History

BA (Hons)

UCAS code: V101

Start dates: September 2026

Full time: 3 years

Part time: up to 6 years

Location: Headington

School(s): School of Education, Humanities and Languages

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Overview

Why do democracies fail? How do empires shape identity? How does information transform who holds power? These are just some of the urgent questions waiting for you at Oxford Brookes.

You'll study British, European and American history through the lens of our core areas of research strength: war and politics, crime, empire, culture and belief, and ideas and ideology.  You'll be interrogating evidence, challenging narratives and building your own arguments - through essays, debates, public history projects and assessments that reflect how history actually reaches people.

History at Oxford Brookes connects historical thinking to real-world problems, building the skills that careers in law, politics, media, teaching, heritage and public service depend on.

You'll do this supported by academics who are challenging narratives in their own work. And you’ll do so in Oxford - a living and vibrant archive of a thousand years of power, progress and change.

Together, we'll push you to challenge, question and think for yourself. That's where the best ideas come from. 

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BA (Hons) History students discussing while walking downstairs the impact of colonialism

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Challenge built in

    You’ll study three modules across your degree that apply historical thinking to real problems, developing the analytical and professional skills that set you apart.

  • Apply your skills

    Build your experience and your network through work placements, public history projects and real world opportunities.

  • Friendly and supportive

    We know everyone by name in our small department and always offer regular one-to-one tutorials to support your studies.

  • Get involved

    We have an active student community, with the History Society running regular events like day trips, socials, and guest lectures.

  • Study in Oxford

    A city steeped in history, where you’ll have access to the famous Bodleian Library and Ashmolean Museum, and countless heritage sites.

  • Additional language modules

    Our university-wide language programme is available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

  • Study abroad

    You may be able to go on a European or international study exchange while you are at Oxford Brookes. Although we will help as much as we can with your plans, ultimately you are responsible for organising and funding this study abroad.

Course details

Course structure

Your first year focuses on building and presenting arguments, interrogating evidence, forming your own view. You'll explore the major themes running through the course:

  • Modern Britain
  • Modern America
  • Politics, war and empire
  • Crime and violence
  • Idea and ideologies
  • Culture and belief.

Alongside this, the challenge module Why History Matters asks you to consider history's role in the real world from day one.

In year 2, you'll choose modules that deepen your historical knowledge, specialising in one theme or following a mix. The challenge module Oxford Stories takes you beyond the classroom, applying your historical thinking to a real-world cross-subject project rooted in the city around you. You can also opt to complete a work placement.

In your third year, you'll specialise further, with topics taught by research experts. The challenge module Applied History brings your experience together, building a practical portfolio that demonstrates your skills and supports your next steps.

BA (Hons) History students in London

Learning and teaching

You'll be part of a department where you are known by name. That matters when you're dismantling a difficult narrative or pushing your thinking into new territory.

Your tutors are active researchers and published experts. Dr Alys Beverton introduces you to the methods and theories that define how history is practised today, before applying them to the contested history of America's racial and imperial past. Professor Glen O'Hara writes in national media and advises government on policy, bringing that dimension directly into the classroom. That expertise shapes every seminar, discussion and piece of feedback you receive.

We combine lectures with small seminars where you'll build confidence expressing ideas, debating evidence and developing your own arguments. By the third year, you'll be working closely with specialists in the areas you've chosen to pursue.

Three challenge modules run through your degree, connecting historical study to real-world problems and professional life.

Assessment

Your assessments reflect how history reaches people and how historians work. You won’t have any exams. Instead, you’ll build your skills across a range of formats:

  • research essays
  • source analyses
  • creative life-writing exercises
  • book reviews
  • group projects and presentations
  • module diaries and portfolios.

You might also curate a time capsule, develop your own podcast, write a policy brief or produce a leaflet for a public audience. You’ll also complete reflective exercises and assignments that help to build a portfolio of your academic, applied and professional experiences throughout your time studying.

