History and Sociology BA (Hons)

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative. 

For more information about teaching, learning and assessment on this course, please see the single honours course pages for History BA (Hons) and Sociology BA (Hons). 

History at Worcester is designed to enable you to study the types of history that appeal to you most. Informed by cutting-edge research on key questions of our time, it offers you the opportunity to study the political, cultural and social history of Britain, Europe and the wider world from the 16th to 20th centuries. The course begins with a broad introduction to many of today’s debates surrounding history and approaches to historical study. It ends with the opportunity for you to produce a major piece of work on a topic of your choice, supported by one-to-one supervision. History provides you with opportunities to benefit directly from your lecturers’ cutting-edge research and research interests – which include, amongst many others, the Devil in Tudor and Stuart England, US propaganda in the Second World War, appeasement, the transatlantic slave trade and the home front in World Wars 1 and 2.

Sociology at University of Worcester provides a dynamic and unique focus on contemporary sociological perspectives, research, and challenges, with particular emphasis on work-based learning and the development of graduate employability skills, and new and exciting fields in contemporary Sociology, including Digital Sociology, Environmental Sociology, and Sociology of Health. In studying Sociology at University of Worcester, you will join a lively research-focused team of staff and students trying to make sense of the contemporary social world.

As you progress through your studies you are increasingly able to focus on areas of particular interest to you and you are encouraged to pursue original thought and ideas. Throughout, you will be addressing urgent and key issues facing people in contemporary societies.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest History programme specification and Sociology programme specification documents.

History graduates from Worcester have progressed in recent years to take up work in a variety of career sectors, including teaching, accountancy, law, the media industries, local government, the police, retailing, administration, marketing, management and university lecturing and research. A growing number of our graduates progress to postgraduate research in history, both at the University of Worcester and at other universities. Thus, History remains an attractive and personally satisfying degree to study, with a strong track record of supporting graduate employability in a range of professional, managerial, administrative and media-related careers.

A degree in Sociology is a gateway to many careers, especially jobs that involve managing and communicating with people, thinking out solutions to problems, and understanding the diverse society in which we live. Our graduates have an excellent employment record and have taken up a variety of careers, including careers in housing, the probation service, youth work, caring professions, social services, the police, business and personnel management, public relations, media, marketing, and teaching. In order to help you reflect, plan and work on your career and progression aspirations, Sociology provides a number of opportunities for you to discuss and develop them.