Welcome to History

History has long been one of the strongest subject areas at the University of Winchester, with high-quality research, imaginative teaching and consistently high rates of student satisfaction. Formerly a department in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, it is now part of the School of History, Archaeology and Philosophy in that faculty.

We are a community of internationally recognised historians with a range of expertise in Classical, Medieval, Early Modern and Modern history, at local and global level, reaching from Britain and Europe to the US, Latin America, Africa and Asia. We incorporate our research into our teaching, and we are proud of our commitment to being global in outlook while personal in approach.

We explore the past from a variety of perspectives, including social, cultural, political, post-colonial, gender, transnational and environmental history. Extensive course options allow students to pursue both specific interests and to explore new and wider varieties of history.

Our students are a valued part of our research culture and we offer them opportunities to get directly involved with our work, including through our two dynamic research centres: the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Research and the Modern History Research Centre.

Study options

We offer something for everyone in a friendly, lively environment, from Foundation Year to PhDs.

Explore our rich course offering

We have a dynamic community of MPhil and PhD students, and we welcome enquiries about postgraduate study. Our academics can supervise a wide range of topics and periods, with particular strengths in Anglo-Saxon and medieval Europe, Royal History, the Middle Ages in Modern Games, the War of the Roses, the English Civil wars, the global Age of Napoleon, the Modern Hispanic world and the Hispanic-Anglosphere, American civil rights, Modern Japan, medicine, the Holocaust, diasporas, British youth and youth culture, Modern French and British imperialism and post-colonialism.

Find out more about Research Degrees at Winchester.

Careers

Our degrees, combined with inspiring extracurricular activities, offer a broad and deep experience that opens up numerous career paths. Many Winchester graduates carry on to teaching and heritage roles but our alumni can also be found at the BBC, in political think-tanks, the Civil Service, automobile and insurance companies and publishing houses.

Public Engagement

Public engagement is important to us. We publish popular history articles, give media interviews and guided tours, and act as historical advisors for TV programmes such as the hit BBC series The Last Kingdom, about King Alfred and Wessex, and for local heritage initiatives such as 878AD, the immersive experience enabling visitors to step into Anglo-Saxon Winchester.

Prof. Ryan Lavelle signing one of his books