History and Literature BA (Hons)
Course code V21L
What is special about this course?
The joint honours degree in history and literature allows you to turn your passion for the past and for writing into an interesting career.
The BA (Hons) History and Literature covers a range of approaches, from thematic modules that cover a variety of places and historical periods, to concentrated and in-depth studies of a particular group of authors or periods of history.
Each year, you will build on your analytical and research abilities through a series of skills modules.
You can also choose to specialise in Scottish History at the upper levels and graduate with a BA (Hons) Scottish History and Literature degree.
Please see our FAQ sheet for further information on this course.
Special features
- You will explore literature and history in a local and global context
- The degree can be studied full time or part time to suit your personal circumstances
- You can study individual modules for personal or professional development
- You can specialise in Scottish History at the upper levels to enable you to exit with a Scottish History and Literature degree
- The humanities staff at UHI specialise in high quality video-conference teaching supported by a dynamic virtual learning environment and expansive online resources
- There are opportunities to volunteer at local museums and archives, and occasional voluntary field trips in the university's region also enhance the experience of your degree
- Exciting new modules based on staffs' cutting-edge research are offered at upper level
Entry requirements
Entry to year one:
- 3 Scottish Highers at grade BBC or above, or
- 2 A levels at grade BC or above
- At least two should be from the list of relevant subjects
- Applicants with other relevant qualifications or experience will be considered on an individual basis
Advanced entry to year two:
- HNC Social Sciences (12 SQA credits) with 3 additional SQA credits at level 7 which is equivalent to 120 degree credit points, and at least grade C in the Graded Unit will be considered for direct entry to year two
Access routes
SWAP Access courses
If you are eligible to undertake Scottish Wider Access Programmes (SWAP), please visit our SWAP access list for further information on grade profiles and available subjects.
Other relevant humanities access courses will also be considered on an individual basis.
Year 1 - CertHE
History
You will study the following core module:
- What is history? (S1)
Plus, a choice of one of the following modules:
- People, protest and power: themes in modern British history (S1)
- A middle age? Europe c. 1100-1500 (S2)
- Empire, environment and identity: Scotland 1600-2000 (S2)
Literature
You will also study the following two modules:
- Theories of literature: an introduction (S1)
- Travellers in the wilderness: literature and the theme of exile (S2)
You will study two further option modules from a range of history, literature, and other humanities subjects.
Year 2 - DipHE
History
You will study the following core module:
- Historians and history (S2)
Plus, a choice of one of the following three modules:
- A curious age: European society and culture, 1500-1750 (S1)
- Court, kirk and burgh in Medieval and Early Modern Scotland
- Themes in American history
Literature
You will also study two modules which may include:
- Gaelic poetry: an introduction (S1)
- Theatrical powerplay: classical and modern tragedy (S2)
- Heroic literature: epic from classical to contemporary (S2)
- Medieval literature: texts and contexts (S1)
You will study two further option modules from a range of history, literature, and other humanities subjects. Please note that if you are a direct entrant to second year, we strongly advise that you take the Level 7 core module, What is History?, as one of your options. Please contact historyhelp@uhi.ac.uk to discuss this further.
Year 3 - BA
You will study one of the two core project modules:
- Public history (S2) OR
- Literary borrowings: adaptation and appropriation (S1)
You will also study a further five option modules, ensuring a balance of three History modules and three Literature modules in total.
History
Modules may include:
- A study of things: material culture of medieval and early modern Europe
- Alps, hills and plain? Central Europe to 1918
- Chivalry and culture in context – England and its neighbours, 1066 to 1327
- Clash of civilisations: the Crusades, 1096-1198
- Crime, custom and conflict, 1700-1850
- Dynastic decline and religious violence: Valois France, 1550-1610
- Emigration from the Highlands and Islands
- Land as power: the making of the modern Scottish landscape from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries
- Queer Britannia: gender, sexuality and performative identities in Britain, 1800-1950
- Scots in North America
- The Jacobites: patriots, rebels or opportunists?
Students wishing to specialise in Scottish History at Level 10 are advised to take at least one Scottish History option and undertake a Scottish topic for your Public History project, or two Scottish History options if you are not taking Public History.
Literature
Modules may include:
- Imagining new worlds: renaissance literature and thought (S2)
- Romantic genius: Scottish and European literature, 1750-1830 (S1)
- Risk anything: modernist short story (S1)
- Nature writing and ecology (S2)
Year 4 - BA (Hons)
You will complete a dissertation in history or literature. This is a double-credit module that runs across both semesters.
You will also study one option module from your chosen dissertation subject plus three option modules from the other subject. Please see notes below if you wish to specialise in Scottish History.
History
Modules may include:
- Chaos and conflict?: 'Civil Wars' in high medieval Scandinavia
- Death and destruction: the social impact of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648)
- Deviants, rebels, outcasts and villains: history from the margins in medieval and early modern society
- Empire and ‘others’: the shaping of British imperialism in North America
- Fight the power: music and the politics of Black America
- Reaching the estate of manhood in later medieval and early modern Europe
- The empire strikes back: how the British Empire shaped Scotland
- The Highland land wars: origins, aftermath and interpretations
- The Scottish Highlands before Culloden (1603-1707)
If you wish to exit with a BA (Hons) Scottish History and Literature degree you must undertake a Scottish History dissertation plus one further Scottish history or history module, OR, if you are undertaking a Literature dissertation, two of the three History modules must be in Scottish History.
Literature
Subjects may include:
- Avant-garde literature (S1)
- Apocalyptic fictions (S1)
- Satire: the art of attack (S2)
- Metafiction: self-referential texts (S2)
How will I study my course?
