Passionate about ideas? Fascinated by the past? Use advanced critical thinking to evaluate how the past influences the present on our History and Philosophy and Ethics degree.

  • Learn how to use evidence and analyse information to solve problems and question traditional beliefs.
  • Develop critical thinking skills and apply them to contemporary challenges, issues and debates.
  • Combine professional skills and opportunities with subject knowledge in an innovative combination of subjects.

Apply your knowledge of the humanities to contemporary challenges, issues and debates. Our Philosophy and History degree is designed to help you gain specialised subject knowledge and practical skills.

We work together with many different subjects to provide a special way of learning both in and out of your field.

Our History and Philosophy degree course is inspiring, innovative and compelling. It explores the assumptions, beliefs and values which shape human behaviour and our responses to it through the years.

You'll explore important questions that are essential to all academic subjects like history, literature, the arts, and sciences. 

You’ll love working on our beautiful campus. It’s not only inspiring, but also a historic resource in its own right.

Newton Park offers a way into a wide range of historical subjects and approaches. It's perfect for learning how to read a landscape to explore the symbols of wealth and power. 

What you'll learn

Overview

Our History and Philosophy degree combines the academic study of history with skill-based modules that develop critical thinking. You could learn how to write a funding application in one module and how to pitch ideas to partner organisations in another.  

You'll study the history of philosophy and explore how people use philosophical ideas in today's world. You’ll consider our responses to environmental crises as well as exploring questions of identity, belonging and social justice. We'll also examine the relationship between the personal and the political. 

You’ll learn how to read historical texts and how to use a wide range of historical sources. We'll discuss and debate historical subjects and concepts. You’ll also learn to analyse, process information, make decisions, manage projects, network, collaborate, and work with experts inside and outside the University. 

We consider Western philosophical and ethical perspectives, and introduce you to the systems of thought of India and China. Our Philosophy and Ethics course stands out for its unique content and inclusive approach, making it essential and engaging. 

Course structure

Year one 

Introductions and foundations: develop your critical thinking skills and follow a broad curriculum which allows you to ask questions, challenge your own assumptions, interrogate evidence, data and opinions. 

Year two 

Practical, applied, relevant: this year combines academic study with the acquisition of professional skills and the application of your knowledge and understanding to a defined problem or idea. 

Year three 

Achievement, consolidation, creativity: your final project in the third year brings all this together. You’ll identify your own questions and area of study, develop your proposal and put it into practice. This might be an extended piece of academic writing, an exhibition, community project, or the creation of digital resources. 

How will I be assessed?

We’ll assess your progress in a variety of ways including essays, research papers, group presentations, projects, portfolios, and reports. There are timed assessments and some modules may have end-of-year examinations. 

Our assessment methods allow you to develop and demonstrate different skills. Many of these will help you in the workplace, for example: planning ahead, working to deadlines, and managing priorities. 

Remember that you’ll be devising your own projects and research questions, giving you the freedom to develop your own expertise, supported by your tutors, our partners and your peers. 

How will I be taught?

Our focus is on applying theory to the contemporary world and developing your confidence and capacity for analysis and debate. You'll be provided with opportunities for independent work which builds on your own interests, adds new dimensions to your thinking, or relates to plans for future careers and personal development. 

Special projects provide opportunities for independent work which builds on your own interests, adds new dimensions to your thinking, or relates to plans for future careers and personal development. 

You can take advantage of the learning support provided across the University, whether to develop your writing skills or to learn how to use new techniques and technologies. 

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement

By working collaboratively across the Humanities, you'll develop expertise in your own subject alongside the skills and approaches that will help you in your future career.

You'll learn to communicate well, work with others, plan projects, implement projects, and make presentations. You'll also learn to analyse information and use critical thinking to present your ideas clearly to others.  

Our courses are taught by people whose research embraces past and present, abstract concepts and physical structures. It crosses continents, including Western and Eastern schools of thought. You'll analyse big data and tiny fragments of text, and explore objects and images, the rhetoric of power, the gaps in the narrative. 

By studying these subjects together, you’ll apply your knowledge of philosophy to contemporary changes, issues and debates. After all, we need to understand where we’ve been to have a sense of where we might go next. 

Facilities and resources

Where the subject is taught

Both History and Philosophy and Ethics are taught at our stunning Newton Park campus, where you’ll be surrounded by wildlife and a beautiful 18th century landscape and lake.

Our campus is a historic resource in its own right. Our campus buildings – which include a period manor house, gatehouse, keep, and state-of-the-art learning and performance facilities – are set in an eighteenth-century landscape complete with lake and pavilions.

