History BA(Hons): What our students say

"I studied for my BA in History at Kingston University from 2000-03. Since then I have gone on to qualify as a solicitor and currently practice corporate law in an international law firm in the City. Law is a competitive field and the skills, experiences and knowledge that I acquired throughout my undergraduate degree have been invaluable in helping me throughout my career to date.

"During my degree I was hugely impressed by the standard of teaching, the breadth of subjects on offer throughout the course and the genuine interest the history lecturers showed in their students. I had always been, and continue to be, fascinated by history and the knowledge the lecturers had and the passion they showed for their specialist fields made the degree both interesting and rewarding.

"The teaching style was also a factor which made my degree such a pleasurable experience. Lectures were interesting and delivered in a user-friendly form. Lively debates were common in seminars, during which I developed the skill of presenting my arguments in a logical and reasoned manner and the presentations which I gave developed my confidence in public speaking. Throughout the course I also developed my ability to write clearly and persuasively, to conduct efficient and thoughtful research and to present that research in various formats, from oral reports to extended essays.

"The skills I developed throughout my degree are of such a transferable nature that they are crucial to any industry and they have undoubtedly helped me greatly. Following my degree I undertook a Postgraduate Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course, both at the College of Law in London. Even though I was studying a different subject area, the skills of researching an issue and then presenting a concise and well-reasoned argument which I developed during my degree were invaluable. Indeed, during my training contract (the two years of 'on the job training' which is compulsory to qualify as a solicitor) and my time as a qualified solicitor, I continue to build on the skills I gained during my undergraduate history degree."

"I left school when I was 16 because I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I spent six years working in call centres and doing customer service type roles. But I knew I didn't want a career in customer services.

"My husband and a lot of my friends had been to university. This got me thinking that maybe I could go back and study to do something I actually wanted to do.

"I did A-level evening classes and found history really interesting so I decided to do it at degree level. I wasn't sure which university to go to, but I heard Kingston's History course had a good reputation with a high standard of teaching.

"Then, when I spoke to the Faculty staff, they were really nice. They seemed enthusiastic about having me on the course and very enthusiastic about their subject. It really endeared them to me.

"I have loved the breadth of things I have been able to study on the course. The topics for GCSEs and A-levels are quite constricted, whereas here I have been able to do all sorts of different things; politics, sociology, different periods of history and different aspects of history within each topic.

"The teaching has been fantastic. I found going back to writing essays, after a number of years' break, quite difficult. But the lecturers are really supportive. If you bring in a draft of your work, they'll go through it with you. I've also made use of the services the University offers such as the Skills courses on essay writing.

"When I graduate I plan to do a diploma in law and eventually train as a barrister. The course has really helped me focus my attention on what I am genuinely interested in and what I actually want to do in my career. But, above all, it's just been really good fun."