History is one of the most popular undergraduate degrees, offered by over 100 universities in the UK. With so many different programmes to choose from, here’s what made the BA in History at LSE stand out to me.
Programme structure and content
The BA in History at LSE is unique in offering “outside” subject options at each year of the degree, which means students can learn new things and practice different skills throughout their degree. For me, this means being able to pursue French to a higher level, but there are several courses available, from sociology to statistics! The history courses offered each year build on each other, with the four Year 1 courses providing a broad survey of many different periods in modern history, such as the Renaissance or the First World War. The breadth in first year creates a perfect starting point to dive deeper into specific areas in your second and third year, which narrow in focus. LSE is also unique in making studying historiography compulsory for the BA in International History through the HY120 course – one that I find a necessary step up from A-level History, helping me approach university work with confidence.
Departmental and university support
The Department of International History‘s consistent support for all students in its programmes, from undergraduate right up to PhD work is another reason I would recommend the degree. In the Autumn Term alone the department hosted a number of lectures in varying areas of historical enquiry including the Medici family and the Chilean coup. Alongside the lectures there have been visits to museums and archives, including conversations with the Women’s Library in particular. All of these events supplement traditional study of history and allow us to see the subject in a new light, thanks to the department’s hard work. LSE’s own centre for academic and personal learning, LSE LIFE, complements department-led teaching well by running workshops on essential skills such as essay writing, proofreading and much more. With the department and LSE’s wider academic support facilities I feel much more confident approaching my degree’s workload.
Graduate destinations and LSE’s global position
As well as the merits of the programme and academic support available, I was most influenced by LSE’s global reputation, ranking 6th in the world for History in 2023 ahead of Princeton and Columbia. It also consistently ranks 3rd across the UK and Europe in front of other London universities and Edinburgh. The global recognition doesn’t stop at just the history programme or teaching, as LSE history students also benefit from an incredible employability and earnings rate after graduation, placing 1st overall for job prospects in 2022. Knowing how valued a History degree from LSE is in the eyes of employers ultimately convinced me to apply and accept my offer, as the skills I am developing are transferable in a wide range of scenarios. These include processing large amounts of data, analysis and organisation of material and formation of coherent arguments orally and in writing. Learning to effectively manage my time to juggle academic, personal and professional commitments as well as gaining more confidence to speak in public are the result of the opportunities available through studying history at LSE.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, studying history at LSE has been an incredible experience – academically challenging, for sure, but also very rewarding. I would highly recommend this programme to anyone with a similar skillset or interests, as well as anyone wanting to pursue their love of history at a higher level and learn something new outside their comfort zone.
