BA History and Philosophy
About this course
BA in History and Philosophy, a humanities degree centred on historical and philosophical approaches to human thought and society. Core topics include Historical Research, Critical & Analytical Thinking, Communication & Writing, and Social & Cultural Analysis. The programme spans three years of undergraduate study, combining core method modules with a broad selection of optional topics and culminating in a substantial independent research project. The first year introduces fundamental concepts through modules such as History Workshop, Writing Philosophy, Thinking Historically, and History of Philosophy. The second year builds upon these foundations with compulsory modules including History and the Public, Ethics: From Theory to Practice, Parchment to Pixels: Interrogating Historical Evidence, and Global History of Philosophy. Optional modules in the second year allow specialisation in areas such as political philosophy, formal logic, and specialised historical periods. The final year focuses on advanced study and independent research, featuring compulsory modules like Short Dissertation and Communicating Philosophy alongside targeted subject options.
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: AAB IB: 34; 33, with B in a history-based extended essay
See the highest paying History, Philosophy & Religion degrees in the UK →
Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 90%: 52 offers from 58 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 7 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 90%
- Learning opportunities: 76%
- Assessment and feedback: 72%
- Academic support: 75%
- Organisation and management: 70%
- Learning resources: 77%
- Student voice: 77%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 25 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 95%
- Left higher education: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 19 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 55%
- Working and studying: 5%
- Further study: 10%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 14%
- Teaching Professionals: 13%
- Administrative occupations: 11%
- Elementary occupations: 11%
- Managers, directors and senior officials: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 80%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 60%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 105 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 3%
- North West: 15%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 17%
- East Midlands: 6%
- West Midlands: 6%
- East of England: 7%
- London: 29%
- South East: 11%
- South West: 5%
Who gets in
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 90%
- Access course: 10%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- History Workshop
- Writing Philosophy
- Thinking Historically
- History of Philosophy
- Mind and World
- Religion, Reason and Reality
- Death and Killing
- The 'Disenchantment' of Early Modern Europe, c. 1570-1770
- Beyond Borders? A Deep History of the Connected World
- The Long View: an introduction to archaeology
- Reason and Argument
- Bodies, Sex and Desires
- Science, Medicine and Society
- Empire, from the Ancient World to the Early Modern
- Common People: Everyday Lives in Modern Britain and Ireland
- History and the Public
- Ethics: From Theory to Practice
- Parchment to Pixels: Interrogating Historical Evidence
- Global History of Philosophy
- History and Historians
- Trumpism: An American Biography
- A History of Eastern Africa since 1940
- Life Worth Living
- From Democracy to Dictatorship: the 1973 coup in Chile
- Murder in the cathedral: the Becket Affair
- The Irish Republican Brotherhood, 1858-85
- The Putney Debates, October 1647
- A Very British Revolution? The 1926 General Strike
- Contemporary Crises in Historical Perspective
- Byzantine Intersectionality: Gender, Race and Power in the Medieval Mediterranean, c.500-1300
- Formal Logic
- Feminism
- The Philosophy of AI and Robotics
- Religion and the Good Life
- Philosophy of the Arts
- Mind and Language
- Political Philosophy
- Science and the Search for Reality
- Knowing and Being
- Social Justice Today
- Short Dissertation
- Communicating Philosophy
- Permissive Britain? Social and Cultural Change 1956-74
- The World of Intoxicants in Early Modern England
- Cannibals and Christians: Mexico and Spain, c.1492-1600
- The Wars for Vietnam: Empire, Decolonisation and Liberation
- Resistance & Liberation in South Africa: Gandhi to Mandela
- Makers of a New World: Merchants, Scholars and Commoners in Late Medieval Europe
- Merchants, Pirates and Planters: The English Overseas, 1570-1624
- The National Security State, Treason, and Individual Rights during the Twentieth Century
- Italy in the Age of Dante, ca. 1200-1350
- The World Transformed? The League of Nations and the End of Empire, 1919-46
- Ethics and Belief
- Memory and the Self
- Philosophy of Psychology
- Utopia, Reform and Democracy
- Bodies and Souls
- Feminist and Queer Studies in Religion
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA History and Philosophy at University of Sheffield earn?
The median salary is £29,000 after 15 months, £24,000 after 3 years, £32,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £25,000 and £40,000. The £32,500 median after five years is £2,000 more than the UK median for History.
What do graduates of BA History and Philosophy at University of Sheffield 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 Philosophy at University of Sheffield?
90% 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 Philosophy at University of Sheffield?
The typical offer is AAB at A level. The average entrant had 139 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for BA History and Philosophy at University of Sheffield?
90% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 52 offers from 58 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
Does BA History and Philosophy at University of Sheffield 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 Philosophy at University of Sheffield?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 5% left higher education.