BA History and American Studies
About this course
BA in History and American Studies, a joint honours degree exploring historical events and cultural developments across the United States, Britain, Europe, and the wider world. Core topics include Historical Research. The course includes an optional placement year and an optional year abroad. The first year covers foundations through Making History, With Liberty and Justice for All? US History since 1776, Introduction to Comparative Politics: Europe and the USA, People and Places, Global History: Connections and Cultures in a Changing World, 1750 to the present, and Modern Britain: c1700-Present. The second year builds on this with Perceiving the Past, The Shock of the Modern, Medieval and Early Modern Europe: People, Power, Faith, and Culture, and Becoming the Historical Researcher. Optional modules allow specialisation in areas such as global cities, Victorian policing, Soviet history, heritage projects, and environmental history. Further optional study spans international topics including the American presidency, the civil rights movement, Southern Africa, and American fiction and film.
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 75 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 84%
- Left higher education: 13%
- Moved to a lower qualification: 3%
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
- Administrative occupations: 25%
- Teaching Professionals: 20%
- Teaching and Childcare Support Occupation: 15%
- Welfare and housing associate professionals: 10%
- Secretarial and related occupations: 10%
- 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
- 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
- The American Presidency
- 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
- Literatures of Protest: Reading and Political Action
- The Other in American Fiction and Film
- American Political Development
- Making History
- With Liberty and Justice for All? US History since 1776
- Introduction to Comparative Politics: Europe and the USA
- People and Places
- Global History: Connections and Cultures in a Changing World, 1750 to the present
- Modern Britain: c1700-Present
- Perceiving the Past
- The Shock of the Modern
- Medieval and Early Modern Europe: People, Power, Faith, and Culture
- Becoming the Historical Researcher
- 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
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA History and American Studies 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 more than the UK median for American and Australasian studies.
What do graduates of BA History and American Studies 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 History and American Studies 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 History and American Studies at University of Leicester?
The typical offer is ABB at A level. The average entrant had 118 UCAS points.
Does BA History and American Studies 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 History and American Studies at University of Leicester?
84% of students continued into their second year, and 13% left higher education.