(Full time) 2022 start
International History and Politics BA

Coronavirus information for applicants and offer holders
We hope that by the time you’re ready to start your studies with us the situation with COVID-19 will have eased. However, please be aware, we will continue to review our courses and other elements of the student experience in response to COVID-19 and we may need to adapt our provision to ensure students remain safe. For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, regularly visit our website, which we will continue to update as the situation changes www.leeds.ac.uk/covid19faqs
Overview
You’ll focus on the modern and contemporary history of world affairs from the late nineteenth century to today on this challenging, integrated degree. Covering themes such as diplomacy, security, intelligence, international organisations and transnational questions, you’ll gain a valuable understanding of the complex relations between states and non-state actors today.
It’s a great opportunity to develop your specialist knowledge of the most modern international/transnational history and international politics. With the support of expert tutors and access to excellent facilities, you’ll also gain the skills that are most valuable to employers.
Compulsory modules will give you a good grounding in key periods and themes, as well as useful historical skills. You’ll also learn about different perspectives on international politics. Meanwhile, you can tailor your degree to suit your own interests by choosing from a range of optional modules that spans the globe.
Specialist resources
Leeds has excellent resources for historians, including a wealth of archive material and political documents. The University Library's Special Collections include the Leeds Russian Archive, a resource for the study of Anglo-Russian relations into the 20th century and the Liddle Collection of personal papers from thousands of people who lived through the First and Second World Wars.
Papers from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and extensive correspondence from political figures from around the world are also held in the Special Collections. The University Library offers full training to help you make the most of our resources.
Take a look around our libraries:
Course content
Introductory modules in international history and politics will give you a firm foundation during your first year, as we help you adjust to university study. You’ll also be free to choose from a variety of discovery modules within and outside the School to start building a broader knowledge base.
In year 2 you’ll build on this understanding by choosing from a range of optional modules to suit your specific interests, whether they focus on imperial Germany, the Cold War or the Arab-Israeli conflict. You’ll also practise your research skills in a long essay on a topic of your choice in international history and politics.
All of this will help to prepare you for your final year when you’ll continue to choose from optional modules spanning topics such as genocide, refugee crises and European security. You’ll also apply what you’ve learned and focus heavily on a specialist subject such as Nazi Germany, transnational war volunteers or the British secret services while researching a topic of your choice for your dissertation.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Modules
Year 1
Compulsory modules
- Skills and Concepts in International History 20 credits
- International History, 1919-1989: Conflict, Co-operation and Change 20 credits
- Consensus and Contention: Investigations in International History 20 credits
- International Politics 20 credits
Year 2
Compulsory modules
- Documents and Debates in International History 20 credits
- International History and Politics Long Essay 20 credits
Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
- Towards the Future: Skills in Context 20 credits
- Australia and the World 20 credits
- History Wars: The Politics of the Past in Contemporary Europe 20 credits
- Imperial Germany 1871-1918 20 credits
- 20th Century Britain: Progress and Uncertainty 1945-1990 20 credits
- Communist Eastern Europe, 1945-89 20 credits
- Nationalism, Colonialism and 'Religious Violence' in India, 1857-1947 20 credits
- The History of Africa since 1900 20 credits
- Modern Hatreds: The Destruction of Yugoslavia and its Aftermath, 1991-2001 20 credits
- Archive Intelligence: Unlocking the Archive 20 credits
- Thinking about History 20 credits
- Histories of Black Britain 20 credits
- The Rise of Modern Japan: From the Meiji Restoration to the Present Day 20 credits
- Mao Zedong and Modern China, 1949-Present 20 credits
- The Global Cold War 20 credits
- The End of the Cold War to the Age of Terror: US Foreign Policy in a Changing World 20 credits
- From Versailles to Potsdam: Conferences, Crises and Conflicts, 1919-45 20 credits
- The Arab-Israeli Conflict 20 credits
Year 3
Compulsory modules
- IHP Dissertation 40 credits
Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
- Towards the Future: Skills in Context 20 credits
- Archive Intelligence: Unlocking the Archive 20 credits
- Thinking about History 20 credits
- Histories of Black Britain 20 credits
- Tradition and Modernity in Colonial Africa: Uganda's Kingdoms 1862-1964 40 credits
- The Third Reich, 1933-1945 40 credits
- Europe in an Age of Total Warfare 40 credits
- The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 40 credits
- The Soviet Sixties: Politics and Society in the USSR, 1953-1968 40 credits
- The Troubles: The Northern Ireland Conflict, 1968-Present 40 credits
- France and Algeria from 1830 to the Present 40 credits
- The Korean War 40 credits
- Apartheid in South Africa: Origins, Impact and Legacy 20 credits
- In the Shadow of Franco: Terror and its Legacy in Spain, 1936-Present Day 20 credits
- The Breaking of Contemporary Britain: Challenges from the Post-War Period 20 credits
- Alliance Without Backbone: Germany, its Allies and Satellites Before and During World War Two 40 credits
- Secret Service: The World of British Intelligence 40 credits
- War on Tribe or War on Terror? Historicizing Afghanistan and Pakistan 40 credits
- The Iron Lady Abroad: Margaret Thatcher and UK Foreign Policy from 1979 40 credits
- Europe on the Move: Refugees and Resettlement, 1919-59 40 credits
- The World of Terror 20 credits
- 'Parasites' and 'Cockroaches': Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide in the Modern World 20 credits
- Changing Enemies: Germany Occupied and Divided, 1945-55 20 credits
- The Global Vietnam War 40 credits
- The Soviet Union in World Politics, 1917-1991 20 credits
- Doomed to Failure? European Great Power Politics from Bismarck to the Outbreak of World War I 20 credits
Discovery modules
Throughout your degree you will benefit from a range of opportunities to expand your intellectual horizons outside or within your subject area.