You’ll complete your dissertation in the module ‘Major History Research Project’. You can choose a traditional dissertation format, or an applied or alternative research format - like a museum guide or piece of public policy research.
 

Study modules

History is shaped by the people who ask the hard questions. The modules you'll study are taught by academics actively doing that. 

Professor Marius Turda examines the history of power and prejudice through the rise of eugenics. Professor Johannes Dillinger analyses the history of witchcraft, magic and the occult. Dr Thomas Robb offers expertise on Cold War geopolitics through to today’s fracturing world order. Professor Cassie Watson examines the bloody history of crime, violence and forensic medicine.

Teaching for this course takes place face to face. You can expect around 7 hours of contact time per week. In addition, you should also anticipate a workload of 1,200 hours per year. Teaching usually takes place Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 6.00pm.

Contact hours involve activities such as lectures, seminars, practicals, assessments and academic advising. These hours differ by year of study and can increase significantly during placements or other types of work-based learning.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

  • A People’s History of Britain

    You’ll uncover Britain’s rich, multicultural history - from the Tudors to today. You’ll explore the lives of families and individuals, investigating life histories, recorded memories and material objects of the time. You’ll explore famous figures throughout the centuries. And you’ll attend seminars where you’ll discuss new perspectives on themes including:

    • fashion and consumption
    • material culture
    • class
    • demography
    • welfare.
  • Europe and the World, 1450-1750

    What was it like to live through the early modern witch trials? How did the Scientific Revolution affect society?

    In this module, you’ll explore a time of religious warfare, environmental change and political revolutions in Europe. You’ll encounter Europe’s history, and relations with the world in the early modern period, through texts, criminal records, art and buildings. And you’ll explore what life was like for people who lived through:

    • Wars between Christian and Muslim powers
    • European colonialism
    • The execution of the King during the British Civil Wars
  • Ideologies of the Modern World, 1750-2000

    In this module, you’ll gain critical knowledge of the ideas and concepts behind the rise of the West, and modern Western society. You’ll get to know the competing ideologies in Western society and power since the mid-seventeenth century. And you’ll explore marginalised groups and the processes of empire-building. You’ll gain the key skills to succeed in your degree, as you learn to:

    • communicate knowledge
    • present arguments
    • solve problems in a scholarly way. 
  • Superpowers: an International History of the Cold War

    Who won the Cold War? In this module, you’ll explore the rivalry between two global superpowers - the United States and Soviet Union. You’ll understand how the Cold War never featured any actual fighting between the two, yet resulted in the defeat of one. You’ll get to grips with International History, and learn about the realms of:

    • diplomacy
    • arms control
    • proxy wars
    • the creation and maintenance of alliances
    • leadership and the role of personality.

    And you’ll explore how people lived through the looming threat of nuclear destruction in the second half of the 20th Century.

  • World at War: A History of the First World War

    Why was the First World War such a pivotal moment in History? In this module, you’ll gain valuable critical skills in the study of Modern History, as you explore the depth and extent of the First World War. You’ll examine:

    • the global reach of the war, particularly in the colonial territories of Asia and Africa
    • the culture of war on the home front and how it affected men, women, and children
    • the refugee crisis across Europe, and the plight of people in zones of conflict.
    • innovations in medical care and humanitarian relief
    • the birth of the idea of “crimes against humanity” and genocide
    • the history of the military conflict from 1914-1918

Optional modules

  • Why History Matters: Evidence, Interpretation, Impact

    What does it mean to think like a historian, and why does history matter in the real world? 

    You'll deepen your understanding of core historical concepts, including evidence, interpretation, continuity and change, and historical significance. Through hands-on engagement with primary and secondary sources, historiographical debates and independent research, you'll sharpen your ability to construct arguments, evaluate sources critically and communicate historical ideas with confidence.

    This is also a module about you as a historian. You'll explore your own motivations, academic strengths and strategies for success, culminating in a personal action plan to help you make the most of your studies and future career.

