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BA History and Philosophy

Start date
September
Duration
3 Years
UCAS code
VV15
Course Type
Undergraduate, Joint Honours combined
Fees

Annual tuition fees for 2023/24:
£9,250 (UK)
£21,780 (International)
More detail.

Philosophy helps you to acquire the philosophical skills and background knowledge to enable you to engage with some of the deepest questions human beings have ever asked and History can enable you to understand them through past events. 

If you want to understand the past to prepare for your future in a changing world, studying History is the way forward.  As well as covering modern, early modern and medieval Britain and Europe, our degree course offers considerable scope to study the wider world.  You get the chance to question some of the prevailing myths, preconceptions and prejudices which surround the writing of History. 

Philosophy is for people who find they are bothered by questions that their friends can cheerfully ignore; people who do not want to settle for conventional answers and received wisdom, but want to arrive at answers that stand up to the most searching examination.  Studying undergraduate Philosophy here will give you access to world-class talent in fields as diverse as Metaphysics, Philosophy of Psychiatry, Epistemology, Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Mind and many others.

Both the History and Philosophy departments at the University of Birmingham have a friendly and relaxed atmosphere in an intellectually challenging and stimulating environment.  

Studying Philosophy at Birmingham has allowed me to approach many of the everyday situations I face in new and exciting ways. It has made me more comfortable and confident in communicating what I think, and has given me interesting new perspectives on things that I would have never encountered beforehand.

Jack

Why study this course?

  • Flexible programme - Our History and Philosophy Joint Honours degree course offers you a wide range of modules so that you can build a degree programme that suits your interests and enables you to develop your skills in both subjects. 
  • Present day application - We believe in history as a practical and engaged endeavour that speaks to questions of social inequality, community belonging and even climate change. As a Birmingham student you have opportunities to learn about the uses of history such as through a placement in the heritage sector on our Professional Skills module.
  • Bury yourself in a book – Explore our Cadbury Research Libraries collections consist of over 200,000 rare books dating from 1471 and more than four million manuscript items.
  • Rewarding student experience - At Birmingham we believe that teaching hours should be complemented by a wide-range of academic opportunities and social occasions. Join our community you'll have access to, among many other things, a student experience team who co-ordinate performances, talks, trips, podcasts, quizzes and celebrations and bespoke academic writing advice.
  • Leading the discourse - The Department is at the forefront of philosophical discussion and debate. We collaborate across disciplines and borders. Our world leading research as part of Mental Health Humanities at Birmingham is pushing the boundaries of cross disciplinary dialogue in the universities dynamic mental health research agenda.

Open day talks

Two full videos on YouTube of recent undergraduate open day talks relevant to this course:

Modules

Please note: You will take 120 credits of modules in each year of study. The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. Unless indicated otherwise, the modules listed for this programme are for students starting in 2023. On rare occasions, we may need to make unexpected changes to compulsory modules; in this event we will contact offer holders as soon as possible to inform or consult them as appropriate.

Joint Honours flexibility

Every degree programme at the University is divided into 120 credits of study for each year of the programme. In the first year of a Joint Honours programme, you will study 60 credits in each subject as you learn the core elements of the disciplines. We recognise that students on Joint Honours programmes might come to favour one subject slightly more than another. To account for this, we have added more flexibility into the second and final years of our programmes. In the second year, you can stick with the 60-60 split between the two subjects or shift to a 80-40 credit weighting, effectively a major/ minor combination. You can either go back to 60-60 in the final year, maintain the same 80-40 split or reverse the major and the minor and go to a 40-80 weighting.

First year

History compulsory modules

  • Practising History A: Skills in History (10 credits)
  • Practising History B: Skills in History (10 credits)

Optional modules

  • 40 credits of optional modules 

Descriptions of History Joint Honours first year modules

Philosophy compulsory modules

  • Problems of Philosophy A (10 credits)
  • Problems of Philosophy B (10 credits)

Optional modules

  • 40 credits of optional modules 

Descriptions of Philosophy Joint Honours first year compulsory modules

Second year

Students must choose 120 optional credits. A minimum of 40 credits and a maximum of 80 credits must be taken in each discipline.

History

  • 80 credits; optional modules one of which needs to be a Group Research module. You can also choose, if you wish, a Future or Professional Skills module
  • 60 credits; optional modules one of which needs to be a Group Research module. You can also choose, if you wish, a Future or Professional Skills module
  • 40 credits; optional modules one of which needs to be a Group Research module

All students must choose a Group Research module and an Autumn option module.

