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Keele University

UCAS Code: LV1F | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

B,B,C

BBC in three A levels

Access to HE Diploma

D:15

112 UCAS points in any Access to HE Diploma including Distinction in at least 15 Level 3 credits

GCSE/National 4/National 5

You will also need: an English language qualification

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

29

554 in three Higher Levels or 29 points

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

DMM in any BTEC Extended Diploma / National Extended Diploma

T Level

M

Merit in any T level

UCAS Tariff

112

About this course

This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2026

Other options

4 years | Sandwich including industrial placement | 2026

4 years | Sandwich with time abroad | 2026

Subjects

International relations

Modern history

Keele's Modern History and International Relations BA delves into events from our past and investigates how these shape the role of politics in the world today. From international organisations, to historical events, you will discover the key influences across the globe that impact individuals on a local, national and global scale. Learn to question, debate and think with an analytical mind to build a better future. With core skills in communication, analysis and research, you will develop as a leader and changemaker, ready for a wide range of careers in policy, business and civil service.

**Why choose this course?**

- Top 10 for International Relations (Guardian University Guide, 2024)

- Opportunity to participate in real-world practices such as a crisis simulation, model United Nations, and activist strategy

- Tailor your degree programme based on your interests and career aspirations

- Engage in work placement opportunities that provide a rich experience, preparing you for employment after university

- A chance to broaden your horizons and study abroad at a partner university

Keele's Modern History and International Relations degree brings together personal, local, regional and global aspects of power, order, conflict, and justice. From defining historical events through time, to understanding contemporary world politics and how political systems operate, you will examine key approaches to the study of international relations. The blend of both subjects enables you to learn how to apply history to address urgent issues facing the world today and consider the influential factors in building a better world through international organisations and law.

In a global framework, you will explore economic, political, social and cultural approaches to History and grapple with a wide range of themes including race, environmental change, gender, security and global development. You will delve into world politics and uncover the past and its key influences in shaping societies today, developing advanced skills in critical thinking and effective communication through debate and public speaking.

Our programme allows you to participate in real-world opportunities such as a crisis simulation, model United Nations and activist strategies for change. This hands-on approach enables you to build key skills in research and problem-solving, with consideration of real issues facing individuals. This will be valuable to your career and help you to prepare for the workplace environment and tasks.

**About Keele**
Keele University was established in 1949 by the former Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. Founded to meet the needs of a changing world, Keele has always had a pioneering vision to be a different kind of university.

We excel in both teaching and research, with some of the most satisfied students in England, and research that is changing lives for the better at a regional, national and global level.

Our beautiful 600-acre campus is one of the biggest in Britain – but all the most important services and facilities are on your doorstep, with accommodation, teaching spaces, facilities including a medical centre, sports centre and pharmacy, and a range of shops, eateries and entertainment venues – including the Students’ Union – clustered around the centre.

Modules

For a list of indicative modules please visit the course page on the Keele University website.

The Uni

Course location:

Keele University

Department:

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

87%
International relations
89%
Modern history

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Politics

Teaching and learning

83%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
78%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
58%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

81%
Library resources
83%
IT resources
72%
Course specific equipment and facilities
69%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

82%
UK students
18%
International students
57%
Male students
43%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

History

Teaching and learning

84%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
86%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
73%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

75%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
78%
Course specific equipment and facilities
71%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
56%
Male students
44%
Female students
89%
2:1 or above
16%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
C

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Politics

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£23,000
low
Average annual salary
85%
med
Employed or in further education
40%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

17%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Other administrative occupations
9%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

The numbers of people taking politics degrees fell sharply last year and we'll keep an eye on this one - it can't really be because of graduates getting poor outcomes as politics grads do about as well as graduates on average. Most politics or international relations graduates don't actually go into politics - although many do, as activists, fundraisers and researchers. Jobs in local and central government are also important. Other popular jobs include marketing and PR, youth and community work, finance roles, HR and academic research (you usually need a postgraduate degree to get into research). Because so many graduates get jobs in the civil service, a lot of graduates find themselves in London after graduating. Politics is a very popular postgraduate subject, and so about one in five politics graduates go on to take another course - usually a one-year Masters - after they finish their degrees.

History

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£21,000
low
Average annual salary
88%
med
Employed or in further education
30%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

14%
Other elementary services occupations
13%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
10%
Childcare and related personal services

History is a very popular subject (although numbers have fallen of late) — in 2015, over 10,000 UK students graduated in a history-related course. Obviously, there aren't 11,000 jobs as historians available every year, but history is a good, flexible degree that allows graduates to go into a wide range of different jobs, and consequently history graduates have an unemployment rate comparable to the national graduate average. Many — probably most — jobs for graduates don't ask for a particular degree to go into them and history graduates are well set to take advantage. That's why so many go into jobs in the finance industry, human resources, marketing, PR and events management, as well as the more obvious roles in education, welfare and the arts. Around one in five history graduates went into further study last year. History and teaching were the most popular further study subjects for history graduates, but law, journalism, and politics were also popular postgraduate courses.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Politics

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£23k

£23k

£30k

£30k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

History

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£19k

£19k

£25k

£25k

£26k

£26k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here