Year 1

The core modules introduce important skills and key developments in modern history and international relations. You will also choose optional modules on British, European, American or global history; different aspects of the 20th-century political order; and a People and Places option, studying one historical person or place in depth.

Core modules

• Making History
• The Shock of the Modern
• The Global Cold War: International Relations 1945-1989
• People and Places
• Global History: Connections and Cultures in a Changing World, 1750 to the present
• Modern Britain: c1700-Present

Option modules

Choose one option module from:

• Comparative European Politics
• Order and Disorder: International Relations from 1989 to the Present

Then choose one option module from:

• With Liberty and Justice for All? US History since 1776
• Europe 1861-1991: Emancipation and Subjugation

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year 2 (History dissertation)

In the second year you will start transforming from a student of history into a practising historian, through core modules which enhance your critical thinking, independent research skills and intellectual creativity. You'll explore even more new areas of modern history and politics, choosing from a wide range of optional modules.

If you plan to take the History dissertation in your Final Year, you should take these modules:

Core modules

• Perceiving the Past
• Becoming the Historical Researcher

Option modules

Choose two History option modules from:

• Global Cities
• A World Connected: Economy, Wellbeing and Sustainability since 1945
• Slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction in the United States
• Enter the Dragon: Modern Chinese History, 1839-1989
• The History of Alcohol in North America, 1650-1950
• Living with Dictatorship: European Societies, 1918-1941
• Digital Histories

Then choose one Politics option module from:

• Political Parties in Contemporary Britain
• The Curious Feminist: Gender in Global Politics

Then choose two History option modules from:

• Domestic Revolutions: Women, Men, and the Family in American History
• Imperialism and Decolonisation
• Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union
• History in the Classroom
• Fight the Power! Race, Rights and Protest in the USA
• Heritage Field Project
• World's End: Historical Perspectives on Contemporary Environmental Crises

Finally choose one Politics option module from:

• European Union Politics
• International Security Studies
• International Security Studies
• Governing Societies in Conflict

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year 2 (Politics dissertation)

In the second year you will start transforming from a student of history into a practising historian, through core modules which enhance your critical thinking, independent research skills and intellectual creativity. You'll explore even more new areas of modern history and politics, choosing from a wide range of optional modules.

If you plan to take the Politics dissertation in your Final Year, you should take these modules:

Core modules

• Perceiving the Past
• Preparing for your Dissertation

Option modules

Choose two History option modules from:

• Global Cities
• A World Connected: Economy, Wellbeing and Sustainability since 1945
• Slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction in the United States
• Enter the Dragon: Modern Chinese History, 1839-1989
• The History of Alcohol in North America, 1650-1950
• Living with Dictatorship: European Societies, 1918-1941
• Digital Histories

Then choose one Politics option module from:

• Political Parties in Contemporary Britain
• The Curious Feminist: Gender in Global Politics

Then choose two History option modules from:

• Domestic Revolutions: Women, Men, and the Family in American History
• Imperialism and Decolonisation
• Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union
• History in the Classroom
• Fight the Power! Race, Rights and Protest in the USA
• Heritage Field Project
• World's End: Historical Perspectives on Contemporary Environmental Crises

Finally choose one Politics option module from:

• European Union Politics
• International Security Studies
• International Security Studies
• Governing Societies in Conflict

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year Abroad or Year in Industry (optional)

Year Abroad

We’ll make sure you have everything you need for your future career: not just by awarding you a high quality degree, but also by helping you to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to make your mark in the world as a Citizen of Change. One way you can do this is by opting to take a Year Abroad between Years 2 and 3 of your degree.

Studying abroad is not just for people who are interested in travelling and meeting new people. It is about acquiring life skills that are becoming increasingly significant for a wide range of jobs in our modern globalised society. Whether you go on to a career in the private, public or third sector - or plough your own furrow as an entrepreneur – you will find the experience invaluable.

For more information, including a list of destinations, please visit our Study Abroad website.

Please note

• A year spent abroad still incurs a tuition fee, but this is much lower than for a normal year at Leicester. See the Fees and Funding tab of this page for details.
• You may be eligible for a travel grant from Student Finance England.
• Places are offered on a competitive basis, and eligibility is dependent on your academic performance in Years 1 and 2.
• Language courses, at beginners or advanced level, are available through our Languages at Leicester scheme.

Year in industry

A year in industry gives you the opportunity to gain professional experience of working in a sector related to your course, whilst developing workplace skills and building a network with people in industry. It is normally a paid position and can take place in the UK.

Employers are increasingly looking for graduates with industry experience. By taking up this option, you will benefit from real-world experience in a workplace setting, enabling you to make an easier transition from studying to working after you finish your degree. It will also strengthen your CV significantly in preparation for entering the graduate market.

Benefits of a year in industry

• Develops the key skills required for the graduate market
• Expands your professional networks
• Enables you to turn classroom theory into real-world practice
• You will receive your degree with 'a Year in Industry' 

What does the year in industry involve?

You will be introduced to the year in industry programme in your second year. You will find your own placement with support from the central Placements Team you in searching for suitable placement opportunities, and undertaking the recruitment and selection process.

Whilst on your year in industry you will continue to be supported by the School. This will include communication with you and your manager, and a meeting in your place of work. You will undertake written work to capture your learning from your industry experience.

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Final year

Your final year is shaped entirely by your preferred areas of interest and specialisation. You will research and write an original dissertation - an independent research project of your own design - with the support of an expert supervisor. You will also choose from a wide range of optional modules that reflect the cutting-edge research expertise of your tutors.

Core module

Either History dissertation or Dissertation

Option modules

Choose one option module from:

• After Hitler: Society, Culture and The Politics of The Nazi Past in The Two Germanies, 1945-1990
• Cultures of Struggle and Liberation: Twentieth Century Southern Africa
• The Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt

Then choose two option modules from:

• The American Presidency
• The Conservatives: Crisis and Recovery
• Political Legacies of Conflict in Northern Ireland
• The Politics of Contemporary British Foreign Policy
• The Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1968
• Women in American Society from the Civil War to First World War
• Clothing and Fashion in Historical Perspective. Case Studies of Modern European History in Transnational Context
• The Holocaust in Europe, 1939-45
• Abolitionists: Antislavery Activism in Britain and America, 1787-1865

Finally choose one option module from:

• Parliamentary Studies
• Brexit and British Politics
• American Political Development
• Politics of Contemporary War and Conflict
• Gender, Race and War
• Apocalypse Then: The USA and the Vietnam War
• Crime and Punishment in African American History
• Daring to be Free: The Women's Movement, 1850s to 1970s
• When Two Dragons Fight: China and Japan at War in the Twentieth Century

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.