BA Modern and Contemporary History
About this course
BA in Modern and Contemporary History, a history degree exploring the political and social developments of the recent past alongside international relations. Core topics include Research Methods and Policy Analysis. Students can choose to undertake an optional placement year or spend a year abroad. The first year introduces foundational themes through compulsory modules such as Making History, Modern Britain: c1700-Present, and Order and Disorder: International Relations 1945 to the Present, alongside optional choices including Europe 1861-1991: Emancipation and Subjugation. Year two continues with compulsory study in modules like The Shock of the Modern, Perceiving the Past, and Working with History: The Heritage Field Project. Additional unallocated study allows students to pursue either a History Dissertation or a Politics Dissertation. Optional modules span specialist interests including Sport and the British, The American Presidency, and The Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1968.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: ABB-BBB at A-Level
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What students say
Based on about 34 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 88%
- Learning opportunities: 85%
- Assessment and feedback: 86%
- Academic support: 93%
- Organisation and management: 80%
- Learning resources: 90%
- Student voice: 82%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 65%
- Left higher education: 10%
- Moved to a lower qualification: 25%
What graduates do next
Based on about 11 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 45%
- Working and studying: 15%
- Further study: 15%
- Unemployed: 15%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 20%
- Administrative occupations: 20%
- Teaching Professionals: 15%
- Customer service occupations: 5%
- Legal professionals: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 70%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 50%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 55%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 275 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 5%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 9%
- East Midlands: 20%
- West Midlands: 13%
- East of England: 12%
- London: 21%
- South East: 12%
- South West: 4%
- Wales: 2%
Who gets in
Based on about 70 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 94%
- Access course: 1%
- Other HE qualification: 1%
- Other qualifications: 3%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Gold overall, Silver for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- History Dissertation
- Politics Dissertation
- After Hitler: Society, Culture and The Politics of The Nazi Past in The Two Germanies, 1945-1990
- Cultures of Struggle and Liberation: Twentieth Century Southern Africa
- The Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Sport and the British
- You are what you Wear? Clothing, Fashion and Belonging in the Modern World
- Daring to be Free: The Women's Movement, 1850s to 1970s
- Disasporas and Migrations in the Modern World
- The Making of a Nation: India and the British Empire 1857-1947
- Feminism
- The American Presidency
- The Conservatives: Crisis and Recovery
- Political Legacies of Conflict in Northern Ireland
- The Politics of Nuclear Weapons
- International Migration in the Age of Securitisation
- Emotions in Conflict and Cooperation
- The Imperial Economy: Britain and the Wider World 1830-1914
- The Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1968
- The Death Penalty and its Abolition: A Global History
- Brexit and British Politics
- American Political Development
- Politics of Contemporary War and Conflict
- The Politics of Slavery
- The Politics of Contemporary British Foreign Policy
- Politics, Conflict and Statecraft in Africa
- Grenfell: Violence and the Possibility of Non-Violence
- The Political Theory of Disobedience and Protests
- Queer IR: Sexuality and Global Politics
- Gender, Race and War
- Making History
- Introduction to Comparative Politics: Europe and the USA
- People and Places
- Modern Britain: c1700-Present
- Order and Disorder: International Relations 1945 to the Present
- Europe 1861-1991: Emancipation and Subjugation
- With Liberty and Justice for All? US History since 1776
- The Shock of the Modern
- Perceiving the Past
- Political Parties in Contemporary Britain
- The Curious Feminist: Gender in Global Politics
- Politics of the Global South
- Global Cities
- Jack-the-Ripper: Crime, Popular Culture and Policing in Victorian Times
- Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union
- History in the Classroom
- Working with History: The Heritage Field Project
- World's End: Historical Perspectives on Contemporary Environmental Crises
- International Security Studies
- Foreign Policy Analysis
- Governing Societies in Conflict
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Modern and Contemporary History at University of Leicester earn?
The median salary is £26,000 after 15 months, £24,000 after 3 years, £30,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £23,500 and £37,500. The £30,000 median after five years is £500 less than the UK median for History.
What do graduates of BA Modern and Contemporary History at University of Leicester do next?
75% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Modern and Contemporary History at University of Leicester?
88% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Modern and Contemporary History at University of Leicester?
The typical offer is ABB at A level. The average entrant had 118 UCAS points.
Does BA Modern and Contemporary History at University of Leicester include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional placement year and an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Modern and Contemporary History at University of Leicester?
65% of students continued into their second year, and 10% left higher education.