Program Overview

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History with Foundation Year

Course Overview

Our BA in History is an immensely varied and rich course that gives you an in-depth view of the world and the contours and forces at play between politics, culture, economics, the environment, gender, and religion. A Foundation Year is the perfect way to build your academic skills, boost your confidence, and develop your wider subject knowledge so you can bridge any gaps between school and undergraduate level, including in our academically stimulating degree courses.

Course Features

• Enter the world of Higher Education and set yourself up to flourish with our History Foundation Year degree
• Choose modules from a broad range of topics
• Learn from expert tutors and their cutting-edge research
• Become a critical reader of evidence
• Study in a modern vibrant city steeped in history
• Enjoy trips and talks organised by our academics

Course Details

Our aim is to shape 'confident learners' by enabling you to develop the skills needed to excel in your studies here and as well as onto further studies or the employment market.

You are taught primarily through a combination of lectures and seminars, allowing opportunities to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups.

In addition to the formally scheduled contact time such as lectures and seminars etc.), you are encouraged to access academic support from staff within the course team and the wide range of services available to you within the University.

Independent Learning

Over the duration of your course, you will be expected to develop independent and critical learning, progressively building confidence and expertise through independent and collaborative research, problem-solving, and analysis with the support of staff. You take responsibility for your own learning and are encouraged to make use of the wide range of available learning resources available.

Overall Workload

Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning, and assessment activity.

While your actual contact hours may depend on the optional modules you select, the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each level of the course.

Year 0 (Level 3): Timetabled Teaching and Learning Activity

• Teaching, learning, and assessment: 288 hours
• Independent learning: 912 hours

Year 1 (Level 4): Timetabled Teaching and Learning Activity

• Teaching, learning, and assessment: 300 hours
• Independent learning: 900 hours

Year 2 (Level 5): Timetabled Teaching and Learning Activity

• Teaching, learning, and assessment: 288 hours
• Independent learning: 828 hours
• Placement: 84 hours

Year 3 (Level 6): Timetabled Teaching and Learning Activity

• Teaching, learning, and assessment: 276 hours
• Independent learning: 924 hours

Assessment

Our validated courses adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, oral presentations, source-based critical commentaries, reflective journals, seminar response papers, written exams, and supervised independent work, including a dissertation in Year 3.

We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes.

Percentage of the Course Assessed by Coursework

The assessment balance between examination and coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by different assessment modes is as follows:

Year 0 (Level 3)*:

• 100% coursework
• 0% written exams
• 0% practical exams

Year 1 (Level 4)*:

• 62% coursework
• 25% written exams
• 13% practical assessment

Year 2 (Level 5)*:

• 90% coursework
• 10% written exams
• 0% practical assessment

Year 3 (Level 6)*:

• 88% coursework
• 7% written exams
• 5% practical assessment

Modules

Year 1

• Developing Academic Skills and a Sense of Vocation (15 Credits)
• Important Thinkers and the Big Questions (40 Credits)
• Exploring the Past: People, Place, and Perspectives (15 Credits)

Year 2

• Case Studies I: Sources and Approaches in History (15 Credits)
• Case Studies II: Independent Study Project (15 Credits)
• Perspectives on World History (15 Credits)
• Perspectives on Global History (15 Credits)

Optional Modules

• British Introductory Module: Early Medieval Britain (15 Credits)
• International Introductory Module: The United States (15 Credits)
• International Introductory Module: Early Modern Europe (15 Credits)
• International Introductory Module: Europe (15 Credits)
• British Introductory Module: English History (15 Credits)
• British Introductory Module: Victorian Britain (15 Credits)
• International Introductory Module: East Asia 1900-present (15 Credits)
• British Introductory Module: Tudor and Early Stuart England (15 Credits)
• International Introductory Module: Rise and Fall of Modern Empires, 1783-1997 (15 Credits)
• British Introductory Module: Uniting The Kingdom? Britain, (15 Credits)
• International Introductory Module: Modern Europe, (15 Credits)
• British Introductory Module: Seventeenth-century England (15 Credits)
• British Introductory Module: Britain in the Twentieth Century (15 Credits)
• International Introductory Module: Europe and The Americas (15 Credits)
• International Introductory Module: Europe in the Early Middle Ages (c.400-c.888) (15 Credits)
• International Introductory Module: Europe in the Central Middles Ages (c.) (15 Credits)

Year 3

• History in Practice I (15 Credits)
• History in Practice II (15 Credits)

Optional Modules

• Work Placement (15 Credits)
• Group Project (15 Credits)
• Field Trip (15 Credits)
• Volunteering Placement (15 Credits)

Entry Requirements

• UK: 48 points
• International: Equivalent to 48 points

Additionally, we accept tariff points achieved for many other qualifications, such as the Access to Higher Education Diploma, Scottish Highers, UAL Diploma/Extended Diploma, and WJEC Applied Certificate/Diploma, to name a few.

In addition to level 3 study, the following GCSE's are required:

• GCSE English Language at grade 4 or C, or higher

If you will be over the age of 21 years of age at the beginning of your undergraduate study, you will be considered as a mature student.

Tuition Fees

• UK/Channel Islands/Isle of Man/Republic of Ireland: £9,535 (2025/26)
• International: £16,700 (2025/26)

Additional Costs

• Core texts: £100-£150 per year
• Volunteering and placements: £5-£30 per day
• Field trip: £300-£700 (optional)
• Placement: £0-£300 (dependent on location)

Scholarships, Bursaries, and Awards

We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course.

Career Prospects

Our graduates have been sought after by employers in a wide range of fields, including education, heritage, politics, international relations, law, the media, and non-governmental organisations.

The University of Winchester ranks in the top 10 in the UK for graduates in employment or further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023, HESA.