Program Overview

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History (with Foundation Year)

BA (Hons)

Overview

A history degree is about far more than studying the past. Discover why people act the way they do. Explore how societies develop. Then see how your insights apply to the present day so you can uncover answers to issues that could affect everyone's future.

History with a Foundation Year is a unique integrated degree programme, enabling you to develop academic skills crucial to university study, such as critical analysis, academic writing and collaboration. And we'll support you as you grow your confidence, get to know your strengths and build your knowledge.

In your first year, you'll undertake our Foundation in Humanities course, and you'll then progress to the three year undergraduate programme in History, with an opportunity to do an optional study abroad or work placement, as an additional year. With the diverse experience, confidence and skills you'll gain, you'll be fully prepared for a career in a variety of sectors - with hundreds of years of historical insight to inspire you.

Why Oxford Brookes University?

• Perfect preparation: Build essential study skills with an integrated foundation year. Gain academic confidence, improve critical thinking, and strengthen subject knowledge for your degree journey.
• More than texts: Study paintings, speeches, newspapers, artefacts, and visit historical locations to see what notable figures’ experiences tell us about life today.
• Develop new skills: You’ll study modules designed to help you progress through the course and have the option to go on a work placement to apply your skills.
• Friendly and supportive: Being a small department, we get to know everyone by name and we always offer regular one-to-one tutorials to support you in your studies.
• Get involved: We have an active community with the History Society running regular events like day trips, socials, and lectures.

Course details

Course structure

On this course you’ll:

• join a tightly knit and supportive student community
• have the opportunity to actively explore your interests
• be taught by experts in their fields - people passionate about teaching history.

For the Foundation Year, you'll focus on the oral, written and interpersonal skills you'll need to succeed at university. You might examine international development or global politics. Or you could explore philosophy, education or even the history of art. You'll also undertake a research project, enabling you to delve deeper into your area of choice.

Once you complete your Foundation Year, you'll be fully prepared to progress onto the three year History undergraduate degree. You'll explore major themes like war and conflict, cultures, races and identities, and crime and justice. You can even choose your own topics and we'll encourage you to think about how your findings can provide insights to modern-day issues.

You can find out more via our BA History webpage.

Learning and teaching

You’ll experience a wide range of humanities disciplines through:

• lectures
• workshops
• tutorials
• project work
• presentations
• group seminars
• supervised independent learning
• critical thinking tasks
• skills acquisition sessions.

You’ll have a dedicated academic advisor throughout your course, for support and guidance when you need it. You’ll also have 1-1 academic supervisor for your second semester research project, providing support and guidance as you need it.

Assessment

Your assessments will build confident written skills - crucial for the workplace. You’ll be assessed mostly by coursework. Your coursework will include:

• research essays
• source analyses
• creative life-writing exercises
• book reviews
• group projects and presentations
• module diaries and portfolios
• a final-year dissertation.

Study modules

Teaching for this course takes place face to face and you can expect around ten hours of contact time per week in your foundation year, and around seven hours of contact time per week during your degree. In addition to this, you should also anticipate a workload of 1,200 hours per year. Teaching usually takes place Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 6.00pm.

Contact hours involve activities such as lectures, seminars, practicals, assessments, and academic advising sessions. These hours differ by year of study and typically increase significantly during placements or other types of work-based learning.

