What is a History degree?
A History degree studies the past through the critical analysis of evidence, developing your ability to interpret sources, construct an argument, and understand how and why past events unfolded the way they did, skills that transfer well beyond the study of history itself.
It's a genuinely rigorous, evidence-based discipline, not simply memorising dates and events. Much of the degree focuses on historiography, how historians interpret and sometimes disagree about the same evidence, and on working directly with primary sources.
What do you actually study on a History degree?
Most History degrees combine broad coverage across different periods and regions with the option to specialise later toward the areas that interest you most.
Common areas of study include:
- Historical Periods and Regions, typically covering a broad spread (ancient, medieval, early modern, modern) before you specialise
- Historiography, covering how historical interpretation itself has changed and been debated over time
- Primary Source Analysis, the core skill of working directly with original historical documents and evidence
- Research Methods, covering how historical research is designed and conducted
- A substantial independent Dissertation, based on original research into a topic of your choosing, usually in your final year
Specialisations and how History compares to related subjects
Within History, you'll typically specialise by period and region through optional modules as you progress, and joint honours degrees let you combine History with English, Politics, a language, or another humanities subject in genuine depth.
If you're still deciding whether History itself is the right degree, here's how it compares to some commonly considered alternatives:
| Compare to | Choose it instead if... | Key difference |
|---|---|---|
| Politics | You're more interested in current government and policy than past events | Politics focuses on current government, power and policy; History focuses on interpreting past events and evidence |
| English | You're more interested in texts and literary interpretation than events and causation | English focuses on literary texts and language; History focuses on events, causation and evidence from a wide range of source types |
| Archaeology | You're more interested in physical, material evidence than written sources | Archaeology studies the past primarily through physical remains and material evidence; History relies more heavily on written and documentary sources |
| International Relations | You're more interested in how states interact today than historical causation | International Relations focuses on current and recent state and institutional relationships; History takes a longer, evidence-based view of the past broadly |
Politics
- Choose it instead if...
- You're more interested in current government and policy than past events
- Key difference
- Politics focuses on current government, power and policy; History focuses on interpreting past events and evidence
English
- Choose it instead if...
- You're more interested in texts and literary interpretation than events and causation
- Key difference
- English focuses on literary texts and language; History focuses on events, causation and evidence from a wide range of source types
Archaeology
- Choose it instead if...
- You're more interested in physical, material evidence than written sources
- Key difference
- Archaeology studies the past primarily through physical remains and material evidence; History relies more heavily on written and documentary sources
International Relations
- Choose it instead if...
- You're more interested in how states interact today than historical causation
- Key difference
- International Relations focuses on current and recent state and institutional relationships; History takes a longer, evidence-based view of the past broadly
What skills does a History degree develop?
A History degree builds strong research, analytical and written communication skills, which is a large part of why graduates end up in such a genuinely broad range of careers.
Skills you can expect to build include critical analysis of evidence and sources, constructing a sustained, evidence-based written argument, independent research skills, and the ability to understand complex causation and context, skills valued highly across law, business, the civil service and media.
What careers can a History degree lead to?
A History degree doesn't lead to one fixed career, its real value is the strength of the research and analytical skillset it builds, portable across a genuinely wide range of industries.
Roles where the degree connects fairly directly include museum and heritage work, archival roles, academic research, and teaching (typically requiring further postgraduate teacher training).
Roles where the degree is valued more broadly include law (often via a conversion route), the civil service, policy, journalism, business and consulting, and HR, all sectors that value strong research and written communication skills over a specific subject background.
What do History graduates actually do after graduating?
History graduates move into a genuinely broad spread of sectors. Heritage and museum roles account for only a small proportion, most graduates move into business, the civil service, law, media and other sectors that value the degree's core analytical and research skills.
How much do History graduates earn?
There's no single salary figure for a History graduate, since the degree leads to careers with very different pay structures, from heritage and charity work through to law, business and the civil service.
Rather than relying on a single average, use official sources such as Discover Uni in the UK, or your target country's equivalent, to compare specific universities and courses, and research salary data for the specific sector you're actually interested in.
Is a History degree worth it?
For students who enjoy research, evidence-based argument and understanding complex context, yes, its skillset is valued far more broadly than the "museums and academia" stereotype suggests. Its main trade-off is the same flexibility working in reverse, no single fixed career path.
Its biggest advantage is the strength and portability of its core skills, careful analysis of evidence and persuasive written argument are valued across law, the civil service, business and media. Its main trade-off is that, unlike a more vocational subject, it doesn't point toward one obvious next step, so it's worth being proactive about building sector-specific experience during your degree.
How can you strengthen your application and career prospects during a History degree?
Your degree is only one part of your employability, and the strongest History graduates tend to build practical, sector-relevant experience alongside their studies.
Worth prioritising: seeking internships or work experience in a sector you're interested in (heritage, the civil service, law, business); getting involved in archival or museum volunteering if heritage work interests you specifically; developing complementary skills, such as a foreign language or basic data analysis, alongside your degree; and being able to clearly articulate your transferable skills to employers outside the obvious "History graduate" careers.
Not sure whether History, or another course entirely, actually fits your grades and interests? Try StudyDecidr's free course matching tool to get a curated shortlist based on your predicted grades and career ambitions. (International and postgraduate course matching is coming soon.)
Curious what studying different subjects is actually like day to day? Read real Student Experiences from current students, in their own words.
Sources and methodology
General claims (typical course structure, skills developed, career breadth) reflect common patterns across UK History degrees rather than a single official source, and individual courses vary, so always check specific university course pages directly. Entry requirements, fees and graduate outcome data change regularly, so always check the latest information directly with the relevant university.