History and Philosophy

Discover a thousand years of history whilst experiencing all the specialist areas on offer at the University of Reading. The University of Reading ranks in the top 100 for Arts and Humanities globally (=92 in QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2025) and in the top 125 universities in the world offering History, Philosophy and Theology (Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, 2025). The Department of History's expertise covers a wide range of regions, from Europe and Africa to America, South Asia and the Middle East. 100% of our research is of international standing (REF 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2* submissions – History). Module choices cover diverse periods and topics, from the Crusades to Cold War Berlin and from Medieval Magic to the Rwanda Crisis. In your first year, your core modules will explore people, politics and revolution, finding out how people struggled for power in past societies; and the culture and concepts those societies developed. We will teach you the skills you need to study and research history through an individual project of your choice. In the latest National Student Survey, 98% of our students said teaching staff are good at explaining things (National Student Survey 2025, 98% of responders from the Department of History). Studying philosophy will equip you with the ability to think logically, to evaluate arguments critically, and to challenge your own ideas and those of other people. You will be taught by leading experts whose research strengths lie especially in moral philosophy and the philosophy of the mind and language. Your first year will introduce you to the general skills required for all philosophy and you will also have the chance to explore non-western philosophies such as Indian philosophy.