2025-26 entry View 2026-27 entry

English and History BA

School of English
School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities

The combination of English and history uniquely positions you to interrogate a variety of literary texts and place them within their historical, social and political contexts. Both subjects offer modules that explore literary and historical cultures, from the medieval period up until the contemporary moment.

  • A Levels
    AAB
  • UCAS code
    QV31
  • Duration
    3 years
  • Start date
    September
  • Course fee
  • Funding available
  • Optional placement year
  • Study abroad
  • Dual honours

Explore this course:

    Course description

    Why study this course?

    Become a confident researcher

    Become highly skilled in interpreting texts, media and events, developing an understanding of human experience across time and place.

    Research-led Special Subject

    Become a specialist in your chosen area with Sheffield’s research-led special subject. In small-group seminars and 1-1 supervision, explore your favourite area of history or literature with an expert on the topic.

    Enhance your learning with work placements

    Stand out from the crowd through real work experience opportunities that equip you with new skills, build contacts and help you prepare for your future career.

    Choose your pathway

    Pursue either an English literature or English language pathway.

    History students in a seminar

    Hone your ability to analyse diverse texts, media and events from across the globe and gain a deeper understanding of where they sit in history.

    The combination of English and history is a natural one. To understand how English literature and language have changed, developed and influenced cultures, you need to explore the historical context in which they were created. Literary texts can also provide important insights that help us create a clearer picture of life in earlier periods of history.

    Splitting your time between English and history, you’ll have the opportunity to pursue either an English literature or an English language pathway - or even take modules from both areas, studying a range of genres from literary fiction, journalism, theatre, film, everyday conversation, adverts, digital writing, to poetry and creative writing.

    History is an imaginative process; it requires us to appreciate things from points of view that are often very different. Covering topics ranging from the ancient world to the present and encompassing Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, you’ll analyse the processes and ideas that have shaped our world.

    Developing an acute awareness of how a sense of the past underpins institutions, identities and traditions, historians play a critical role in contemporary discourse.

    Dual and combined honours degrees

    A student takes notes and listens during a group discussion

    Modules

    Over the course of each academic year at Sheffield, you will need to study modules that equate to the value of 120 credits. Some of these credits will be taken up by our core modules, which are designed to give you the breadth of knowledge and ways of thinking necessary to the degree being awarded.

    For your remaining credits, you will be able to choose from an extensive range of optional modules, allowing you to shape your degree to the topics that interest you.

    We're revising the curriculum of this course for this year of entry and are in the process of confirming the modules. The information on this page gives you an idea of the areas we expect the course to cover. There may be changes before you start. From May of the year of entry, formal programme regulations will be available in our Programme Regulations Finder.

    Title: English and History BA course structure 2025
    UCAS code: QV31
    Years: 2025
    First year

    The English section of the course can be split between two pathways: Literature and Language. This pathway is decided in the first year and remains the same throughout the remainder of the degree.

    English Literature Pathway

    A maximum of 80 credits can be selected from English Literature modules, which includes 40 credits of core modules.

    English Language Pathway

    A maximum of 60 credits can be selected from the English Language modules, which includes 20 credits of core modules.


    History

    A maximum of 60 credits can be selected from the History modules, which includes 20 credits of core modules. 

    Note: Students taking the English Literature pathway can take a maximum of 40 credits of History modules. 

    English literature pathway core modules:

    Renaissance to Revolution

    This module surveys the English drama, poetry, and prose from the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. We will look at different genres including comedy, tragedy,lyric, prose fiction, the novel, epic, and prose polemic in the works of writers such as Aphra Behn, Frances Burney, John Donne, Oloudah Equiano, Aemelia Lanyer, Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, John Milton and Alexander Pope. The texts studied will be related to critical methods that help us understand the relationships between literature and the culture, society, and politics of the period in which it was produced.

    40 credits

    English literature pathway optional modules:

    Early Englishes

    This module is of particular interest to anyone who wants to know more about the first 1000 years of English language and literature. Early Englishes works backward over a whole millennium of English, 1600 to 600. Each week's lectures and seminar focus on one century and one text representative of that century (for example, Margery Kempe's Book, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and Beowulf). We will use a variety of techniques - literary, linguistic, anthropological, cultural-historical - to analyse each text, thereby opening up discussion of issues that preoccupied the English of the time, from glorious monster-slaying to the first expressions of love and desire, from religious devotion to comedy, from the power of insults to the status of English. We will investigate international influences on English language and literature, explore medieval worldviews and how they might differ from modern ones, and query what it means when we say something is medieval. No prior knowledge of Old or Middle English is necessary; students will be given the opportunity to examine texts in the original language but where necessary translations will be provided.

