Course overview

Our modules span over 5,000 years of history, with specialisms in the history of the ancient Near East, the Americas, the cultural and intellectual history of Europe, and imperial and transnational history.

BA History with a Year Abroad includes: 

• Compulsory modules in the first year.
• A research project in the second year.
• At least nine months studying at an overseas institution in the third year.
• A dissertation and special subject in the final year.

Our modules involve project work, essay writing and active engagement with historical resources designed to encourage creative lateral thinking about the past. You will study key developments in the discipline of history from the ancient to the modern world, develop an understanding of the practice of history, and study the evolution of the discipline from Herodotus and Thucydides to the twenty-first century.

During the year abroad, you will take the equivalent of 120 credits at your host university. Students who wish to attend a non-anglophone university in their third year will be required to take 30 credits in the relevant language in their first and second years.

The flexible programme structure allows you to tailor the degree to match your intellectual interests. Select from various modules spanning an extraordinary chronological and geographical range from within and outside UCL History, including the UCL Institute of the Americas, the School of Slavonic & East European Studies, and other University of London institutions. Subject to availability and eligibility, you can study up to 30 credits a year in modules from another discipline, such as anthropology, archaeology, history of art or a language.

We offer innovative modules that challenge you to think differently about subjects such as war, magic, nationalism, Hollywood films and more! To gain maximum benefit from the chronological range of expertise in the department, we encourage students to take at least one module in ancient history, medieval or early modern history, and modern history.

You will learn in a supportive and inclusive environment. Our first-year curriculum has been designed to support your transition into higher education, introducing fundamental historical approaches and giving you the tools to write, analyse and communicate history.

In addition to UCL’s museums, including the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, studying in London will give you access to some of the world’s premier cultural institutions and collections, such as The British Library and British Museum. You will use these resources as primary source materials as part of the degree, participating in a public history group project in Making History.