    Alongside disciplinary skills, you'll build practical competencies in critical reading, archival research, digital history tools and professional communication, equipping you for advanced study and employment in history and beyond.
     
  • Bloody Histories: Crime and Violence in the West

    You’ll discover crimes in the West from 1400 to 2000, including

    • Piracy
    • Treason
    • Poisoning
    • Rape
    • Blasphemy

    You’ll get to know the key sources of crime historians, and the challenges in using them. You’ll connect law, crime, and punishment with the wider social context in Britain, Europe, and America. And you’ll gain key critical skills as you explore pressing debates around crime.

  • Origins of the Climate Crisis: A Global History of the Environment

    You will engage with the ways in which the environment and the climate have changed over the past six centuries. Looking at:

    • sustainability
    • climate change
    • conservation.

    Which are pressing issues with a rich and compelling history. You will investigate environmental changes and how they were contested and experienced at communal, national and international levels. You'll think about the political, economic, social and cultural contexts of resource management, energy use and food production.  Including a focus on future policy solutions 

    You will engage with a wide variety of historical sources which we can use to understand environmental history, including:

    • demographic sources
    • institutional records
    • visual sources such as maps and plans.

    You will gain digital history skills, through the digital mapping technology you will use on the course.

  • The Faiths of the West

    How have religious groups shaped the West, from the ancient to the modern world? How do different religious groups interact with each other? In this module, you’ll explore:

    • different religions groups and doctrines
    • witchcraft and paganism
    • religion in everyday life

    We’ll mainly focus on Christianity, but also on the role of other faiths, such as Judaism and Islam. We’ll also look at the idea of fascism as a political religion.

Year 2

Compulsory modules

  • Twentieth-century Britain: Democracy, Upheaval, Renewal

    In this module, you'll be introduced to key social, political and economic changes that made twentieth-century Britain. You will learn about the relationship between crisis and renewal, and will be encouraged to think critically about the nature of change and how, why and when this came about to forge the Britain we know today. You’ll explore how the politics of change and how key developments in the British state, society and economy, and the country’s place in the world, were contested, represented and resisted by some and championed by others. 

    The module aims to empower you to think independently about Britain’s twentieth-century past and twenty-first-century present and the relationship between the two. It can sometimes seem like Britain is experiencing unprecedented change and crisis; but Britons have lived through similarly challenging times in the past century.

Optional modules

  • History in a Digital Age: Sources, Methods, and Debates

    How is the digital revolution changing the way we understand the past, and what does that mean for historians today?

    This module explores how digital technologies are transforming historical research, from the archives we access to the methods we use to analyse and present our findings. You'll develop core skills in finding and interrogating primary sources, engaging with digital repositories and archives, and applying digital methods of analysis to historical questions.

    Along the way, you'll grapple with the bigger debates: who gets to store and share historical data, whose voices are included in digital archives, and how historians navigate the ethical challenges of an increasingly digital discipline.

    The skills you build here, particularly in interpreting complex information and data, are transferable to careers that rely on digital resources and emerging technologies, including AI.
     
  • Professional Development in Practice: Oxford Stories, or, Curiosity and Critical Thinking

    The world's most pressing challenges don't fit neatly into one subject or discipline. This module puts you at the heart of tackling them.

    You'll choose one of two pathways. Oxford Stories explores how narratives shape people, places and communities. Curiosity and Critical Thinking examines the role of evidence and information in contemporary challenges.

    Working alongside academics, fellow students and external partners, you'll engage in projects that develop critical, creative and transferable skills needed to address real-world issues. You'll learn to analyse problems, consider multiple perspectives and apply your knowledge beyond your subject area.

    Through collaboration and reflection, you'll deepen your understanding of yourself, your subject and the wider contexts in which you will live and work.

    The second in a series of three modules running throughout the programme, Professional Development in Practice builds on your first year and prepares you for life beyond graduation.
  • Witches: Religion, Power and Magic

    This module offers you the opportunity to study magic and witchcraft as central topics of social and cultural history. Covering more than 2,000 years of the history of magic, it invites you to investigate persecutions of so-called witches in their various political, social and religious contexts from Roman Antiquity to the present. 

