History with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

Program Overview

History with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

Course Description

History is a subject for anyone with a sense of curiosity and a desire for a deeper understanding of the world around them. This course provides you with a firm grounding in the skills and knowledge you need and introduces you to the subject of history, enabling you to achieve your full honours degree in four years.

Study Options

• Full-time: 4 years
• UK fee: £5,760 * (2025/26)
• International fee: £16,900 per year (2025/26)
• UCAS points: 72 (September 2025 entry)
• UCAS code: V101
• Start date: September
• Location: Kedleston Road, Derby Campus

Course Details

Foundation Year

• Literature
• Study Skills
• Creative Project
• History

Year 1

• Core modules:
  • Literature
  • Study Skills
  • Creative Project
  • History
• Optional modules:
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Culture and Ideas
  • Political Studies

Year 2

• Core modules:
  • Literature
  • Study Skills
  • Creative Project
  • History
• Optional modules:
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Culture and Ideas
  • Political Studies

Year 3

• Core modules:
  • Literature
  • Study Skills
  • Creative Project
  • History
• Optional modules:
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Culture and Ideas
  • Political Studies

How You Will Learn

• During your foundation year, you will be assessed mainly by coursework, and with some in-class tests.
• For the rest of your degree, you are assessed on 100% coursework: there are no exams.
• Assessment incorporates different formats, including essays, document analysis, the examination of material culture and the built environment, book reviews, projects, website design, posters and exhibitions, oral presentations, and debating skills.

Who Will Teach You

• Prof Paul Elliott - Paul is an expert in eighteenth and nineteenth-century British history and has published several books on the history of science and medicine, as well as on environmental and landscape history.
• Dr Cath Feely - Cath is an expert in the social, cultural, and intellectual history of nineteenth and twentieth-century Britain.
• Dr Oliver Godsmark - Oliver's expertise is in late colonial and early postcolonial India, and the histories of the British South Asian diaspora.
• Dr Ruth Larsen - Ruth is an expert on British social and cultural history, focusing in particular on gender history and the country house.
• Dr Kathleen McIlvenna - Kathleen teaches British History and heritage studies, and has special interests in nineteenth-century British social and economic history.
• Prof Keith McLay - Keith is the PVC/Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Education and is a historian with particular interest in early modern military history.
• Dr Tom Neuhaus - Tom teaches international history, focusing on relations between Europe and Asia in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
• Prof Ian Whitehead - Ian is an expert on twentieth-century British history, with a particular focus on the First World War.

Careers

• With a History degree, you can follow a wide range of careers in the education profession, libraries, museums, archives, law, the civil service, management, marketing, and the uniformed services.
• Recent graduates have taken up professional roles in local government, in Human Resource roles for major national businesses, and in project consultancy roles in global companies.
• A growing number of our graduates also use their degree as a platform for rewarding postgraduate study in subjects such as History, Museum Studies, Archive Management, and International Relations.

Entry Requirements

• UCAS points: 72
• A Level: DDD
• T Level: Pass
• BTEC: MMP
• GCSE: GCSE Maths and English are preferred, however, if you don't have these qualifications, you will be able to undertake Maths and English at Level 2 as part of your course of study.
• Access to HE: Pass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits: 45 at Level 3 with a minimum of Distinction: 0, Merit: 30, Pass: 15.
• English language requirements: IELTS: 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each skills area).

Fees and Funding

• UK: £5,760 * (2025/26)
• International: £16,900 per year (2025/26)
• Additional costs and optional extras:
  • Printing and binding of one copy of dissertation, cost approx. £6.
  • Purchase of reading materials - approx. £30 per text but cost varies depending on source.
  • There may be costs associated with non-compulsory field trips.

How to Apply

• If you are in Year 13 and applying for a full-time undergraduate course, we recommend that you apply through UCAS.
• If you are applying to study part-time, or already have your qualifications, or wish to join at Year 2 or 3, you should apply directly to the University.
• The quickest and easiest way to apply is through our online application portal.
• If you'd like support with your application, you can contact one of our trusted local representatives.