History, Philosophy and Politics (Placement Year) BA (Hons)

Lancaster University

Lancaster’s History, Philosophy and Politics degree is a triple major combined degree, taught by experts from our Department of History and the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion. Your study of Intellectual History, Philosophy and Politics gives you the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of each discipline and understand how they intersect with and influence one another.

In the first year, you will study three compulsory modules giving you a detailed introduction to each discipline. Your modules include From the Medieval to the Modern: History and Historians; Introduction to Philosophy, and Politics in the Modern World.

In your second and third years, you will move on to a range of optional modules covering the periods, movements and schools of thought that have shaped the world we live in and continue to shape the contemporary world. As the novelist William Faulkner wrote, "The past is never dead. It's not even past.”

Your Placement Year

Sometimes known as a year in industry, your placement year will take place between your second and final year of study and this will extend your degree to four years.

A placement year is an excellent way to...

• try out a role that you may be interested in as a career path
• start to build your professional network (some placement students are offered permanent roles to return to after they graduate)
• develop skills, knowledge and experience to put you ahead of the field when you graduate

You'll spend your third year in a paid, graduate-level position, where you’ll work for between nine and twelve months in the type of role that you might be considering for after you graduate. A very wide range of companies and organisations offer placements across all sectors. As a full-time employee, you’ll have a detailed job description with specific responsibilities and opportunities to access training and development, the same as other employees.

Our Careers and Placements Team will help you to secure a suitable placement with expert advice and resources, such as creating an effective CV, and tips for applications and interviews. You will still be a Lancaster University student during your placement and we’ll keep in touch to check how you are getting on.

The university will use all reasonable effort to support you to find a suitable placement for your studies. While a placement role may not be available in a field or organisation that is directly related to your academic studies or career aspirations, all offer valuable experience of working at a graduate level and gaining a range of professional skills.

If you are unsuccessful in securing a suitable placement for your third year, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent non-placement degree scheme and continue with your studies at Lancaster, finishing your degree after your third year.