With excellent links to nearby Bristol, you benefit from all the advantages of a buzzing, modern city, while being based in a beautiful, rural location just outside Bath city centre.  

You'll have access to a range of excellent Virtual Learning Environment, including:

  • facilities with its state-of-the-art classrooms, study spaces and cafe
  • Digital labs (Mac rooms) for students learning new media
  • Commons building to support you in your modules.
Resources

In addition to the Library and online access to secondary and primary resources, we draw on the University’s own archive, other archives and museum collections, and the campus itself in our teaching.

Opportunities

Study abroad

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork and visits are an integral part of the course. We visit religious communities, mosques, temples, gurdwaras and churches.

Depending on your module choices, you’ll visit Stonehenge, Avebury, Bristol Harbour, M-Shed, major national museums and galleries such as Oxford’s Ashmolean or the V&A, and hidden gems such as the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes or Dyrham Park, just outside Bath.

Linked to our teaching, trips change from year to year. But our location in the heart of the Bath and Bristol cultural area means you you can learn outside the seminar room. We have The Holburne MuseumRoman Baths and Brunel’s SS Great Britain right on our doorstep.

Work placements, industry links and internships

Placement modules prepare you for the world of work. We have excellent links with third sector organisations, working with environmental and educational charities, as well as others. These links support your study, as we’ll explore how religious, philosophical and ethical perspectives can be applied to current issues.

You'll be able to work on projects with our partners in the city and region. This might involve research in a historic house, oral history projects, or devising public events and exhibitions. Through these projects, you’ll work collaboratively, manage your time, develop project management skills, and prepare for a future career.

Careers

If you’ve ever wondered what you can do with a History degree, the answer may surprise you. Yes, you could become a historian or a teacher, but we prepare you for so much more.

The transferable skills you’ll gain on this course will prepare you for a career that demands confident communication at all levels. This could include curation for museums and heritage organisations, or work in the public and social services, the charitable sector, or the NHS. You’ll be well-equipped for project management, education, and events management. You may also choose to continue your studies at postgraduate level.

Our graduates have gone into such areas as financial services, the police force, social work, journalism and management training schemes with major retailers, as well as worked for the National Trust, Bristol Old Vic and the Southbank Centre.

The ability to combine this course with another subject makes it ideal for individuals considering a career in teaching. Many graduates go on to train as teachers – the course is widely respected as a foundation for a career in education.

Global Citizenship

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

Adobe Creative Campus

Develop a wealth of indispensable digital skills that you can take into your future career. One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, we provide all Bath Spa students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving you the tools to communicate creatively, whatever your course or chosen professional field.   

Professional placement year

Overview

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Preparation

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

How will I be assessed?

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.

Fees

2025 entry
Student Annual tuition fee
UK full time £9,535
UK part time £4,768
International full time £16,460

Professional Placement Year

During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students.

  • UK: £1,907
  • International: £3,292

Additional course costs

You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document (linked under the main image on this page) for details of any additional costs. You can also read our Additional Course Costs Policy for further information.

Funding opportunities

Please visit our Funding pages for an overview of the funding options that may be available, including scholarships and bursaries.

Interested in applying?

What we look for in potential students

You’ll have a passion for the subject, a curiosity for the sources of things, and how they inform our present, a commitment to finding out more, and a willingness to try new things. 

Our students come from a range of different backgrounds. We look for individuals with an enquiring mind and a willingness to explore new areas of thought and belief.

You may already have some great ideas about what you like to do and where you’d like to focus. Or you might want to look at historical topics in new ways, and explore aspects of the past you haven’t encountered before.

Typical offers

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below. 

  • A Level - grades BBB-BCC including a Grade B in History or a related subject.
  • BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) in any subject. Applicants will need to demonstrate a strong interest in History in their personal statement. 
  • T Levels – grade Merit preferred in a relevant subject.
  • International Baccalaureate – a minimum of 32 points are required with a minimum of grade 5 in History at Higher Level.
  • Access to HE courses – typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, at Merit or higher in a relevant subject. 

If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.

English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants

IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.

Course enquiries

For further information about the programme or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.

How do I apply?

Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page. Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply pages.

Get ahead

We encounter the past every day, in news stories and current events; in political speeches and parliamentary debates; in the places around us. You can get ahead simply by listening, looking, and thinking about all of these. If you’d like to do some reading as well, here are some suggestions:

  • Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs and Steel, 1997
  • Peter Frankopan, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, 2015
  • Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, 2014

History course leader: Allyson Edwards
Email: a.edwards@bathspa.ac.uk

Philosophy and Ethics course leader: Dr Paul Reid-Bowen
Email: p.reid-bowen@bathspa.ac.uk

Three year course
With placement year