Education and History BA (Hons)

UCAS code: X1V1

Discover how the past has influenced the way we live, govern societies and teach the next generation. In our education and history degree, you’ll explore modern history in a global context and discover how these two fascinating subjects are intrinsically linked.

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Overview

Course length:	3 years full-time
Start dates:	September 2025 September 2026
Location:	Edge Hill University
Example offers:	BCC-BBC (A Level) or DMM (BTEC) View full entry criteria
Subject(s):	Education and Teaching History
Faculty:	Education
Department:	Secondary and Further Education

Three students have a discussion by a lake with the Faculty of Education building in the background.

Philosophy, psychology and sociology all influence our understanding of how we teach. History plays a massive part too, making it the perfect subject to study alongside education.

Why are our schools and university systems the way they are? How have past governments shaped education? Debate and discuss these questions while exploring UK education system and how it compares with the rest of the world.

The future of education will be shaped by people like you. To create change, you’ll learn to think innovatively, inspire others and challenge the status quo.

Alongside looking at education, our specialists will help you explore broader areas of modern history. Explore African-American civil rights. Travel back in time to discover the origins of the Israel/Palestine conflict.

Creating connections between past and present will be key for your history studies. You’ll also combine your knowledge to explore fundamental questions about the relationship between education, society and different cultures.

Course features

International students can apply
Learn a language option available
Sandwich year option available
Studying abroad option available
Work placement opportunity

What you'll study

By applying key concepts to real-world scenarios, we’ll introduce you to the key areas of education studies – history, sociology, philosophy and psychology. You’ll choose to focus on either teaching with technology or making education accessible to all. For history, explore significant events from the sixteenth to twentieth century. Discover how Europe became the political and cultural entity we know today. Examine the age of empires, the movements for liberation, and the rise of globalisation.

Compulsory modules:

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One of:

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Language 1 is ideal if you want to learn a new language, or further develop your current language skills, as an integrated part of this degree. You can study French, German, Arabic, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese or Spanish (subject to minimum numbers for your preferred language). Delivered at the Edge Hill Language Centre, the module will be taught in an interactive, communicative manner, using authentic materials in the target language. Emphasis will be placed on all four areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will play an active role in the weekly two-hour classes, engaging in role-plays, short conversations, videos, authentic texts and listening materials. You will also be encouraged to reflect on your own learning needs. On enrolment to the module, you will complete a language induction form and be placed into a language level group appropriate for your prior knowledge of your chosen language. Please note, while we will endeavour to accommodate varying language levels per module, this is not always possible. While you can join the module with some prior experience of your target language, you will not be able to study a language you are already fluent or proficient in.

Module code: TLC1010

Credits: 20

Assessment

85% Coursework

15% Practical

Three of:

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Global Politics: 1918 to the Present Day examines world history in the 20th century, particularly the main events, political and social movements, economic developments and ideologies which dominated the twentieth century around the world. You will explore the rise and fall of the great ideologies of Communism, Nazism and Fascism, in Russia, Italy, Germany and elsewhere. The turbulent international relations of the period will also be considered, as will the global economic system after the fall of the Soviet Empire in 1989-1991. Economic and social change will also feature, with detailed examination of popular protest and youth culture. Another major theme will be the fall of the great European empires at the hands of nationalist movements, with particular emphasis upon anti-colonial movements. By the end of the module, you will have developed a sound grasp of some of the major developments around the world in the 20th century.

Module code: HIS1021

Credits: 20

Assessment

70% Coursework

30% Exam

In Year 2, you’ll develop your research skills, as well as picking between a placement or an extended study of an aspect of education. You’ll shape your studies with optional modules. Perhaps you’ll examine changes in the history of UK education or explore education from a psychological perspective. Choose from a range of historical themes such as the rise of America from the mid-19th century onwards and how historical events have been represented in cinema.

Compulsory modules:

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How and Why We Learn: Explorations in the Psychology of Education provides you with an introduction to key theories and perspectives in the psychology of education. You will develop an understanding of the basic principles within the fields of cognitive, developmental and social psychology, with the opportunity to explore issues relating to identity, self and motivation. Investigations of high-quality research within these fields will be underpinned by the fundamental questions of how and why we learn.

