What will I learn?
**Are you ready to critically explore the past and understand the crucial role of politics in shaping the world's future?****Course outline**The BSc (Hons) History and Politics programme offers a well-rounded combination of historical and political exploration with practical experiences like field trips to historical sites and hands-on research in local archives.The programme delves into topics such as nationalism, state-building, war and peace, religious conflicts, and globalisation's historical context. Within the politics segment, you will explore topics such as security, political economy, democratisation, ethics, sports, gender, protests and religion.With the help of the integrated placement year, studying history and politics together fosters critical thinking, independence, and advanced analytical skills, preparing you for a successful career in a range of industries.**Key benefits**- Power up your future – Develop the skills employers around the globe look for. Gain an edge in a fast-changing world and thrive in your career with Aston Power Skills.- Excellent experience - Ranked 1st in the UK for ‘student experience’ (History Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2025)- Quality teaching - Ranked 2nd in the UK for ‘teaching quality’ (History Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2025)- Excellent prospects - Politics at Aston University was ranked 7th in the UK for ‘career prospects’ (Guardian, 2025), 10th in the UK for ‘graduate prospects – on track’ (Complete University Guide, 2025), and 12th in the UK for ‘graduate prospects’ (Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2025).- Safe in our hands - Ranked 7th in the UK for ‘student-to-staff ratio’ (Politics Guardian, 2025)- More for less – Ranked 8th in the UK for ‘value added’ (Politics Guardian, 2025)- Highly ranked - History at Aston University was ranked 8th overall in the UK (Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2025)- Top teachers. 98% of students felt positive about the teaching on their course (History programmes National Student Survey, 2024). - Opportunity to grow. 97% of students felt positive about the learning opportunities available to them (History programmes National Student Survey, 2024). - Earn more – Our graduates are among the highest paid in the country, earning on average £35,400 five years after graduating (Longitudinal Education Outcomes, 2024)- Gold standard teaching – Aston University was awarded Gold – the highest possible rating for the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF, 2023)**Where can this degree take me?**The transferable skills that our history and politics programmes provide mean that our graduates are successful in finding employment in a wide range of roles such as:- Area manager- Tax specialist- Journal editor- Research officer- Senior economic analyst- Account manager- Sales manager- Finance executive- Data insight consultant- Strategy analyst- Marketing executive- Business operations executive- Project manager- Teacher- Financial analyst- Policy officer- Data protection officerOur graduates have gone on to work at companies and public sector organisations such as Lidl, HMRC, West Midlands Police, PwC, HS2, Samsung and Birmingham City Council.