Descriptions of History Joint Honours second year modules

Philosophy

Year Abroad

You can apply to study abroad for a year in an approved university around the world. If you achieve a grade of 2.1 or above in your first year, you will be eligible to apply for a Year Abroad in your second year. If your application is successful, you will go abroad in your third year and return to us for your final year. Find out more.

Final year

Students must take one 40 credit Dissertation module in either History or Philosophy. Students choose 80-credits of optional modules. Students must take a minimum of 40-credits in History and a minimum of 40-credits in philosophy. Students taking 40 credits in either discipline only select optional modules.

History

  • 80 credits; Dissertation (40 credits); optional modules including two Special Subject modules and, if you wish, a Professional Skills module if not undertaken the previous year
  • 60 credits; either Special Subject modules or Dissertation; optional modules including, if you wish, a Professional Skills module if not undertaken the previous year
  • 40 credits; Special Subject modules

Descriptions of History Joint Honours final year modules

Philosophy modules

  • 80 credits; Philosophical Project (40 credits); optional modules including if you wish a Professional Skills module if not undertaken the previous year
  • 60 credits; Philosophical Project (40 credits); optional modules including if you wish a Professional Skills module if not undertaken the previous year
  • 40 credits; optional modules

Detailed descriptions of Philosophy Final Year modules

Fees

For UK students beginning their studies in September 2023, the University of Birmingham will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year. The fees for your first year of study will therefore be £9,250. Visit our tuition fees page for more information.

Fees for 2023/24 are as follows:

  • UK: £9,250
  • International: £21,780

Eligibility for fees can be verified with Admissions. Learn more about fees for international students.

For further information on tuition fees, living costs and available financial support, please see our pages on undergraduate fees and funding.

Tuition fees when studying abroad

For those spending a whole academic year abroad (where available):

  • Students who are classed as UK for fees purposes are required to pay 15% of their normal annual tuition fee
  • Students who are classed as International for fee purposes are required to pay 50% of their normal annual tuition fee

For those studying abroad for just one semester (where available), normal annual tuition fees apply.

Note - Study abroad opportunities vary between courses; please see the course description for details of study abroad options offered.

How To Apply

Standard offer

International Requirements



Number of A levels required:
3
Typical offer:
AAB
Required subjects and grades:
A Level History, Medieval History, Ancient History or Early Modern History

IB Diploma:
6,6,5 in Higher level subjects plus 32 points overall, including History / Medieval History / Ancient History / Early Modern History.

BTEC qualifications:

  • BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM, plus a B at A-level in the required subject/s mentioned above.
  • BTEC Diploma: DD, plus a B at A-level in the required subject/s mentioned above.
  • BTEC Subsidiary Diploma: D, plus AB at A-level, including the required subject/s mentioned above.

Other qualifications are considered - learn more about entry requirements.

Alternative offers through our Pathways to Birmingham programmes and our Contextual Offer scheme

Students who are eligible and successfully complete a Pathways to Birmingham programme will receive special consideration from admissions tutors and an alternative offer (typically two grades below the standard offer). In addition, our Contextual Offer Scheme recognises the potential of students whose personal circumstances may have restricted achievement in school or college. If you are eligible to benefit from the contextual offer scheme, you will receive an offer which is one grade lower than the standard offer.

International Students

We welcome applications from international students and invite you to join our vibrant community of over 4500 international students who represent 150 different countries. We accept a range of qualifications, our country pages show you what qualifications we accept from your country.

Depending on your chosen course of study, you may also be interested in one of our foundation pathways, which offer specially structured programmes for international students whose qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to UK universities. Further details can be found on Birmingham International Academy web pages.

As far as I know, this is a unique case. I think you’ll agree that it’s exceptional in many ways, but historians often undertake micro-histories of cases like this in order to expose some of the more generally relevant conditions of the past.

Professor Karen Harvey

Support

You will have access to a comprehensive support system to help you make the transition to higher education when you start at Birmingham. 

Personal tutors – You will be assigned your own personal tutor who will get to know you as you progress through your studies. They will provide academic support and advice to enable you to make the most of your time here at Birmingham.

Wellbeing Officers –You will also have access to dedicated wellbeing officers who provide professional support, advice and guidance to students across a range of issues. They can meet with you to discuss extensions, disabilities, reasonable adjustments, extenuating circumstances, or to talk through any problems you might be experiencing, and help you access wider support on campus and beyond if you need it.

Our Academic Skills Centre helps you to become a more effective and independent learner through a range of high-quality support services. The centre offers workshops on a range of topics, such as note-taking, reading, academic writing and presentation skills.

The Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) provides guidance on writing essays and dissertations if you need it. You can receive individual support from an academic writing advisor and meet with postgraduate tutors who specialise in particular subjects too.

