BA Philosophy and History
About this course
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and History, a history and philosophy degree centred on critical enquiry into human thought, society, and past events. Core topics include Research Methods, Historical Research, Ethics & Professional Practice, and Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning. Students are taught in small groups and benefit from academic research expertise spanning diverse historical periods and philosophical traditions. The first year covers core foundations through Ethics, History Matters (Object, Image, Text), Reason and Argument, Truth, Knowledge, and Objectivity, and World Histories Introduced. The second year focuses on public history and historical philosophy through Making History: Historians and Audiences and Mind and World in the History of Philosophy. Optional modules across the degree span specialized historical periods, political theory, and applied ethics. Students can further tailor their studies through a wide selection of optional topics ranging from ancient history to modern socio-political movements.
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 IB: Pass, with 32 points overall with 16 points at Higher Level.
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What students say
Based on about 11 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 90%
- Learning opportunities: 87%
- Assessment and feedback: 83%
- Academic support: 90%
- Organisation and management: 97%
- Learning resources: 89%
- Student voice: 87%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 100%
What graduates do next
Based on about 23 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 10%
- Further study: 10%
- Unemployed: 10%
Most common jobs
- Sales occupations: 15%
- Administrative occupations: 15%
- Finance Professionals: 10%
- Teaching Professionals: 10%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 85%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 55%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 40%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 70 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 1%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 3%
- East Midlands: 2%
- East of England: 4%
- London: 38%
- South East: 38%
- South West: 10%
- Wales: 3%
Who gets in
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 90%
- Foundation course: 10%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Ethics
- History Matters (Object, Image, Text)
- Reason and Argument
- Truth, Knowledge, and Objectivity
- World Histories Introduced
- Antiquity and Authority: Ancient Persia in Modern Iranian Politics
- Applied Ethics
- Faith and Reason
- Freedom and Responsibility
- Masada: History and Myth
- Philosophy of Race
- Primary and Secondary Education: Critical Observations
- Putin and the Politics of Post-Soviet Russia
- Puzzles about Art and Literature
- Rebellions and Uprising in the age of the Tudors
- The Crimean War
- The First World War
- The French Revolution
- Making History: Historians and Audiences
- Mind and World in the History of Philosophy
- AI Utopias and the Climate Crisis
- Ancient Greeks at War
- Ancient Rome: the First Metropolis
- Animal Ethics, Animal Minds
- Building London: the history of a city, 1666 – 2012
- Cities of the Dead: Death, Mourning and Remembrance in Modern Britain
- Cognitive Psychology in Education
- Creating Elizabeth I: Ancient Inspiration for a Renaissance Queen (1558-1603)
- Darwin and the Making of Evolutionary Thought: Myth, Memory, and Modern Society
- Data, Culture, and Justice
- Digital Futures of the Past: Power, Ethics, and Representation
- Epistemology: Knowledge and Evidence
- Ethics of Global Poverty
- Humanities and Professional Practice
- Imperial China: From China’s mythical emperors to the 19th century
- Islam's Identity Crisis: Between Violent Jihadism and Peaceful Reformation
- Jews in Germany before the Holocaust
- Kant’s Copernican Revolution in Philosophy
- Latin 1
- Latin 2
- McCarthyism
- Moral Philosophy
- Myth and the Ancient World
- Napoleon and his legend
- Nelson Mandela: A South African life
- Philosophy of Race
- Philosophy of Religion
- Plague, Fire and Popish Plots: The Worlds of Charles II
- Political Philosophy
- Ragtime! The Making of Modern America
- Retail Therapy: A Journey Through the Cultural History of Shopping
- Self and Agency in the History of Philosophy
- Self, society, nature, and normativity
- The Age of Discovery? c.1350-c.1650
- The EU and European Identity
- The Fall of the Russian Empire
- The First British Empire: the beginnings of English dominance, 1050-1300
- The Making of Modern India
- The Mind, The Brain, and Consciousness
- Vienna and Berlin: Society, Politics and Culture from 1890 to the Present
- A Short History of Exploration
- A Short History of the Far Right
- A Short History of the Populist Leader
- Business, Morality, and Markets
- China in the Cold War – Part 1 (The Chronology)
- China in the Cold War – Part 2 (Themes)
- Classical Chinese Philosophy
- Classical Indian Philosophy: Self, Knowledge, and Liberation
- Crime and Punishment
- Crime and Punishment in England c.1688-1840 part 1
- Crime and Punishment in England c.1688-1840 part 2
- Cultures in Contact: A Diverse Ancient World
- Cultures in Contact: Resisting Rome
- Democratic Theory
- Exploring the Hidden Assumptions in Education
- From Tyranny to Revolution: England 1625-49: Part 1
- From Tyranny to Revolution: England, 1625-49 Part 2
- Globalisation and World Politics
- Green Political Thought: Humans and other stories
- Happiness and Wellbeing
- Historical Memory in Modern Latin America
- History Dissertation
- Islamic Philosophy
- Language and the City
- Latin 1
- Latin 2
- Philosophical Pessimism
- Philosophy Dissertation
- Philosophy and Ethics in Psychology and AI
- Philosophy of Sex, Sexuality, and Gender
- Political Philosophy
- Reading Histories
- The Ethics of Belief: Evidence, Truth, and Ideology
- The Ethics of Climate Change
- The Hammer and the Scalpel: The American Precision Ethos and Culture of War (Part 1)
- The Hammer and the Scalpel: The American Precision Ethos and Culture of War (Part 2)
- The Third Reich 1
- The Third Reich 2
- The imperial Other: Race, Religion and Identity in modern Britain and France
- The imperial Other: Race, Religion and Identity in the Russian and Soviet empires
- War, State and Society: The Hundred Years War (1337-1453), Part 2
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Philosophy and History at University of Southampton earn?
The median salary is £29,000 after 15 months, £26,000 after 3 years, £32,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £27,000 and £42,500. The £32,000 median after five years is £1,500 more than the UK median for History.
What do graduates of BA Philosophy and History at University of Southampton do next?
80% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Philosophy and History at University of Southampton?
90% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Philosophy and History at University of Southampton?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 130 UCAS points.
How many students continue on BA Philosophy and History at University of Southampton?
100% of students continued into their second year, and 0% left higher education.