History and Politics

History and politics is a combination that insists on understanding the present through the lens of the past, and on bringing analytical discipline to the study of what actually happened and why. History develops the skills of critical reading, evidence evaluation, and contextual understanding, training you to work with primary sources and to construct arguments from the available record. Politics provides the theoretical frameworks for understanding how power operates, how institutions work, and what drives political behaviour and policy outcomes.

Studied together, they produce graduates who can both situate contemporary problems historically and think rigorously about their political dimensions.

At Liverpool Hope University, this four-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, allowing you to develop the academic grounding needed before entering the main degree. You will explore historical periods from the Early Modern era to the present, engaging with themes including nationalism, imperialism, colonialism, gender, and identity in ways that reflect the evolving practice of historical scholarship. The politics component develops your understanding of political theory, comparative politics, and the analysis of institutions and behaviour.

A sandwich placement year, a year abroad, and work placement opportunities are incorporated into the programme, giving you structured professional experience and international exposure before you graduate. The typical entry tariff of 88 points reflects the university's commitment to inclusive access.

You will develop the ability to research independently, to argue persuasively in written form, and to engage with complexity and ambiguity without reducing them to simple explanations, skills that have lasting value across many careers.

Graduates pursue roles in the civil service, journalism, politics, law, policy research, international organisations, education, and the voluntary sector. Postgraduate study in modern history, political theory, international relations, or public policy is a natural continuation for those who wish to develop their expertise further.