BA History
About this course
BA in History, a history degree centred on the study of past societies, global historical perspectives, and methods of historical inquiry. Core topics include Research Methods, Fieldwork, Historical Research, Critical & Analytical Thinking. The course provides opportunities to conduct independent investigations, culminating in a final-year dissertation project. The first year introduces the foundations of the discipline through compulsory modules such as History Workshop, Thinking Historically, Beyond Borders? A Deep History of the Connected World, and Empire, from the Ancient World to the Early Modern, alongside optional topics spanning early modern Europe and archaeology. The second year advances investigative abilities with core studies including History and Historians, History and the Public, Parchment to Pixels: Interrogating Historical Evidence, and Contemporary Crises in Historical Perspective, complemented by specialized choices covering global regions and periods. The final year centers on the completion of a dissertation, allowing focused study on a chosen subject alongside numerous optional modules addressing specific historical themes and eras.
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
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Real offers for this course
Applicants have posted 1 UCAS decision for BA History (V100) at the University of Sheffield for 2027 entry so far. The published offer is AAB at A level.
Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 91%: 659 offers from 727 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 75 final-year students who answered
- Teaching on my course: 94%
- Learning opportunities: 82%
- Assessment and feedback: 81%
- Academic support: 95%
- Organisation and management: 76%
- Learning resources: 95%
- Student voice: 80%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 125 students who started
- Continued on course: 96%
- Left higher education: 4%
What graduates do next
Based on about 34 graduates who answered
- Working: 52%
- Working and studying: 10%
- Further study: 16%
- Unemployed: 9%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 20%
- Teaching Professionals: 15%
- Administrative occupations: 10%
- Leisure, travel and related personal service occupations: 10%
- Managers, directors and senior officials: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 90%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 70%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 40%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 310 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 3%
- North West: 17%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 22%
- East Midlands: 9%
- West Midlands: 5%
- East of England: 8%
- London: 25%
- South East: 5%
- South West: 5%
- Wales: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 80 students who started
- A levels: 96%
- Other HE qualification: 4%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- History Workshop
- Thinking Historically
- Beyond Borders? A Deep History of the Connected World
- Empire, from the Ancient World to the Early Modern
- Common People: Everyday Lives in Modern Britain and Ireland
- The 'Disenchantment' of Early Modern Europe, c. 1570-1770
- The Long View: an introduction to archaeology
- History and Historians
- History and the Public
- Parchment to Pixels: Interrogating Historical Evidence
- Contemporary Crises in Historical Perspective
- Trumpism: An American Biography
- A History of Eastern Africa since 1940
- Byzantine Intersectionality: Gender, Race and Power in the Medieval Mediterranean, c.500-1300
- Holy Russia, Soviet Empire: Nation, Religion, and Identity in the 20th Century
- Life Worth Living
- Gender and the Georgians: Sex and Society in Britain 1714-1837
- The Battle for China's Future, 1839-1949
- Egypt's Golden Empire
- 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
- Dissertation
- 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
- Is the United States an Empire?
- Crafting Consensus: Afterlives of Dictatorship and the Struggle for the Past
- What's Love Got to Do with It?: A History of the Family in Europe and North America, c.1600-present
- Decolonising history? Academia and society after empire
- A National Reckoning? Slavery and it's Legacies in Modern Britain
- Women's Suffrage in Britain: Protest and the Public History of Memory and Memorialization
- Collecting the World: From Cabinets of Curiosity to the British Museum
- LFA module
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA History at University of Sheffield earn?
The median salary is £28,500 after 15 months, £24,500 after 3 years, £31,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £25,500 and £40,000. The £31,000 median after five years is £500 more than the UK median for History.
What do graduates of BA History at University of Sheffield do next?
79% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA History at University of Sheffield?
94% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA History at University of Sheffield?
The typical offer is AAB at A level. The average entrant had 150 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for BA History at University of Sheffield?
91% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 659 offers from 727 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
Does BA History 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 at University of Sheffield?
96% of students continued into their second year, and 4% left higher education.