Queen's University Belfast

History

Why study history at Queen’s?

Queen’s University Belfast is rightly regarded as Northern Ireland’s leading university, and is also a member of the Russell Group, an association of twenty-four world-class universities which includes Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Edinburgh and University College London. In 2011 and 2012 History at Queen's was also ranked in the top 100 history departments globally by the QS World University Rankings. >More

Queen's has been independently assessed to measure both the excellence of research and the quality of teaching. The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed our reputation as an internationally leading research centre in History. Our teaching is research-led, meaning that it is fresh and draws on the enthusiasm and engagement of world-leading specialists in their field. Our teaching and research range is extensive, ranging from Classical Athens to contemporary Mozambique, but we boast particular expertise in Irish history (medieval to modern), 20th-century Britain and Europe, the modern USA, the history of religion, and gender history.

Providing a first-class student experience is a high priority for Queen’s. An recent investment of £250m in its staff, students and infrastructure includes unrivalled accommodation in the new £45m student village and the world-class facility of the McClay University Library which opened in 2009. In addition, the School of History and Anthropology is diverse and stimulating, without being overly large, and it has a reputation for being friendly and supportive. It boasts a very active Student History Society together with an ongoing programme of seminars, conferences, Erasmus programmes and fieldtrips.

What will I study?

Year One (Level I)
These modules are designed to help you make the transition from school to university. They are intended to broaden your understanding of what history is and to encourage you to be adventurous in exploring the past. You will be given training on a variety of essential skills, including exam technique at university level, research and writing assessed essays, working independently, time management, and team work. Level one combines core modules encouraging you to think about the relationship between History and other disciplines, about the development of globalisation, and about how historians deal with contentious issues in the past, with option courses drawn from a wide range of historical periods from the ancient world to the recent past.

Year Two (Level II)
The emphasis in this year is on providing you with a broad understanding of the history of a particular area over an extended period of time. The School currently offers Survey Modules on Irish, British, European, American and world history from ancient Greece to the present day, a course encouraging engagement with how History is understood and consumed in the wider society, and a specialist training course in oral history methods.

Year Three (Level III)
In your final year you will have the opportunity to take modules based on the research interests of members of staff who are experts in their area. In recent years, these modules have included ‘The Peasants' Revolt 1381’, ‘From the United Irishmen to Ian Paisley’, ‘African-American Women’, ‘The Second World War in Europe’, and ‘Rome under the Early Emperors’. In addition, you will have the opportunity to undertake a substantial piece of original research (dissertation or project) on a topic of your choice.

For detailed information on the undergraduate course structure and wide range of modules on offer in History, visit the Undergraduate Programme section of the Prospective Students section of our website.

Who teaches history at Queen's?

The Staff of the School are all experienced and practising historians, engaged in research and in the writing of history. History includes among its staff leading authorities on a wide range of periods and subjects, from the ancient world to the twentieth century and including African, American and continental European history. All our staff are involved in undergraduate teaching. Discussing research findings with students is an important way by which members of staff advance the study of history.

What careers do Queen’s history graduates enter?

The School produces about 150 History and combined honours graduates each year. Employers of all kinds wish to employ history graduates since a good history degree is a guarantee that the holder can analyse subjects in depth and develop coherent arguments in written and verbal form. In addition, the subject matter studied as part of a history degree is always related to a wide range of contemporary issues, which allows graduates to understand the present in its proper perspective.

Some of our graduates take professional training to become accountants, solicitors, and teachers; others take up careers in libraries, museums or archives, and in banking, commerce or management. There is a high proportion of History graduates in the administrative grades of the Civil Service; and our History graduates are also prominent in journalism and broadcasting, including Bill Neely, International Editor for ITV News, and Alan Green of BBC Radio Five Live. The wide range of career opportunities testifies to the value of a training which develops skills in sifting evidence, weighing arguments, testing theories and making judgements. Read about some of our current and former students here.

Many of our students progress to postgraduate study and extend the interests they have developed during their undergraduate degree. The School offers MA and PhD programmes in a variety of areas.

What resources are available to History students at Queen's?

You will find the state of the art McClay University Library at Queen's well-equipped for all our modules. Its extensive holdings are open to all students, and the short-loan section has multiple copies of works in great demand. If you are concentrating on Irish History, you can use the Henry Collection of Irish material in Special Collections; there are also excellent Irish collections available close by in the Linenhall Library and in the Belfast Central Library, and access to a specialist religious history collection across the road in the Gamble Library. Students working on research projects are encouraged to use nearby archives, especially the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Every student has access to computers and increasingly, our modules are making use of valuable resources on the internet, many of which are subscribed to by the Library. In addition, history students have access to modern language tuition.

Can I study history with another subject?

History can be studied as part of two different types of degrees at Queen’s:

• Single Honours history (mostly History, but with several courses taken from a different subject at level 1)
• Joint Honours history and another subject (50% in each subject)

From 2012 we will offer these combinations:

- English and History

- History and Archaeology

- History and International Studies

- History and a Modern Language (French, Irish or Spanish)

- History and Philosophy

- History and Politics

- History and Social Anthropology

- History and Sociology

- Theology and History

What grades are required for studying History at Undergraduate level?

All students must satisfy the University's General Entrance Requirement (sometimes referred to as the Matriculation Requirement).

Grades required for A-Level, Leaving Cert, Scottish Higher, Access and International applicants can be found on the Admission Requirements section of our website.

Why Study History?

Everyone is strongly influenced by his or her understanding of the past. History offers a way of making sense of our collective pasts, through methodical enquiry and the critical use of evidence. A deeper knowledge of history will enable you to put contemporary thoughts and actions into longer-term contexts which make them more understandable. A serious study of the past has been at the centre of human enquiry since the Ancient Greeks, and we believe it remains vital in helping the 21st-century world understand where it has come from and how to address the problems it faces.

The study of history involves not only the reconstruction and interpretation of the past, but the development of the critical skills necessary to unlocking its secrets and explaining them to others. These involve a range of interpretive skills relating to texts, data, visual and audio sources and material artefacts, the ability to construct, evaluate and criticise arguments, and a capacity for sustained independent research and effective presentation of findings. Not surprisingly, history graduates put the skills they have acquired to use in a wide range of employments, in politics, public administration, teaching and the media, in business administration, marketing and accountancy, in the law and with NGOs. We believe our graduates have the mental flexibility and skills to adapt to a range of career options over their working lives.

In addition to this, the study of the past is also highly enjoyable. The variety of places, individuals, habits, thoughts, actions and events that can be studied in history is vast. Intellectual diversity and challenge are the hallmarks of historical study. We believe that students work to their full capacity and attain their best results when they are studying a subject that excites and inspires them, and we aim to help you develop your potential to the full through historical study.

More Information

If you'd like more information about studying History at Queen's, please contact us at history@qub.ac.uk or call +44 (28) 90975101. We have a number of open days for potential students during the year, and individual meetings can also be arranged by appointment.

You can follow what's happening in the School by browsing our monthly School Newsletter [downloadable here].

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History at Queens University Belfast (QUB)