    20 credits
    Foundations in Literary Study: Biblical and Classical Sources in English Literature

    The Bible, Greek and Roman mythology, represent some of the central sources for European literary imaginations. In this module you will explore the range of literature indebted to biblical and classical literature, themes, and characters. Featuring a range of lecturers from across the School of English, the module will help you learn to think critically about biblical and classical themes such as divine destruction, love, gender, homecoming, colonialism, nostalgia, and empire, and read a variety of authors, from Amelia Lanyer and Shakespeare to Derek Walcott and Margaret Atwood. When we understand the ways in which biblical and classical writers shaped their narratives, and how creative authors revised, resisted or radicalised their themes, we have several important keys to unlock crucial facets of English literary tradition.

    20 credits
    Contemporary Literature

    This module introduces you to a diverse range of texts in English (prose, poetry, and film) with a focus on texts published since 2000. Texts will be chosen to provoke thinking and debate on urgent and controversial topics that might include: globalisation and neoliberalism; ecology and animal lives; artificial intelligence and the posthuman; political activism and social justice; migration and displacement; state violence and armed conflict. We will discuss formally and conceptually challenging works, raise ethical and philosophical questions and begin to discover how current critical and theoretical approaches can help us to engage with contemporary texts.

    20 credits
    Studying Theatre: A History of Dramatic Texts in Performance

    Ranging chronologically from classical to contemporary examples, this module aims to turn an interest in drama and theatre-going into a deeper appreciation of the ways in which traditions of playwriting, acting, design and performance have shaped theatre's development over the centuries. Each week you will study a particular play and the contexts that informed its first performances and its theatrical afterlife. Engaging with contrasting texts and productions will build your knowledge of dramatic genres and styles, the relationship between performance and politics, the representation on page and stage of racial and gendered identities, and the roles and responsibilities of audiences. We will approach theatre as a social practice and an artistic discipline, exploring production videos and related materials alongside study of the script, and experimenting with creative exercises in writing, directing and stage design. This module develops skills in analysing diverse texts and forms whilst also revealing the distinctive qualities and capabilities of drama as a literary genre.

    20 credits
    Darwin, Marx, Freud

    This course is structured around the writings of Darwin, Marx, Freud. We will consider selections from all three philosophers' writings, such as, for example, Darwin's The Origin of Species; cover key concepts from Marx's work—commodity fetishism; alienation—and investigate Freud's philosophy of the subject through selected readings from his writings. We will dismantle cultural prejudice and engage with, and in, revolutionary thinking. This course will prepare you for modules like Critical and Literary Thought but, most importantly, it will help you become critical, potentially revolutionary, thinkers.

    20 credits
    Exploring Literary Language

    This module explores the language of literary texts. We will look at how different literary styles create particular effects and describe these styles and effects using linguistics. The course aims to provide students interested in English literature with a practical introduction to language, and to provide students interested in language with experience of applying linguistic analysis to literary texts. The emphasis is on a hands-on approach, and topics covered will include sentence structure, register, narrative structure, conversation analysis (with reference to drama and dialogue) and point of view in narrative fiction. The texts studied will be predominantly literary and twentieth century, and will include extracts from novels, plays, poetry and short stories.

    20 credits
    Hybrid Forms? Comedy and Tragedy

    This module gives you the opportunity to study developments in comedy and tragedy from classical antiquity to the present day. This focus on genre enables you to take a broadly comparative approach, setting, for instance, works of classical antiquity alongside those of the early modern, modern, and contemporary worlds. As such, the module equips you to draw connections between periods studied separately at different points of your degree and between disparate forms, e.g. drama and the novel. Over the course of this module we will consider questions such as: what is genre, and why is it important? How does genre reflect or respond to historical change? Is there any such thing as a 'pure' genre or is hybridization a defining feature of genre itself? We will answer these questions by reading texts by authors such as Angela Carter, Noel Coward, Plautus, Shakespeare, Sophocles, and Michaela Coel.