Module code: BED2001

Credits: 20

Assessment

75% Coursework

25% Time Limited Assessment

One of:

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Three of:

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1968 And All That: Protest in Western Europe covers the rise and fall of a cycle of protest movements often referred to by the label ‘1968’, but which it can be argued went from the late 1950s to the early 1980s. You will study a range of movements that affected European politics and arguably transformed European society, including industrial unrest by workers, the women’s liberation movement, anti-war movements, anti-racism, the so-called ‘New Left’, environmentalism, and a quest for greater freedom and authenticity in people’s personal lives.

Module code: HIS2011

Credits: 20

Assessment

50% Coursework

50% Exam

Communism in Eastern and Central Europe After 1945 examines the rise, stagnation, collapse and ongoing legacies of the communist experiment that ruled half of Europe during the decades after the Second World War. The module examines both the Soviet Union itself during the post-Stalinist era and the countries of east-central Europe, allowing you to choose to study the history of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania or Yugoslavia. This history is of growing relevance to you, given that twenty years after its collapse the communist period can now be seen in historical perspective, and given the close relationships which many of the successors to these states have developed with the UK since the enlargement of the European Union in 2004 and 2007.

Module code: HIS2020

Credits: 20

Assessment

60% Coursework

40% Exam

Global Revolution: The Postcolonial World Order, 1896-1957 reflects on how, for thousands of years, perhaps starting with the Akkadian empire of ancient Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BCE, empire and colonialism were the norms of political order around the globe. In the 20th century, however, that ceased to be the case with not only the nation-state becoming the most common political structure, but the very idea of colonialism was discredited and disavowed by global political institutions. The module examines why this change happened, with a particular focus on the British empire. Starting in 1896, you will begin with examining the Second International’s decision to commit itself to the right to national self-determination. The module progresses through the first half of the twentieth century and slightly beyond, culminating in an exploration of the post-colonial independence of Malaya and Ghana, two years after the Bandung conference of Asia-Africa nations in 1955, which asserted the principle of national self-determination as the basis of a post-colonial world.

Module code: HIS2038

Credits: 20

Assessment

100% Coursework

History in the Making is a placement-based module which is designed to enhance your employability. You will apply your historical skills and knowledge to a public-facing project of your choosing. This project can be organised around an external placement (such as at a museum, archive, or school), or an independent project supervised by academics (such as a video documentary or social media account). The precise nature of each project will be determined through discussions between yourself, your tutors and external partners but each project should involve making meaningful use of the historical skills and knowledge you have developed during your degree.

Module code: HIS2040

Credits: 20

Assessment

90% Coursework

10% Practical

Rise to Globalism: U.S. Foreign Policy Since 1939 examines the rise of the United States as a global superpower from American entry into the Second World War in 1941 through to the present day. It examines the extent to which the ideology underpinning U.S. foreign policy, under successive administrations, has been shaped by American historical experience and values, such as the concepts of American exceptionalism, mission and manifest destiny. You will also study the challenges facing U.S. foreign policy planners from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama and the effectiveness of the various strategies that have been advanced to overcome them. The module examines both the opportunities and limitations on the exercise of American power in the modern world.

Module code: HIS2024

Credits: 20

Assessment

60% Coursework

40% Exam

Language 2 is ideal if you want to learn a new language, or further develop your current language skills, as an integrated part of this degree. You can study French, German, Arabic, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese or Spanish (subject to minimum numbers for your preferred language). Delivered at the Edge Hill Language Centre, the module will be taught in an interactive, communicative manner, using authentic materials in the target language. Emphasis will be placed on all four areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening. You will play an active role in the weekly two-hour classes, engaging in role-plays, short conversations, videos, authentic texts and listening materials. You will also be encouraged to reflect on your own learning needs. On enrolment to the module, you will complete a language induction form and be placed into a language level group appropriate for your prior knowledge of your chosen language. Please note, while we will endeavour to accommodate varying language levels per module, this is not always possible. While you can join the module with some prior experience of your target language, you will not be able to study a language you are already fluent or proficient in.

