History

You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Lectures introduce broad historical questions and offer context and critical commentary; seminars provide an opportunity for you to develop your critical skills through discussion.

You will progress from more general topics to specialised studies as you gain confidence and experience and develop as an independent, self-motivated learner. You will also have support from module coordinators, and you will be allocated an academic advisor to discuss module choices in line with your interests and aims.

Our degree emphasises developing your critical and analytical skills. Your dissertation gives you the opportunity to establish your own research agenda and define your own questions.

Assessment

Most modules are assessed by coursework essays or projects and by examinations in which you will write answers to essay-style questions. An oral presentation forms part of the assessment of the Conversations with History module.

In your final year, you will write a dissertation on a subject of your choice, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your skills in independent learning and research and your ability to tie together areas of learning from across the entire course.

A level offer - A*AA including History

Cambridge Pre-U - D2D3D3 including History

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – D*DD and History A level at grade A (or equivalent) is required

IB Diploma score - 38 with 666 at Higher Level including History

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

• Ancient History’ is not accepted in lieu of ‘History’. 

• We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study.

• Applications for deferred entry may be considered in special circumstances. Please contact us using durham.ac.uk/study/askus/ 

• We welcome applicants who have taken Global and Independent Research Cambridge Pre-U and Extended Project Qualification. These qualifications, however, do not form part of our offer. 

• If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take an International Foundation Year pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications 

• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.

English language requirements

Country specific information

The tuition fees for 2024/25 academic year have not yet been finalised, they will be displayed here once approved.

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

History graduates are proficient in research, critical reasoning and analytical thinking, and a history degree from Durham will equip you with these skills and more. This rewarding subject also equips you to analyse, interpret and prioritise information which is essential to effective decision making and invaluable in a whole range of working environments.

Many of our graduates move into the arts and heritage sector including curatorial, archivist or education officer roles in museums, galleries and libraries, but there are many more career options open to you. The academic rigour and transferable skills demanded of a history degree opens career paths in teaching at schools and universities, in law, finance and accountancy, media, policy making, the Civil Service and the charity sector.

Of those students who graduated in 2019:

• 85% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 73% are in high skilled employment
• With an average salary of £26,000.

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

The Department of History at Durham is one of the most highly regarded history departments in the UK. Staff and students contribute to a vibrant learning environment where you engage in the study of history from the fall of the Roman Empire through to the making of modern Africa. And all from the inspiring setting of Durham World Heritage Site.

The curriculum aims to develop your understanding of what is meant by the term ‘history’ and to challenge your assumptions about the past. You will develop an awareness of the complex relationship between the present and the past in a rich and varied learning environment that includes field trips and guided independent projects alongside traditional lectures and seminars.

Our degrees are built on flexibility and choice, with an extensive selection of modules that cover periods from the Middle Ages to the present from many different parts of the world. Chinese, Japanese, African, South Asian and US history are taught alongside the history of the British Isles and continental Europe. You can also apply to add a further dimension to your learning by spending a year studying abroad in a partner institution or undertaking a work placement.

For more information see our department pages. 

Ranking

• Top 50 in the world in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2023
• 4th in The Guardian University Guide 2024
• 4th in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024
• 4th in The Complete University Guide 2024

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see the History Department web pages.

Facilities

The Department of History occupies a group of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century town houses in the heart of Durham World Heritage Site. Our location is within easy reach of all University colleges, lecture halls and libraries.

Our work incorporates everything from manuscripts to photography, printed sources to museum collections. From the start of your degree, you will work with staff on a rich array of primary sources, which range from medieval manuscripts in the cathedral archive, through the ceramics, prints and textiles held by the Oriental Museum, to the wealth records of the Sudan Archive, and more. The University Library, with its Archives and Special Collections, and the Durham Cathedral Library and Archives hold historical resources of international significance.

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