    20 credits
    History of English

    What is English? Taking this question as a point of departure, this module introduces students to the exceptionally dynamic linguistic history of English(es). Changing linguistic forms and functions are contextualized within their historical moment, and language external factors such as language contact, imperialism and racism are also discussed as they pertain to periods of English. To be clear: this is not just a module about old forms of language (although there is plenty of that!) - it's about gaining historical linguistic perspective on current Englishes (including related Creoles) and their place within a much bigger story.

    20 credits
    Introduction to Creative Writing

    The aim of this unit is to help you to develop your expressive and technical skills in writing poetry and prose and to improve your abilities as an editor and critic of your own and other people's writing. You will be guided in the production of new work and encouraged to develop an analytical awareness of both the craft elements and the wider cultural and theoretical contexts of writing. This module explores poetic and prose techniques for creating new poems and narrative techniques for generating some prose work through the critical study of published examples, imaginative exercises, discussion and feedback on your own writing. This exploration will help you develop your own creative work while sharpening critical appreciation of published poetry and modern and contemporary fiction. The course is designed to give you the experience of being workshopped as well as to establish basic creative writing techniques at Level 1 in preparation for the challenges of Creative Writing Level 2 and/or 3.

    20 credits
    Introduction to Cinema

    This module aims to study a cross-section of the most important American films up to the present day and to develop both a formalist and an institutional analysis of these works. Its intention is to study the growth of the classical Hollywood style, a matter of a sophisticated range of technical stratagems as well as of a genre-based cinema, and of the institution of Hollywood itself, the most significant force in cinema to-day.

    20 credits

    English language pathway core modules:

    The Sounds of English

    This module is an introduction to the subdisciplines of linguistics known as phonetics and phonology, focusing on the sounds of the English language. It is designed to provide you with an understanding of the key concepts and terminology necessary to describe and explain sounds of English and of other languages. It will equip you with the practical skills necessary to transcribe and write about sounds. It serves as an essential basis for more advanced linguistic study.

    10 credits
    The Structures of English

    This module is an introduction to the syntax of natural languages, providing an essential grammatical base for more advanced studies in linguistic theory, historical linguistics, and sociolinguistics. This module is intended as a sister module to the 10-credit 'Sounds of English' module, which runs in parallel. It is designed to provide a firm grounding in the descriptions of sentence structure(s) cross-linguistically, and to introduce students to the tools used to describe syntactic structures, and the main methods of syntactic argumentation. The lectures will cover major topics in the formal description of morpho-syntax, while the seminar workshops will provide hands-on experience in analysing and thinking about sentence structure.

    10 credits

    English language pathway optional modules:

    Varieties of English

    This module looks at accent and dialect variation in the English language, in the UK and beyond. It will provide you with the tools to analyse and discuss variation in English words, sounds, and grammar. During the module you will collect your own data and learn how to analyse and visualise it. The module will develop your awareness of sociolinguistic aspects of the English language, and the relationship between language variation and change. You will be encouraged to consider your own experiences of language attitudes, language change, and language variation in order to reflect on the extraordinary diversity of the English language today.

    20 credits
    Early Englishes

    This module is of particular interest to anyone who wants to know more about the first 1000 years of English language and literature. Early Englishes works backward over a whole millennium of English, 1600 to 600. Each week's lectures and seminar focus on one century and one text representative of that century (for example, Margery Kempe's Book, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and Beowulf). We will use a variety of techniques - literary, linguistic, anthropological, cultural-historical - to analyse each text, thereby opening up discussion of issues that preoccupied the English of the time, from glorious monster-slaying to the first expressions of love and desire, from religious devotion to comedy, from the power of insults to the status of English. We will investigate international influences on English language and literature, explore medieval worldviews and how they might differ from modern ones, and query what it means when we say something is medieval. No prior knowledge of Old or Middle English is necessary; students will be given the opportunity to examine texts in the original language but where necessary translations will be provided.

