History is a hugely fascinating topic with many areas available for specialisation and research, and as such, it is a popular subject to study at university. Many institutions will offer courses in history, though because of this, it can be daunting to try and find which universities are well-regarded in the subject. To help with finding a place to start when it comes to researching where to study, we have created this guide to the best universities for history in the UK.
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These are the top three universities for studying history, according to the Complete University Guide’s 2024 league tables, which take into account various factors to organise its rankings. These choices would be a great starting point for researching where to study history and what sorts of subjects would be included on programmes.
In terms of student satisfaction, a measurement that looks at how pleased students are with the quality of teaching at an institution, the highest ranked university for history subjects was University of Derby. This indicates that students have enjoyed the teaching at Newman, and could suggest that it would be a highly rewarding place to study.
Graduate prospects is an important factor to take into account when looking for universities, as it can help find an institution where the graduates are having success in finding work or further education. For history subjects, the university with the highest ranking for graduate prospects is University of St Andrews.
Go to: Search history courses at University of St Andrews
Students looking to take a research-based course in history might want to consider a university that has ranked highly for research quality, as it could suggest where they would be able to take advantage of quality facilities and make a big impact in the subject area. The highest-ranking university for research quality in history was the University of Kent.
Go to: Search history courses at University of Kent
For this article we have used ranking information from the Complete University Guide’s league tables. Data is courses from the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, the National Student Survey and the Higher Education Statistics Agency, and the Complete University Guide uses its own methodology to create the rankings for the league tables.
Go to: See the 2024 Complete University Guide physics subject league table
Aberystwyth University has received several positive reviews on Whatuni from history students, including some five-star ratings. Quotes from these reviews for Aberystwyth include “This university has been great”, and “It has wonderful facilities and great teaching quality”.
Go to: Search history courses at Aberystwyth University
To browse all universities that offer postgraduate courses in history, please use our course search tool, which can filter results by region, qualification, subject and more.
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