History

Welcome to the Department of History

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To understand our modern world, we need to understand the past. As a student of History at University of Galway, you will explore the local and the global past, focusing on the histories of Ireland, Britain, continental Europe, North America, Australasia and Africa. You will study a wide variety of themes such as nationalism, colonialism, slavery, childhood, gender, and war; and many different time periods, from the Middle Ages to the end of the twentieth century. As a History student, not only you will learn about what happened in the past, you will also be trained in techniques that are invaluable in numerous career paths. You will learn how to source information in libraries, archives and on the internet, how to test the accuracy of a claim against the available evidence, and how to formulate a coherent argument and express it effectively - all skills indispensable in any job.

General Information

International Links: Between second and final year, you can choose to study History on an exchange programme in universities in Europe and North America, including Strasbourg, Leiden, Mainz, and Strathclyde. Many of these programmes are taught through English. The year abroad offfers an excellent opportunity to learn a new language or to develop an existing language competency. It also gives students the change to experience different social, cultural and academic environments.

Career Prospects: The kinds of research, writing and analytical skills you will acquire as a History student are highly valued in the modern workplace. Our recent graduates have gone on to work in a variety of different fields, including journalism, law, archives, public service, arts administration, publishing, teaching, speech writing and management consulting.

Student testimonial: 'I write everyday about everything from murder to rugby matches, but it is the ability to archive, write, interpret and summarise facts, all skills I obtained firstly in University of Galway through History, which I hope informs and enhances my professionalism.' Luke Henderson, Journalist, Sligo Weekender Newspaper

'Studying history at University of Galway was a fantastic experience. The wide range of courses provided an excellent grounding in different periods, while also allowing me to specialise in areas I was particularly passionate about such as international relations, development and gender studies.' Aibhlín O’Leary, BA