    20 credits
    Exploring Literary Language

    This module explores the language of literary texts. We will look at how different literary styles create particular effects and describe these styles and effects using linguistics. The course aims to provide students interested in English literature with a practical introduction to language, and to provide students interested in language with experience of applying linguistic analysis to literary texts. The emphasis is on a hands-on approach, and topics covered will include sentence structure, register, narrative structure, conversation analysis (with reference to drama and dialogue) and point of view in narrative fiction. The texts studied will be predominantly literary and twentieth century, and will include extracts from novels, plays, poetry and short stories.

    20 credits
    History of English

    What is English? Taking this question as a point of departure, this module introduces students to the exceptionally dynamic linguistic history of English(es). Changing linguistic forms and functions are contextualized within their historical moment, and language external factors such as language contact, imperialism and racism are also discussed as they pertain to periods of English. To be clear: this is not just a module about old forms of language (although there is plenty of that!) - it's about gaining historical linguistic perspective on current Englishes (including related Creoles) and their place within a much bigger story.

    20 credits
    Linguistic Theory

    This module explores how language is structured by examining central issues in linguistic theory, building upon the concepts introduced in EGH105 Sounds of English and EGH106 Structures of English. Students will be instructed in (1) foundational theories and concepts in areas such as phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, (2) the linguistic evidence that informs these approaches, (3) the analytical techniques required to apply these theories to language data, and (4) the relevance of such theoretical models for the wider study of language. This inclusive module will develop analytical tools and problem-solving skills in using linguistic theory, training students to think critically to interpret data from any language within theoretical frameworks.

    20 credits

    Core history modules:

    History Workshop

    What does it take to be a historian? In this module, you will study the process of historical research, learning discipline-specific methods and essential study and writing skills through close engagement with a historical text (usually a work of narrative non-fiction) linked to your tutor's research interests. You will develop skills in critical reading, historiography, essay writing, bibliographic techniques, and reflection.

    The assessment for this module is aimed at giving you a strong foundation in the skills you will need throughout your degree and beyond: critical reading and writing, bibliographic techniques, and the ability to reflect on and articulate your skills as a historian.

    20 credits
    Thinking Historically

    Building upon the foundational skills acquired in the introductory 'History Workshop,' this module will cultivate your ability to critically engage with the past, develop disciplinary awareness, and apply historical thinking. To do so it provides an introduction to the breadth of interests in the school and the way historians have made sense of patterns in historical developments. Moving from the Ancient and Medieval past to the contemporary world, the module shows how Sheffield historians approach the periods and places that interest us, whilst provoking you to ponder the issues involved in framing historical questions of your own. In this module, you will explore a recurring set of questions which inform history as a discipline: how and why have historians divided up the past into discrete periods, and with what consequences? How have historians constructed narratives that give shape and meaning to the events of the past? How can we evaluate the truth of historical representations and interpretations? How are they shaped by the availability of sources about past societies, and what determines which sources have survived to the present day? How have relationships of power influenced the sorts of stories that we tell and the voices that we hear from the past, and how do they continue to do so?By the end of the module, you will not only have a strong sense of what it means to see problems through a historical lens, but also a better understanding of the chronological and geographical range of work undertaken by Sheffield historians.

    20 credits

    Optional history modules:

    The 'Disenchantment' of Early Modern Europe, c. 1570-1770

    This module explores the fundamental shifts in mental attitudes and public behaviour that occurred in Europe between the age of the Reformation and the age of the Enlightenment. The central focus of the course will be the examination of the supernatural - religious beliefs, but also witchcraft and magic. You will explore the changing ways in which beliefs impinged on people's lives at various social levels. You will also have an opportunity to study the impact on people's world views of such changes as rising literacy, urbanisation, state formation and new discoveries about the natural world. All these will be investigated in the institutional contexts of state and church and the ways in which they sought to channel and mould beliefs and behaviour. This module enables you to understand how the early modern period is distinctive from and links medieval and later modern historical studies.

    20 credits
    The Making of the Twentieth Century

    This module considers the twentieth century as a time that transformed the social and political order in the world, calling into question the role of the European powers in global contexts, and dramatically reorienting the relationship between states and societies. You will engage with case studies representing key themes in twentieth-century global history: imperialism and the processes of decolonisation; the challenges of building the postcolonial nation; revolutions and the emergence of new states; war, genocide and conflict; and the institutions of international order.

