You will study Irish, European, and Global History from the Middle Ages to the present. You will engage with different aspects of History – political, cultural, social, and economic. You will explore questions and problems, and develop your critical thinking skills and your ability to express your ideas and arguments.
Study Abroad
Scholarships Available
- Duration:
- 4 Year(s)
- Next Intake:
- 2024/2025 September
- General Entry Requirements (A-Level)
CCC
- General Entry Requirements (IB)
24
- Country Specific Entry Requirements:
- Visit the UCD Global Undergraduate Entry Requirements webpage.
Curricular information is subject to change.
History is the pursuit of how we got here and the stories that we tell ourselves to explain the past. Working from ordinary to extraordinary, local to global, fact to fiction, you’ll develop critical thinking, argument and analysis skills that lie at the heart of careers in media, government, culture and education.
About this Course
By studying History as a Single Major Subject, you will study the courses listed by year as per the below. In addition, you will undertake intensive training on archives, research methods, and historiography, across the four years. Single Major History students also have the opportunity to apply for an internship in third year. In fourth year, you will write a dissertation and design your own research programme, under close supervision.
First Year
Students can choose from a broad range of modules including:
- Rome to Renaissance
- The United States from 1776
- Radicals & Revolutionaries in Global History
- Ireland’s English Centuries
- Modern Europe 1500-2000
- Modern Ireland 1800-2000
- Ireland’s English Centuries
- The Making of Modern Ireland, 1800-2000.
In first year, you also will take Creating History, where you study in a small group with a historian, to develop essential critical research and analytical skills.
Second Year
In second year, you begin to specialise in the areas of History that you are most interested in, focussing on particular countries, themes, and periods. Modules include: Islam & Christianity in the Middle Ages, Nazi Germany, The French Revolution, Northern Ireland: 1920-2010, Early Modern Europe: 1450-1800, China: Since 1600.
For detailed information on subject content click here.
Third Year
You deepen your historical interests through our small-group specialised research-based courses. In weekly two-hour seminars, you will engage in primary source research, deliver class presentations and write your own research project. You also have the option of studying abroad.
Assessment
Assessment is a mix of coursework, essays, learning journals, exams and presentations. In the final year, research papers make up the core of assessment.
You may be interested in the following Blog posts: History & Spanish student explains her Erasmus experience in Spain.
Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.
Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.
Students can study at partner institutions across Europe, North America, and Australia. We recommend that students take the opportunity when studying abroad to develop their language skills.
History prepares students for a wide range of careers including journalism, business, law, the civil service, diplomacy, NGOs, social media, and teaching.
You can continue to study History at Postgraduate or PhD level, or use your History degree to progress to a wide range of prestigious postgraduate conversion courses.
Non-EU Undergraduate Fee information can be found here.
UCD offers a number of competitive undergraduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD undergraduate degree programme. For information on Undergraduate Scholarships, please see the UCD International Scholarships webpage.
“I was fortunate enough to study in the UCD School of History throughout the course of my undergraduate and graduate degrees. As someone from a small town that lacked a world history course, studying overseas was the opportunity of a lifetime. Academically, it’s like tiptoeing from a shallow puddle to a plunge into the sea. There is an extraordinary number of resources with which to challenge yourself and UCD’s School of History gives you the tools to effectively analyse and critique all sources. Better yet, you are never alone in your pursuits, as the faculty”
Samantha Haywood, Student