Foundation Year

Compulsory modules

• Being Human: Love, Sex and Death
• Cultural Moments
• Language, Vision and Representation
• Research Project
• The Reflective Learner
• Nation and Identity

Optional modules

• Customs, Icons and Symbols
• Development Studies
• Political Philosophy
• French beginners 2
• Spanish beginners 2
• Origins of the Climate Crisis: A Global History of the Environment
• Global Issues
• Creating Criminology 2
• Young Children's Outdoor Learning
• Modern British Art

Year 1

Compulsory modules

• A People’s History of Britain
• Europe and the World
• Making History
• Ideologies of the Modern World
• Superpowers: an International History of the Cold War
• World at War: A History of the First World War

Optional modules

• Bloody Histories: Crime and Violence in the West
• Origins of the Climate Crisis: A Global History of the Environment
• The Faiths of the West

Year 2

Compulsory modules

• Creating History 1: Historians and Historiography
• Creating History 2: Researching Primary Materials
• Twentieth-century Britain: Democracy, Upheaval, Renewal

Optional modules

• Witches: Religion, Power and Magic
• Information Revolutions: From Gutenberg to GenAI
• Crime and Punishment through the Ages
• Genders, Sexualities and Bodies
• Jack the Ripper and the Victorian Underworld
• Stigma and Dehumanisation: A Modern History
• The Making of the American Giant
• Putting History to Work
• Investigation and Discovery 1
• Investigation and Discovery 2
• The Crisis of the West: Mass Culture and Mass Politics

Optional Year Abroad

Optional modules

• Year Abroad

Final Year

Compulsory modules

• History Dissertation/ Project

Optional modules

• Investigation and Discovery Module 3
• Political History: the Soviet Revolution
• Political History: Britain and the Sea
• Political History: The Unravelling of Russia
• Social, Cultural and Medical History: Immigrants and Minorities in Early Modern England, c. 1453–1753
• Social, Cultural and Medical History: Life in Renaissance Italy
• Social, Cultural and Medical History: Religion and Magic in Everyday Life
• The History of Crime: Forensic Medicine in Western Society
• The History of Crime: Witchcraft, Magic and Belief in Early Modern Europe
• The History of Crime: In Cold Blood: Violence in the Modern Era
• History of America: Land of the Free: Slavery and Servitude in American History
• History of America: The Vietnam War
• History of America: American Grand Strategy in the Era of Civil War and Reconstruction
• The History of Ideas: Evil in European Thought and Culture
• The History of Ideas: On Race and Racism

Careers

Studying History with a Foundation Year at Oxford Brookes not only instils a lifelong passion for history. It opens up possibilities for career development and makes you a versatile employee in any organisation.

Our work placement modules enable you to gain practical experience and specialist knowledge that will stand out on your CV and are valuable in a variety of fields. With the adept communication skills you'll develop, you may consider jobs in areas like advertising or journalism. One of our graduates is a photojournalist for National Geographic. Others are working in advertising, banking, and retail.

By studying in Oxford, you'll already be familiar with some of the country's best museums and historical sites. This has benefited our graduates. For example, past students are now working in places like Blenheim Palace, the National Army Museum, and the Battle of Britain Bunker.

You'll be a valuable addition to a variety of sectors like:

• politics
• the Civil Service
• charity
• education
• media
• law

Entry requirements

Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.

Standard offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 48

A Level: DD

IB Points: 24

BTEC: PPP or MP

Further offer details

Applications are welcomed from candidates with alternative qualifications, and from mature students.

Specific entry requirements

Please also see the University's general entry requirements.

English language requirements

Applicants whose main language is not English should have IELTS 6.0.

Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.

English requirements for visas

If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.

Credit transfer

Many of our courses consider applications for entry part-way through the course for students who have credit from previous learning or relevant professional experience.

Find out more about transferring to Brookes. If you'd like to talk through your options, please contact our Admissions team.

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note

2025 / 26

2026 / 27

Home (UK) full time

£5,760 (Foundation); £9,535 (Degree)

Home (UK) part time

£720 per single module (Foundation); £1,190 per single module (Degree)

International full time

£16,750

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

Oxford Brookes Bursary for Continuing Students Undergraduate maintenance loans for part-time UK students Undergraduate maintenance loans for full-time UK students Undergraduate tuition fee loans for UK students Oxford Brookes Bursary for New Students

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

Information from Discover Uni

Full-time study

Part-time study

Programme changes

On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.