    In addressing these themes, The Making of the Twentieth Century has a particular aim of counteracting prevailing tendencies towards Eurocentrism.  You will gain a considerable body of knowledge on the histories of Asia, Africa and Latin America especially.  At the same time, emphasis is placed on the empirical and theoretical grounds upon which competing interpretations rest in order to encourage you to develop critical awareness of the character of historical analysis.  More generally, this module aims to develop analytical, conceptual and literary skills through class discussion and written assignments.  Communication skills will also be emphasised in weekly seminars that will allow specific issues to be discussed in more depth, often with reference to primary source material.  Above all, the module seeks to stimulate an interest in history and an appreciation of cultural diversity.

    20 credits
    The Long View: an introduction to archaeology

    This module traces the development of modern humans through to the modern era. It introduces the wide range of materials and methods that archaeologists use to study the past.  The practical laboratory-based classes and field classes provide experience in the basic identification, investigation and interpretation of archaeological evidence. They are supported by lectures that introduce archaeological methods, theories and worldwide case studies. From field to laboratory using examples from throughout the world, you will learn about how archaeology shapes knowledge about the deep and recent human past.

    Through this module students will be introduced to debates on the formation and development of archaeological thought through a world-wide perspective from the Palaeolithic to the present. They will be presented with techniques and ideas used by archaeologists to explore the human record and understand the past. It offers an opportunity to explore and discover the archaeological record through practical engagement, using field and laboratory methods, while also highlighting the importance of selecting analytical techniques appropriate to the question posed and the data available. The module will enable students to develop core skills in decoding and critically understanding literature, observation, recording, analysis and interpreting archaeological evidence.

    20 credits
    The Transformation of the United Kingdom, 1800 - 2000

    This module explores the central political, social, economic, cultural and diplomatic developments that have transformed Britain since 1800. Unlike most of its European neighbours, Britain did not experience dramatic moments of revolution, constitution-building, invasion or military defeat; indeed the belief that the nation was set on a course of gradual evolutionary progress was central to many versions of British identity. This course examines how, when and why change occurred in Britain. Key themes include the transition to mass democracy; the impact of industrialisation; shifts in social relationships based on class, gender and ethnicity; and the rise and fall of Britain as an imperial power.

    20 credits

    Try a new subject:

    The flexible structure of your first year at Sheffield means that you also have the chance to experience modules from outside of English and History - you can choose up to 40 credits of modules from a list approved by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. A final guided module list is made available to new students when you select your modules as part of registration.

    The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it's up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we will inform students and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption.

    Learning and assessment

    Learning

    You will learn through a mix of lectures and smaller group seminars. We keep seminar groups small because we believe that's the best way to stimulate discussion and debate.

    All students are assigned an academic tutor with whom they have regular meetings, and you are welcome to see any of the academic staff in their regular office hours if there's anything you want to ask.

    We invest to create the right environment for you. That means outstanding facilities, study spaces and support, including 24/7 access to our online library service.

    Study spaces and computers are available to offer you choice and flexibility for your study. Our five library sites give you access to over 1.3 million books and periodicals. You can access your library account and our rich digital collections from anywhere on or off campus. Other library services include study skills training to improve your grades, and tailored advice from experts in your subject.

    Learning support facilities and library opening hours

    You'll be taught by world-leading experts in both history and English. School of English staff are researchers, critics, and writers. They're also passionate, dedicated teachers who work tirelessly to ensure their students are inspired.

    Our history staff are internationally renowned and offer modules spanning four thousand years and criss-crossing continents, allowing you to explore great events, extraordinary documents and remarkable people.

    Assessment

    In addition to writing essays and more traditional exams, our modules use a range of innovative assessments that can include designing websites, writing blog posts, delivering presentations and working with publishing software.

    This broadens your experience and enhances the wide range of transferable skills you’ll develop during your degree.

    Programme specification

    This tells you the aims and learning outcomes of this course and how these will be achieved and assessed.

    Find programme specification for this course

    Entry requirements

    With Access Sheffield, you could qualify for additional consideration or an alternative offer - find out if you're eligible.