    The module discusses witchcraft in the broadest sense of the word: from medieval concepts of heresy and the pact with the devil to the rise of demonology, from the British and European witch hunts of the Reformation age to the Satanic panic of the late twentieth century. 

    We also explore the contexts of spirit beliefs, learned magic and folk magic and discuss how organized religion and the states dealt with magic and (alleged and real) magicians. The module will develop your skills in using primary sources as well as introducing you to the most important debates in the history of witchcraft.

  • Crime and Punishment through the Ages

    What causes people to commit crimes? And how have we punished criminals in the past? In this module, you’ll gain a fascinating insight into crime in the British Isles, as you examine:

    • gendered criminality
    • property crime
    • the history of violence
    • attempts to regulate morality. 

    You’ll explore: 

    • the birth of the prison
    • social crimes and social justice
    • moral and anti-social crimes
    • theories of punishment.

    You’ll also look at the substantial changes in law enforcement that occurred in early modern Britain, giving you the key critical knowledge to study crime history. 

  • Jack the Ripper

    How did Jack the Ripper - the mass murderer of vulnerable women - shape Victorian culture? And how did Victorian Britain create the Jack the Ripper phenomenon? In this module, you’ll dive into the criminal underworld of the nineteenth century. You’ll investigate a time where public ideas on crime clashed with those of the authorities. You’ll explore:

    • attitudes towards the morality and immorality 
    • the origins of the concept of the criminal class
    • the introduction of policing
    • the development of punishment.

    And you’ll ask who the real Jack the Ripper was, exploring suspects and theories.

  • Information Revolutions: From Gutenberg to GenAI

    GenAI; the worldwide web; social media: we are living through a time of great change in how we generate and consume information, but we are not the first society to do so.

    Learn how information revolutions that have shaped the creation, consumption and communication of knowledge over the past 500 years. You'll explore how new technologies - from printing presses and cameras to computers and artificial intelligence - have transformed the way humans understand and interact with each other and the wider world, for good and ill.

    You will learn about how information has been:

    •  generated, stored and circulated
    •  created new forms of public discussion, identity and community
    •  used and abused by state and non-state actors 

    We'll think critically about the political, social and cultural impact of new information technologies and how they relate to the exercise of power and freedom, highlighting how they have profoundly shaped what we understand by knowledge, truth and facts.

  • Stigma and Dehumanisation: A Modern History

    This module aims to deepen your understanding of how certain individuals and groups of people have been targeted, stereotyped and stigmatised because of their different ethnic origin, sexual orientation or disability. The emphasis is on the role played by the medical and social sciences (e.g. anthropology, psychiatry, and psychology) in shaping the emergence of a dehumanising language about people considered to be ‘different’. 

    Certain groups of people such as Black people, Jews, women, the lower classes and individuals with learning disabilities have been repeatedly and traumatically targeted throughout modern history.  You'll evaluate how the meaning of stigma has changed during the last three centuries, and look at how commonalities can be detected across countries.

  • The Crisis of the West: Mass Culture and Mass Politics, 1900-1939

    In this module, you'll  study the period of crisis that characterized Western European society from the close of the nineteenth century to the outbreak of World War II. 

    We'll consider a wide range of topics dealing with social, political and cultural developments in transnational and comparative perspective, which contributed to the prevailing sense of crisis that befell Western society during this time. 

  • The Making of the American Giant, 1861-1945

    How did the United States become the global superpower it is today? In this module, you’ll trace the transformation of America from a British colony at war with itself, to the most wealthy and powerful nation on the planet. You’ll examine the political history behind the rise of the United States, and America’s growing actions and ambitions on the world stage, from the American Civil War through to World War Two.

  • Putting History to Work

    In this module, you’ll have the chance to do some work experience closely linked to your History course. You’ll have help to find a placement that will support your goals. Past placements have included:

    • The Ashmolean Museum
    • The Oxford Preservation Trust
    • The Royal Air Force Museum.

