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About UCL History

View of the exterior of the History department building from across Gordon Square

The UCL History Department, which dates back to 1830, is consistently ranked as one of the best in the world for the quality of both its research and its teaching. Our rewarding programmes make this an exciting place to study over 5,000 years of history across every continent, from the ancient Middle East to the twenty-first century.

We take pride in being elite but not elitist and are committed to nurturing talent irrespective of students' backgrounds. We work hard to maintain a learning environment in which students are both supported and stretched, helping them to make the transition into higher education and to achieve their full potential whilst they are here.

We are also committed to research-based learning. All of our permanent academic staff engage in their own research whilst also teaching across the full range of our programmes and modules, ensuring that we have a modern and dynamic curriculum which is energised by cutting-edge research. We also make sure that our students are engaged in research at every stage of their degree.

But you don't have to take our word for all of this. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, our research was ranked 1st in London, 1st in the Russell Group, and 4th in the UK (overall GPA rankings). In the National Student Survey, our final-year undergraduates consistently score the department 90% and above for teaching satisfaction.