Module code: TLC2000

Credits: 20

Assessment

85% Coursework

15% Practical

Continue studying the core disciplines of education, critiquing and applying the concepts and ideas of leaders in the study of education. You’ll look at education from sociological and psychological perspectives and decide whether you complete a dissertation. Specialise further with a range of history modules. Options include the black protest movements of the 20th century, the relationship British society has with its own history, and the evolution of the relationship between Britain and the USA.

60 credits from:

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Current Debates in the Psychology of Education immerses you in the advanced study of psychological theories to develop in-depth knowledge of what constitutes effective teaching and learning. Psychology makes a vital contribution to the field of education, offering theories which can explain learning, behaviour and the mind. It allows examination of the motivations and perceptions of individuals, enabling educators to better understand the most effective ways to promote learning and how potential barriers to progress might be overcome. The module will support you in developing the skills required to examine and critique psychological enquiry and then applying this knowledge to consider key educational issues from a psychological angle.

Module code: BED3003

Credits: 20

Assessment

50% Coursework

50% Time Limited Assessment

Exploring Issues and Affecting Change in Education enables you to explore shifts in educational policy and consider the most pressing contemporary issues in the sociology of education. You will reflect on how education across the age spectrum, and in its formal and informal paradigms, is affected by the design and implementation of government policy, as well as by factors such as class, gender, family origins, religion and wealth. Additionally, you will explore the origins of the history of the sociology of education and how researchers apply the core concepts, collect and analyse data, and report on the results of their research.

Module code: BED3004

Credits: 20

Assessment

90% Coursework

10% Practical

Three of:

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Black Life and Black Protest in the United States Since 1945 analyses the reasons for the emergence of the post-war civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. The contribution of leading individuals within the movement, like Martin Luther King, is also examined together with the life and career of Malcolm X and the Black Power movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The module concludes by assessing the legacy of the civil rights era for present day family origin relations and the extent to which the election of Barack Obama in 2008 means that the United States can now be described as a post-racial society.

Module code: HIS3021

Credits: 20

Assessment

60% Coursework

40% Exam

Independent Study Project enables you to undertake an extended piece of research, on a topic of your own selection. This module provides you with an opportunity to independently deploy the skills and knowledge you have acquired. You will frame your own research question(s) and choose one of three pathways to conduct and present your research. This could be through a conventional written history dissertation, producing a video or audio documentary, or a public history project. You'll have access to libraries, archives, digital depositories and other appropriate resources to research your chosen topic.

Module code: HIS3041

Credits: 40

Assessment

90% Coursework

10% Practical

Migration in Europe will equip you as a citizen to be part of better informed public debate. You will review current issues, both within a longer-term historical perspective, and within contemporary debates in critical migration studies. You will be able to critically examine claims made about, for example, the exceptionalism of current waves of migration, and situate them within a broader history of people on the move within, beyond and into Europe. By placing current debates within such a context, you will understand political and social issues ranging from refugees to migrant workers, from cosmopolitanism to immigration controls, and from anti-racist activism to anti-migrant backlashes within a longer term context.

Module code: HIS3015

Credits: 20

Assessment

70% Coursework

30% Practical

How you'll study

The course is delivered through a combination of whole-group lecturers alongside small-group seminars and tutorials. The smaller sessions are designed to be interactive and give you the opportunity to work with the concepts, ideas and information presented in the lectures in order to gain a greater understanding of their relevance and potential applications.
In Year 2 you will have the opportunity to undertake a work placement and engage in work-based learning. Placements will be in a variety of different settings in which education takes place, either formally (schools) or informally (for example, art galleries and museums) and will be closely matched to your career aspirations.

How you'll be assessed

The assessment methods for this programme incorporate a variety of both traditional and innovative formats. There will be a blend of essays, exams and website development work. You will be asked to produce and present work through a combination of wikis and blogs, or to produce video presentations or give a live presentation. You will also create research posters reporting on the results of your investigations and be taught how to present your work in the format of professional magazine-style reports.

Who will be teaching you

You will be taught by a team of lecturers who bring with them a vast amount of both professional and academic experience. Members of the team include academics who research both the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching and learning in a host of contexts. Other members of the programme team offer a wealth of experience in teaching across all age-phases and a wide range of academic disciplines including history.

