University of Reading has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
Course summary
Address some of the contemporary world's most pressing problems and explore their roots in the past with our BA History and Politics. Discover a thousand years of history while experiencing all the specialist areas on offer at the University of Reading. The Department of History's expertise covers a wide and diverse range of regions, from Europe and Africa to America, South Asia and the Middle East. We will teach you the skills you need to study and research history through an individual project of your choice. This joint degree enables you to address contemporary issues and trace them back to their historical roots. 97% of our research outputs are rated ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, meaning that the University of Reading is 6th highest in the UK for research outputs (Times Higher Education analysis of the latest REF 2021 – Politics and International Studies, when scoring by GPA Output). By studying politics, you will acquire a strong grounding in the fundamental elements of the subject such as political ideas and democratic processes. You can study a wide range of specialist core and optional modules, which cover topics such as British government and politics, European political integration, and political thinking.
Modules
The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2025/26. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change. Core modules for this course: Perspectives in History; Making History and You: Practices and Possibilities; Politics of Climate Change; Introduction to Contemporary Democracy; Introduction to Political Ideas; The Study of Politics; Dissertation in either History or Politics The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of final approved modules will be available in the summer of 2024. We suggest that you regularly revisit our course page during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme. Check our website for more details about the course structure.
How to apply
29Jan
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- VLD2
- Institution code:
- R12
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - Not accepted
A level - BBB
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DDM
Access to HE Diploma - D: 18 credits M: 27 credits
Scottish Higher - ABBBB
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 30 points
Extended Project - B
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal - M2, M2, M2
GCSE/National 4/National 5
Contextual offers for this programme are typically two grades beneath our standard entry requirement, e.g. BCC including grade B in History or a humanities-based essay subject.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 7 | We require a minimum score of 7.0 overall with at least 6.0 in each element of the test (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing). |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 100 | We require a minimum score of 100 overall with no less than 20 in Listening, Writing and Reading and 21 in Speaking. |
| Cambridge English Advanced | A | We require a grade A or a score of 185 overall with no element less than 169. |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | C | We require a grade C or a score of 185 overall with no element less than 169. |
| PTE Academic | 76 | We require a minimum score of 76 overall with at least 64 in each element of the test (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing). |
| Institution's Own Test | Test of English for Educational Purposes (TEEP). We require a minimum score of 7.0 overall with at least 6.0 in each element of the test (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing). | |
| Trinity ISE | Pass | Only ISE III and ISE IV are acceptable and we require a Pass in each element. |
Full list of acceptable English Language Tests
Student Outcomes
Operated by the Office for Students
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
Go onto work and study
The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| Republic of Ireland | £9535 | Year 1 |
| EU | £25250 | Year 1 |
| International | £25250 | Year 1 |
| England | £9535 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9535 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £9535 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9535 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £9535 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Provider information
University of Reading
Whiteknights House
PO Box 217
Reading
RG6 6AH