    The time spent in the placement will be about ten working days. After your placement, you’ll reflect on what you’ve learned. You’ll produce a review of achievements and deliver a poster presentation. You’ll also gain practical experience - from crafting a CV to the specific responsibilities involved in your working role - that will help kickstart your career after Oxford Brookes.

  • Investigation and Discovery 1

    This module gives you the chance to research a topic that fascinates you. With support from a supervisor, you’ll choose, plan and carry out your independent research, gaining in-depth knowledge of your subject. You’ll also build great project management and research skills, which will help you in your future career.

  • Investigation and Discovery 2

    This module gives you the chance to research a topic that fascinates you. With support from a supervisor, you’ll choose, plan and carry out your independent research, gaining in-depth knowledge of your subject. You’ll also build great project management and research skills, which will help you in your future career.

Optional Year Abroad

Optional modules

  • Year Abroad

    This is your opportunity to work or study in another country, so you can experience a different culture from the UK. You’ll be able to apply and test your knowledge and skills in new contexts that will significantly develop your employability profile.

    Choosing this module will allow you to exhibit the development of self-management and working or studying in unfamiliar contexts, alongside practising cross-cultural communication and interpersonal skills.

    You will receive support and guidance to help you find a place in an available higher education partner institution, or to find a work placement for your year abroad. This year abroad module lasts for one academic year and is taken after the conclusion of your second year of study, once you’ve completed all your level 5 studies. Your year abroad is not credit-bearing.

    The opportunity can be approached in 2 different ways. Please see your options below: 
     

Final Year

Compulsory modules

  • Major History Research Project

    This module gives you the chance to do original research on a topic that fascinates you. As a History student in your final year, you’ll carry out a piece of independent research, allowing you to use the skills and expertise you’ve developed through your History degree. You’ll receive individual support from our expert tutors, in areas related to their research expertise. Whether you’re exploring wife beating and the press in Victorian England, or cycling, fashion and women’s bodies in the nineteenth century, you’ll develop key insights into primary source materials, and history itself.

Optional modules

  • Advanced Study in History 1

    This module offers the opportunity to undertake focused, advanced study of maritime, imperial and transatlantic histories, exploring how Britain and other global powers have shaped and been shaped by the sea, empire and international relations since 1600.

    You will examine topics such as:
    - Blue, White and Green Nation: Britain and the Sea since 1600
    - Anglo-American Relations in the Twentieth Century
    - The Unravelling of Imperial Russia
    - The Soviet Revolution, 1914-1941
    - Land of the Free: Slavery and Servitude in American History

    Through close work with primary sources and current historiography, you will develop a critical understanding of how global political orders emerge, evolve and break down.

    Building on earlier study, you will refine your ability to analyse complex historical processes across national and imperial boundaries, developing advanced research skills and historiographical awareness within a globally connected framework.
  • Advanced Study in History 2

    This module offers the opportunity to undertake focused, advanced study of histories of violence, identity and belief, focusing on how societies have understood and represented ideas of difference, justice, race and morality across time.

    You will examine topics such as:
    - Forensic Medicine in Western Society
    - Evil in European Thought and Culture: from Candide to Eichmann
    - Race and Racism: A Global History
    - Civil War in Comparative Perspective

    These themes invite you to interrogate how societies define humanity, legitimacy and otherness, and how these definitions shape historical change.

    Through engagement with primary evidence and historiographical debate, you will develop advanced analytical skills and a critical awareness of how cultural, scientific and ideological frameworks influence historical interpretation.
  • Applied History: Reflection, Practice, and Professional Futures

    How can understanding the past help us navigate the future? In this final-year module, you'll draw on the knowledge, skills and experiences developed throughout your degree to reflect on the value and relevance of history in a changing world.

