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To apply you’ll need to:
- Make note of the Queen Mary institution code: Q50
- Make note of your chosen course UCAS code:
History and Politics
- LV21 — BA (Hons)
- LV20 — BA (Hons) with Year Abroad
- Click on the link below:
Have further questions? How to apply | Entry requirements
History and Politics
2 study options
History and Politics BA (Hons)
Key information
- Degree
- BA (Hons)
- Duration
- 3 years
- Start
- September 2027
- UCAS code
- LV21
- Institution code
- Q50
- Typical A-Level offer
- Grades BBB at A-Level.
Full entry requirements (including contextual admissions) - Home fees
- £9,790
- Overseas fees
- Fees for 2027 entry will appear here shortly
*These fees are for the 2026-27 academic year and are provided as a guideline. Fees for 2027-28 have not yet been set.
History and Politics with Year Abroad BA (Hons)
Key information
- Degree
- BA (Hons)
- Duration
- 4 years
- Start
- September 2027
- UCAS code
- LV20
- Institution code
- Q50
- Typical A-Level offer
- Grades BBB at A-Level.
Full entry requirements (including contextual admissions) - Home fees
- £9,790
- Overseas fees
- Fees for 2027 entry will appear here shortly
*These fees are for the 2026-27 academic year and are provided as a guideline. Fees for 2027-28 have not yet been set.
Overview
Are you interested in the evolution of political ideas and institutions, and the history behind the world's major powers?
Taught by our experts across the Departments of History, and Sociology, Politics and International Relations, examine the close links between these two disciplines.
Designed to help you understand the modern world and uncover the history of political thought. You'll get an excellent grounding in both history and politics, covering a variety of historical periods, regions and ideas, as well as political theory, ideologies, government, and institutions.
Study in a city steeped in history, surrounded by outstanding museums, parliament, and resources. This setting will be your backdrop as you expand your knowledge and explore different histories and perspectives from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States.
You'll have an expansive choice of modules, including Politics in Action, Reformation to Revolution, and Global Histories, to name a few. Which area will ignite your interest?
Focusing on your future.
Develop knowledge, skills, adaptability, and resilience to succeed in an ever-changing global job market and become active global citizens. We work with the Queen Mary Careers and Enterprise Centre to ensure you know how to communicate your competitive edge in the job market.
To succeed in the global market, you’ll acquire vocationally crucial skills such as critical thinking, information analysis, communication, deadline management, and an understanding and respect for other values and cultures.
We offer many ways for you to apply your knowledge into action. You can complete a placement with one of 60+ internship partners in the heritage sector through our History & Heritage Internship module or work closely with politics with our parliamentary internship.
You could contribute your writing and editing skills to our Queen Mary history journal stocked by the British Library. Or you could work on live business projects and offer professional insights with qHeritage.
Structure
You can complete your History and Politics degree in three or four years.
Year 1
Compulsory
- History in Practice
- Thinking Politically: Introduction to Concepts, Theories and Ideologies
Choose from:
-
Unravelling Britain: British History since 1801
-
Global Encounters: Conquest and Culture in World History
Remaining choices from:
- Background to British Politics
- Building the American Nation 1756-1900
- Controversies of Science and Technology in the Making of the Modern World
- Europe 1000-1500: The Middle Ages and their legacy
- Europe in a Global Context since 1800
- Global Histories
- Reformation to Revolution: Europe and the World 1500-1800
- Screening History: Representing the Past in the Contemporary Historical Film
- The Foundations of Modern Thought: Introduction to Intellectual History
- Political Analysis
- Introduction to International Relations
- Politics in Action
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Year 2
Compulsory
- History Research Project
Choose from our extensive range of modules, such as
- Human Rights in History: Origins, Foundations, Prospects
- Modernity: Theories of State, Economy and Society
- Politics of International Law
- Race in the United States: Plantation Slavery to #BlackLivesMatter
- The American Century: The History of the United States, 1900-200
- US Politics
- War in World Politics
- Totalitarianism: Authoritarian Politics in History and Theory, 1920 to the present
- The Soviet Union: Red Flag Unfurled, 1917-1991
- Globalisation: Capitalists, Colonisers
- Crises in the Long Twentieth Century
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Year 3
Compulsory
- Either a History special subject and dissertation or the Dissertation in Politics / International Relations
Special subjects may include
- Global History of Pandemics from Plague to Coronavirus
- Making Thatcher's Britain: the Thatcher Revolution, 1975-1997
- The Kennedy Years
- The War on Terror
- Internationalisms: People, Power and Politics Beyond Borders
- From Pinny to Hot Pants? Women in Britain, 1945-1970
Choose from over 20 modules, such as
- Africa and International Politics
- American Politics, Carceral State and Social Movements
- Gender and Politics
- Global Politics of Health and Disease
- Latin American Politics
- Parliamentary Studies
- Political Violence and Liberal Modernity
- Politics of South Asia
- Populism: A Global Perspective
- Race and Racism in World Politics
- Cold War America, 1945-1975
- The Modern Caribbean: Migration, Radicalism and Revolt
- Inner City: Race, Representation and Renewal in Urban Britain, 1968 to the Present
- The Bear Hug: Belarus and Ukraine in the Soviet Empire, 1917-1991
- Counterrevolutions: Mass Politics and the Birth of the Modern Right, 1790-1870
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Study options
Apply for this degree with any of the following options. Take care to use the correct UCAS code - it may not be possible to change your selection later.
Year abroad
Go global and study abroad as part of your degree – apply for our History and Politics BA with a Year Abroad. Queen Mary has links with universities in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia (partnerships vary for each degree programme).