Timetables for your first week are normally available at the end of August prior to enrolment in September. You can expect to receive your timetable for the rest of the academic year during your first week. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities.

Where your course includes optional modules, these are to provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.

Entry criteria

Typical offer 104-112 UCAS Tariff points.

Example offers

Qualification	Requirement
A Level	BCC-BBC.
BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications)	Distinction, Merit, Merit (DMM).
T Level	Overall grade of Merit.
International Baccalaureate (IB)	We are happy to accept IB qualifications which achieve the required number of UCAS Tariff points. Subject-specific requirements at Higher Level (HL) Grade 5 may apply.
Access to Higher Education Diploma	45 credits at Level 3, for example 9 credits at Distinction and 36 credits at Merit or 15 credits at Distinction and 30 credits at Merit. The required total can be attained from various credit combinations.

Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.

If you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven't been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.

English language requirements

International students require IELTS 6.0, with a score no lower than 5.5 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.

If your current level of English is half a band, one band, or one-and-a-half bands lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.

Fair Entry Criteria

Our new Fair Entry Criteria is a Contextual Admissions Policy that takes an applicant’s personal and educational background into account. This policy will allow eligible applicants to receive up to a two-grade reduction in their entry requirements for this course. Find out more and see if you qualify.

For further information on how you can meet the entry requirements

UK EU International

If you don't meet the entry criteria, you might be interested in...

Fastrack

How to apply

Apply online through UCAS

Read our guide to applying through UCAS to find out more about the application process.

Apply as an international student

Please see our international student pages for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.

Facilities

Exterior photograph of the Faculty of Education Building

The Faculty of Education enjoys the enviable position of being one of the country’s leading providers of transformative education, training and research for the teaching and education workforce. Housed in a state-of-the-art £9m building, the Faculty of Education enjoys a stunning setting from both its lakeside and piazza buildings.

Facilities in the lakeside building include a 300-seat lecture theatre, five well-equipped ICT suites, and 18 teaching rooms complete with the latest technology.

Our nearby piazza building houses our Research Hub and our Secondary and Further Education department including a lecture theatre and a number of seminar rooms.

History modules are led by the Department of History, Geography and Social Sciences, based in the Geosciences building. The modern facilities combine with a friendly and supportive learning environment to ensure that your studies are a rich and rewarding experience.

The Geosciences building features a large lecture theatre, small group teaching rooms, IT facilities, smaller tutorial spaces and a large social area.

Where you'll study

Finance

Tuition fees

£9,535

a year

£17,000

a year

The University may administer a small inflationary rise in tuition fees, in line with Government policy, in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.

Financial support

Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional funding to help with living costs.

Scholarships

We offer a range of scholarships, which celebrate the determination, commitment and achievement of our students. Many of our scholarships are awarded automatically. There are some however, where you will need to be involved in an application or nomination process. To find out more about our scholarships and check your eligibility, please visit our dedicated scholarships pages.

Money Matters

Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students.

Money Matters

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). If you are an EU student who does not have settled or pre-settled status, or are an international student from a non-EU country, please see our international student finance pages.

Your future career

One next step for graduates with an education and history degree is teaching training. You might have decided you want to work with young children. Or perhaps you’re keen to pass on your expertise as a history teacher in a secondary school.

Beyond the classroom, you could kickstart your career teaching in different settings such as museums, galleries or even zoos. You could also design training for the corporate world.

Typical roles of our graduates secure with further training include:

teaching at early years foundation stage, primary, secondary or further education through postgraduate teacher training
learning mentor
education administrator
educational psychologist
education counsellor
mental health practitioner
social/community worker
prison educator
international development worker
training organiser

Other students decide to continue their study with a taught or research Master’s in a related area.

Personal tutor sessions will focus on reviewing your progress towards graduate level employment, with leadership skills built into every module so that you feel confident leading teams, working in groups and managing projects. Dedicated employability sessions in each year of study will guide you in writing a CV, producing a professional LinkedIn profile, and compiling an electronic portfolio that evidences your graduate skills.

Course changes

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.

Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.