- Full-time
- Part-time
- Part-time modular (standalone modules)
- This course is mainly delivered online with scheduled sessions and tutorials, including a weekly two-hour timetabled video conference lecture for each module
- Online study will be done via the university's virtual learning environment (VLE), with support from your tutors
- You may also be able to access sessions online from your local campus - please contact them directly for more information
- You may have the opportunity to undertake an optional residential at least once during the programme of study
- You will take part in a mandatory online induction in late August/early September of your first year. There may also be additional mandatory induction activities at the start of the academic year, in-person at your local campus or online, organised by your partner campus
- You will also have the option to take part in online inductions in September of years 2-4 and January of years 1-4, with the potential to attend at your local campus (on request)
How long will my course last?
- Full-time: 4 years @ 40 hours per week
- Part-time (structured): 8 years @ 20 hours per week
- Part-time modular: 12-14 weeks per module (incl. assessment period) @ 13-14 hours per week
The number of hours per week indicates the total number of hours you should dedicate to the course, which includes a weekly two-hour video conference seminar for each module, online tutor-supported study and self-directed study.
Where can I study my course?
- Argyll
- HTC
- Inverness
- Moray
- North, West and Hebrides
- Orkney
- Shetland
- UHI House - Centre for History
- This fully online course can be studied from anywhere in the world
- Students based near to one of the listed campuses should apply to, and be enrolled and supported by, their local campus
- All other students should apply to, and will be enrolled and supported by, UHI House
Start date
- September
Fees
For students normally domiciled in Scotland, with a term-time address in Scotland, the following fees apply:
This includes
- EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status in the UK,
- EEA/Swiss nationals with settled status in the UK
- EEA/Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.
| 2024-25 | 2025-26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (120 credit modules) per year | £1,820 | £1,820 |
| Part-time (structured) (3 x 20 credit modules) per year | £915 | £915 |
| Part-time (unstructured per module) (per 20 credit module) | £305 | £305 |
Rest of the UK students
For students normally domiciled in the rest of the UK (England, Wales and N. Ireland) or assessed as rest of the UK for fee status the following fees apply:
| 2024-25 | 2025-26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time online per year (120 credit modules) | £6,120 | £6,420 |
| Part-time online (per 20 credit module) | £1,020 | £1,070 |
International students
For students who do not normally reside in the UK studying online from their home country, or living in the UK but assessed as international for fee status, the following fees apply:
This includes EU/EEA and Swiss nationals without settled status in the UK and EEA and Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are not self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.
| 2024-25 | 2025-26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time online per year (120 credit modules) | £6,960 | £7,080 |
| Part-time online (per 20 credit module) | £1,160 | £1,180 |
A no fee increase guarantee is available for self-funding full-time and structured part-time rest of the UK and international undergraduate students for continuous study for the same award, up to the permitted standard time limit for the relevant award.
Funding
UHI has a number of scholarships, bursaries, awards, and discretionary fund opportunities available to new and current students. Please use the A-Z of funds or use the filter to see which ones may be relevant to you. All students are welcome to apply.
Further information on funding your studies is also available, please see the attached link or contact the relevant UHI partner.
Additional costs
Participation in any field trips or face-to-face activities will be at your own expense. Costs will vary dependent on student location etc. Attendance at such face-to-face events is optional and not essential for completion of the course.
What can I do on completion of my course?
Once you have successfully completed the BA (Hons) History and Literature or BA (Hons) Scottish History and Literature, you might like to consider careers in:
- Teaching and education
- Libraries and Archives
- Museums and the heritage sector
- The media and journalism
- Publishing
- Government (local and national)
- Non-profit-making organisations
- Research at postgraduate level
- Research in the business and corporate sector
- Creative arts
- Marketing and PR
Can I progress into further study?
For information about further study options, please see our list of Postgraduate progression routes from Humanities degrees.
We also offer a range of postgraduate research degrees: MRes, MPhil and PhD.
Is there more information available online?
You can use the above QR code to connect directly to the course details.
I was still quite young when I finished school so although I did consider other universities, I decided to stay close to home. During my final year I was awarded the Highland Society of London prize which is presented to the best undergraduate dissertation in the Humanities and Gaelic network across the Highlands and Islands.
It was a huge honour to be given that prize and I'm grateful to my UHI mentor who supported me all the way. My advice to potential applicants would be to do it! Everything you could possibly imagine is within UHI and you can gain the qualification that you want while staying local.
Caitlin studied History at UHI Argyll.
I quickly realised that UHI provided the flexible learning opportunities and variety of content which fitted very neatly with both my interests and my lifestyle. The encouragement, support, advice and guidance – both collectively and individually – have been truly amazing.
My advice would be to explore everything that UHI has to offer prospective students of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life. The diversity of opportunities is matched by the breadth and depth of teaching experience and indeed the energy and enthusiasm of the students themselves; this partnership makes studying at UHI a unique and wholly rewarding experience.
This experience has been truly life-changing and I will forever be grateful for the opportunities afforded to me by UHI staff and fellow students.
Scott studies the BA (Hons) History at UHI Perth.
I saw that UHI had a joint degree in Scottish History and Literature so I thought that’s really what I want to do! There was lots of support and I made friends really quickly in my class. I like that at UHI students and lecturers work very closely together. Smaller class sizes gives the opportunity for a more personal approach and for the students to get exactly the support they need.
The Highlands are a very beautiful, inspirational place to live and work. I cannot see myself moving anywhere else again – it is very special to live in a place that has both, the sea and mountains, with a lot of vast, untouched land to explore.
Rebecca studied BA (Hons) Scottish History and Literature at UHI Inverness.
Apply for History and Literature BA (Hons)
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