Teaching and assessment
You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
Teaching format
At every stage of your degree, we're committed to research-led teaching. We emphasise engagement over memorising facts. That's why we include seminars, discussion groups, specialist workshops and field trips in our curriculum.
- In seminars and the weekly discussion groups that accompany lectures, tutors work closely with groups of students.
- All History modules use online materials in a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Timetabled activities
In your first year, you can expect:
| Lectures |
4-5 hours per week |
| Seminars |
2-3 hours per week |
| Tutorials |
3 hours |
| Workshops |
0-1 hours per week |
These figures are representative of a typical week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.
Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.
In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.
Facilities
We are home to the Borthwick Institute for Archives, a major archive repository in Britain. It holds the records of the Archbishopric of York from the early thirteenth century onwards, and specialises in the study of ecclesiastic institutions.
There are several other important archives housed at York, including the JB Morrell Library and the Raymond Burton Library for Humanities Research. These contain collections covering subjects such as the British Civil Wars, French Revolution and Modern Asian history. Find out more about our libraries.
King's Manor houses The Wormald, Newton and Newbold collections, major resources for medieval art history, are housed in the King's Manor, as is the Architectural Studies Library, an invaluable source for architectural historians.
Teaching location
You will be based in both the Department of History and the Department of History of Art on Campus West.
Your contact hours will be divided between Vanbrugh College on Campus West, and King's Manor in the city centre.
About our campus
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.
Assessment and feedback
Your first-year work doesn't contribute toward your final marks. We recognise that you are only beginning to develop over the course of your degree.
From Year 2 onward, formal assessments contribute toward your degree. In your third year, your 8,000-word dissertation focuses on a specific topic of your choice.
- Before formal assessment in many modules, you'll carry out procedural work. You will receive extensive written feedback, which will help you in your formal assessment.
- Assessments range from research essays, to collaborative projects, to open 'take-home' examinations.
- Your final-year dissertation should be a topic that is interesting to you. Don't be afraid to explore.