    Standard offer

    The A Level entry requirements for this course are:
    AAB

    A Levels + a fourth Level 3 qualification
    ABB + B in the EPQ
    International Baccalaureate
    34
    BTEC Extended Diploma
    DDM in a relevant subject + B at A Level; DDD in a relevant subject
    BTEC Diploma
    DD + A at A Level
    Scottish Highers
    AAAAB
    Welsh Baccalaureate + 2 A Levels
    B + AA
    Access to HE Diploma
    Award of Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject, with 45 credits at Level 3, including 36 at Distinction, and 9 at Merit
    Other requirements
    • Evidence of interest in language and literature, demonstrated through the personal statement is also required

    • Classical Civilisation is acceptable in lieu of History

    Access Sheffield offer

    The A Level entry requirements for this course are:
    ABB

    A Levels + a fourth Level 3 qualification
    ABB + B in the EPQ
    International Baccalaureate
    33
    BTEC Extended Diploma
    DDM in a relevant subject + B at A Level; DDD in a relevant subject
    BTEC Diploma
    DD + B at A Level
    Scottish Highers
    AAABB
    Welsh Baccalaureate + 2 A Levels
    B + AB
    Access to HE Diploma
    Award of Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject, with 45 credits at Level 3, including 30 at Distinction, and 15 at Merit
    Other requirements
    • Evidence of interest in language and literature, demonstrated through the personal statement is also required

    • Classical Civilisation is acceptable in lieu of History

    English language requirements

    You must demonstrate that your English is good enough for you to successfully complete your course. For this course we require: GCSE English Language at grade 4/C; IELTS grade of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component; or an alternative acceptable English language qualification

    Pathway programme for international students

    If you're an international student who does not meet the entry requirements for this course, you have the opportunity to apply for an International Foundation Year in Business, Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Sheffield International College. This course is designed to develop your English language and academic skills. Upon successful completion, you can progress to degree level study at the University of Sheffield.

    If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the school/department.

    Graduate careers

    Whatever your chosen career path after university, the skills that you develop as an English student make you sought after by employers and prepare you to enter the world of work.

    Our graduates have gone on to hold roles such as:

    • theatre director
    • speech-to-text editor
    • media officer
    • copywriters
    • academic publishing consultant
    • senior parliamentary advisor

    Our graduates also go on to work for companies such as:

    • BBC
    • Boots UK
    • Crown Prosecution Service
    • Good Things Foundation
    • British Heart Foundation
    • House of Commons
    • NSPCC
    • Arts Council England

    Read our alumni stories

    School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities

    Our history graduates are highly skilled in research, critical reasoning and communication. You'll be able to think and write coherently, to put specific matters in a broader context, and to summarise complex ideas in a discerning and creative way.

    Our graduates have gone on to become successful lawyers, marketing executives, civil servants, accountants, management consultants, university lecturers, archivists, librarians and workers in museums, tourism and the heritage industry.

    The combination of academic excellence and personal skills developed and demonstrated in your history degree will make you stand out in an increasingly competitive graduate world.

    Companies that have employed our graduates include Accenture, Ernst and Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers and DLA Piper. You'll also find our graduates in organisations ranging from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to the Imperial War Museum and the National Archives, to BBC Online and The Guardian.

    School of English

    Creative, critical, community minded and collaborative, the School of English at the University of Sheffield is one of the largest English departments in the UK.

    We're a research-intensive school with an international perspective on English studies. 90% of our research is rated as world-leading (REF 2021).

    During your time with us, you’ll have the opportunity to join a vibrant student community and get involved in hundreds of societies, including our English Society.

    The School of English is based in the Jessop West building at the heart of the university campus, close to the Diamond and the Information Commons. We share the Jessop West Building with the School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities and the School of Languages and Cultures.

    Facilities

    Our students get to make the most of the University's facilities across campus. Explore some of the teaching, library and social spaces you'll be able to visit as an arts and humanities student.

    School of English



    School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities

    In the School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities, we interrogate some of the most significant and pressing aspects of human life, offering new perspectives and tackling globally significant issues.

    As a history student at Sheffield, you'll develop your understanding of the past in a friendly and supportive environment.

    Our internationally-renowned tutors offer modules spanning four thousand years and criss-crossing continents - allowing you to explore great events, extraordinary documents, remarkable people, and long-lasting transformations, from the ancient period to the modern day and across the globe.

    You can tailor your course to suit you, discovering the areas of history that most inspire you most while preparing for the future you want with opportunities like studying abroad, work placements and volunteering.