    Through practical experiences, independent activities and critical reflection, you'll deepen your understanding of how historical study informs professional, civic and cultural life. You'll develop greater self-awareness, identify your strengths and aspirations, and build confidence in applying the analytical, research and communication skills gained through your studies.

    The third in a series of three modules running throughout the programme, Applied History: Reflection, Practice, and Professional Futures provides a capstone experience that helps you consolidate your learning, showcase your achievements and prepare for the opportunities and challenges beyond graduation.
  • Historians and Society: Making History Public

    This module explores how the past is represented, interpreted and used in public life, from museums and archives to film, media, policy and popular culture.

    You'll examine what public history is, how it has developed, and the debates that continue to shape it, including questions of memory, identity, diversity and decolonisation. Through case studies and real-world examples, you'll consider how historical narratives are created and contested, and what it means to represent the past ethically and responsibly.

    You'll engage with the practical dimensions of public history, exploring careers and professional pathways across the heritage, museums, archives, education, media and policy sectors. Guest lectures, projects and site visits in the community will help you understand how historical skills are used beyond academia.

    By the end of the module, you'll have a clearer sense of how your historical expertise connects to contemporary society and the range of opportunities it opens up.
  • Advanced Study in History 3

    This module offers the opportunity to undertake focused, advanced study of environmental, religious and geopolitical histories, examining how belief systems, ecological change and military conflict have shaped societies from the early modern period to the contemporary world.

    You will examine topics such as: 
    - Dealing with Disasters: Environmental Change in Europe since 1500
    - God, Man, Spirit: Christianity in Western Society, 1500-1800
    - Religion and Magic in Everyday Life
    - The United States and the Vietnam War
    - American Grand Strategy in the Age of Civil War and Reconstruction

    Together, these areas explore how humans interpret and respond to uncertainty, crisis and global transformation.

    You will develop advanced skills in analysing change over time across environmental, cultural and political contexts, engaging critically with primary sources and scholarly debates to deepen your understanding of historical complexity.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Careers

History at Oxford Brookes prepares you for a world that needs people who can interrogate evidence, challenge assumptions and communicate complex ideas with clarity. Skills that are vital in many sectors and an ever-developing society.

Our challenge modules and work placement opportunities mean you'll graduate with more than a degree. You'll have a portfolio of applied experience and the confidence to use it.

A history degree at Oxford Brookes leads you to careers beyond heritage and history. Our graduates are working across:

  • law
  • the civil service
  • politics and public affairs
  • media and journalism
  • education and academia
  • charity and third sector
  • heritage and public history.

Past students have gone on to roles at Blenheim Palace, the National Army Museum, the Battle of Britain Bunker, GCHQ and National Geographic. Others are working in teaching, policy, law, broadcasting, local government and the civil service, and beyond.

You'll leave Oxford Brookes knowing what you think and how to make people listen.

Student profiles

Joint honours options

You can also study this course as part of a joint honours degree. This course can be joined with:

Entry requirements

Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.

Standard offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 112 - 120

A Level: BBC, ACD, or ACC

IB Points: 28-32

BTEC: DMM or DDM

Contextual offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 88 - 96

A Level: CCD, CCC, or ACE

IB Points: 27-28

BTEC: MMM

Further offer details

For joint honours, normally the offer will lie between the offers quoted for each subject.

Applications are also welcomed for consideration from applicants with European qualifications, international qualifications or recognised foundation courses. For advice on eligibility please contact Admissions: admissions@brookes.ac.uk

International qualifications and equivalences

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£9,790

Home (UK) part time
£1,220 per single module

International full time
£17,250

Home (UK) full time
£10,050

Home (UK) part time
£1,255 per single module

International full time
£18,500

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

Tuition fees

2026 / 27
Home (UK) full time
£9,790

Home (UK) part time
£1,220 per single module

International full time
£17,250

2027 / 28
Home (UK) full time
£10,050

Home (UK) part time
£1,255 per single module

International full time
£18,500

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.

For further information please see our tuition fees FAQs.

Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support. 

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Information from Discover Uni

Full-time study

Part-time study

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.