History can be taken on both LM002 Bachelor of Arts & LM019 Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences. Subject combinations & course structures can be reviewed on the appropriate programme page.

About You

Above all else, you have a curiosity about and a passion for understanding people, events and ideas in the past, and how societies changed over time; you love to read and engage with historical debates; you are excited about ‘discovery’ and rise to the challenge of working with original sources and documents. You want to give yourself the opportunity to read path-breaking historical works and to learn more about the writing of history. You want to engage with past events and processes that have helped us to understand ourselves and the world that we live in. You want to know more about culture, in the broadest sense. You have an ability to both narrate and analyse phenomena, and you want to express yourself as eloquently and effectively as possible. You are open to new ideas, and to the power of the past to inform, influence, and convince.

Why Study History at UL?

The historians at UL are acknowledged scholars in their fields of research, and are committed to student-centred learning; they offer exciting and innovative modules throughout the four years of study. The history programme at UL will enable you to develop critical and analytical skills through an appreciation of primary sources, historiography and key events and changes, as well as through the study of the social, cultural and historical contexts in which change was produced. You will learn about source analysis, the processes informing history writing from the fifteenth century to the contemporary world. You can choose electives to suit your own interests, in Irish, European, American, and Middle Eastern/Mediterranean history; you can focus on political, social, cultural, urban, and gendered approaches to history.

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Read about our students' experiences

What you will study

History at UL has a number of key components or themes that run throughout the four years of their programme leading to specialist options in the final year, among these are the following:

Documentary sources analysis and theory, critical historical practice.
Historical schools/eras in history- writing/historiography since classical times until the present day.
General electives in late-medieval European history (Renaissance/ Reformation/Counter-Reformation); warfare and diplomacy in 17th Century; political history of Irish nationalism/ republicanism; the cultural and social history of everyday life in Ireland since the 18th Century; America/Irish relations; Europe and the Middle East since the 19th Century; historiography.
Specialist electives on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spain; Ireland and America; Holocaust; the cultural history of the city in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Germany; cultural history of the Weimar Republic.

Modules are offered on both Bachelor of Arts (LM002) and BSc. Social Sciences (LM019) - Both are subject to change.

Year 1	Semester 1		Semester 2
HI4071	Doing History: past, present and practice	HI4142	Games of Thrones: Gender, Power and Identity, Ireland and the Wider World, 1500-1950
Year 2	Semester 3		Semester 4
	Students select 2:		Cooperative Education Placement
HI4063	Nasty and Brutish: Early Modern Europe, c. 1500-1700
HI4073	From the Prophet to ISIS: the Middle East and Europe: ancient to modern
HI4083	Making Ireland British: Early Modern Ireland, 1436-1750
HI4103	Imagining Ireland: from early Modern to Modern
Year 3	Semester 5		Semester 6
	External Academic Placement		Students select 2
		HI4046	Contesting the past: writing history
		HI4056	New Heaven, New Earth: power and belief in the Europen Reformation 1517-1618
		HI4066	Absolutes and Revolutionaries: Europe in the age of Enlightenment 1688-1815
		HI4076	Patriots to Parnell: Ireland, 1750-1891
Year 4	Semester 7		Semester 8
HI4247	Empires, nations and Union: Europe, 1848-1992	HI4158	Culture and anarchy: Ireland in the twentieth century
	Students select 2:		Students select 2:
HI4077	Metropolis, the German urban experience 1900-1945	HI4077	Metropolis, the German urban experience 1900-1945
HI4107	Conservatives, Patriots and radicals politics and political ideology in eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland	HI4107	Conservatives, patriots and radicals politics and political ideology in eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland
HI4117	The Irish Conflict, 1948-98	HI4117	The Irish Conflict, 1948-98
HI4127	Understanding the Holocaust in twentieth-century Europe	HI4127	Understanding the Holocaust in twentieth-century Europe
HI4207	The Global empire: the Spanish monarch, Europe and America, 1479-1598	HI4207	The Global empire: the Spanish monarch, Europe and America, 1479-1598
HI4217	The Early Modern City, 1500-1800	HI4217	The Early Modern City, 1500-1800
HI4227	Golden Age: Politics, Culture and Warfare in the Spanish Monarchy, 1598-1746	HI4227	Golden Age: Politics, Culture and Warfare in the Spanish Monarchy, 1598-1746
HI4237	Modern Middle East and the Arab-Israeli Conflict	HI4237	Modern Middle East and the Arab-Israeli Conflict
HI4307	Health, Gender, State and Irish medical care, 1837-1948	HI4307	Health, Gender, State and Irish medical care, 1837-1948

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Entry requirements

Entry requirements are dependent on your programme of choice. Please click your preferred programme below:

For certain subjects, additional special qualifications specific to individual subjects or disciplines may be determined by the respective departments in accordance with Academic Council regulations.

Applications are especially welcome from Mature Students. Mature applicants must apply through the Central Applications Office (CAO) by 1 February.

QQI Entry

Certain QQI Awards are acceptable in fulfilling admission requirements for both LM002 and LM019. More information on the UL Admissions QQI page including a full list of modules.

