Contact information
- Undergraduate admissions team
- history.admissions@ucl.ac.uk
- +(44) (0)207 679 7125
Studying history at UCL gives you opportunities to explore the subject which are unrivalled in the UK or in Europe. This flexible degree programme offers an exceptional range of modules, enabling you to study ancient, medieval and modern history, from the third millennium BCE to the contemporary world.
Due to COVID-19, there may have been updates to this programme for the 2020 academic year. Where there has been an update, these are indicated with a red alert and a link which will provide further information.
For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Pass in Access to HE Diploma, with a minimum of 23 credits awarded with Distinction in the Level 3 units, the remainder of the Level 3 units awarded with Merit. Level 3 units must include elements of History or clearly demonstrated modules with historical approach.
D3,D3,D3 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects, including History
AAA at Advanced Highers (or AA at Advanced Higher and AAA at Higher), including History at Advanced Higher.
Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A-Levels at grades AAA, including History.
In addition to A level and International Baccalaureate, UCL considers a wide range of international qualifications for entry to its undergraduate degree programmes.
If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency. Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.
The English language level for this programme is: Advanced
A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.
Drawing upon UCL History, related UCL departments, including the Institute of the Americas and the School of Slavonic & East European Studies, and relevant University of London colleges, the programme offers a wide variety of courses spanning extraordinary chronological and geographical range.
Specialisms of the department include the history of the ancient Near East; the history of the Americas; the cultural and intellectual history of Europe; and imperial and transnational history.
The flexible programme structure allows you to pursue your own intellectual passions. You are encouraged to study languages and can take courses in related subjects such as archaeology or anthropology.
Exceptional resources, including the British Museum and the British Library, are within walking distance, and other London-based museums and organisations provide unrivalled opportunities for accessing primary source material.
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
The programme includes three first-year compulsory modules, a research project in the second year, and a dissertation, a special subject, and options chosen from a range of full-year and half-year modules in the final year.
We strongly encourage all our students to gain maximum benefit from the chronological range of expertise in the department by taking at least one module in each of ancient history; medieval or early modern history; and modern history.
Our syllabus is very flexible. You may take up to 30 credits a year from another discipline, such as archaeology, geography, history of art, or a language.
In your second and third year you may choose specialist history courses offered throughout the University of London.
Teaching is delivered via lectures and seminars, and one-to-one tutorials provide personal feedback on essays. All seminar groups are capped at a maximum of 15; final-year dissertation subjects at a maximum of 10.
An indicative guide to the structure of this programme, year by year.
Writing History
Making History
Approaching History
You will select 60 credits of optional modules, including at least 30 credits from a wide range of options in History. Options may include:
The Roman Republic, 350 BC - 44 BC
The First European Union? Christendom 1187-1321
History of Political Thought in the West
British History 1850-1997
History of Modern Germany 1815-1990
History of Latin America 1830-c1930
Tudor and Stuart Britain: 1500-1700
Remaining credits can be selected from another approved interdepartmental module.
Research Seminar
You will select 90 credits of optional modules, including at least 60 credits from a wide range of options in History. Options may include:
Asia, the Aegean, Europe: Dividing the World in Ancient Greece
Sin in the Middle Ages
American History in Hollywood Film
Jewish-Muslim Relations in the Modern Middle East
Africa, Decolonization and Internationalism
Up to 30 credits can be selected from another approved interdepartmental or intercollegiate module.
Dissertation
You will select 90 credits of optional modules, including at least 30 credits from a History Special Subject, at least 30 credits from History full-year and half-year modules (which may include an approved intercollegiate module) and up to 30 credits from another department or discipline.
History Special Subject options may include:
Death and Dying in Ancient Mesopotamia
Animals, Demons and the Boundaries of the Human in the Late Middle Ages
Abraham Lincoln and the Crisis of the Union, 1854-1865
The British civil wars and interregnum
Great Britain and the American Colonies, 1760-1776
Untold Stories: Constructing Lives, Narratives and Experiences in Wartime East Asia
Apartheid's Collapse and the New South Africa
Homelessness in London c.1900-2000
Our approach to learning places emphasis on active student participation in seminar discussion, always in groups of fifteen or fewer. Some modules, particularly in your first year, will also include lectures. Essays you write will always be returned to you in individual face-to-face tutorials in which you will receive constructive, personal feedback.
Your work will be assessed by a mixture of examinations and written coursework. Significant weight is given to an extended essay based on original sources, produced in your final year.
Detailed course descriptions are available on the department website: History BA.
The programme is designed to teach many transferable skills: how to gather and organise evidence; how to analyse it and present a structured argument; how to express yourself clearly both in writing and orally.
UCL's History graduates have excelled in a wide range of occupations, as lawyers, financial advisers, stockbrokers, television producers, diplomats, journalists, bankers, teachers, and in the health service, the police and overseas development programmes, as well as in progressing to further study.
UCL is commited to helping you get the best start after graduation. Read more about how UCL Careers and UCL Innovation and Enterprise can help you find employment or learn about entrepreneurship.
“During my BA I volunteered at the Foundling Museum, which helped me understand the different approaches to academic history and popular history. I have chosen to stay at UCL to carry on with postgraduate work at Master’s level, and I will be applying to do a PhD here, as well. The quality of teaching, the expertise of the staff and the wealth of resources in and around UCL – especially the libraries – are crucial to the history research I am interested in.”Agata Izis Zielinska - History BA 2015
The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2020/21 academic year. The UK/EU fees shown are for the first year of the programme at UCL only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase. The Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2020/21 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.
Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.
If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc. on this programme, please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).
Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.
Funding opportunities relevant to the department may appear in this section when they are available. Please check carefully or confirm with the programme contact to ensure they apply to this degree programme.
The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.
Each candidate's profile is considered as a complete picture, taking into account your interest in and suitability for the degree, as shown in your personal statement and referee's report, as well as achieved and predicted grades. Your ability to present an argument, evidence of intellectual curiosity and your enthusiasm for and commitment to studying history will also be assessed.
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
Application deadline: 15 January 2020
We are keen to attract students from a wide range of backgrounds as this helps us to maintain an intellectually and socially stimulating community. Applicants will normally have studied History; English or a language taken to a higher level is also an advantage.
For further information on UCL's selection process see: Selection of students.
Page last modified on 11 August 2020