History BA (Hons)

What is special about this course?

If you are interested in putting people and society at the centre of your studies of the past, then the BA (Hons) History degree is exactly what you are looking for. Throughout the course you will investigate the cultural, political, social and economic history of Britain, Europe and the Atlantic World, across a variety of chronologies from medieval to modern, with opportunities to specialise in Scottish History. 

Each year, you will build on your analytical and research abilities through a series of skills modules. 

In the first and second years, you will follow a broad approach to the study of history from the medieval to the modern period.  

In years three and four, you will examine in-depth particular topics of history, allowing you to study specific places, periods, themes and approaches which reflect staff research specialisms, including public and community history. You can choose to specialise in Scottish History at the upper levels and graduate with a BA (Hons) Scottish History degree.

Please see our FAQ sheet for further information on this course.

Special features

• You will have the opportunity to focus on the history of Scotland, Britain, Europe and the Atlantic world 
• You can specialise in Scottish History at the upper levels to enable you to exit with a Scottish History degree
• Exciting new modules based on staffs' cutting-edge research are offered at upper level, including a flagship Public History module at third year with a range of guest speakers 
• The Centre for History and wider humanities at UHI specialise in high quality video-conference teaching supported by a dynamic virtual learning environment and expansive online resources 
• You can study full time or part time to suit your personal circumstances  
• Individual modules can be studied for personal or professional development, which can be of particular interest to teachers looking to diversify their portfolio
• The Centre for History holds regular research seminars to which students are welcome
• There are opportunities to volunteer at local museums and archives, and occasional (voluntary) field trips in the university's region enhance the experience of your degree

Entry requirements

Entry to year one:

• 3 Scottish Highers at grade BBC or above, or
• 2 A levels at grade BC or above
• At least two should be from the list of relevant academic subjects.
• Applicants with other relevant qualifications or experience will be considered on an individual basis

Advanced entry to year two:

• HNC Social Sciences (12 SQA credits) with 3 additional SQA credits at level 7, and at least grade C in the Graded Unit, will be considered for direct entry to year two

Access routes

SWAP Access courses
If you are eligible to undertake Scottish Wider Access Programmes (SWAP), please visit our SWAP access list for further information on grade profiles and available subjects.

Other relevant humanities access courses will also be considered on an individual basis.

Year 1 - CertHE

You will study the following core modules:
Semester 1

• What is history?
• People, protest and power: themes in modern British history

Semester 2

• A middle age? Europe c. 1100-1500
• Empire, environment and identity: Scotland 1600-2000

You will also choose two further option modules from other humanities subjects. 

Year 2 - DipHE

You will study the following core modules:
Semester 1

• A curious age: European society and culture, 1500-1750

Semester 2

• Historians and history

Semesters 1 or 2

• Court, kirk and burgh in Medieval and Early Modern Scotland 
• Themes in American history

You will also choose two further option modules from other humanities subjects. Please note that if you are a direct entrant to second year, we strongly advise that you take the Level 7 core module, What is History?, as one of your options. Please contact historyhelp@uhi.ac.uk to discuss this further.

Year 3 - BA

You will study the following core module: 
Semester 2

• Public history

You will choose four further modules in Semesters 1 or 2 which may include: 

• A study of things: material culture of medieval and early modern Europe
• Alps, hills and plain? Central Europe to 1918
• Chivalry and culture in context – England and its neighbours, 1066 to 1327
• Crime, custom and conflict, 1700-1850
• Dynastic decline and religious violence: Valois France, 1550-1610
• Emigration from the Highlands and Islands
• Land as power: the making of the modern Scottish landscape from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries
• Queer Britannia: gender, sexuality and performative identities in Britain, 1800-1950
• Scots in North America
• The Jacobites: patriots, rebels or opportunists?

You may choose one further option module from other humanities subjects.  

If you wish to specialise in Scottish History at Level 10, you are advised to take at least one Scottish History option and undertake a Scottish topic for your Public History project. 

Year 4 - BA (Hons)

You will complete a history dissertation, which is a double-credit module that runs across both semesters. 

In addition, you will select four option modules, which may include: 

• Chaos and conflict?: 'Civil Wars' in high medieval Scandinavia
• Death and destruction: the social impact of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648)
• Deviants, rebels, outcasts and villains: history from the margins in medieval and early modern society
• Empire and ‘others’: the shaping of British imperialism in North America
• Fight the power: music and politics of Black America
• Reaching the estate of manhood in later medieval and early modern Europe 
• Reform, rupture and resistance: late medieval and early modern Ireland
• The empire strikes back: how the British Empire shaped Scotland 
• The Highland land wars: origins, aftermath and interpretations
• The Scottish Highlands before Culloden (1603-1707)

 
If you wish to exit with a BA (Hons) Scottish History, you must undertake a Scottish History dissertation plus at least two further Scottish History module

Fees

For students normally domiciled in Scotland, with a term-time address in Scotland, the following fees apply:

This includes

• EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status in the UK,
• EEA/Swiss nationals with settled status in the UK
• EEA/Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.

Rest of the UK students

For students normally domiciled in the rest of the UK (England, Wales and N. Ireland) or assessed as rest of the UK for fee status the following fees apply:

International students

For students who do not normally reside in the UK studying online from their home country, or living in the UK but assessed as international for fee status, the following fees apply:

This includes EU/EEA and Swiss nationals without settled status in the UK and EEA and Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are not self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.

A no fee increase guarantee is available for self-funding full-time and structured part-time rest of the UK and international undergraduate students for continuous study for the same award, up to the permitted standard time limit for the relevant award.

Funding

UHI has a number of scholarships, bursaries, awards, and discretionary fund opportunities available to new and current students. Please use the A-Z of funds or use the filter to see which ones may be relevant to you. All students are welcome to apply.

Further information on funding your studies is also available, please see the attached link or contact the relevant UHI partner.

Additional costs

Participation in any History field trips or face-to-face activities will be at your own expense. Costs will vary dependent on your location etc. Attendance at such face-to-face events is optional and not essential for completion of the course.