2014-2023), President of the United States Joe Biden, and Sacha Baron Cohen, as just three examples, have all graduated from history programmes. Many of the skills we focus on appear in the World Economic Forum’s list of top 10 skills of 2050, including analytical and critical thinking, active learning, analysis, creativity, flexibility, problem-solving, and comfort tackling complexity. It’s no surprise that The Telegraph ranks History as one of the Top Ten subjects for employability.

Graduates of our programme go on to careers in a broad range of sectors, including:

Education
Archive and library services
Museum and heritage industries
The civil service
Local and national government
Media and advertising
Publishing and journalism

We also have a high rate of success for our alumni going on to further study as they pursue their goals. Whatever you want to achieve, we look forward to working with you along the way.

Your Course Team

UK Full-time Tuition Fee

£9,250

per year

UK Part-time Tuition Fee

£1,454*

per 20 credit module

International Full-time Tuition Fee

£14,610

per year

*Please contact the Student Centre for further details

The decision to study a degree is an investment into your future, there are various means of support available to you in order to help fund your tuition fees and living costs. You can apply for funding from the Spring before your course starts.

UK Fees and Finance UK Bursaries and Scholarships International Fees and Scholarships

UK Full-time Tuition Fee*

£9,250

per year

UK Part-time Tuition Fee*

£1,454*

per 20 credit module

*Maximum tuition fees chargeable to Home-fee students are set by the UK Government normally in the autumn or early winter in the year prior to the year of entry (e.g. autumn 2024 for entry in 2025/26). The University of Suffolk reserves the right to increase tuition fees for 2025/26 if the UK Government increases the maximum annual fee. International tuition fees for 2025/26 will be confirmed and updated here in May 2024.

UK Fees and Finance UK Bursaries and Scholarships International Fees and Scholarships

Ipswich Award

The University of Suffolk is offering a £1,000 Award for students joining the University of Suffolk’s Ipswich campus. The Award is based on specific eligibility criteria based on your year of entry.

More information

A group of students walking down a stairwell

Facilities and Resources

Our beautiful, modern campus sits at the heart of the historic county town of Ipswich. Some of our teaching and learning happens in the superbly equipped Waterfront building, overlooking the picturesque marina, but most of our modules are taught in The Hold, the brand new flagship branch of the Suffolk Archives. Having the archives on campus means that our students get access to all of the treasures and expertise of our partnership with Suffolk Archives, creating additional opportunities for research, collaboration and joint ventures.

In between classes, you'll find plenty of areas for quiet study or a bite to eat throughout the campus, and the town is right on your doorstep.

Students at Suffolk also benefit from a growing modern research library, a fantastic range of research opportunities with our partners across the county, close proximity to national collections in London, such as the National Archives at Kew, and the rich cultural and historical landscape, including world-renowned museums and heritage sites of international importance.

The entrance to The Hold — The Hold building, Suffolk Archives

The inside of the Hold building during the Arts Degree Show. — Inside The Hold building

Close-up of the Waterfront Building — The Waterfront building

Close-up of coffee and pastries — Paddy and Scotts café on campus

How to Apply

To study this course on a full-time basis, you can apply through UCAS. As well as providing your academic qualifications, you’ll be able to showcase your skills, qualities and passion for the subject.

Apply Now Further Information on Applying

A silhouette of a student in their cap and gown

Jack Shaw, BA (Hons) History

"The History Department is brilliant. It has long been recognised as one of the best in the country and continues to outperform its counterparts. Don’t just take my word for it – History at Suffolk is ranked second on the Guardian’s 2020 league table, one above Oxford."

A group of students on Ipswich waterfront dressed in graduation gowns throwing their hats into the air.

Related Courses

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MA History

Our MA in History ranges widely between 1750 and the present day, allowing students to choose an array of modules that explore topics and issues from local, regional, and global perspectives.

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STUDY

BA (Hons) History

Overview

100%

6th

95%

Course Modules

Foundations, Migrations, Invasions? Britain and the Early Medieval World (Requisite)

The Non-European Globe: Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East to 1500 (Requisite)

Growing Pains from Medieval to Early-Modern: Society and Culture from the Normans to the Tudors (Requisite)

Encounters, exchange and the making of colonial worlds, 1492-1779 (Requisite)

Becoming Britons? 1603-1832 (Requisite)

Making Modern Britain 1830-1985 (Requisite)

Researching History (Mandatory)

Empire: From 1600 to the Present (Optional)

Sex and Gender in British Society Since 1500 (Optional)

Group Project: Work-based learning in History (Optional)

Dictators and Democracy in the era of Total War, 1900-1948 (Optional)

The Connected Viking Age (Optional)

Clearance and Famine: British Rural Society 1760-1850 (Optional)

The Global Cold War: from Berlin to Beijing (Optional)

Independent Research Project (Mandatory)

Genocide in History and Memory (Optional)

Popular protest in Britain 1780-1850 (Optional)

The Witch Hunt (Optional)

Heritage in Practice (Optional)

Britain at War in the Twentieth Century (Optional)

Independent Study Module (Recovery)

WHY SUFFOLK

Entry Requirements

2024/25

112 UCAS Points (or above)

Transferring Credit

Entry Requirements

2025/26

112 UCAS Points (or above)

Career Opportunities

Your Course Team

Fees and Funding

£9,250

£1,454*

£14,610

Fees and Funding

£9,250

£1,454*

Ipswich Award

Facilities and Resources

How to Apply

Jack Shaw, BA (Hons) History

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