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How to apply

Where are you applying from?	How to Apply
Ireland	Irish students must apply to UL via the CAO. More information can be found here.
The UK	Students who have completed their A-Levels can apply to UL via the CAO. More information can be found on the Academic Registry website.
The EU	EU Students can apply to UL via the CAO. More information can be found on the Academic Registry website.
Non-EU country	If you are outside of the EU, you can apply for this degree here.

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Fees & funding

Student course fees are broken into three components - Student contribution, Student Centre Levy and Tuition Fees.

A number of illustrative examples of fees for this course based on the current fee levels have been set out in the tables below.

An explanation of the components, how to determine status and the criteria involved is provided below the examples as is a list of possible scholarships and funding available.

EU Students with Free fees status in receipt of a SUSI grant

HEA pays	Tuition Fees	€2,558
SUSI pays	Student contribution	€3,000
Student pays	Student Centre Levy	€92
		€5,650

EU Students with Free fees status not in receipt of a grant

HEA pays	Tuition Fees	€2,558
Student pays	Student contribution	€3,000
Student pays	Student Centre Levy	€92
		€5,650

Students with EU fee status not in receipt of a grant

Student pays	Tuition Fees	€2,558
Student pays	Student contribution	€3,000
Student pays	Student Centre Levy	€92
		€5,650

Non-EU Students

Student pays	Tuition Fees	€12,178
Student pays	Student Centre Levy	€92
		€12,270

Student course fees are comprised of three components:

Student Contribution

Annual charge set by the government for all full-time third level students. All students are liable unless they have been approved for a grant by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Please refer to https://www.studentfinance.ie to determine your eligibility for a grant and for instructions on how to apply. The curent student contribution is set at €3000.

Student Centre Levy

All students are liable to pay the Student Centre Levy of €90. Please note the Student Centre Levy is not covered by the SUSI Grant.

Tuition Fees

These are based on Residency, Citizenship, Course requirements.

Review the three groups of criteria to determine your fee status as follows

Residency
- You must have been living in an EU/EEA member state or Switzerland for at least 3 of the 5 years before starting your course
Citizenship
- You must be a citizen of an EU/EEA member state or Switzerland or have official refugee status
Course Requirements (all must be met)
- You must be a first time full-time undergraduate (Exceptions are provided for students who hold a Level 6 or Level 7 qualification and are progressing to a Level 8 course in the same general area of study).
- You must be undertaking a full-time undergraduate course of at least 2 year’s duration
- You cannot be undertaking a repeat year of study at the same level unless evidence of exceptional circumstances eg serious illness is provided (in which case this condition may be waived)

Depending on how you meet these criteria your status will be one of the following -

Free Fee Status: You satisfy all three categories (1, 2 and 3) and therefore are eligible for the Higher Education Authority’s Free Fees scheme.
EU Fee Status: You satisfy the citizenship and/or residency criteria but fail to satisfy the course requirements and are liable to EU fees
Non EU Fee Status: You do not meet either the citizenship or residency criteria and are therefore liable to Non EU fees.

More information about fees can be found on the Finance website

These scholarships are available for this course

Title	Award	Scholarships available
The Noel Ryan Scholarship	€2,000 per year for 4 years	1 per year

These scholarships are available for all courses

Title	Award	Scholarships available
Johnson and Johnson WiSTEM2D Programme
Plassey Campus Centre Scholarship Programme
All Ireland Scholarships - sponsored by J.P. McManus	€6,750	125
Higher Education Grants & VEC Grants
Financial Aid Fund
Elaine Fagan Scholarship	€5,000	5
Stuart Mangan Scholarship
Provincial GAA Bursaries Scheme	€750
The Michael Hillery and Jacinta O’Brien Athletics Scholarship	Various benefits equating to over €7,000 in value
Paddy Dooley Rowing Scholarship	€2,500
UL Sports Scholarships	Varies depending on level of Scholarship	Multiple
Cooperative Education Award		1 medal per faculty

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Your future career

Professional administration/management
International/European organizations
Archivist/Museum curator/Librarian
Development and research in voluntary organizations/NGOs
Public service, nationally or locally
Research and teaching at third level
Teacher (Professional Master of Education required)

Follow-On Study

Student Profile

Morgan Leigh

After finishing school and working full-time for three years, I decided that I wanted to return to education. I took a QQI course in Liberal Arts which led me to the BA Arts programme at UL. I did not have a particular career goal in mind, so I chose the subjects I enjoyed studying the most including History.

I was drawn towards the style of writing used in the practice of history. It was in that criticality and engagement that I saw the potential to develop a really valuable skillset. You are not simply learning about history, but learning what good history is, and how to produce it. The modules are quite broad, they cover either a long time-period or a variety of topics. That allows you to really explore the subject and discover what you enjoy discussing and researching the most.

The faculty in the Department of History are second to none, which was what made my decision to study it in the end. Very early on I got the sense of how supportive both the lecturers and tutors are. They have always been approachable and provided excellent guidance.

If I can offer any advice, it would be to follow your interests. If you are unsure of what you will gain from the course in terms of career options, consider what skills it has to offer you and how you could put them to use. Studying history is an excellent way to develop your critical thinking and research skills which are valuable in many lines of work. It is important to study subjects you want to learn more about, doing so will only invite more opportunity.

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