Find out more about study abroad opportunities at Queen Mary and what the progression requirements are.
Studying History and Politics at Queen Mary is a truly comprehensive experience. The course content is fantastic. You get so much choice over what you study, and this is complemented by excellent teaching and professional career support.
Teaching
Teaching and learning
You'll receive approximately two hours of weekly contact time per module, typically comprising a one-hour lecture followed by a one-hour seminar. Formal teaching is supplemented by one-to-one discussions in staff office hours and feedback sessions.
For every hour spent in class, you'll complete a further two to three hours of independent study. This time is spent reading, preparing for study sessions, working on projects and revising for exams.
Assessment
Assessment is designed around a series of programme-level essays. These are based around your teaching and learning in modules, along with additional support outside modules. You choose which modules to write essays on, and deadlines are spaced so you can receive feedback on each essay before writing the next one.
In addition, module-level assessment can involve a wide range of assessment activities, including source analyses, book reviews, blog posts, learning logs, and presentations.
In your final year you’ll work on a dissertation worth 25% of your final year mark, researching a specialised area of history that particularly interests you.
Resources and facilities
We offer excellent resources to aid your studies, including:
- Membership to the Queen Mary library, the University of London Library at Senate House, and reading access to other college libraries within the University of London
- The Queen Mary History Journal, a major scholarly publication written, produced and edited entirely by students
- A central London location offering ready access to a wealth of world-class libraries, archives, museums and galleries
- A vibrant History Society
- Events throughout the year such as public debates, film nights and book launches which attract diverse audiences and offer networking opportunities
- The Mile End Institute, a major policy centre that specialises in contemporary British politics, featuring regular high-profile speakers.
Entry requirements
| A-Level | Grades BBB at A-Level. |
| IB | International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 30 points overall, including 5,5,5 from three Higher Level subjects. |
| BTEC | See our detailed subject and grade requirements |
| Access HE | We consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 15 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher. This must include at least 6 Level 3 credits in History modules at Distinction. |
| GCSE | Both GCSE English and Maths at grade C or 4 or an acceptable equivalent will be required. |
| EPQ | Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification. For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq |
| Contextualised admissions | Our standard contextual offer: BBC at A-Level. Our enhanced contextual offer: BCC at A-Level. More information on our contextual offer criteria can be found on our contextualised admissions page. Please note that General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded from any A-Level offer and cannot be considered. |
| A-Level | Grades BBB at A-Level. |
| IB | International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 30 points overall, including 5,5,5 from three Higher Level subjects. |
| BTEC | See our detailed subject and grade requirements |
| Access HE | We consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 15 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher. This must include at least 6 Level 3 credits in History modules at Distinction. |
| GCSE | Both GCSE English and Maths at grade C or 4 or an acceptable equivalent will be required. |
| EPQ | Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification. For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq |
| Contextualised admissions | Our standard contextual offer: BBC at A-Level. Our enhanced contextual offer: BCC at A-Level. More information on our contextual offer criteria can be found on our contextualised admissions page. Please note that General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded from any A-Level offer and cannot be considered. |
Non-UK students
We accept a wide range of European and international qualifications in addition to A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications. Please visit International Admissions for full details.
If your qualifications are not accepted for direct entry onto this degree, consider applying for a foundation programme.
English language
Find out more about our English language entry requirements, including the types of test we accept and the scores needed for entry to the programme.
You may also be able to meet the English language requirement for your programme by joining a summer pre-sessional programme before starting your degree.
Further information
Funding
Loans and grants
UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies.
Scholarships and bursaries
Queen Mary offers a generous package of scholarships and bursaries, which currently benefits around 50 per cent of our undergraduates.
Scholarships are available for home, EU and international students. Specific funding is also available for students from the local area. International students may be eligible for a fee reduction. We offer means-tested funding, as well as subject-specific funding for many degrees.
Find out what scholarships and bursaries are available to you.
Support from Queen Mary
We offer specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through our Advice and Counselling Service, which you can access as soon as you have applied for a place at Queen Mary.
Take a look at our Student Advice Guides which cover ways to finance your degree, including:
- additional sources of funding
- planning your budget and cutting costs
- part-time and vacation work
- money for lone parents.
Careers
Preparing you for your future
We’ll help you understand and analyse evidence, communicate confidently, and improve your critical thinking. With AI and technology reshaping our world, mastering these skills is essential for employers.
Once you’ve developed these skills, you’ll be ready for careers in government, policy research, education, business, and many other fields.
At Queen Mary, we empower our students with invaluable political knowledge and research that open doors to a global future.
Opportunities to apply theory in practice
Apply your skills with our unique History and Heritage internship module. Work with the Science Museum, the British Library, or local, community-led organisations like Tower Hamlets Archives. Or work closely with practitioners in politics and international relations with our unique Parliamentary internship module.
Or get involved with qHeritage, our award-winning, student knowledge exchange programme. Work in teams on projects that help solve problems and deliver benefits to heritage organisations.
Where our graduates are now
- MP, Labour Party
- Communications Manager, Remitly
- Strategy and Engagement Lead, Home Office Science Department.
Career support
Access a dedicated Careers Consultant who can help you navigate your own career path. And attend our annual History Futures event, and chat with history graduates about their careers.
Our Queen Mary careers team can also offer:
- Help with finding work experience, internships and graduate jobs
- Feedback on CVs, cover letters and application forms
- Interview coaching.
Learn more about career support and development at Queen Mary.
Data for these courses
History and Politics - BA (Hons)
History and Politics with Year Abroad - BA (Hons)
The Discover Uni dataset (formerly Unistats)