    History students are based in the Jessop West building at the heart of the university campus, close to the Diamond and the Information Commons. We share our building with fellow Arts & Humanities scholars of English, East Asian Studies and Languages & Cultures.

    School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities

    University rankings

      Number one in the Russell Group
    National Student Survey 2024 (based on aggregate responses)

      92 per cent of our research is rated as world-leading or internationally excellent
    Research Excellence Framework 2021

      University of the Year and best for Student Life
    Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2024

      Number one Students' Union in the UK
    Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

      Number one for Students' Union
    StudentCrowd 2024 University Awards

      A top 20 university targeted by employers
    The Graduate Market in 2024, High Fliers report

      A top-100 university: 12th in the UK and 98th in the world
    Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025

    Fees and funding

    Fees

    Additional costs

    The annual fee for your course includes a number of items in addition to your tuition. If an item or activity is classed as a compulsory element for your course, it will normally be included in your tuition fee. There are also other costs which you may need to consider.

    Examples of what’s included and excluded

    Funding your study

    Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for a bursary, scholarship or loan to help fund your study and enhance your learning experience.

    Use our Student Funding Calculator to work out what you’re eligible for.

    Placement and study abroad

    Placement

    You may have the opportunity to add an optional placement year as part of your course, converting the three-year course to a four-year Degree with Placement Year. 

    A placement year will help you to:

    • gain an insight into possible careers
    • develop a range of transferable skills
    • build a professional network
    • get a feel for what you do and don’t like doing
    • add valuable work experience to your CV
    • gain experience of applying for jobs and interview practice
    • apply elements of academic learning in the workplace

    There are other opportunities to get work experience, with hands-on projects integrated into several of our academic modules. You can join our student-led volunteering organisation, English in the City, and take part in activities that bring topics in English studies to local school children. All of these experiences will help you build a compelling CV.

    Study abroad

    Spending time abroad during your degree is a great way to explore different cultures, gain a new perspective and experience a life-changing opportunity that you will never forget. 

    You can apply to extend this course with a year abroad, usually between the second and third year. We have over 250 University partners worldwide. Popular destinations include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong. 

    Find out more on the Global Opportunities website.

    Visit

    University open days

    We host five open days each year, usually in June, July, September, October and November. You can talk to staff and students, tour the campus and see inside the accommodation.

    Open days: book your place

    Subject tasters

    If you’re considering your post-16 options, our interactive subject tasters are for you. There are a wide range of subjects to choose from and you can attend sessions online or on campus.

    Upcoming taster sessions

    Offer holder days

    If you've received an offer to study with us, we'll invite you to one of our offer holder days, which take place between February and April. These open days have a strong department focus and give you the chance to really explore student life here, even if you've visited us before.

    Campus tours

    Our weekly guided tours show you what Sheffield has to offer - both on campus and beyond. You can extend your visit with tours of our city, accommodation or sport facilities.

    Campus tour: book your place

    Events for mature students

    Mature students can apply directly to our courses. We also offer degrees with a foundation year for mature students who are returning to education. We'd love to meet you at one of our events, open days, taster workshops or other events.

    Lifelong learning events for mature students

    Apply

    Make sure you've done everything you need to do before you apply.

    How to apply When you're ready to apply, see the UCAS website:
    www.ucas.com

    Not ready to apply yet? You can also register your interest in this course.

    Contact us

    Start a conversation with us – you can get in touch by email, telephone or online chat.

    Contacts for prospective students

    School of English

    The awarding body for this course is the University of Sheffield.

    Recognition of professional qualifications: from 1 January 2021, in order to have any UK professional qualifications recognised for work in an EU country across a number of regulated and other professions you need to apply to the host country for recognition. Read information from the UK government and the EU Regulated Professions Database.

    Any supervisors and research areas listed are indicative and may change before the start of the course.

    Our student protection plan

    Terms and Conditions upon Acceptance of an Offer

    2025-2026

    Make sure you've done everything you need to do before you apply.

    How to apply When you're ready to apply, see the UCAS website:
    www.ucas.com

    Not ready to apply yet? You can also register your interest in this course.

    The combination of English and history uniquely positions you to interrogate a variety of literary texts and place them within their historical, social and political contexts. Both subjects offer modules that explore literary and historical cultures, from the medieval period up until the contemporary moment.

    No No Yes