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Undergraduate Programmes 2023-2024

Studying History as an Undergraduate

Welcome to the UCD School of History rated in the Top 100 for ‘History’ in the world (QS World Rankings, 2019). Based in the heart of UCD’s main campus our School is home to a large and diverse group of world-class historians who specialise in a broad range of histories that span the globe, from the early medieval period to the present day.

History is virtually unique amongst the humanities in the emphasis it places on understanding people, actions, events, and processes in context and on their own terms.  It offers valuable insight into how and why society has changed, which can better equip us to understand the world we live in today. Studying History is the best way of making sense of our own stories and experiences. If you wonder how ideas, commerce, warfare, science, empires and revolutions have forged new worlds, then History is the subject for you. 

There are many ways to study History at Undergraduate level. You can choose a BA Arts (3 years), BA Humanities (4 years) or BCL Law With History (4 years)

History students acquire key transferable skills that are attractive to a wide range of employers. These skills include critical thinking, creativity, writing, and researching. Recent graduates work in organisations such as RTÉ, the National Museum, Google, Dail Eireann, Government Departments, and the EU Commission.

After graduating with a degree in History, students can progress to Masters or PhD level and specialise in an area of History that interests.  Students can also undertake a UCD Postgraduate Conversion course in areas such as Education, Law, Marketing or International Business. 

For more information on under graduate modules offered by the School, please follow this link:

This long-established and internationally-recognised joint-honours three-year degree enables you study history along with a wide variety of subjects. A degree with History provides an excellent foundation for a broad range of postgraduate study, professional work and diverse career options.

BA Joint Honours - Key Features:

  • 3 year course
  • Major in two preferred subjects
  • You can combine History with a choice of 20 Other subjects
  • Excellent foundation for a wide range of careers and future study

Find out (opens in a new window)more.

There is an option to extend to a 4-year BA International degree and spend Year 3 abroad at one of our partner universities, including universities in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Norway, Australia and the US. Further information on the international exchanges is available from UCD Global.

More information on the extensive range of modules available can be(opens in a new window) found here.

The new innovative four-year BA Humanities provides coherence and depth within a structured framework. This course offers both intensive training in History and other subjects, enabling the development of unique skill sets.

The BA Humanities courses with History are:

BA Humanities - Key Features:

  • 4-year course
  • Innovative interdisciplinary programme
  • Internship and study abroad opportunities
  • Intensive discipline training

(opens in a new window)BA Humanities Prospectus.

(opens in a new window)History

History is the pursuit of how we got here and the stories that we tell ourselves to explain the past. Working from ordinary to extraordinary, local to global, fact to fiction, you’ll develop critical thinking, argument and analysis skills that lie at the heart of careers in media, government, culture and education.

(opens in a new window)Click here for more information.

(opens in a new window)History and Politics

History and Politics is a classic combination of subjects for students looking to investigate the workings of government and society in contemporary and historical perspectives. You will examine why society has changed and seek to understand the issues facing societies across the globe today. Through both subjects, the course will teach you the essential skills of writing, critical thinking, evaluating evidence, and assessing data. This course offers an excellent interdisciplinary preparation by combining historical research with political science.

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(opens in a new window)Classics, English & History

Do you want to develop a deep understanding of human experience in Europe and its associated cultures from earliest times to the very present? Do you want to explore issues of memory, truth, curiosity and understanding that have fascinated people at all times and at all places? This programme will bring students to the heart of vital questions about society, history, culture and life itself, and deep into the array of texts that are the result of millennia of lives lived.

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(opens in a new window)European Studies

European Studies is an exciting and challenging UCD BA Humanities course, taught by some of Ireland’s leading academics. Transnational and interdisciplinary in perspective, the course is designed to inspire in-depth exploration of the rich and varied cultures and histories of Europe. This course will equip students with valued skills in research, communication and language.

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(opens in a new window)Global Studies

This is the only undergraduate Global Studies degree available in Ireland. Global Studies asks how a boundless and connected world came to be divided by boundaries into disconnected nation states in modernity. How did artificially imposed borders come to appear so natural to us? How do these borders shape our response to global challenges? And, how might we, as global citizens, imagine alternatives to this order, which we too easily take for granted?

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Knowledge and appreciation of history are vital to any civil society.  The skills which are learnt in the process of pursuing a degree in history are also vital to career development.  Studying history can also provide training essential for the heritage and cultural sectors.  In our experience, however, the vast majority of our graduates go on to employment in a truly breathtaking range of occupations, including (but not limited to) management, financial services, the civil service, teaching, and the media.

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