This course gives you the opportunity to choose from a range of discovery modules. They’re a great way to tailor your study around your interests or career aspirations and help you stand out from the crowd when you graduate. Find out more about discovery modules on our Broadening webpages.
Learning and teaching
We use a range of different teaching and learning styles. They include lectures from our expert lecturers, as well as seminars and group work. Independent study is also an important element of the degree, as you build your research and critical skills by reading widely. At Leeds, we have a wealth of resources for you to explore as you become an independent learner.
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
Depending on the modules you choose, you may be assessed using a variety of methods. These will largely include exams and essays, but some modules may also use oral presentations, group work or other methods. We offer plenty of support, and there are extra classes on topics such as public speaking, exam technique and structuring essays if you need them.
Entry requirements, fees and applying
Entry requirements
A-level: AAA including A in History if taken.
Other course specific tests:When an applicant is taking the EPQ in a relevant subject this might be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications and may attract an alternative offer in addition to the standard offer. If you are taking A Levels, this would be AAB at A Level (including A in History) and grade A in the EPQ.
We welcome applications from mature students with Access qualifications, and from students with a wide range of qualifications.-
Access to HE Diploma
Pass diploma with 60 credits overall, including at least 45 credits at level 3, of which 30 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher. 15 credits at level 3 at Distinction must be in History. An interview and a piece of written work are required.
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BTEC
We will consider this qualification in combination with other qualifications. Please contact the Admissions Office for more information.
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Cambridge Pre-U
D3, D3, M1 including D3 in History
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International Baccalaureate
35 points overall with 17 at Higher Level including 6 in History at Higher Level
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Irish Leaving Certificate (higher Level)
H2, H2, H2, H2, H2, H2 including H2 in History
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Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers
AA in Advanced Highers including an A in History and AABBB in Highers, or A in Advanced Highers History and AAABB in Highers
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Welsh Baccalaureate
The Welsh Baccalaureate is not typically included in the academic conditions of an offer made to you for this course. If you choose to undertake the Welsh Baccalaureate we would strongly encourage you to draw upon these experiences within your personal statement, as your qualification will then be taken into account both when your application is initially considered by the selection panel and again when reviewed by the admissions tutor at the time your A-level results are passed to us.
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Other Qualifications
European Baccalaureate: 85% with 85% in History
Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications or contact the Schools Undergraduate Admissions Team.
Alternative entry
Were committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.
Access to Leeds is an alternative admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.
Find out more about Access to Leeds and alternative admissions.
Access to Leeds is an admissions scheme which aims to encourage applications from specific groups of potential students. These include students from low income households, those whose parents did not attend university, those from schools or postcodes that meet specific criteria relating to levels of participation in Higher Education, and those who have had their studies disrupted or delayed in some substantial way. Upon completion of the Access to Leeds programme, a typical Access to Leeds offer is ABB, including A in History if taken at A Level.
Find out more about Access to Leeds.
If you don't have the formal qualifications for immediate entry to this course, you may be able to progress through our Arts and Humanities foundation year.
https://courses.leeds.ac.uk/g294/arts-and-humanities-with-foundation-year-ba
International
We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For more information, contact the School of History Admissions team.
International Foundation Year
International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study the University of Leeds International Foundation Year. This gives you the opportunity to study on campus, be taught by University of Leeds academics and progress onto a wide range of Leeds undergraduate courses. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
How to apply
Apply to this course through UCAS. The institution code for the University of Leeds is L23. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website.
Read our guidance about applying.
International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2022
Fees
UK: See fees section below
International: £20,750 (per year)
Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2022/23
For UK full-time undergraduate students starting in 2022/23 the fee will be £9,250. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation and as permitted by law. Fees for UK undergraduate students are decided by the government and may vary if policy changes.
Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2023/24
Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students for 2023/24 have been agreed by the UK Government and will remain at the current fee level of £9,250. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation and as permitted by law. Fees for UK undergraduate students are decided by the government and may vary if policy changes.
Tuition fees for international undergraduate students starting in 2023/24
Tuition fees for international students for 2023/24 should be available on individual course pages from September 2022.
Tuition fees for a study abroad or work placement year
If you take a study abroad or work placement year, you’ll pay a reduced tuition fee during this period. For more information, see Study abroad and work placement tuition fees and loans.
Read more about paying fees and charges.
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.
Financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.
Career opportunities
A degree as wide-ranging and demanding as International History and Politics will equip you with a combination of specialist subject knowledge and valuable skills to build a career in many different sectors.
You'll be able to think critically about information from a range of sources to form your own conclusions. You’ll also be able to present them clearly, either verbally or in writing. As a motivated, independent learner, you’ll have organisational, time management and research skills that will really appeal to employers.
Recent graduates have gone on to work in careers as diverse as diplomacy, international finance and investment, journalism, the civil service, law, education and even the Armed Forces.
Read more about graduate destinations.
The School of History is committed to helping you reach your goals. Student-run career groups allow you to meet other students with similar plans, while you could also become a peer mentor or apply for one of our paid internships. We offer career-related modules to help you develop your employability or explore your options.
Careers support
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. Thats one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
Study abroad and work placements
Study abroad
On this course you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year. We have over 300 University partners worldwide and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and Latin America.
Find out more at the Study Abroad website.
Work placements
Practical work experience can help you decide on your career and improve your employability. On this course you have the option to apply to take a placement year module with organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK, or overseas.
Find out more about work experience on the Careers website.