History and Politics of the Americas with a Year Abroad BA

A Levels

UK applicants qualifications

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International applications

In addition to A level and International Baccalaureate, UCL considers a wide range of international qualifications for entry to its undergraduate degree programmes.

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Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates

UCL Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPCs) are intensive one-year foundation courses for international students of high academic potential who are aiming to gain access to undergraduate degree programmes at UCL and other top UK universities.

Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.

For more information see: www.ucl.ac.uk/upc.

English language requirements

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.

• The Institute of the Americas is the largest centre for the study of the Americas (including Canada, the US, Latin America, and the Caribbean) in the UK.

• Our programme provides a rigorous introduction to history and politics, as well as the possibility to specialise in one of these subjects after year one. You will gain new knowledge and expertise in your subject area as you take additional modules.

• You will enjoy an interdisciplinary environment designed for both home and international students who are interested in professional and academic careers in diplomacy, government, business, international charities, NGOs, and the education sector.

• You will spend your third year abroad in a top-ranked university in the Caribbean, Latin America, or North America.

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).

Our aim is to provide a thorough grounding and opportunities for specialisation in history and politics. Alongside the development of disciplinary expertise, the degree programme promotes cross-disciplinary insight. You will learn how polities and societies evolve, how different disciplinary perspectives relate to each other, and how these perspectives can combine to give a more nuanced understanding of the Americas and their global relevance.

In years one and two you will take two core modules each year plus options in history and politics. You will also have the opportunity to study a language relevant to your year-abroad destination.

You will spend year three studying relevant modules at a host institution in North America, Latin America or the Caribbean.

In your final year, you will take an advanced module, designed to encourage you to engage with contemporary issues and share your knowledge with audiences outside UCL. You will also complete a dissertation and take history and politics optional modules.

Modules

An indicative guide to the structure of this programme, year by year.

Your learning

Teaching is based on lectures, seminar discussions, workshops, and individual coursework feedback. Core year one modules are taught comparatively, thematically and jointly by disciplinary and regional experts. As the degree progresses, seminars become smaller, more focused and students will follow their research interests to specialise in disciplines and regions of their choice.

Assessment

Assessment will be based on various types of written coursework and formal examinations, with learning also evaluated through speaking contributions and oral presentations. Students’ ability to engage with external audiences will be assessed in the year four core module. There is an emphasis on the acquisition of research skills via the completion of a research methods module (year two) and a 10,000-word dissertation (year four).

Detailed course descriptions are available on the department website: History and Politics of the Americas with a Year Abroad BA.

Our graduates, equipped with both multidisciplinary competences and area expertise, will be well situated for careers in the private and public sectors (in fields including finance, politics, diplomacy, teaching, NGOs, and international organisations). We also anticipate they will be well equipped to move on to further study and research.

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.

Tuition fees

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.

UK/EU students

£9,250 (2020/21)

Overseas students

£21,260 (2020/21)

Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.

Additional costs

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).

Funding

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.

Departmental scholarships

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.