Our Student Experience Team will help you get the most out of your academic experience. They offer research opportunities, study skills support, and help you prepare for your post-university career. They also organise social events, including trips.

Teaching staff

Students at the University of Birmingham are taught by a mixture of professors, senior lecturers, lecturers and doctoral researchers, thereby receiving a rich diversity of academic knowledge and experience. Many of our teaching staff have published important works about their areas of expertise, whilst others have taught at international institutions and can offer unique perspectives of their subjects.

You can find out more about the members of staff (including their qualifications, publication history and specific areas of interest) in their academic profiles linked below.

Interactive classes are offered in modules which don't feature separate seminars. Here, lecturing time and discussion time are part of the same session and the structure of the classes can be very flexible.

 

Contact Hours

All Birmingham degrees are set within a credit framework designed to measure your academic achievements. We expect all students to accumulate 120 credits in each full year of study which is equivalent to 40 hours of learning a week. Learning is considered to include contact learning (lectures and seminars), private study, revision and assessment.

For this programme, those 40 hours are estimated to be broken down and split into lectures, seminars and other guided teaching opportunities and then independent study. This is a general rule across the entire academic year and may change week by week.

  • Year 1: 15% Lectures, seminars or similar and 85% Independent study
  • Year 2: 12.5% Lectures, seminars or similar and 87% Independent study and 0.5% on Placement
  • Year 3: 11% Lectures, seminars or similar and 89% Independent study

Assessment Methods

Assessments - you will be assessed in a variety of ways to help you transition to a new style of learning. At the beginning of each module, you will be given information on how and when you will be assessed. Assessments methods will vary with each module and could include:

  • coursework, such as essays
  • group and individual presentations
  • and exams

Feedback - you will receive feedback on each assessment within three weeks, so you can learn from each assignment. You will also be given feedback on any exams that you take. If you should fail an exam, we will ensure that particularly detailed feedback is provided to help you prepare for future exams.

Each module is assessed independently by exams, essays or other forms of written assignment. Some modules are completely assessed by coursework. Most first-year modules are assessed by both an essay written during the year and an exam at the end of the year, with each given equal weight. The assessment for second- and third-year modules also varies. Many modules are assessed by two essays, while some are assessed by an essay and an exam.

91% of our History and Philosophy are in work or further study within 15 months of the course (Discover Uni stats 2022, Graduate Outcomes survey). You will have an excellent opportunity to develop skills that are are attractive to employers.

These include:  

  • Strong communication skills
  • A deep understanding of the past
  • The ability to research, analyse and interpret complex information
  • Leadership and teamwork
  • Handling complex information
  • The ability to form concise and articulate arguments
  • Managing your time and prioritising your workload 

These are key skills that will enable you to pursue either further study in History or Philosophy disciplines or move into employment in a wide range of other careers.  

  • Accountancy
  • Charity work
  • Housing
  • Human Resources
  • International Development
  • Law
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Publishing
  • Politics
  • Retail Management
  • Teaching
  • Library and Archive work
  • Postgraduate study  

Developing your career

The University of Birmingham is the 4th most targeted university by the country’s top graduate employers according to The Graduate Market 2022 report [PDF - 1.4MB]. Our Careers Network are here to offer you tailored, expert advice on your career plans and support you with finding and applying for jobs, internships and further study. There are hundreds of events to help you meet potential employers and learn more about the breadth of opportunities and career sectors available to you.

Support will be offered to you covering the whole job application process, including CVs, LinkedIn, application forms, interviews and assessment centres.  You can also email our experienced Careers Advisors and College Teams to review your applications or answer any careers related question, alongside our on campus and online 1:1 appointments.

We have a number of exclusive Internship Programmes such as our Cultural Internships, which will give you paid, professional experience to set you apart in the graduate market. We also offer work experience bursaries, which allow you to apply for funding to support you during any unpaid internships. 

First years can take part in The Birmingham Project, with themes including celebrating arts and culture and shaping a global society. There’s also a successful Mentoring Programme, where you can gain access to experienced Mentors who can empower, inspire and inform you about their experiences.  As a University of Birmingham student you will also be given access to LinkedIn Learning giving free access to real world training courses to kick-start your careers.

If you want to earn money WorkLink advertises convenient part-time job opportunities on campus to fit round your studies.  

Extra-curricular activities

To enhance your career prospects even further, you may want to engage in extra-curricular activities to broaden your skills and your network of contacts. Our employer-endorsed, award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme.

There are more than 500 student groups and volunteering opportunities offered by the Guild of Students (our Students’ Union) so you’re bound to find activities that you want to be involved in whilst meeting friends who share your interests.

Culture and collections

Schools, institutes and departments

Services and facilities